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Boylan, Winnebago and Rockford Christian runners among cross country state qualifiers

jay taft, rockford register star
·4 min read

Now, after the state was filled with hard-fought sectionals over the weekend, it all comes down to one big meet.

The top six teams in Class 1A and the top seven in both 2A and 3A, as well as the next best 10 runners not on one of those qualifying squads, advanced to the IHSA state cross country meet out of last Saturday's sectionals.

The conditions were solid and the times were impressive. Winnebago's Nicolai Martino even posted his best time on the Oregon course to win the Class 1A title, and he beat rival Weston Forward of Rockford Christian for the first time in his career.

And now there is just one race left: The state meet on Saturday in Peoria for all the marbles.

"It feels good; real good," said Martino, who reeled Forward in with about a half of a mile left in the three-mile race. "This is my first time beating him, and now I'm ready for anything. It felt right."

Four local teams and 12 other local individuals qualified for the IHSA state cross country meet next Saturday at Detweiller Park in Peoria. Here is how it all went down:

High school cross country: Everything you need to know about Rockford-area cross country teams as postseason starts

Class 1A Oregon Sectional

Winnebago junior Nicolai Martino sprints to the finish line just before winning the individual title at the Class 1A Oregon Sectional on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in Oregon.
Winnebago junior Nicolai Martino sprints to the finish line just before winning the individual title at the Class 1A Oregon Sectional on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in Oregon.

Local boys' teams that qualified: Rockford Christian, led by race runner-up Forward who ran a 16:16.73, won the team title to easily stroll into state as a squad.

"Nicolai had a really good day today; it was really impressive," Forward said. "He caught me at the top of the hill and he just dropped me going down the hill. I couldn't catch him. He had the rockets today."

The full Royal Lions' team is: Forward; Julian Honeyville; Andrew Kurien; Blake Lindberg; Brendan McGonigal; Alex Rockwell; Sam Walsh; Zac Wesseln; Joel White; Evan White; Lukas White.

Martino won the whole thing with a 16:05.14, and Winnebago's boys placed third to advance as a team. They are: Martino; Joe Erb, Jr.; Daniel Hodgdon; Blake Inglima; Blake Linder; Micah Lyons; Noah Pearcy; Hudson Pope; Cole Thomas; Aiden Vasquez.

Local individual boys that qualified: Lutheran's Kyle Gnewuch; Dakota's Aiden Ruiz; West Carroll's Roscoe Davis; Stockton's Ryan Pieper; and Byron's Tim Starwalt.

Local girls' teams that qualified: The Winnebago girls won the 1A meet title and advanced as a team, led by Morgan Capriola who placed sixth overall in 20:07.02.

The Winnebago girls cross country team celebrated another sectional championship on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in Oregon. They are: (front row, left to right) Audra Mecum, Ella Carlson, Morgan Capriola, Hannah Roggensack, (back row, left to right) Svea Glidden, Emma Woolery, Reese Erdahl, and Brooke Claerbout.
The Winnebago girls cross country team celebrated another sectional championship on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in Oregon. They are: (front row, left to right) Audra Mecum, Ella Carlson, Morgan Capriola, Hannah Roggensack, (back row, left to right) Svea Glidden, Emma Woolery, Reese Erdahl, and Brooke Claerbout.

"We knew it was going to be hard and there was a lot of tough competition this year," Capriola said. "The fact that no one really thought that we'd be good this year kind of put the pressure on us. It made us really want to go out and prove them wrong... And we got it."

The Winnebago girls team is comprised of Capriola and Reese Erdahl, who placed 18th, as well as: Brooklyn Flores; Ella Carlson; Brooke Claerbout; Svea Glidden; Hannah Lee; Audra Mecum; Hannah Roggensack; Hailey Westphal; and Emma Woolery.

Local individual girl that qualified: Rebecca Krein, Rockford Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

Class 2A Woodstock Sectional

While no Rockford-area boys teams advanced and only one girls' team moved on from the Woodstock Sectional, there were two boys and one girl that moved on individually.

Local boys that qualified: Belvidere North's Jesse Kramer and Boylan's Nolan Coen.

Local girls' team that qualified: Boylan advanced as a team with a sixth-place finish. The Titans are comprised of Natalie Tekampe, who led the way with a 13th-place finish in 19:22.23, as well as: Reese Kohnle; Johanna Hawley; Ava Galluzzo; Jocelyn Ayala; Vanessa Tekampe; and Evelyn Rozanski.

Local individual girl that qualified: Belvidere's Nina Fiore placed 17th in 19:29.84.

Class 3A Roselle Lake Park Sectional

None of the Rockford-area boys or girls teams advanced out of the Lake Park 3A sectional, but one Guilford boy and two Hononegah girls moved on individually.

Local individual boy that qualified: Guilford's Brandon Lawson placed 22nd in 15:31.6.

Local individual girl that qualified: Hononegah's Kylie Simpson placed 16th in 18:13.5 and Allyson Niedfeldt took 19th in 18:17.6.

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a wide variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears to youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star, and for over 30 years all together.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Boylan, Winnebago and Rockford Christian runners lead state qualifiers