Huntley’s Tommy Nitz aims high at IHSA cross country state meet

Huntley junior Tommy Nitz passed a huge test of his fortitude at the Class 3A Lake Park Cross Country Sectional when another runner clipped his left heel early in the race.

Nitz tried, without success, to slam that foot into the ground for the next 100 meters and get his foot back properly in his shoe.

So, he just ran with it and fortunately the shoe stayed on most of his foot while the back part remained under his heel.

After Nitz, the Fox Valley Conference champion, survived that scare, he is ready for anything at Saturday’s IHSA Cross Country State Meet at Peoria’s Detweiller Park.

“I’m not afraid of hurt Saturday,” Nitz said. “I’m ready.”

Nitz ran the area’s fastest boys time at Detweiller last year, 15:49.44 on a cold, muddy mess of a course, and was Northwest Herald Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year as a sophomore. This time, he is determined to make the top 25 and achieve All-State status.

“I want to be All-State for sure, if not a little better,” Nitz said. “If it’s All-State, I’m happy with that. The weather’s going to be a lot better this year. I’m going to go out fast, that’s what you have to do. If you don’t go out fast, you’ll never catch up.”

Nitz plans on staying with the top group through the first 2 miles and giving everything he has in the last mile.

The Class 3A boys race will start at 2 p.m., the last of the meet’s six races. Class 1A girls start at 9 a.m., followed by Class 1A boys (10 a.m.), Class 2A girls (11 a.m.), Class 2A boys (noon) and Class 3A girls (1 p.m.).

McHenry’s Danielle Jensen (3A girls), Prairie Ridge’s Will Gelon (2A boys) and Woodstock’s Ishan Patel (2A boys) are trying to repeat as All-Staters. Crystal Lake Central junior Hadley Ferrero finished fourth as a freshman in 2021 and missed the state meet with a knee injury last season.

Huntley coach Matt Kaplan feels Nitz is ready to run with the fastest in the state.

“(All-State) is what Tommy’s been running for all summer, all season, that’s where his mind is at, going out there to put himself right up there with the top group,” Kaplan said. “This group coming out of 3A, they’re going to have to go sub-14:50 to be in contention. He’s totally capable. He’s ready for it.

“There’s no one he can’t run with. He has to be where he needs to be. He has to be up there. It’s not really a race where you can sit back, you’ll run out of real estate. You have to put yourself right up in there if that’s what you’re going to go for and see what happens. It’s not really the race to be conservative.”

Kaplan was impressed with the way Nitz handled the adversity last Saturday to reach state.

“He ended up running the majority of the race with a spike half on his foot,” Kaplan said. “He still made it through. It’s a good piece of motivation and a good reminder that things can not go our way and you still survive and advance. He doesn’t plan on that happening again.”

Jensen has had another standout season for McHenry, winning the FVC title and dominating most of her races. She took 14th at state last year.

Prairie Ridge and Woodstock’s boys teams will enjoy another race together as they have through the past three seasons. Prairie Ridge coach Judd Shutt’s sons Cohen and Ellery run for Woodstock, so the teams have a friendly rivalry.

Gelon led Prairie Ridge to third place last week at the Class 2A Woodstock Sectional. Twins Ishan and Aryan Patel lead the Blue Streaks.

Central and South’s girls teams are both back for their third straight year. South finished second in 2021 and fourth last year.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

Local State Qualifiers

Class 1A

Team: Richmond-Burton (Alexia Spatz, Savannah Wells, Emerson Wold, Jasmine McCaskel, Olivia Popp, Pola Frys, Alexis Buntenbach).

Class 2A

Teams: Crystal Lake Central (Hadley Ferrero, Skyler Ferrero, Brynn Matthaei, Emma Macke, Jacqueline Orvis, Sophia Parks, Hope Ferrero); Crystal Lake South (Abby Machesky, Liv Pinta, Tori Pinta, Colette Bacidore, Lily Brooks, Cecelia Piemontese, Laynie Ripley).

Individuals: Abigail Burke (Burlington Central), Olivia McPherson (Prairie Ridge).

Class 3A

Team: Huntley (Haley Rahman, Ava Allison, Cori Kilvinger, Morgan Sauber, Aspen Maldonado, Mackenzie Billard, Ava Berardi).

Individuals: Danielle Jensen (McHenry), Hudson Szymonik (Hampshire).

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

Class 2A

Teams: Prairie Ridge (Will Gelon, Gerrit Dam, Evan Gilleland, Kevin DeGroot, Eddy Klimkowski, Kieran Gilleland, Steven Randles); Woodstock (Ishan Patel, Aryan Patel, Jakob Crown, Ellery Shutt, Cohen Shutt, Charlie Baker, Milo McLeer).

Individuals: Joey Gonzalez (Crystal Lake South), Ryan Kries (Burlington Central, Aiden Shulfer (Crystal Lake Central).

Class 3A

Individuals: Matt Andreano (Jacobs), Andrew Beyer (Jacobs), Tommy Nitz (Huntley), Nick Schmitz (McHenry, Jameson Tenopir (Cary-Grove).