By Michael Newman

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Jesse Reiser – McHenry HS

You had a sense that Jesse Reiser was destined to do something big this cross country season after he qualified for both national meets last year as a junior. He earned All-American honors in both of those meets this year. Oh yeah, by the way, he was the 3A State Champion. It made the choice for the DyeStat Illinois 3A Boys Runner of the year pretty easy.

His season started with an eye opener as he ran 14:53 on the fast 5k Lippold Park course to win the McHenry County Championships. He just rolled from there going undefeated during the rest of the regular season including big meet wins at the First to the Finish Invitational, Palatine Invitational, and the Peoria Central Invitational. In an anticipated matchup with Conant’s Zach Dale, he waited until the last 300 meters before unleashing a frightening kick to win the Schaumburg Sectional. It was the same type of tactic in the 3A State Meet when he ran his last mile in 4:27 to run 14:11 for the win.

His post-season was memorable qualifying for both the Nike Cross Nationals and Foot Locker Nationals. He won the NXN Midwest Regional and then two weeks later finished 3^rd in Kenosha at the Foot Locker Midwest Regionals. He was not 100% but finished 6^th at the Nike Cross Nationals. A week later in San Diego for the Foot Locker Nationals, Reiser capped his season off with an 8^th place finish.

Other runners that deserve acknowledgement are Zach Dale (Conant HS, Hoffman Estates), Matt Pereira (Lake Zurich HS), and Ryan Clevenger (North HS, Downers Grove). Reiser was the only Illinois runner that Dale lost to during the IHSA season. He finished 2^nd in the 3A State Meet. Clevenger was in the same boat only losing to Reiser at First to the Finish and then finishing 4^th at state. He also qualified for Nike Cross Nationals finishing 5^th. Pereira, only a sophomore, finished a successful season placing 3^rd at state, 4^th at NXN Midwest Regional, and 30^th at the Nike Cross Nationals.

Congratulations to Jesse Reiser as the 2014 DyeStat Illinois 3A Boys XC Runner of the Year.