See the quick highlight reel from the 2019 championship
2019 MOC ACTION
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Date: Saturday, September 25, 2021
Location: Deer Grove East Forest Preserve; Palatine, IL
Course walk: 8:30a
Boys schedule: Frosh 9:00a; Soph 9:50a Varsity 10:50a; JV 11:50a
Girls schedule: F/S 9:25a; Varsity 10:20a; JV 11:20a
Key girls teams: #1 York, #4 Prospect, #6 New Trier, #8 Oak Park-RIver Forest, #9 Loyola Academy, #10 Maine South, #12 Lyons Township, #13 Downers Grove North, #18 Libertyville, #19 Barrington, #22 Hersey, #24 Lockport; 2A- #1 Grayslake Central, #2 Vernon Hills, #11 Prairie Ridge, #13 Crystal Lake Central, #16 Lakes
Key boys teams: #2 York, #4 New Trier, #5 Hinsdale Central, #6 Palatine, #13 Plainfield South, #14 Loyola Academy, #15 Hersey, #17 Lake Zurich, #18 Plainfield North, #20 Downers Grove South, #22 Oak Park-River Forest, #22 Prospect, #25 Barrington; 2A- #1 Fenwick, #6 Grayslake Central, #12 Prairie Ridge, #13 Crystal Lake Central, #20 Marmion Academy
Opening thoughts: the last time the Palatine MOC was held in 2019, it was a mud-fest of enormous proportions. Josh Methner of Hersey clocked the boy's individual crown in 15:20. New Trier beat Hersey for the boy's title 113-116. Samantha Poglitsch of Wheaton-Warrenville was victorious in the girl's varsity race with a time of 17:37. York took the team title by scoring 132 points.
As far as the meet itself, there is a fine history that accompanies it. The Palatine Invitational goes way back in terms of tradition. It originally started as a frosh-soph meet in 1971 and then moved to a full varsity meet in 1984. Elmhurst (York) boys came on the scene and dominated with 13 team titles. The Dukes have staged this invitational as their season bookmark for many years thereafter.