This division had a slew of quality closers throughout the classification
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Pass the Tums.... the most agonizing time in a cross country coach's life is watching the fifth runner cross the finish line of a major championship. Why? No matter how strong your team is whether you a number #1 stick or a trio of stallions, the emphasis is always going to depend on the bottom line: the closer!
Pre-season #1 Morton was the odds on favorite to steamroll roll their way through the season. "They are building a dynasty" as one pundit stated on several occasions. Maybe so but the Potters took two losses along the way including the Peoria Notre Dame Sectional on a sixth-man tie. Metamora was certainly on a high entering the Shazam Championships.
Metamora would not factor in the sweepstakes.
Morton put the hurt on the competition starting with their young killer wolves in training super freshmen Josh Weeks and Yonas Wuthrich. They both placed in the top 10 and Chase Sauder did his part with the set up finishing touches.
Sauder has been a glue type figure throughout the year, fluctuating between the fourth through the sixth runner. Coach Joel Zehr got the exact result that he needed when it counted. The sophomore Sauder placed fifth in flight two (17:15) and 44th overall that secured his team the championship with 104 points.