Manfrin, Fairleigh get their due

Dundee-Crown's Anthony Manfrin (in back) follows behind Phillip Fairleigh (left) on Saturday in the Class 3A IHSA State Cross Country meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria, Ill. Manfrin finished sixth, Fairleigh, seventh. (Adam Gerik for the Northwest Herald)

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PEORIA – Cary-Grove’s Phil Fairleigh and Dundee-Crown’s Anthony Manfrin have forged a strong friendship through competition, and disappointment, in their high school running careers.

So when Fairleigh saw Manfrin during the Class 3A boys race and said, “Let’s do this!” Manfrin knew exactly what he meant.

Fairleigh wanted them both to rid themselves of past state demons. They wouldn’t have to joke with each other about dropping out or getting disqualified if they just finished what they had going.

Maybe it was just what both needed. Manfrin, a junior, charged hard in the final 800 meters and took sixth at the IHSA Cross Country State Meet at Detweiller Park.

Fairleigh held tough and took 12th. Both picked up their first state medals in their high school careers, in either cross country or track.

In the Class 2A boys race, Richmond-Burton’s Matt Lytle took eighth, Woodstock’s J.D. Fuller was 15th and Prairie Ridge’s Matt Neubauer was 18th. The top 25 finishers in each class earn medals and are considered All-State runners.

“I was nervous and pretty anxious,” said Manfrin, who fainted in the final 500 meters last year. “My coaches said, ‘The more you think about it will mess with you mentally.’ I just wanted to run the best I could and let the results take care of themselves.”

Manfrin also was disqualified in the IHSA Boys Track and Field State Meet last spring in the Class 3A 1,600-meter run for stepping out of his lane early in the race.

He actually rubbed off a fake tattoo on his right shoulder before the race, fearing that anything could lead to another disqualification.

“He ran so smart,” D-C coach Tom Smith said. “We said, ‘No panic. Let the race develop and do what you do.’ He ran a great race. If you get too greedy and go out too soon, it can cost you. We kept saying, ‘Trust yourself.’ ”

Manfrin’s finish was the best ever for a D-C boys runner in cross country state competition.

Sandburg sophomore Lukas Verzbicas won the state title in 14:07, 21 seconds ahead of the next runner. Manfrin finished in 14:43 and Fairleigh crossed in 14:50. Fairleigh, a senior, felt he went out too fast last year, which led to him fading badly in the second half of the race.

“Around the first turn I was in about 100th place, but I caught up by the mile,” Fairleigh said. “I kind of moved up and got into good position. The whole season the focus was state, state, state. Then I got [mononucleosis] and [state] wasn’t so much what it was about. I just wanted to come out here and run the best that I can. It was nice to finally have a good [state] race.”

Fairleigh was glad he could run with his C-G teammates for one final time.

The Trojans, running at state for a third consecutive year, took 13th out of 26 teams.

Lytle, a junior, was nervous before the Class 2A race, but handled everything well.

“I just tried to stick with the pack and keep moving up when I could,” Lytle said. “It felt really good. At the end my legs were dying, but I kept pushing.”

Lytle’s teammate, Ian Sanchez, missed repeating as an All-State runner by one spot after he was bumped and fell early in the race. He finished 26th.

“We wanted to get out, but not go all out early, then work our way up,” Fuller said of his race strategy. “And I wanted to stay on the outside and not get caught up. I’m definitely happy with 15th.”

Neubauer’s finish led Prairie Ridge to seventh place in the Class 2A boys race.

“It went well,” Neubauer said. “I started off where I wanted to in the front and stuck with that pack until the finish. I’m happy with my finish, it’s better than I thought I’d be able to do.”