Senf's Take 2018 Edition - Locktoberfest

Locktoberfest Invitational

Sep 29, 2018

Dellwood Park

Lockport, IL

Hello all those out there in Stang Nation! By now you have most likely heard about the amazing performance some of our boys put on down at the state course on Saturday. Seven prestigious Mustangs brought down the competition finishing first overall as a team. This feat was not a showing of one or two good races but a great feat of excellence by the entire squad. This includes a new school record, Downers Groves South now fastest junior, and not a single athlete above the 16 minute mark. While these athletes made “Headline News” another group of prestigious Mustangs battled in another region of our great state of Illinois competing at Lockport Township High School’s, Locktoberfest Invitational.

Saturday morning at the Locktoberfest Invitational began with many athletes hoping to win one of the famous candy apples awarded to the top 25 individuals of each race. With cool temperatures, cloudy skies, and morning dew still holding onto the grass, the cross country season finally felt like it has arrived.

The Freshmen and Sophomores (combined) toed the line for the first race of the day. As the race began the young Mustangs found themselves off to a slow start, pushed into the middle of the field of 160 athletes. In this large field sophomores Colin Meyer (18.07), Sam Hudec (18.16), and Nick Novotny (18:20) managed to find each other and force their way through the crowd working up to the top one third of competitors. Freshmen Joey Puccillo (18:34) and Sophomore Nolan Witt (18:36) followed closely behind giving the young bucks an impressive 35 second one through five split. Freshmen Nick Motuelle (18:39) and Robert Del Cotto aka team Shup King (18:53) rounded out the top seven. The Frosh Soph finished 9th out of 17 teams.  Keep in mind the course was a full 5k (3.1 miles) instead of the Illinois traditional 3 miles.

The second race of the day included the varsity squad led by Canyon Stage. Stage had a terrific start moving though the mile under the 5 minute mark. Throughout the tough 5k course Stage fought hard to hold his position at the front of the race running in the top 20 athletes. In the end Stage just missed out on the illusive candy apple finishing 26th but ran a respectable 16:45. Mustang Distance new comer Stephen Nicholson (17:06) battled all the way to the finish taking a few spots at the end as the team's second runner.  Brock Royle (17:07), Tyler Bleau (17:18), Nathan Luczack (17:24) rounded out the top five for a team split of 39 seconds. The varsity finished 6th out of 17 teams.

The last and possibly the most exciting race of the day was the open race. The eyes of these athletes showed a certain sense of tenacity as they waited for the loud boom of the starter cannon. Like the eyes of a wild stallion with an apple, dare I say a “candy apple” hung on a string just out of reach of his lips. These Mustangs knew the day was not over and that there were still candy apples out there to be won. Cracking the top ten Michael Sadowski who ran an impressive 17:55 in what many would call his best race of the year, maybe his life. Cross Country newcomer Angel Galvan ran with the taste of sugar on his lips finishing 16th overall with a time of 18:18. Galvan, though unexperienced in the grass, ran without fear and continually moved up throughout the race. Multisport athlete Ben Laurich decided that the run would be his concentration of the day and found himself fighting in the top twenty finishing with a sweet treat in hand running 18:23. Josh Atlas, a football convert, managed to slip into the top 25 finishing 24th running a solid 18:31. Not bad for an 800 meter specialist. A candy apple indeed won. Rounding out the top five was Caleb Deboer (18:37) just missing out on an apple finishing 27th overall. A smile was still seen on his face on the ride home. The open race mustangs finished second overall as a team facing very impressive Illinois power house Neuqua Valley and Naperville North.