Palatine meet of champions promises a classic affair

York has won more team titles than any other school 

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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

It's almost like a mixture of the first two Palatine Invites into one here. At one time, the Palatine Invite was the signature meet to bookmark what would happen prior to the state championship. It is still an excellent usage of time for those on a Saturday to enjoy the fare. 

York could be the favorite but we need to see consistency from the Dukes. Last weekend at the Richard Spring Invite, Ethan Summer (Sr) led the charge for the Dukes with a top ten placement. The individual performance would eventually spawn a 55-second scoring split and the team earned a second-place behind #1 Sandburg. Rival Hinsdale Central will be in it to win with their ace card Daniel Watcke (Jr) who is always an individual threat. But don't forget about New Trier who took down the Red Devils at the FTTF Invite several weeks ago. Nick Falk (Sr) will aid his team's cause with a tremendous front running style.

It has been several years since the host Palatine won the MOC. They will need some help from their pack in order to get the job done. There is always a battle of classes from within. The Saturday duel will not be an exception. 2A top ranked Fenwick will put their first week atop of the charts to the test. The Friers could finish in the top five through eight with a complete performance. 

The race to the tape will be just as exciting as the team race. Watcke and Falk engaged in a tremendous battle at FTTF with Watcke holding on for the victory in 14:50. Newcomer Marcellus Mines (So., Joliet West) is a great talent who dared to run with Micah Wilson (St. Charles East) for almost two miles last weekend in Peoria. He would end up running 14:45 and that could keep him as a threat on Saturday. Look for Downers South standout Tim Neumann to bounce back after suffering from a heat exhaustion episode. He was in the top five at Richard Spring with less than a mile to go.