LANSING, Ill. (September 6, 2023) – Cross country isn’t an easy sport, but TF South seniors Jesse Terrazas and Antoine Morgan decided to give it a try this fall.
So far, so good.
Terrazas has been the Red Wolves’ No. 1 runner in all three of their meets so far, while Morgan has been No. 2 in two meets and No. 3 in another.
They each came to distance running from different backgrounds.
“I was just curious,” Terrazas said after Saturday’s Rich Dust Invitational hosted by TF South at North Creek Meadow. “I wanted to push myself and just see what it’s like to push myself to my fullest limits.”
Terrazas’ primary athletic outlet was playing for the TF United boys soccer team for three years.
“I was a keeper so I never really ran too much,” he said. “But then junior year my friends wanted me to join track with them and I really fell in love with the sport.”
South has seven first-year runners total, and Terrazas said they provide moral support for each other.
“It’s really about pushing each other to see what we can do,” he said.
Did Terrazas expect to be the Red Wolves’ front-runner this fall?
“I was really hoping,” he said, “because I know I put in a lot of (miles) over the summer. But I wasn’t sure, I wasn’t 100%.”
Terrazas finished 54th with a 3-mile time of 20:05 on Saturday as the Red Wolves finished 12th among 22 teams with 295 points. On a breezy and humid day, he took first in 20:34 as TF South beat Crete-Monee 15-50 Tuesday at Erfert Park.
He aims to drop his times as the weather cools off and becomes more conducive for distance running.
“I think mid-18 (minutes) is a more realistic goal,” Terrazas said. “But I like setting unrealistic expectations and go a little bit further, try to get as close as I can to low-18.”
Morgan, meanwhile, decided to try cross country after running anything from the 400 meters to the 1,600 in AAU track over the summer.
“The hardest part is keeping a steady pace or just keeping straight mentally because my mind tends to wander around,” Morgan said.
Morgan ran 20:48 at the Rich Dust Invitational, finishing 64th, and took third on Tuesday at 21:35.
Like Terrazas, he’s hoping his times drop along with the temperatures as the season moves into October.
“I know when the conditions get better, I know I’ll be better,” Morgan said.
One of the aspects of the sport he appreciates is the camaraderie, not just with his teammates, but also in the broader high school cross country community.
“Track is, like, really more competitive,” Morgan said. “Cross, it’s competitive too. But the sportsmanship here, I believe, is the best sportsmanship in any sport. We all just want ourselves to do better.”
South coach Fred Seibel appreciates what Terrazas and Morgan bring to the program.
“I think they’re still learning the pacing and once they learn pacing their times will drop,” Seibel said. “Our goal was to peak at the conference or the regional.”
Rounding out South’s scoring at the invitational were sophomore Brandon Chavez (65th, 20:49, personal best), junior Rodrigo Cortez (77th, 21:55) and junior Ben Gresham (78th, 21:58).
On Tuesday, Cortez was second at 20:37, Gresham finished fourth at 21:35 and senior Carlos Cervantes was fifth at 21:49.
Football
TF South took a 3-0 lead at Lane Tech on Friday as Edward Rodriguez kicked a 31-yard goal midway through the first quarter.
But that was all the offense the Red Wolves (0-2) could muster in a 14-3 loss to the Champions.
Senior Antonio Bombe had two short touchdown runs for Lane (1-1), in the second and fourth quarters.
Christian Streeter had a 56-yard run for South and finished with eight carries for 68 yards. Seneca Smith added seven carries for 33 yards and also had 10 tackles, including two for losses.
The Red Wolves open South Suburban Blue play at Lemont on Friday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Girls volleyball
The Red Wolves defeated Bremen 25-20, 25-21 in South Suburban Blue action on Tuesday.
South lost 25-23, 25-20 to Stagg on Aug. 30. Joya Hurley-Scott had 10 assists and four kills for the Red Wolves, Raquel Murphy added five blocks and three kills, and Sania Sneed contributed three kills.
Girls tennis
South lost 3-2 to South Suburban Blue rival Bremen on Tuesday.
The Red Wolves had wins at No. 2 doubles (Elizabeth Alvarez and Kaylyn Imala) and No. 3 doubles (Azuri Akbar and Deisy Salto).
South fell 3-2 to Oak Lawn on Aug. 31, getting doubles wins from Mariah Smith and Rere Sonoiki at No. 1, and Emily Cabrera and Akbar at No. 3.
The Red Wolves lost 3-2 to Morgan Park Academy on August 30. Winners for South were Sonoiki and Smith at No. 1 doubles, and Salto and Esmeralda Spencer at No. 3 doubles.
Boys golf
The Red Wolves improved to 3-5 overall and 2-5 in the South Suburban Blue with a 208-225 win over Bremen on Tuesday at Centennial Park in Munster.
Scorers for South were medalist Anthony Gianoli (46, three pars), Ryan Marnell (50, one par), Jacob Lindsey (55, two pars) and Andrew Danehl (57).
South lost 165-182 to Oak Lawn at Stoney Creek on August 31.
Scorers for the Red Wolves were Gianoli (39, four pars), Marnell (44, two pars), Danehl (49) and Lindsey (50, one par).
The Red Wolves won a triangular on August 30 at Centennial Park, 215-276 over TF North. Rich Township had just one golfer.
Scorers for South were Gianoli (47, two pars), Marnell (51, one par), Danehl (58) and Lindsey (59).
Girls cross country
South did not field a full team at the Rich Dust Invitational. Shybria Starkley was the Red Wolves’ top finisher in 36th at 26:00.5.
TF North
Football
The Meteors improved to 2-0 with a 39-7 win at Thornton on Friday night.
Tristan Jackson and Joseph Merritt each scored two touchdowns for North, while Dominic Gradford threw TD passes of 18 yards to Aric Moultrie and 25 yards to Deshawn Jones. Jones and Geremiah Williams each had interceptions to lead the Meteors’ defense.
North plays a South Suburban crossover on Friday at Shepard. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
Girls tennis
The Meteors lost 3-2 to Richards on Tuesday, getting singles wins from Celeste Escobar (No. 1) and Melany Espinoza (No. 2).
North fell 4-1 to Brooks on August 31. Precious Agwu and Alex Thomas beat a returning state-qualifying team at No. 1 doubles for the Meteors’ point.
Boys cross country
Said Rodriguez was the Meteors’ lone varsity runner at the Rich Dust Invitational, finishing 52nd in 19:56.2.
Girls cross country
The Meteors did not field a full team at the Rich Dust Invitational. Daisy Rodriguez (39th, 26:45.0) was North’s top finisher.
Boys golf
The Meteors fell 154-253 to Richards on Tuesday at Stoney Creek.
They also finished third in a triangular at Burnham Woods on Aug. 31, shooting 273 against Oak Forest (167) and Evergreen Park (179).
Marian Catholic
Football
In a wild, back-and-forth game that featured seven lead changes, the Spartans lost 54-47 at Homewood-Flossmoor on Saturday afternoon when the Vikings scored twice in the final 1:38.
Kansas recruit Austin Alexander ran the opening kickoff back 90 yards for Marian (1-1) and also on a 1-yard run as a wildcat quarterback.
Kaleb Isom scored three touchdowns for the Spartans, on a 55-yard interception return and 28- and 63-yard passes from Carter Magerski.
Tyler Lofton had a 14-yard TD run and Kelby Key caught a 25-yard TD pass from Magerski for the Spartans’ other scores.
Lofton had 125 yards on 21 carries, while Magerski was 14-of-24 passing for 216 yards with three TDs and two interceptions.
Isom (97 yards), Key (73 yards) and Moe Davis (44 yards) all had four receptions.
Marian plays at St. Viator at 7 p.m. this Friday.
Girls volleyball
The Spartans fell 25-19, 25-22 to Joliet Catholic on Tuesday.
Kaitlyn Nichols had 12 assists for Marian (1-8, 0-1 East Suburban Catholic), Michelle Charles added six kills and Sarah Price contributed three digs.
Boys cross country
Marian finished 11th at the Rich Dust Invitational with 262 points, led by Daniel Kasperan in fifth place at 16:02.85.
Also scoring for the Spartans were Jayden Downs (40th, 19:18.74), Jonah Greenwood (82nd, 22:38.73), Jeremiah Bolar (84thm 22:46.26) and Isaiah Gaither (93rd, 24:08.29).
Girls cross country
Lydia Casillas was the Spartans’ only varsity runner in the Rich Dust Invitational, taking 14th at 22:16.91
TF United (TF South/TF North co-op)
Boys soccer
United opened conference action with a 2-1 win over Argo on Tuesday as Giovanni Melgoza scored twice. Daniel Gonzalez and Ezrah Gonzalez contributed assists for United (4-2, 1-0 South Suburban Blue).
United beat Homewood-Flossmoor 3-2 on August 30 behind two goals and an assist from Melgoza. Joaquin Terrazas also had a goal, while Dimitri Kouemo had an assist. Edgar Rodriguez and Oswaldo Mendoza each had one save.
Girls swimming
United finished third in a triangular with Reavis (165) and Eisenhower (55) on Tuesday, scoring 48 points.
Related
- Red Wolves falter in first football game, Meteors fly high — other local scores as fall sports begin (August 31, 2023)
