Ben Crane and Josiah Narayanan have been imposing figures on the cross country course over the past two seasons (Laura Duffy photo)
Top boys 3-mile performers I Top girls 3-mile performers
The first weekend of September brought uncharacteristically cool temperatures for this point in the year. No surprise, then, that there was a bevy of incredible performances, both individual and team, throughout the state from all corners. There was more action than we can possibly cover in a single notebook, but let's still give it a try in this week's edition.
Blazing Fast Boys' Performances Foreshadow Coming Matchups
In particular, three individual Boys' performances stood out throughout the last week, all on different days.
-On Tuesday, Dylan Maloney (Sr, Plainfield South) won the Plainfield City Championship in 14:30, nearly 30 seconds ahead of rival Plainfield North's Quinn Davis (Sr.).
-On Thursday, Joe Bregenzer (Sr., Barrington) won the Lake County Invite in 14:39, an eight-second improvement over the previous Eagle Acres' course record set by Grayslake Central great Trey Sato in 2023.
-On Saturday, Ben Crane (Sr., Winnetka (New Trier)) was the first individual across the line on the abbreviated Katherine Legge Memorial course at the Red Devil Invite. Crane broke 14:00, running 13:58, 11 seconds of another formidable performance by Josiah Narayanan (Sr., Wheaton-Warrenville South).
On paper, each of these three runners coexists in a space at the top of the 3A classification, entering the season with equally impressive but distinct resumes. Of the three, only Bregenzer has a state title, the 3A 3200, this past track season. But Crane and Maloney have been cross country mainstays for several years, and both seek their first state title.
These three performances are dead heats of each other. Given the course variance, evaluating Crane's performance with precision and all the other performances from the Red Devil invite is challenging. But questions won't persist for long, with Crane and Maloney set to face off in the 3A race at the First to the Finish Invitational. If Maloney's early racing is any indication, expect the 5k All-American to take on the role of fast pacing early in the race.
Don't forget about Philip Cupial (Jr., Downers Grove North), who also won with a 15:31.6 5k at the Mike Kuharic Lyons Township HS Invite. Cupial's races thus far appear to be more restrained than the earlier mentioned names, but he will also be racing with his DGN teammates in Peoria this weekend, so he will have the opportunity to decide whether to mix it up with Maloney and Crane.
Emphatic Win for York at Leavey Sets the Stage for Another 1-2 Matchup
The York Duchesses scored a minuscule thirty-seven points to win the St. Charles Leavey Invitational. This victory is notable because of how decisively York gapped the field, which included Barrington. Although Barrington's final score of 101 would have been much better with Scout Storms in the final results, it wouldn't have affected the final standings (this would have resulted in a 42 to 74 York victory, roughly speaking). Although we are usually reticent to make rankings changes near the top with several externalities at play and many matchups on the horizon, York's win will yield a top-2 spot in our Week 3 rankings.
It is hard to understate the positive effect that freshman Carlin Janowski (York) already has had on York's projections for this season. Sofia Stoddard (Sr.) has improved significantly over the past year. Still, Janowski immediately grabbed the flag as York's standard-bearer, racing the likes of Mia Sirois (So., Barrington), which is a major development for York moving forward. Speaking of Sirois, her 16:45.6 win on the Northwestern Medicine Course is my vote for performance of the week in the entire state. The course is reported to be 2.98 miles but runs quite a fair three-mile course.
The ranking changes mean that for the third consecutive year, the top two teams in the state will face off at the Lake Park Invitational. It was York and Prospect for the first two years, but DGN and York are the teams this season. DGN spoiled the party last year.
The Winnebago Van is Approaching the 1A's Rearview Mirror
Since Tolono (Unity) took over at the top of the 1A Girls classification, Winnebago has been resigned to cobbling together teams in a rebuilding era in hopes of reclaiming some of the glory from the recent state championship days.
The Indians' squad entering this season was young, with much growth yet to be experienced during the 2024 season. However, suppose the Oregon Open results are any indication. In that case, the timeline might be a little more accelerated for Winnebago, who dominated the 5k race with a 56-point total, about half of runner-up Sherrard's total, and averaged under 21 minutes on a tough 5k course for five runners. Winnebago runs at First to the Finish on Saturday and immediately aims at the best 1A teams in the state, including Anna-Jonesboro, Eureka, and Unity.