Whitney Young Boys, Evanston Girls Battle Tough Conditions To Win Pat Savage Titles

The varsity boys lead pack stayed together for most of the race despite sloppy conditions (Mark Capapas photo)

MEET RESULTS

PHOTOS

The 46th Annual Pat Savage Invitational turned out to be spectacular despite dark skies and what appeared to be incessant rain that accompanied the event. This proud meet at one time was the largest co-ed high school invitational in the country. Many of the best teams in the state as well as in the country would pour on to the Skokie campus to do battle. But over time bigger and so called more flashy meets began to sprout up, taking away some of the luster that Coach Pat Savage created. Still on a day filled with nastiness, it was good to see an ample amount of enthusiasm from coaches, athletes and fans.

Boys-

3A #7 Whitney Young was a late addition to Pat Savage. The Dolphins head coach Billy Poole-Harris wanted to get his team prepared for the upcoming state sectional later this month which will be held here on the Niles West HS grounds. Whitney Young without top man junior Clayton Mendez won the title comfortably over unranked Chicago (St. Ignatius) 70-84. Whitney Young senior Keduse Worku and sophomore Sam Rivera led the way for the Dolphins. The rising pair got out to the front of the pack right away and worked very hard to stay glued to the leaders. They were able to hold their claims and finished in the top ten overall. The Dolphins put four runners in the top 15 and five in the top 35 to secure a strong win. The victory may be short lived for Whitney Young as the Chicago Public School system is on the verge of a teachers strike. The CPS teachers union approved a strike slated for October 11. The CPS cross country championship is scheduled for Oct. 15 and the first round of the state series (regionals) is Oct. 22. No coaches may coach and athletes are not allowed to participate in any competition during a strike. Thus the season would be over for CPS student-athletes.

In fairness to Coach Ed Ernst and his St. Ignatius team, the Wolfpack have quietly improved their stock this season. Top man junior Michael Obroin may be positioning himself as a top distance man in 2018 ran well enough to finish third overall. St. Ignatius' pack responded in holding down a scoring split of 47 seconds. 3A #23 Loyola Academy took a distance third place with 128 points.

The pace was incredibly modest in 4:59-5:00 for the flock of front runners who trudged through the mud and big puddles of standing water. Loyola Academy senior Paolo Tiongson led the entire way and surprisingly did not receive any threats from the surrounding group of runners who accompanied him. He hit the second mile in 10:19 and the same group of followers such as Worku, Obrion, and senior Jaimie Marcos of Von Steuben was just a few seconds in back. This unique race enters the football stadium and finishes with the final 300m on the track. It is a treat for fans who can sit in the stands and watch the race. Tiongson pulled away late on level soil to win over Worku 15:18-15:24.

Winner Paolo Tiongson post-race reaction