https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151691907071394.1073741852.684326393&&l=2ba6e8531b
Thanks to Aidan Farley's mom, Jennifer, for some great Sectional photos! Here's a link to many more:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151691907071394.1073741852.684326393&&l=2ba6e8531b
0 Comments
(special thanks to Bob Hahn for this interview with Justin Smith) Justin Smith was a member of the 2006 team that finished in 4th place in state. Every season starts with summer camp and 2006 was no exception. My best memories are probably from summer camp because once the season starts, it is such a whirlwind between school, practice, and meets on the weekend that it can sometimes be over before you know it. Summer camp that year was a grind and was definitely the key to our success that year (as all summer camps are). We had a mentality going into that summer that we all were going to eat, sleep, and breathe cross country until the end of the season, and our entire top 7 was so committed it was unbelievable. Nobody took vacations that summer, nobody skipped summer camp to go to six flags, nobody missed practice when it was pouring rain, and nobody missed practice when it was 110 degree heat index (instead we showed up at the trails at 5:30am to get our run in before the heat). Everyone was committed to doing their double days at home without having to be chaperoned. Looking back on that now, it's hard to believe that a group of 16-18 year olds could be that committed to something but that summer we definitely were. Everything from eating, to getting enough sleep, to hydrating, our entire group was 100% committed which was unbelievable. When the school year started those of us with the same lunch period ate together every day and talked about the week's workouts, meets, and how pumped we were for the next race to compete. I think that mentality was instigated by Coach O'Malley as he was so dedicated to us. We would all meet in his classroom every morning before 1st period just to talk and hangout with him, and he would provide insights on training or we would talk about the past weekend's meet. The way he took the sport and our team so seriously was a huge motivator to us. Because of the respect he showed us as high school athletes and the dedication that he put into the team, it made us want to perform at the highest level possible.
Most Anticipated Moment - I remember gearing up the entire summer, working hard at the trails, running close to 100 mile weeks in anticipation of what we hoped would be at least a trophy season but all of our eyes were set on winning the state title. We were participating in a number of early season meets but despite this, I think most of us were focused on and anticipating our Palatine Invite meet in late September, as we all knew that this was going to be when we would first face off against York, and we knew that if we had any chance at winning State, the Palatine Invite would be a great way to compare ourselves to York and see where we stood. I remember that I fully expected us to be able to meet them and I know that all of us believed we were the best team in the state. I remember showing up at the meet and warming up, and when we went to the start line we realized the Palatine meet director had given us the worst start box imaginable on the far left hand-side of a down-sloping start-line. This ticked us off but at the same time fired us up for the race. I remember getting off to a slow start (probably not even in the top 50) to start the race, and I remember all of us trying to move forward the entire race due to our bad start but we didn't quite make up all the ground we wanted to. We ended up finishing 3rd behind Palatine and York. I think we were all a bit bummed that we did not beat York that day, but even a little more shocked we didn't beat Palatine. I think it brought us down to Earth a little bit and motivated us to keep up the hard training in practice in the coming weeks, as there was still well over a month until the state meet. What man was I on the day of the state meet? - The best thing about our team was that we didn't necessarily distinguish ourselves as guys #1-7. I think everyone in our top 5 knew we could finish in any order from 1-5 on our team, and this was what definitely the best part of our team dynamic. I think everyone knew that Mouse was our true #1 guy, with Brad being #2, and Tom, Bach and I #3/4/5 depending on the given day, but that didn't stop any of us from pushing ahead of one another during races and motivating one another/running side by side. For example at the prior year state meet, I had been the #1 finisher in the particular race, but at Regionals during the 06 season, I was #4, at Sectionals #2, and at state I ended up finishing neck and neck with Brad for 3/4 on our team, so I don't think any of us really distinguished ourselves by what "man" we were. Tom ended up being our 2nd finisher at State, which was a great example of our mentality that anyone could be any # guy on any day. This definitely helped alleviate some of the pressures on the date of the state meet, knowing that we all believed in ourselves. I remember the Sectional meet at Lockport was wet, raining, and none of us felt that great. When I passed the finish line I thought we had gotten killed by LWE or Neuqua Valley, but it turned out we won. This definitely motivated me because I knew we won a sectional meet on a day when none of us felt that great. It made us think we were really going to rock at state. The state meet day was definitely a big day for us. It's hard to describe four years of anticipation in a few sentences. Our team bonded together so closely over the years and we were all looking forward to the state meet our senior year knowing this would be our big day. We were definitely happy to have finished 4th place, but immediately following the race we were all a little bit more than disappointed due to our high expectations. Looking back on it, a 4th place finish was spectacular and tied for the best finish in Sandburg history, however, we all definitely wanted to go home with the state trophy that day. The best thing we can all say though is that we ran that race with no regrets. Everyone gave 100% effort that day and knowing that we all gave it the best effort we possibly could, there is no reason to be disappointed with a 4th place finish. The one thing I remember about the state meet is that getting off to the perfect start is crucial. You definitely don't want to be starting from behind and trying to move up the entire race, because there are so many fast runners, that is difficult to do. I remember probably starting out a little bit slow during the state meet that year and feeling a little bit disengaged around the 1.5 mile mark because I wasn't exactly where I wanted to be. However, I didn't let this bother me and if anyone else felt like this, it definitely didn't bother them either. We just kept plugging along. Immediately after the race, I wasn't sure exactly what place we finished, but I was in a celebratory mood when I found at that Mouse took All-State, as he deserved that medal more than anyone I know. I remember O'Malley counting up the scores and trying to figure out on the back of an envelope what place we took after somehow counting the runners as they crossed the finish line while still having the time to cheer us on on the final stretch. The suspense waiting for the scores was unreal because it seemd like people were saying we took anywhere from 2nd to 4th, and we all just really wanted that trophy. It seemed like forever between the point when we finished the race and the point when we found out we took 4th. A bunch of the seniors did a final lap around Detweiller and a final cooldown. The best thing about the team is that all of us still talk and hang out every week, and that wouldn't have changed whether we finished 1st, 4th, or didn't qualify for state. During the years we spent together including the 4th place finish in 06, we laid the foundation for a tight knit group that would last for years. Justin Smith, Class of ‘07 (thanks to Bob Hahn for gathering this interview with Brad LaRocque) Brad LaRocque was a member of the 2006 team that finished 4th in state. The 2006 team was the most special team Sandburg will ever have. It was so special that the guys that were a part of it are still a team. We are still a team. We still believe in each other, we still support each other in what we are doing today. What made our team special at Sandburg was we made running our life. We ate, slept and breathed it. We were a team on the trails, on the course and when we hung out. We hung out all the time! We were one big family! We were so dedicated to each other, Coach O'Malley and ourselves didn't go on vacation during the summer. We knew that the summer was the season. If you didn't have a great summer your season wasn't going to be the best it could have been. The team had its ups and downs with injuries, and people quitting, but people stepped up and made it happen! The ones who stayed wanted to be part of something special. Coach O'Malley took the biggest part in making this team the most special team in Sandburg history. He helped us become the best runners we could be by being there every step of the way. Coach O’Malley supported us when we were down and when we were on top. He supported an individual when he was out and when he was in. Today Coach O’Malley has a legacy and will continue to build it and build it as he continues his streak of consecutive teams qualifying for state. Along with Coach O’Malley’s support we had our family, they were the ones who spent the money, cheered us on, rang the cowbells, cooked the food and helped us get place to place. Our families were very close as well. They were as close and are still as close as us runners. Inside the team and outside the team was special.
Who was number 1 or who was number 70 never mattered. In 2006, the year that we took 4th, we were always coming in different orders each race. Our first guy could have been our 5th, our 5th guy could have been our first, our 7th could have been our first as well! We were all very fast that year, which is a huge reason why we placed so high! The 2006 season was excellent, we were all pretty much healthy and all had great summers. Definitely a summer to remember for all of us! We were expecting to go 3rd or better, but we took 4th at what was the fastest state meet to that date. I know if we would have ran our 2006 times in the 2005 state meet, we would have been driving back to Orland Park with a trophy! Brad LaRocque ‘07 Well, we knew we were in for a fight at the Hinsdale Central Sectional.
On a beautifully cool & crisp day at Katherine Legge Memorial Park, the Sandburg boys did battle with some of the best teams in the State of Illinois. After a moderate 800 meter start, only sophomore Tom Brennan decided to rev things up. Working his way thru the pack, Tommy ran most of the race in the top 10 before fading a little in the last 400 meters to finish in 12th place overall with a time of 15:02. As the Downers North duo surged to lead and the Hinsdale Central team packed it up near the front, the Sandburg group never really got it going today. Senior Will Becker made a late surge to finish in 17th place in 15:08. Junior Greg Burzinski was next in 15:14, good for 27th place. Senior Harry Becker was our 4th finisher in 30th place (15:19) and sophomore Sean Torpy wrapped up the scoring in 34th place (15:29). Sophomore Chris Torpy was right behind Sean in 35th place in a time of 15:30 and fellow soph Dan Laskero closed it out in 41st place in 15:37. Overall, the Eagle placed 4th at the Sectional and qualified for the State Meet for the 11th year in a row. Here are the complete results. Zach Dahleen, Sandburg class of 2009, led his Southern Illinois University team to the 2013 Missouri Valley Conference cross country championship. Zach finished 4th overall and ran 24:30.3 (4:56 pace) for the 8k course, earning All-MVC honors.
So awesome to see Zach go out on top for his senior year at SIU!!! Here's a link to the SIUSalukis.com story. Here's a link to the official results. |
Coach Novak's blogHere are a few thoughts from Coach Novak. Archives
November 2023
Categories |