2012 IHSA Boys 2A State Cross Country Meet: Jones College Prep fulfills destiny in winning team title; Wold’s individual win not a big surprise.

Jones College Prep’s team championship in the Boys 2A meet was the first state championship for a Chicago Public League school since Lane Tech won in 1963.

By Michael Newman

Peoria, Ill — It was a date with destiny. Belvidere North was going for their fourth straight team championship. Coach Andrew Adelmann had been only at Jones College Prep for only four years building a program that he had hoped one day that would challenge for a state championship.

Now here he was at the starting line twenty minutes before the start of the Boys 2A race watching his runners warm up with his nervousness hidden by the sunglasses that he typically wore. The Jones College Prep Boys team had been rated #1 for most of the season after defeating Belvidere North in the early season Sycamore Invitational. The Eagles were also going after the first cross country team title for a school from the Chicago Public League since Lane Tech won in 1963.

Belvidere North was also on the line and they were kind of beat up. Coach Troy Yunk disclosed the day before the race that his son, usual #2 runner Tyler Yunk, had developed a hip flexor injury right before their conference meet. He was rested and not run at their regional. The only time that he had run was at the sectional meet where he paced his younger brother Eryk. It was basically training on an elliptical machine and pool running. “We are just hoping to place in the top 3 tomorrow,” Coach Yunk said.

The start of the 2A race just before the first turn at Detweiller Park. Photo by Michael Newman

York Coach Joe Newton has said on various occasions that he loves the atmosphere that the Detweiller course has on state meet has. But he just can’t stand that first turn. There are disasters that have happened to rip the dreams away from the individuals that who get trapped on the inside and end up hugging the ground hoping they will not get injured or slowed to walk on that ninety degree turn. In 1978, Newton had his team take a second delay at the starting line so that his team positioned on the inside could navigate its way around the turn.

The front runners of the pack made around the first turn led by Garrett Lee (North HS, Belvidere) and John Wold (Glenbard South HS, Glen Ellyn). The turn, however, claimed some casualties. The first was sophomore Chris Martin (Mascoutah HS, Mascoutah). Two seconds later, Tyler Yunk trying to avoid the pile up went down and aggravated his hip injury.

The pace and the leaders went through a conservative 2:17 for the first 880. By the mile, Lee and Wold had company up front with Marc Maton (Glenwood HS, Chatham), Jamison Dale & Luke O’Connor (Jones College Prep, Chicago), Brendan Hoskins (University HS, Normal), Riley McInerney (Charleston HS, Charleston), Alex Baker (Central HS, Crystal Lake), Joe Cowlin (Prairie Ridge HS, Crystal Lake), and Simon Thorpe (Dixon HS, Dixon). The 4:45 that they went by in did not seem to shake anyone off the pace as close to 30 runners were within 5 seconds.

Jones College Prep was a third of their way to the goal of a team state championship at this point.  Their 5 runners were within 4 seconds of each other and were leading by 80 points over Yorkville. Belvidere North, Normal University, and Springfield were close behind. The race was heading into the triangle. The action was about to begin.

Alex Baker of Crystal Lake Central leads the pack out of the triangle in the Boys 2A race last Saturday. Photo By Michael Newman

Garrett Lee was the first runner to make the expected move in the triangle. All it did was to stretch the pack out. Baker, Wold, Cowlin, Dale, and O’Connor stayed within a few steps of the Belvidere North runner. As the truck led the pack out onto the main course, Alex Baker made a decisive surge to try to break this race open. It did. Only Wold and Lee were able to keep up with him as they navigated the three corner turn and back down the main straight.

Wold, Baker, and Lee were together at 2 miles at 9:40. The surge that Baker made opened up a four second lead over Riley McInerney and the Jones pair of Dale and O’Connor.  There were still 8 runners that were within the lead threesome, but the leaders’ momentum was too tough for the chase pack to catch.

Jones was getting closer to their state goal. But so was Yorkville. They were only 50 points behind the Eagles and were beginning their last mile surge. Belvidere North and Crystal Lake Central were another 40 points behind battling for third. It looked at this point that there was going to be a new team state champion.

Each of the three leaders over the next 400 meters were making small surges testing each other’s fitness…both physical and mental.  They went behind the starting line and made their turn along Route 29. Baker made a surge and Wold followed close behind.  There was a grimace of pain on Lee’s face. This last surge hit the Belvidere North hard as Wold and Baker opened up a fast 5 meter lead and it continued to grow. The race was down to two.

Both runners had great finishing speed. Baker had run a 4:18 mile last spring in track. Wold had split 1:54 on his team’s 3200 relay at the state meet. It was anyone’s guess on who would blink first and let the other get away.

With 800 meters to go, the lead that these two runners had was up to 9 seconds.    Neither was willing to give up that lead.

Glenbard South’s John Wold ran his last mile in 4:36 to capture the 2A Boys title. Photo By Michael Newman

Wold’s stride looked smooth as they approached the final home straight. Baker was beginning to struggle a little as his form was starting to waver.  They made their turn to make their drive to the finish in front of close to 10,000 fans.  Wold did not look back and charged up the incline. His lead grew to 5 seconds on Baker as he crossed the finish line. It looked improbable after his first meet when he had to drop out of a meet because the pain in his foot was too painful to continue.  Now here he was as the second individual state champ in the school’s history. Micah Vandenend was the first 11 years ago.

His winning time was 14:16. He ran his last mile in 4:36. It was the fastest closing mile out of all the three boys races run at Detweiller Park at this meet.

There was a clue that Wold would be towards the front after he ran a swift 14:32 on a curvy Reed Keppler Park course in winning his sectional. The course is a little bit longer than three miles.

“That helped so much. I wanted to see if I could handle that first fast mile and maintain. I thought that was a really good practice for this week. I boosted my confidence that I could run with any of them this weekend,” Wold said afterwards.  “I knew I people would be looking out for me. I would be looking for them. It was not like I was under the radar. I wanted to sit, wait and see how the race worked out.  Everything felt so perfect.”

Even though he finished second, Alex Baker was pleased with his effort. “I thought I ran a pretty smart race and it’s always fun to compete against the other guys. I felt smooth through almost all of the race, except the last like 800 meters or so, where I just hit a wall,” Baker stated. “Wold just pulled away from me for the rest of the race. All in all, I was pretty happy with race. It was a great end to the season and it was nice to see all the hard work pay off. It made me thankful for a lot of things.”

Andrew Adelmann stood by the team’s starting box just waiting. He had three runners that had placed in the top 25 (Jamison Dale 6^th, Luke O’Connor 7^th, and Kirby Lawson 18^th). He knew he was the first team to have five runners in, but there is always that uncertainty while the officials are reviewing the final results.

“We told our guys to give up all personal goals and run for the team,” Adelmann said. “They executed our plan beautifully today. We held back a little bit but made a charge at the end.” When he was asked about how it was to win the state championship, he shook his head.  “I am not going to comment on that until I see the official results.”

Ten minutes past and he was told that it was official.

“I do not know where to begin. We have talked about this for four years and from day one this was our goal,” Adelmann said in total disbelief. “There was a lot of sacrifices the whole time and I couldn’t ask for a special group of guys. They have made me such a better coach and a better person. To see them work hard for four years and to bring a state championship home to Chicago. I wish I had the words. I am so proud of them. I’m speechless.”

Troy Yunk knew that the Belvidere North reign of three state championships was over. He was proud of what they went through in this season. They made a great move in the last ½ mile to surpass Yorkville for second place by three points.  “Our guys were beat up today. I am very proud of them,” he said.

The charge to the finish showed that those 7 runners for Belvidere North had the heart of champions regardless of their place. That is something that cannot be taken away from them.