Joe Newton stood on a picnic table under a burnished oak tree with his clenched fists raised in the air.
“Mr. Newton’s reaction?I’ll always remember it,” York sophomore Sean McNamara said of his coach.
The celebration has become routine for Newton and his loyal Elmhurst fan base. McNamara and his teammates were part of the hoopla for the first time Saturday at Detweiller Park.
They gave their coach his 22nd state cross-country championship, and the third in the last four seasons. McNamara ran 13th among 252 finishers to lead the Dukes in the Class AA final.
“Just to be a part of this, it’s so much,” McNamara said.
York scored 125 points to 198 for Stevenson, a surprise runner-up in its first trip to the state meet. Glenbard South, last season’s state champ, ran third with 229 points.
Edwardsville senior Stephen Pifer won the individual title in 14 minutes 33 seconds a year after running third in the final. With a mile to go in the 3-mile race, he had a 100-meter lead and then held off Andrew junior Matt Withrow, who finished second in 14:38.
“I wanted to prove I can be fast in cross country and win,” said Pifer, the defending state 1,600-meter champ in track.
All season long, Pifer’s name was mentioned and his race results were closely monitored by Chicago-area runners.
“Pifer showed me how I’m going to have to run this next year,” Withrow said.
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Lake Zurich senior Sam Romanoski, last year’s runner-up, showed signs of fatigue from his recent bout with bronchitis, finishing third in 14:40.
“There’s no next year,” Romanoski said. “That’s the biggest thing.”
York appears primed for at least two more state-championship runs. The Dukes will lose Adam Manta, who finished 23rd and joined McNamara on the All-State team, to graduation but should have five of their runners back next season.
It’s enough to keep Newton coming back to coach. The 73-year-old coach’s hands trembled Saturday when his fists weren’t clenched, but his booming voice never wavered.
“I’ve become 10 years younger,” Newton said, and then referred to a conversation he’d had with York Principal Linda Yonke.
“She said we’re going for 25,” he bellowed.
Things were shaky for the Dukes during the season as they lost three meets to West Suburban Silver rival Lyons Township, including at the sectional meet last weekend.
“That was a wake-up call,” McNamara said.
Lyons couldn’t keep its momentum and finished ninth among 30 teams.
York prevailed with a gutsy performance by Manta, who collapsed a foot from the finish and staggered into the chute.
“I was so dizzy and I didn’t know where I was, but I had to get up and finish,” Manta said. “And now it’s the greatest feeling ever.”