Palatine Pirates Cross Country Runs Away With MSL Meet

Palatine’s cross country team had an early season reality check and according to Chris Quick that has really paid off as the season progressed.

“That first loss of the season (against Neuqua Valley) made us realize that we have to earn our number one ranking,” said the eleven year head coach of the state’s best team. “We haven’t lost since and have really been rolling lately.”

Only a perennial powerhouse such as Palatine can view a second place finish in the season opener at the very tough Red Devil Invite to last year’s third place state winner as a setback. But Quick and the Pirates, who finished fourth at the 3A state tournament last year, feel this win at the MSL will prepare them for a potential repeat trip downstate and a chance at redemption against Neuqua Valley.

“We always felt that if we are the best in the MSL then we would be one of the best in the state,” Quick said following the Pirate’s ninth straight MSL title.

The Pirates (50 points), led by all seniors finished ahead of Buffalo Grove by (74 points). Schaumburg (88 points) finished third and Fremd (214 points) finished in ninth.

With 80 of the area’s best runners at the meet, Palatine had three racers finish in the top ten and had all runners cross the finish line within the top 30. Anthony Gregorio (15:20) finished the race at Busse Woods in third place just ahead of sixth place Peter Tomkiewicz (15:25.6) and tenth place Marcus Garcia (15:34.9).

“From the gun we went out under control,” Gregorio said of Palatine's game plan that had teammates pair during the race.

Rounding out the other Palatine runners was (15th) Tim Johnson (15:47.1) edging out (16th) Tim Meincke (15:51.2), (22nd) Christian Zambrano and (29nd) Noah Brown (16:08).

“I thought our guys ran solid,” Quick said. “Our fifth man, Tim Meincke, ran a great race, and may have had the best race.”

“Meincke has really been coming on lately,” Quick said.  “He is the guy we need to race well for us to be good, and he really picked us up today.”

Barrington’s Erik Peterson (14:55.8) finished first at the meet with Buffalo Grove’s Jereme Atchison finishing just 0.7 second behind him for second.

“Peterson and Atchison had it from the gun and were going really hard; I have to give it up to them, they ran a great race today,” Gregorio said. “They broke Peter and me a little bit towards the end when we made our move.”

“Facing these guys now is setting us up for later,” Gregorio said.

The Pirates will have a week to prepare for regionals which they will be hosting at Deer Grove east next Saturday, Oct. 22 at 10:30.  Palatine will be looking for their fifth straight regional crown and ninth in ten years.