Dominguez Qualifies For State!

The Highland Park High School boys cross country team earned the right to compete at the IHSA 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional. The Giants were looking to qualify for the State Meet for the second year in a row. They knew it would be a tough challenge in the extremely deep Sectional. It included 9 state ranked teams and only 7 would qualify for the State Meet. 

The 7 runners competing for HP focused on getting out well and racing tough throughout the 3 miles. The Giant’s top 3 would once again be key to the team’s success. Dylan Dominguez (Sr.) got out solid, but had to trust his final mile to finish where he needed to. Lucas Hoobler (Jr.) and Henry Gamson (Jr.) did their best to work together and push each other to strong races. Brian Hatoum (Sr.) had struggled all week with his hip injury and was hoping it would hold up to get him through the race. Unfortunately, just under a mile into the race, the hip pain was just too much and Hatoum had to drop out of the race. He gave it a gutsy effort for the team. Everyone associated with the team was extremely proud of his attempt to help the team qualify for State. 

With Hatoum having to drop out, the final 3 runners for HP would be crucial. Usiel Rodriguez (Sr.) saw Hatoum down and realized that the team needed a big race for him. He focused on moving up to get into a good position to use his strong kick. Josh Brown (Jr.) and Truman Evans (Jr.) were a bit further back, but continued to push and try to help the team.

Dominguez found himself around 22nd place with 1 mile to go. This was too far back, but he was willing to give everything he had in the final mile to improve his position and help the team. It was a special last mile as Dominguez moved past competitor after competitor. He used the downhill flawlessly to set himself up for a final sprint finish as he now battled for a top 10 finish! With a great final 400, Dominguez finished in an incredible 8th place with a time of 14:52.45! This really set up the team well as he waited for his teammates to cross the line.

Hoobler came in next with a good race to take 35th place. He ran 15:22.50 for the 3 miles course, which is one of his best times he has run. Gamson was a few seconds back in 41st place. He also ran a fast time with a 15:26.12 finish. The team was hoping these two runners would be in the top 30, but they gave it their all and still finished well. 

Usiel Rodriguez once again delivered a big time race like he did at the conference meet. He raced to a personal best 15:56.09. He finished in 73rd place which was well ahead of where he was expected to finish. Brown was a couple seconds off his best time. He ran a solid 16:49.13, but place-wise, it was just too far back for what the team needed. Evans battled through an off-race and finished in 17:53.48. He knows he has better races to give coming next season. 

The Giants ended up finishing in 9th place, falling short of their goal to qualify for the State Meet. The boys that raced gave it everything they had and should be extremely proud of how they represented Highland Park High School. The cutoff to qualify for the State Meet as one of the top 10 individuals not on qualifying teams was 21st place. Dylan Dominguez qualified for the IHSA 3A State Meet with his amazing 8th place finish. This was the 15th year in a row that HP has had a team or individual qualify for the State Meet. Only New Trier and Lake Zurich can match that stat from teams in this Sectional. Dylan's time is the fastest time ever run by an HP runner on the Busse Woods course. Hoobler and Gamson ran the 10th and 12th fastest times ever by an HP runner on the course as well. Overall, there were a lot of positives from the race. Those runners on the team returning need to think about what they will do over the next 365 days to help next year’s team have an opportunity to qualify for the State Meet. Now the team will be there to support Dominguez as he prepares for the 2024 State Meet.