Chicago Payton ace Tra'Monti Williams and his Payton mates have been tough this season (Jorge Espinosa photo)
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Date: 11/9/2024
Location: Detweiller Park; Peoria, IL
Course: 3.0 miles
Race Time: 12:00p Awards ceremony: 1:00p at the Detweiller Park venue
Weather forecast: 52F, cloudy
The qualifying teams: #1 Morton, #2 Chicago Latin, #3 Chicago Payton, #4 Dixon, #5 Maple Park (Kaneland), #6 Mahomet-Seymour, #7 Chicago (St. Ignatius), #8 Aurora (Marmion Academy), #9 Normal (University), #10 Crystal Lake Central, #11 Lake Villa (Lakes), #12 Marion, #13 Washington, #14 Morris, #15 Bethalto (Civic Memorial), #16 Highland, #17 Metamora, #18 Lisle (Benet Academy), #19 Chatham-Glenwood, #20 Burbank (St. Laurence), #21 Mt. Vernon, #25 Woodstock, Belvidere North, Chicago (Brother Rice), Chicago (Depaul College Prep), Geneseo, Herrin, Sycamore
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Team outlook-
It is time to investigate how the team title and potential trophies are going to go to.
Chicago Payton is an interesting team that people on the outside may not know about. The Grizzlies took third last year, becoming just the third Chicago Public League team to earn a state trophy. This year's edition is better. Led by junior Tra'Monti Williams, they won their first league title against 3A standout program Chicago Lane Tech.
The Grizzlies are like unwarranted guests at a picnic. They will come and eat all of the food, and this may be the weekend that they do it, too.
Payton co-head coaches Dan Dziubski and Adam Palumbo have built their program in the same tradition as York. Yes, the iconic Dukes of York program that legendary coach Joe Newton established. Dziubski was on the 2000 state championship track team and ran on the 2001 4x400m relay. Palumbo was a member of the greatest cross-country team in state history, 1999 one that scored a scant 24 points! In that one, Palumbo placed fifth with a time of 14:34. Payton is a replica of York regarding team culture, training, and tradition.
Payton's success has been through an effort of getting out fast, running the scoring pack upfront, and holding on as long as they can. The usual results have been a scoring average under 40 seconds, including a loss at the First to The Finish Invitational. At the Hinsdale South Sectional, it was 58 seconds because senior Gabe Cooper was out due to injury. He is expected to return on Saturday. They are going to need him against Morton, Latin, and Dixon. Other Grizzlie runners of note are Declan Slavin (Jr), Steven Jiang (So), and Vaughn Collier (Sr).
Morton has been a program that many fans and pundits have been waiting for to win a state title. This may be the year that it could happen. The top-ranked Potters are completely different from the start of the season. In early September at the FTTF Invite, they finished a distant third behind Latin and Payton. Several key members were absent then, which may have impacted their final tally of 222 points.
Morton returned to Detweiller at the end of September for the Peoria Invite and faired better, taking fourth in the 3A race. Ahead of them were Edwardsville, Sandburg, and York. The Potters scored 180 points, and, more importantly, the scoring split of 1:04 was key. The final test was the Mid Illini Conference Championship, where the Potters ran at Detweiller and dropped a 41-second split. Senior tandem Christian Harris and Boston Beyer went 1-3 with whopping 14:54 and 14:57. Freshman star Abe Martin was the sixth man in 15:38. If they can duplicate this performance on Saturday, the Potters will be nearly impossible to beat.
Chicago Latin beat Payton at the FTTF Invite but has been relatively lowkey. That is probably because they haven't raced their "A" team in many invites. They linked up at full strength at the Hinsdale South; the tables were turned against Payton, resulting in a seven-point loss, 61-68. Payton has four runners, but the Romans closed things out with a better fifth man. In a deeper field, Latin's top two runners, Micah Weiss (Fr) and Ben Gibson (Sr), will be vying for high all-state honors. They will need that as a starter kit or even a trophy to win the title. However, everyone must make a full effort; no one can have an off day.
Dixon is still waiting for their signature race of the season. Thankfully, they will have one more opportunity to get it this Saturday. The Dukes have relied on Aaron Conderman (Sr), Dean Geiger (So), Averick Wiseman (So), Keegan Shirley (Jr), and Westin Conatser (Jr), who all have broken 16:00. That is the good news at 39 seconds at the Kaneland Sectional. The bad news is that the sixth runner is over 17:00, which is a key reason why they lost to Kaneland by a few points. Speaking of Kaneland, they are in the trophy picture on the strength of Evan Nosek (Sr), Evan Whildin (Jr), and Carson Kaiser (Fr), who ran under 15:20 at the sectional round. The key will, of course, come down to the fifth runner.
Individual outlook-
This is a deeper middle-class field than usual, as 14 runners have cracked 15:00. This one on Saturday could be special.
Look no further than Finn Richards (Sr., Benet Academy). He ran 14:22 at the Peoria Invite. He is on a mission after an outstanding track and field season. Richards has only one blemish on his resume, a season-opening defeat to IL#1 Ben Crane of Trier and Josiah Narayanan of Wheaton South at the Hinsdale Central Red Devil Invitational. His closest competitor appears to be Gavin O'Connor (Sr., Chicago Brother Rice), who he defeated soundly at the Peoria Invitational.
Keep a keen eye on the upstart Cuyler Swanson (So., Morrison), who has run 14:43 in his second year of cross country. Last year, he was an all-state performer in 21st. This time around, he is a sure ticket for a top-five spot.
Luis Flores (Sr., Burbank St. Laurence) has been running inspired all season long with a personal best of 14:47. He is front runner, and with a little more patience, he could run in the 14:30s or lower.
Max Weber (Jr., Civic Memorial) may be a top five runner from the southern part of the state. He is ready to become an all around elite state finalist, possibly finishing amongst the leaders.
Evan Novak is ready for a stellar final after finishing sixth in 14:47 last year. Keep in mind that his team is in the running for a state title along with teammate Carson Kaiser who is a premier underclassman in the state.