Approximately 90 varsity runners competed in the Minooka Flight Invitational for the boys, but only a few could come out on top. 

Minooka had its annual Minooka Flight Invitational on Sept. 17 at Channahon Community Park, and it was a competitive and tense atmosphere. 

“The atmosphere right before the race is always high tension and some nervousness but that’s to be expected when you race events of the scale,” said junior Tyler Hererra.

Everyone wanted to win this race. It would do so much for you if you could pull it out. 

Minooka came in sixth place out of 13 teams with a score of 40 points. There is room for improvement, but overall is a good score. 

Senior Zach Balzer would help lead the Minooka boys. He finished in second place in flight 1 with a time of 15:10.

Hererra was also a top runner in his flight 6, coming in third place with a time of 16:28.

This sport isn’t just physical;  it’s also a very mental sport. Athletes need to always keep an open mind and have to always just mentally stay in the race.

“While we still get a team score, they can’t key off the people they have been running with for years.  It forces these athletes to step out of their comfort zone,” said head coach Kevin Gummerson.

Athletes are designated according to their flight number and only compete against others with the same designation.

“Another thing mentioned was to not watch the clocks because those can get in your head,” said Hererra.