Lyons Township is the host for boys’ sectional cross country. Naperville North, Naperville Central, and Neuqua Valley are here to compete as full teams in the sectional competition, with individual runners Damian Schulz and Ranbir Marwaha representing Benet and Metea Valley. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Neuqua and Naperville Central make their push for the front
The runners are off at the starting line. There are 100 runners and 18 teams in total competing in this event. Neuqua junior Grayson Meek and Willowbrook’s Legend Alka lead the pack in the opening moments of the race.
Running around the scoreboard in mile one, Grayson Meek leads the way, with Alka and Stephen Cox of Downers North trailing. Wildcats Jesse Gudauskas and Reyaansh Bhagat keep pace in the top 10. Further down the line is Naperville North’s Shrey Meyer along with Redhawks Manny Najera, Derek Williamson, Jack Anderson, and Chase Gewin. Wildcats Kaya Kuscu and Tyler Rozycki are in action along with another group of Redhawks: Henry Gollbach, Moiz Hameed, and Nicholas Norberg. Charles Minnot, Charles Mayer, and Kerrick Hu are hoping to keep pace for Naperville North
The lead changes in mile two; Santiago Chavez of Reavis is running solo. The other runners fall in, with Legend Alka and Stephen Cox remaining in the top three. The top six runners include Morton’s Miguel Flores, Lyons Brennan Monohan, and Grayson Meek. Hinsdale Central’s Johnny Krueger is up next while Jesse Gudauskas holds his own in the top 10 with Hinsdale Central’s Henry Miller and Trojan Charles Novotny. Reyaansh Bhagat keeps pace with Richards runner James O’Shea, Hinsdale Central’s Elliot Kotleba, and the Polaski brothers Will and Edward from Batavia. Shrey Meyer trails behind Derek Williamson, with Manny Najera also running behind the Huskie.
Santiago Chavez runs away with the win
At the finish line, Santiago Chavez wins the race by a wide margin with a time of 14:42. Stephen Cox finishes next at 14:54. The top 4 is the Wildcat duo of Grayson Meek and Jesse Gudauskas, while Legend Alka finishes in 5th place. Redhawk Derek Williamson and Huskie Shrey Meyer finish in 10th and 12th place, while Neuqua Valley’s Reyaansh Bhagat finishes in 17th place. Meyer will be the lone Naperville North runner heading to Peoria.
Downers North adds another sectional crown
Downers Grove North goes on to win the sectional title and a trip to state. Other teams moving on include Hinsdale Central, Neuqua Valley, Naperville Central, Batavia, Oak Park River Forest, and Lyons Township as the top seven teams qualifying for state.
Neuqua Valley’s Kaya Kuscu, Tyler Rozycki, Elliot Rubio, and Aidan Pour finished in the top 78, helping the Cats take third. Redhawks Gewin, Hammed, Najera, Norberg, and Anderson all finished in the top 50. Naperville Central takes fourth as a team and moves on to Detweiller Park in Peoria next week.
For more prep sports highlights and community sports, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram!
