The Harvest Christian boys cross country team operated under a different set of conditions Saturday at the Class 1A state meet at Detweiller Park.
The Lions were the defending state champions this time, and senior Andrew Dobrescu noticed the difference.
“We didn’t come in under the radar like we did last year,” Dobrescu said.
Harvest Christian brought home some more state hardware, totaling 170 points for a third-place finish. Elmwood topped Rockford Christian 150-164 for the state title.
“We had big expectations,” Dobrescu said. “We wanted to do our best.”
Dobrescu and senior Mark Davila were involved in a tight race for all-state honors. Dobrescu placed one spot better than his teammate for the 25th and final all-state slot, finishing in 15 minutes, 30 seconds. Davila ran a 15:32.
“I ran my best, what sounded like my best,” Dobrescu said. “There’s nothing more I could have asked for. I had the best team, the best coach.”
Davila was looking to help anchor another state-championship effort.
“Before the race, we talked about times, teams,” Davila said. “I felt pretty good about my race. I had my team to push me.”
Matthew Olech (15:56), Kyler Young (16:15) and Connor Seals (16:33) were the other scoring runners for the Lions.
The Harvest Christian girls team also qualified for the state meet.
Nygia Pollard was in an ideal position to garner an individual state title, but a medical condition deprived Pollard a chance to etch her name in program history.
“Nygia was leading the race, and about 2 1/2 miles into the run, she had an asthma attack,” Harvest Christian coach Steven Bland said.
“It just kind of came out of nowhere,” Pollard said. “I couldn’t move my legs. I have been dealing with (asthma) pretty much since eighth grade. Some days it’s good, some days it’s bad.”
Freshman Carsen Forte toured the 3-mile layout in 18:23 to finish 22nd. Pollard struggled home a second later to also secure all-state honors by placing 24th.
The Lion finished in ninth with 274 points.
“We were hoping to have higher ambitions than that,” Bland said. “It’s a little disappointing. It’s not the podium.”
In the 2A boys race, Burlington Central made its first state appearance in 21 years. The Rockets placed 18th in the 25-team field and scored 434 points.
Sophomore Anthony Farmer earned all-state honors for the Rockets with his 21st-place finish in 15:16.
“(Farmer) is rapidly showing that he is one of the fastest boys in school history,” Burlington Central coach Vince Neil said.
Hampshire’s boys also made the state cut in 2A. Santiago Arreola was the frontrunner with a 15:45 for the Whip-Purs, who scored 298 points for 11th.
In 3A boys, Downers Grove North reversed the team results against Neuqua Valley from a year ago, while St. Charles East made a fourth straight state appearance.
Cole Adesso ran a 14:54 but was six spots removed from all-state, placing 31st in leading the Saints to 13th place with 353 points.
“We had four (quality finishes),” St. Charles East coach Chris Bosworth said. “Our (No.) 5 fell back a little bit. You need five. They ran as hard as they could. That’s all you can ask for.”
Dundee-Crown (385) was 17th behind Adam Swanson, who finished 50th with a 15:05.
Kevin McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Courier-News.
