First of all, Saturday at Sectionals felt good. Really good.
It started on the bus ride over. The guys were loose, calm and confident. A little joking back and forth, but still focused on the task ahead of them.
Things amped up on our arrival at Midlothian Meadows. The Sandburg supporters were there en masse - students, cross country team members, parents, alumni, relatives & friends and all sorts of Sandburg Crazies! They brought their "A" game and literally covered the course with rabid, screaming CSHS fans. Their energy and enthusiasm inspired the Sandburg runners in both the girls and boys races. Incredible! We're going to need them for the State meet.
The weather at race time was cold - in the high 30's - with wind a bit stronger than ideal. The boys went thru their normal pre-race warmup - keeping the sweats on right up until race time. In the final huddle, everyone looked ready to roll.
At the gun, the Sandburg pack got out safely, keeping together and out of trouble. Coming back around for the first 800, all seven runners put themselves near the front - in the first 10 to 15. At the 1.25 mile mark, heading out to the Woods, Ryan Clevenger from Downers North had opened up a bit of a lead. Behind him, the chase pack included all seven Sandburg runners along with one from Neuqua Valley, Oswego, Hinsdale Central and Downers South. Exiting the woods, things had held pretty steady and the race surged past the 2-mile mark. At this point, it was clear that if the boys could hold on, this race would be won by Sandburg.
Over the last mile, things strung-out just a bit. Ryan Clevenger cruised home with the win, stamping himself as one of the favorites for the individual title at State. Following him, single runners from Hinsdale Central, Oswego and Neuqua Valley entered the finish chute. Tommy Brennan nailed down 5th place in 14:51. Next up was Sean Torpy in 6th in 14:54 and Chris Torpy in 7th in 14:55. Greg Burzinski, running his best race of the year, grabbed 10th place in 14:57 and Brandon Lukas followed in 11th in 15:00. All five Sandburg scorers crossed the line before the second runner from any other team - with a 9 second split from 1 to 5.
Finishing in 14th place, sophomore Martin Skucas (15:04) pushed back many of the other teams' scorers and Max Lehnhardt, although not having his best day, did like-wise in 22nd place (15:11).
When the final scores were tabulated, the Eagles had prevailed with only 39 points. Hinsdale Central, Neuqua Valley, Downers Grove North and Lyons Township battled it out for rest of the qualifying spots.
Official results are here.
Following the race, the boys grabbed another layer of clothes and moved on to complete their workout and then a cool down run. Although they were satisfied with the result, this was just another step towards the State meet in Peoria. They are well-aware that this win means little if they don't finish the job - and that all of these teams will regroup and prepare to take their best shot on Saturday on the Detweiller course.
Another week of practice and they will be ready to race once more. Let's get that Sandburg support team mobilized for Peoria!