3A Cross Country: Oswego East, Oswego send individuals to boys' state race

Racing against the state's top-ranked team in Neuqua Valley, there were only four other remaining spots to claim a team bid to the Class 3A state cross country meet in Peoria.

Just 35 points separated the next four in the team standings behind West Aurora Sectional champion Neuqua Valley, and neither Oswego East nor Oswego were able to fight their way into the top five.

Marmion Academy, Geneva, Naperville North and St. Charles East will join Neuqua Valley at the state starting line, while Oswego East placed eighth overall and Oswego finished 10th. Neuqua Valley, which won the title with five runners in the top 11, was led by race winner Jackson Jett (15:12).

Oswego East senior Dylan Zangri and Oswego senior Bennett Peterson helped ease the heartbreak with a pair of individual state qualifications with their top-10 finishes. The duo will race on Saturday at Detweiller Park in Peoria at 2 p.m. in the state race.

Zangri battled his way through the first two miles to emerge near the front of the race and eventually finished fourth overall with a time of 15:22. This will be his second trip downstate in his second cross country season at Oswego East.

"The goal is go out a little slower but still out toward the front. When you take the first right, there's a series of turns before you get to the first mile and it gets closed up so we knew we needed to be in a better position at that point," Zangri said. "I feel like there was more there at the finish. I finished, and I'm going to state again, so I'm happy about that. I just wish the team could have made it too."

Peterson also makes his return to Detweiller Park after finishing 10th at the sectional race with a time of 15:36.

"It was a good step forward for him to put himself back in where he needs to be," Oswego coach Dan Whipple said. "He looked very focused and was really challenging himself with the last mile. He was struggling with that the last couple weeks. He found his place."

"I was pretty happy with the first mile. The race started moving through and I kept up with that top group," Peterson said. "The third mile I've been struggling with the last few weeks, but I feel like I moved through it well. I felt like I was maybe eighth coming through when some Geneva kids started moving, so I went with them and held on for as long as I could."

Oswego East's Matt Blanco and William Roeder crossed the finish line side-by-side with a time of 16:20 to place 40th and 41st, respectively, before Luke Wentz (16:34), Chris Luz (16:41), Chris Smith (16:54) and Jake Klancir (19:54).

"We had some kids not run what they were hoping and some that ran all right," Oswego East coach Jim Milner said. "The pack was close together, but they were just a little off of where we needed to be go get out of her today. The positive thing is Dylan is a senior, but up in that top five he was the only senior so we've got guys coming back. The future is bright, but we're disappointed today. We're so close, just on the outside looking in."

Oswego's Mitch Bradford was 49th overall in 16:23 followed by Joe Fioresi (16:38), Corey Saelens (16:41), Brendan Pope (17:20), Erik Kivela (17:27) and David Gaytan (17:38).