IHSA Sectionals
DEERFIELD'S SEASON ENDS WITH 9TH PLACE FINISH AT HOFFMAN ESTATES SECTIONAL
The DFDC travelled to Busse Woods to compete in the IHSA 3A Sectional hosted by Hoffman Estates. The course was very sloppy because of heavy precipitation during the week. Half of the course was so muddy it was like running in pudding. But running in adverse conditions is just part of cross country.
18 teams qualified from their respective Regionals, so the competition was fierce. All teams were fighting for five state-qualifying spots. Based on Deerfield’s second-place Regional finish, it seemed possible that they could grab one of those spots. Deerfield was seeking it’s first State Championship birth in Class 3A since 1982.
When the gun went off, senior Ben Kraemer bolted into the top 30. Perhaps saving the best race of his career for last, Kraemer held on the whole time and finished in 27th place. Behind Kraemer, the rest of the team did not find a great starting position and had to move up. Junior Josh Puyear moved up nicely into 33rd place. But the rest of the group never found the position they had hoped for. Sophomore Ryan Bernstein had a good race finishing as Deerfield’s #3 runner for the first time in his career for 55th place. Sophomore Cole Bernstein finished in 66th, and junior Ben Zamler finished in 76th to round out the scoring for the Warriors. Sophomores Lucas Moskovitz and Eric Lakemaker were the team’s sixth and seventh finishers in 94th and 102nd respectively.
Deerfield finished in 9th place as a team. While not the result they were hoping for, this is the team’s best finish at a 3A Sectional in their last seven 3A seasons dating back to 2008. Considering the fact that Deerfield floats between 3A and 2A, they hung with the 3A giants pretty well.
Looking to the future, there is a lot of promise in this team. Their top nine runners this season consisted of five sophomores and three juniors, with only one senior. And a few other top runners who had injury issues this season will return next year too. It’s always difficult to lose seniors, but this senior class made a huge mark on the program. Under their leadership, Deerfield won it’s first conference title in over a decade and reached new heights in the IHSA State Series. Their legacies will live on as their younger teammates carry it forward.
