HP Competes in 2nd CSL North Quad Meet

HP competed in their second CSL North Quad Meet of the season. It was hosted by Niles West HS. It took place on a cooler evening with light rain and low winds. The Giants were still not at full strength with a few runners not competing for various reasons. A majority of those that competed raced well and produced many personal best performances. 

In the frosh-soph 2 mile race, Tristan Perkes (Fr.) and Caleb Haggarty (Fr.) worked well together for a majority of the race. Perkes pulled away at the end with a strong final 400 to take 2nd place with a personal best 11:41.0. Haggarty returned from a foot issue to have his best race of the season. He ran a personal best of 11:51.5 to take 4th place.

Giancarlo Aguirre (Fr.) worked his way up throughout the race. He ended up finishing in 13th place with a personal best 12:45.6 for 2 miles. The next HP finisher was Nate Goldberg (So.). He ran a strong race to take 15th place running 12:56.7. 

Jace Bennett (Fr.) had his best race of the season. He ran a big personal best with a 13:11.3 for 2 miles to take 17th place. Manuel Jauregui (Fr.) and Chase Temple (Fr.) worked well together throughout the race and both ran their best times. Jauregui finished in 19th place at 13:29.7 while Temple was right behind him in 21st place at 13:30.8. Theo Hanold (Fr.) had a strong 2nd mile to move up and finish with his best time in 13:38.1 for 31st place. Liam Hsu (Fr.) had a big personal best as he pushed to a finishing time of 15:34.2 for 44th place. 

The Giants beat Vernon Hills and Niles North but lost to Niles West. The young runners on the HP team are starting to develop into a strong team with a very bright future. They just need to stay fierce and committed. 

In the varsity 3 mile race, Dylan Dominguez (Sr.) and Henry Gamson (Jr.) got out to a fast first mile and a big lead. The duo went on to take 1st and 2nd with both near their personal best times. Dominguez ran an impressive 15:21.1 and Gamson came to the line in 15:45.9. 

The important Giant chase pack got out a bit better than in previous meets. Josh Brown (Jr.) had his best race of the season to lead this pack and finish in 17th place with a 17:14.5. Truman Evans (Jr.) was the next runner in at 18th place with a 17:25.1. Theo Soifer (Fr.) ran a personal best for 3 miles with a 17:33.5 to finish in 19th place. Logan Liu (Jr.) got out fast, but faded back from the pack to finish in 17:51.2. 

The Giants had another pack working together. Lowell Redmond (Jr.) led the way for this pack and finished in 18:22.8. The next HP finisher was Gabriel Jackson (So.) with his typical fast sprint finish to run 18:26.6. Luke Byrnes (Sr.) was just 2 seconds back in a personal best 18:28.5 for 3 miles. Quentin Kelley (Sr.) was the next Giant to cross the line in a strong 18:36.2. Makena Duggan (So.) ran well and came across the finish line in 18:43.8. Joaquin Martinez (So.) had a strong final mile to finish in a personal best 18:51.9. Spencer Pedraza (Jr.) cramped up badly in mile 3 and finished in 19:27.7. He will bounce back in his next race. Joey Naftzger (Jr.) ran a personal best 19:45.5 to run sub 20 for the first time. Vasco Leite (So.) also ran a personal best 20:44.2 

The varsity ended up losing to Vernon Hills and Niles West but was able to beat Niles North. The varsity team still needs to work on putting together a more complete team race. The chase pack will be key to the team’s success. The work will continue to be put in and the breakthrough performances that are needed are coming.