Hey, Dixon individual winners; Rock Falls edges Winnebago in Girls race

By Michael Newman

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Sublette, Ill – It was not supposed to be like this on the Clifton Central Boys schedule at the beginning of the season. After an early season rain out of a meet, Clifton Central Coach David Ladehoff started searching for a meet for his team to compete in. The Comets would need six varsity meets under the IHSA standards to run as a team at the state meet.

Results | Meet Video

One phone call to Amboy Coach Bob Halberg was all that was needed. The top 1A ranked team would compete in the Columbus Day Invitational at Shady Oaks Golf Club.

It would also give this team to face 1A #2 Monticello for the second time this season. The two teams faced each other the first week of the season in Champaign with Clifton Central winning that time.

History repeated on Monday morning as Clifton Central won the Boys team title with 58 points. Monticello finished second with 83 points. It was a confidence boosting race for Clifton Central. The next time the two teams will face each other will be at Detweiller Park in November for the IHSA State XC Championships.

The Boys individual race was just as powerful as the team race featuring some of the top 1A runners in the state. Both varsity races would be more about racing than fast times. Rain over the past two days took care of that. The course was soft with some spots muddy. The six-year old course record of 14:10 by Grant Nykaza would last another year.

Seneca’s Christopher Collet and Garrett Dixon of Monticello were the two race favorites when the gun went off. The two runners were side-by-side through the first half of the race. Just before the turn heading to the two-mile mark, Collett clipped the back of Dixon’s legs and fell to the ground. Dixon slowed down and turned to check and see if Collett was okay. Collett got right back up and the two began challenging each other.

“I wanted to win the race, but not that way,” Dixon said after the race.

The pace usually picks up during the second mile on the course. It is a reprieve from the hills that the runners encounter during the first and final miles. It did not this time as Dixon was starting to pull away from Collett but still just going through in 10:24 just a couple of seconds ahead of the Seneca runner. At the top of “Heart Attack Hill” with one-kilometer to go, Dixon made his move separating himself from the rest of the race. That was the race plan.

Dixon defended his race title crossing in 15:16 for the win. He ran 14:51 to win on this course a year ago. Collett held on for second (15:31) holding off Tremont’s Leland Sumer (15:33).

Clifton Central’s key to success was having their top three runners finish in the top 10 separated by only 23 seconds. Isaiah Ditta finished fourth just five seconds ahead of fifth-place Jeremy Snejberg. Teammate Trevor Swanson ran 15:57 placing seventh. There was a 52 second wait before fourth runner Blake Stua finished in 22^nd. Jared Snejberg was the team’s fifth runner placing 24^th just five seconds behind Stua. Their overall top five split was 80 seconds.

For Clifton Central, it was essential that they had their scorers in before the runners of Monticello. The Comets achieved that as the Comets had five in ahead of the fourth and fifth of the Sages. Dixon won and was followed in the Monticello order with Luke Sokolowski the next runner in placing 11^th. Morgan Dixon (18^th), Josiah Ratts (29^th), and Josh Baysore (30^th) were Monticello’s scorers.

Elmwood finished third (95 points) as their top four runners, led by Griff Inskeep’s 15^th place finish, were separated by seven seconds.

There was no drama in the Girls individual race after the runners hit the flats for the second mile. Karlie Hey of Sterling Newman and Winnebago’s Natalia Martino led the pack through the first mile in 6:04. Hey, who said her legs felt terrible during the second mile, opened up a 15 second gap ahead of Martino and the rest of the pack.

That margin continued to grow for Hey in the final third of the race. The sophomore, who finished fourth in last year’s 1A State Meet, showed that she was again ready for the state challenge as crossed the line in 18:06 for the win. The time was the slowest winning time for 2.9 miles since the Girls race was lengthened in 2002. The course conditions had a big say over that.

Rock Falls’ Baillee Fortney moved from fifth at two-miles to finish second (18:29) 23 seconds behind Hey. Katie Springer of Delavan edged Martino for third. Both were timed at 18:59.

Rock Falls appears to be ready for the state series after going through a series of injuries and illnesses with their top runners. The Rockets took home the team title with 62 points just ahead of area rival Winnebago (76 points). Rock Falls placed their top five runners in the top 30 led by Fortney’s finish. Alex Gomez (8^th), Bryahna Ganther (11^th), Erin Porter (19^th), and Taylor Lippens (30^th) were separated by 88 seconds with their top five split at 140 seconds. Winnebago was led by top ten finishers from Natalia Martino and Katie Erb (6^th).

Monticello finished third (111 points) but were without their top runner Alyssa McPike. Freshman Rachel Koon led Monticello by finishing fifth.