The favorite Brayden Hamblen caught challenger Wyatt McIntyre with less than 200m remaining (Tracy Burmester photo)
The 1A boys' race on the other hand had several contenders to be in that front pack and eventually get the win. A pack of three which included Pinckneyville junior Garrett Johnson, Sterling Newman Catholic senior Chris Ahlers , and Hinckley Big Rock senior Tanner Chada was the first to lead a half mile into the race. Rock Falls senior Brayden Hamblen led the pack that followed behind them. Coming into the first mile (4:47) was still Ahlers and Chada, while Johnson had fallen out of the mix. Following closely behind was Hamblen, Arthur junior Logan Hall, and Athens junior Wyatt McIntyre.
A lot of moves were made in the back triangle of the course, as McIntyre was strongly running out in front with a good size lead as he approached the two mile mark in 9:38. Hamblen was now running second and looking determined with Hall and Chada running shortly behind. Ahlers still followed but had fallen off from the pack and Justin Phillips of St. Joseph Ogden was moving up. McIntyre still looked good and looked to bring it home as he had just a half mile to go with a sizable lead on Hamblen. It then became a race to the finish as Hamblen really poured it on in the final stretch and was closing the gap between him and front runner, McIntyre. Hamblen's final kick took him past McIntyre and across the blue mats at a time of 14:23, while McIntyre came in at 14:27 for second place. Hall finished third with 14:44, and senior Chada placed fifth at 14:54.
| top 10 BOYS THREE MILE RUN | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | ATHLETE | TEAM | RESULT | POINTS | ||
| 1 | Brayden Hamblen | 12 | Rock Falls High School | 14:23.00 | -- | |
| 2 | Wyatt Mcintyre | 11 | Athens Senior High School | 14:27.00 | 1 | |
| 3 | Logan Hall | 11 | Arthur High School | 14:44.00 | -- | |
| 4 | Tanner Chada | 12 | Hinckley-Big Rock High School | 14:54.00 | -- | |
| 5 | Justin Phillips | 12 | St. Joseph-Ogden High School | 15:03.00 | 2 | |
| 6 | Alex Helmuth | 11 | Monticello High School | 15:09.00 | -- | |
| 7 | Chris Ahlers | 12 | Newman Central Catholic High School | 15:12.00 | 3 | |
| 8 | Riley Wells | 10 | Rockford Christian High School | 15:17.00 | 4 | |
| 9 | Ryan Hommowun | 12 | Richmond-Burton High School | 15:18.00 | 5 | |
| 10 | Tyler Pasley | 12 | Shelbyville High School | 15:19.00 | -- | |
Brayden Hamblen post race interview
There was a much closer separation between the boys' teams thank for the girls as Elgin Harvest Christian Academy were the ones who came out on top with 107 points, while Freeburg placed second with 116. Both teams were strong contenders for the state title with both of them placing well all season long. Richmond-Burton also ran a spirited race to total a score of 138 that granted them the third place trophy. All in all, it truly was a day to remember.
| top 5 TEAM SCORES | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | TEAM | POINTS | SCORERS | TIMES | ||
| 1 | Harvest Christian Academy | 107 | 8+9+19+34+37 (75+98) | 0:34 1-5 Split | 15:44 Avg | ||
| 2 | Freeburg High School | 116 | 6+7+16+38+49 (65+90) | 0:50 1-5 Split | 15:46 Avg | ||
| 3 | Richmond-Burton High School | 138 | 5+22+32+36+43 (76+121) | 0:49 1-5 Split | 15:50 Avg | ||
| 4 | Rockford Christian High School | 190 | 4+35+44+46+61 (68+108) | 1:02 1-5 Split | 15:59 Avg | ||
| 5 | Elmwood-Brimfield High School | 203 | 15+21+53+56+58 (83+84) | 0:39 1-5 Split | 16:03 Avg | ||
Elgin Harvest Christian Coach Steven Bland's reaction