Lakes Sunset Invite
DEERFIELD'S DEPTH HANGS WITH VARSITY SQUADS AT LAKES SUNSET INVITE, PLACE FIFTH WITH FOUR IN TOP 30
In 2020, Lakes High School hosted a series of flighted meets because the flighted format kept race sizes smaller. But those meets were so successful that Lakes kept it for 2021. However, there was a last minute change from the flighted format to the traditional cross country format to speed up the meet before impending thunderstorms. The course was wet and sloppy from heavy overnight rain too.
Deerfield brought nine emerging varsity runners while their top six runners rested. The other teams brought their best squads, but Deerfield still showed they belonged.
Sophomores Dylan Cohen and Jon Wool led for Deerfield. They got out fast and worked together near the front. The pace proved a little too fast, but Cohen and Wool held on well and finished in 12th and 14th place.
The next two Deerfield runners Edwin Shi and Jack Gordon also ran a great team race. They found each other after about a mile and worked together in the second mile. At the start of the third mile, Gordon started to struggle and looked like he was about to fall of the pace Shi was setting. But Gordon battled and willed himself to stay up with Shi. In the final half mile, Gordon found a second wind and started leading Shi through the course. Finally, in the final 200 meters, Shi passed Gordon up again as the two runners crossed the finish line separated by just one second in 27th and 28th place. Gordon’s ability to fight through pain and doubts and avoid falling back helped both runners significantly. Shi’s time of 17:36 is a 42-second personal best and his first time breaking the 18-minute barrier.
Nadav Basa was the final scorer for the Warriors. He bided his time with a slower start and passed people up over the final two miles to finish in 40th place in 18:07. Next, Carson Amstutz held on closely after Basa passed him up to finish in 18:10. After Amstutz, Eric Hogenkamp came dashing through unexpectedly soon. With a smart race and a massive kick, Hogenkamp knocked 22 seconds off his personal best running 18:18. Jonah Satyr followed soon after in 18:21. John Healy was the ninth Warrior through the shoot in 19:01.
This was the next-to-last meet for most of these runners as they will conclude their seasons at the CSL Championships next week. However, a select few might have a shot at racing in the IHSA State Series as well. This Saturday, a different group of Warrior runners will race at the Wheeling Invite, and then all eyes turn to the CSL Championships.
