Comets’ depth keying title push

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Members of the Newman cross country team pose after practice on Wednesday. The Comets are ranked second in Class 1A going into Saturday’s state meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria. (Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@svnmail.com)

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Dylan Reyes and Jake Trancoso form a powerful 1-2 punch at the top of the Newman cross country lineup.

The Comets wouldn’t be making their second consecutive trip to state, however, without a little help from their friends.

“You cannot get to state without seven,” Newman coach Val Gassman said. “The two boys that lead in the front set by example. They run hard, they practice hard and the other guys want to be like them. I’ve got freshmen that want to be like Dylan and Jake when they’re seniors. You sow it when you’re a freshman and you reap when you’re juniors and seniors.”

Dylan Harkness, a sophomore, and senior Eric Farringer have filled the bill as the No. 3 and No. 4 runners for Newman, depending on who was hot for a particular race. At the sectional last Saturday in Aurora, Harkness finished 27th in 16 minutes, 37 seconds, slightly ahead of Farringer, who came in at 16:41, good for 30th.

Both were within hailing distance of Reyes (15:44, 3rd place) and Trancoso (15:59, 11th).

“It works out pretty good trying to keep up with them,” Harkness said. “It doesn’t always work out, but it’s nice to know they’re up there and we’re supporting them in what they do.”

“It forces the three, four and five, and even six and seven, to push even harder, and therefore it helps the team get faster as a whole,” Farringer said.

When healthy, sophomore Brandon Winters is the Comets’ fifth man. He finished 66th at the sectional in 17:17, but is still rounding back into shape after a bout with the flu that made its way through most of the team.

Sophomore Brady Henson and senior Spencer Carlson round out the starting lineup for the state meet, with two more sophomores, Adam Wiegmann and Seth Gierhart, ready if something should happen to the top seven.

It’s been a magical year for the Comets, who earned first place in eight invitationals (Rock Falls, Princeton, Bureau Valley, Twin City, Byron, Three Rivers, Winnebago and Erie-Prophetstown) and won their first regional and sectional titles in school history.

Their only non-wins were at the Amboy and Peoria Heights invites, where they finished second to Beecher. The Bobcats, led by the brother combo of Grant and Griffin Nykaza, have the attention of the Comets.

“I know we are going to do our best against them,” Reyes said. “I’m just hoping everyone is up to the challenge, because they’ve got a very strong pack in the front five.”

Newman was No. 1 for much of the season in the Dyestat ranking, but ceded the top spot to Beecher after the Peoria and Amboy races. No matter what happens between those two teams, the Comets are on course to improve on a seventh-place state finish posted a year ago.

“This will be the first team that could possibly bring home hardware,” Farringer said. “If we do, it’ll be here for the rest of our lives. That’s pretty cool, to have your name tied to that.”

Gassman, in her 19th year as Newman’s coach, has had some good teams and state-quality individuals over the years, but nothing that has compared to this group of boys.

“Any coach worth their salt is going to dream of having a bunch of guys like I’ve had this year,” Gassman said. “They’ve been absolutely magnificent. They work hard. They play hard. They do things together, and that’s what makes them stronger. They look after each other on and off the course.”
 

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