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newlenoxpatriot.com SPORTS
the New Lenox Patriot | August 16, 2018 | 39
fastbreak
Cross Country
Knights boys, girls look to build off last season’s success
1st-and-3
Adam Jomant/
22nd Century Media
Warriors at Winona
State
1. Jake Price (above)
Price is the newest
West grad to join
the DII program. He
earned All-State his
senior year after
registering 82 tackles
(18 for a loss), four
sacks, and scored
two touchdowns on
kick returns.
2. Cam Gavin
Price will join Cam
Gavin (Class of 2016)
who was a big piece
in West’s runner-up
finish in 2015. He
also started on the
basketball team that
finished second at
state in 2016. Gavin
had one interception
and two forced
fumbles for Winona
last season.
3. Trey Telez
West’s all-time sack
leader, Telez (Class
of 2017) made a big
impression at Winona
finishing with 23 tackles
(four for loss), two
sacks and one interception
in 2017.
RANDY WHALEN
Freelance Reporter
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“You have no clue how excited I am.”
Last year marked the first
time that Lincoln-Way Central
sent both its boys and
girls cross country teams to
state in the same season since
2013.
With key members back on
both teams, the Knights have
a great opportunity to do that
again this fall.
“Yes, hopefully we will
both qualify for state again,”
Central girls coach Jack
Young said.
While both teams have
talented runners returning,
it’s the Knight girls that are
looking to have an outstanding
season and move up in the
ranks at state. They return five
of their seven runners from
last season’s Class 3A state
squad.
“We want to stay healthy
and get better” Young said.
“Our 20th place finish was
our best [since placing 18th
in 2007] and I feel like we
didn’t run our best race.”
The Top Three runners
form last season return.
They are sophomore Merrigan
Allen, senior Mackenzie
Brownrigg and junior Rachel
Baumgartner.
“As a freshman we saw
right away that Merrigan
had the talent,” Young said
of Allen. “She never beat
out Mackenzie [Brownrigg]
until state. Both Merrigan
and Mackenzie are looking
to become All-State runners
[Top 25]. They both made
Jake Price – Former West football player, on getting started at Winona
State
it to state in track and field
too [Allen in the 3,200-meter
run and Brownrigg in the
1,600-meter run]. So they
have the talent to get to that
level.”
Junior Lexy Sams and
sophomore Colleen Erdman
also return from the
state team. Junior Grace
McLaughlin, who also plays
soccer, has come back from
an injury and will be looked
at to contribute too.
“We had a couple of summer
camps and then four or
five girls went up to a team
camp in La Crosse, Wisconsin,”
Young said. “They did a
lot of team building stuff, so
that was great.”
Young enters his third
season as girls cross country
coach at Central. He was also
in the same role at Lincoln-
Way North for four years before
the school closed following
the 2015-16 school year.
Veteran coaches Tom Gavin
and Ryan Stapinski will be
his assistants.
“We’ve won the [South-
West Suburban Red] conference
title the past [four]
straight years and the regional
the past two years,” Young
said. “Every day we have to
do the little things right in
preparation for each race.
We’d like to break into the
Top 15 at state this season.”
Not to be overlooked, the
Central boys cross country
team has won four of the past
five SWSC Red titles.
“We are looking to once
again capture the SWSC title
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Last year’s regional champion Mackenzie Brownrigg will compete in her final year with the
Knights. 22nd Century Media file photo
in the Red division on both
levels,” Central boys coach
John Taylor said. “Last year
we won the conference championship
for the second year
in a row and qualified to the
IHSA State Meet as a team.”
The Top Two runners return
for the Knights, which
placed 24th in the state in
Class 3A last year. They are
junior Jared Kreis and senior
Andrew Englert. Both also
qualified for state this spring
in track and field: Kreis in the
3,200-meter run and Englert
in the 1,600-meter run.
“Our top runners include
Junior Jared Kreis, along with
senior and Captain Andrew
Englert and senior Jackson
Burriss,” Taylor said. “Jared
was our most valuable athlete
from last season. Jared and
Andrew both qualified to the
State Meet in track as well.
“Also in the Top Five are
GOLF
5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21
• Lincoln-Way Central volleyball will open the season at
home against T.F. South.
junior Erik Johnson and
sophomore Jay Parker, who
was our top freshman from
last year.”
Taylor is a veteran coach
in the sport. Last season was
the eighth tame he’s taken the
Knights to state since 2003.
He said he hopes this year
brings the ninth trip.
“We put in a lot of summer
miles to prepare for the rigorous
season,” Taylor said. “We
are looking forward to seeing
what our one-two punch can
do against the top runners in
the state throughout the season.
We will be working on
running in our packs to improve
our team results and
our 1-5 split.”
Both the boys and girls
teams will open up next
week, on Tuesday, Aug. 21,
at the SWSC Preseason Meet.
That will be held at Lockport
East, with the girls race going
Index
36 – This Week In
35 – Athlete of the Week
off at 5:30 p.m. and the boys
at 6 p.m. The two teams will
be together at the end of the
week, as well, as they head to
the Normal West Invitational.
That will be held at 9 a.m. on
Aug. 25 at Maxwell Park in
Normal.
The following Saturday,
Sept. 1, the Knights go their
separate ways. The girls travel
for a 9 a.m. start at the T.F.
South Invitational, which will
be held at North Creek Meadow
Forest Preserve in Lansing.
There Young expects
his group to compete against
fellow state qualifying team,
Oswego East, which Central
edged by a single point at
state last season.
That same day the Central
boys hope for a good
showing at the Lyons Township
Invitational, which is
slated for 9:30 a.m. at the Lyons
Township South Campus.
FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor James Sanchez,
james@newlenoxpatriot.com.