Ohio senior Brock Loftus capped a stellar high school cross country career Saturday at the IHSA Class 1A State Meet.
Loftus ran the course in 15:36 to place 26th, one spot shy of IHSA All State.
This season, he won the Princeton and Kewanee invitationals and finished top five in the Amboy, Rock Falls, Seneca, Bureau Valley, Erie-Prophetstown and Peoria Heights invitationals.
He won the Class 1A St. Bede Regional and the Oregon Sectional to lead the Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio co-op to its first state berth.
“Anytime you can end the season at the highest level, it is a good thing,” Amboy coach Michael Robinson said. “This was Brock’s second time at state for the IHSA and he also ran at the Shazam meet last year. This one was made even more special by the fact he was running with his whole team there. “Brock ended his career with the No. 1 time in the 3-mile in Amboy history and the highest place cross country runner in Amboy history. It was good to see him end so strong and achieve such a high level of success.”
For his performance, Loftus was voted the NewsTribune Athlete of the Week, sponsored by Central Bank again and Witek Wealth Management.
Loftus answered a few questions from NewsTribune sports editor Kevin Chlum.
Do you have any nicknames?
Broccoli. My cousin Christi gave it to me when I was little.
What is your favorite sports memory?
I have too many to pick from.
What do you like about cross country?
Everything. It’s a pure sport and there’s not many pure sports left. The fans. It’s just the greatest sport.
What did it mean to be part of the first Clippers team at state?
Everything. We worked so hard for this, and to be the first to do it meant everything.
What is your favorite thing to eat at Thanksgiving?
Ham.
What is a movie you never get tired of working?
“Stepbrothers.”
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Kenya because there are so many great runners there.
If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be and why?
Kanye West because his music is great, and I feel he’s very misunderstood.
What are your plans after high school?
I’m narrowing down my college search. I’m looking to run cross country and track.
What are your thoughts on your performance at state?
It was very disappointing missing All-State by one spot and two seconds. It will only make me better, but it definitely stings. I got all the school’s in the co-op’s school record, though, so that was great.