Chatham Clarion
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Issue Date: Oct. 22, 2009
Magical day sends Zartler out on top of the
mountain
By Joe Pritchett
Chatham Editor
Those who have been paying attention to games in the National Football League this season have
noticed the trend of wearing "throwback" jerseys on regular occasions.
Well, for Sue Zartler's final meet as head coach of the Glenwood Middle School cross country program,
the boys team decided to go for the "retro" look, hearkening back to the old black and gold days of the
Glenwood Braves.
So, with the two-time defending state champion girls team clad in the usual red, and the defending state
runner-up boys team in the retro uni's, what was in store at last weekend's IESA state meet in Normal?
Yes, it happened. The Titans pulled off the double state championship, with the girls claiming their third
straight state title and the boys notching their first state championship since 2002.
"It's huge, it's the first time Glenwood has had both the boys and girls win it in the same year," exclaimed
Zartler, who is retiring from teaching and coaching at Glenwood at the end of the current school year. "And
we're the second school to ever do it (Prospect Heights MacArthur)."
Zartler began coaching the GMS program back in 1989, when her assistant coach, Ryan Staley, was a
6th grader on the GMS boys state title team. She has not ruled out a "Brett Favre" type comeback, but in an
assistant's role somewhere, she stressed, if the opportunity arose.
Neither the GMS boys or girls team was favored to win, though they were expected to do very, very well.
The boys knew they had to jump ahead of New Lenox Martino, and the girls had lost four times at Invites
this season to Normal Parkside, in addition to two losses to Channahon.
Kirsten Aydt has been a member of all three girls' state title teams during this run, along with Clare
Bennett. On the boys side, Noah Johnson and Trevor Dowell have been members of the last three boys
state tournament teams that finished fourth, second and first.
All 14 Glenwood runners at the state meet turned in their personal record time for the year. And the with
the girls defeating Parkside by one lonely point, all of those top times were needed.
•The Glenwood girls finished with 90 points, to 91 for Parkside. Buffalo Grove Cooper was a distant
third at 154. The Glenwood boys finished with 75 points, to 84 for runner-up Martino. Parkside was a
distant third at 141.
Aydt and Taylor Mueller led the way for the Glenwood girls, each finishing in 12:05. Mueller was credited
with 8th place and Aydt took 9th. Winner McKayla Harder of Mt. Zion completed the two-mile course in 11:
40. Sixth-graders Cassady Garner (29th, 12:27) and Kyra Webster (30th, 12:28) were next, followed by
Maggie Juhlin (33rd, 12:31), Bennett (39th, 12:38) and Breianna Lowe (71st, 12:57).
"Taylor Mueller ran the race of her life, and that was the whole difference," Staley commented.
Zartler added that having Glenwood's sixth runner (Bennett) finishing ahead of Parkside's fifth runner
was another big key to the victory. Every place and every position counts, she has stressed to the team all
season.
"It was a total team effort," she added. "Everyone ran exceptionally well."
•Both Zartler and Staley knew that the GMS boys had a strong team, but Martino had been dominant all
season. The Glenwood lineup didn't change much during the season, but one runner in particular moved
his way up the ranks and made a big difference at the end.
"Michael Giovannelli was All-State for us last year, and he got off to a slow start," Staley explained. "He
busted out at our first home meet and won it, and from there something clicked inside him and he started
working his butt off in practice, winning almost all of the workouts. He moved up to the No. 3 spot and
changed the whole outlook and dynamic of the team."
Johnson finished fifth overall to lead Glenwood in 10:57, 18 seconds behind winner Simon Thorpe of
Dixon Reagan. John Schroll was right behind in 7th place in 10:58, with Giovannelli next in 13th in 11:08.
Dowell took 28th place in 11:22, followed by steady Isaac Albracht in 47th place in 11:33. Grant Kaiser
finished in 53rd place in 11:36 for GMS, while Cole Harper took 77th in 11:49.
"It was a pleasant surprise to beat Martino," Zartler added. "But we knew we could do it."
"We had very good teams and better overall times and places than last year," Staley explained.
"Fourteen PR's? That never happens. You save your best for last, and we did that."
"I knew we had good teams for both the boys and girls," Zartler said. "We had a lot of kids back from last
year, and our volunteer coaches (Greg Bennett and Tracy Dowell) helped tremendously with the summer
workouts. We peaked at the right time."
"I'm happy for Sue," Staley concluded. "She's an icon in junior high cross country, and with Arlen Nelson
and Marc Kuhn they have built the best junior high program in the state right here."
mountain
By Joe Pritchett
Chatham Editor
Those who have been paying attention to games in the National Football League this season have
noticed the trend of wearing "throwback" jerseys on regular occasions.
Well, for Sue Zartler's final meet as head coach of the Glenwood Middle School cross country program,
the boys team decided to go for the "retro" look, hearkening back to the old black and gold days of the
Glenwood Braves.
So, with the two-time defending state champion girls team clad in the usual red, and the defending state
runner-up boys team in the retro uni's, what was in store at last weekend's IESA state meet in Normal?
Yes, it happened. The Titans pulled off the double state championship, with the girls claiming their third
straight state title and the boys notching their first state championship since 2002.
"It's huge, it's the first time Glenwood has had both the boys and girls win it in the same year," exclaimed
Zartler, who is retiring from teaching and coaching at Glenwood at the end of the current school year. "And
we're the second school to ever do it (Prospect Heights MacArthur)."
Zartler began coaching the GMS program back in 1989, when her assistant coach, Ryan Staley, was a
6th grader on the GMS boys state title team. She has not ruled out a "Brett Favre" type comeback, but in an
assistant's role somewhere, she stressed, if the opportunity arose.
Neither the GMS boys or girls team was favored to win, though they were expected to do very, very well.
The boys knew they had to jump ahead of New Lenox Martino, and the girls had lost four times at Invites
this season to Normal Parkside, in addition to two losses to Channahon.
Kirsten Aydt has been a member of all three girls' state title teams during this run, along with Clare
Bennett. On the boys side, Noah Johnson and Trevor Dowell have been members of the last three boys
state tournament teams that finished fourth, second and first.
All 14 Glenwood runners at the state meet turned in their personal record time for the year. And the with
the girls defeating Parkside by one lonely point, all of those top times were needed.
•The Glenwood girls finished with 90 points, to 91 for Parkside. Buffalo Grove Cooper was a distant
third at 154. The Glenwood boys finished with 75 points, to 84 for runner-up Martino. Parkside was a
distant third at 141.
Aydt and Taylor Mueller led the way for the Glenwood girls, each finishing in 12:05. Mueller was credited
with 8th place and Aydt took 9th. Winner McKayla Harder of Mt. Zion completed the two-mile course in 11:
40. Sixth-graders Cassady Garner (29th, 12:27) and Kyra Webster (30th, 12:28) were next, followed by
Maggie Juhlin (33rd, 12:31), Bennett (39th, 12:38) and Breianna Lowe (71st, 12:57).
"Taylor Mueller ran the race of her life, and that was the whole difference," Staley commented.
Zartler added that having Glenwood's sixth runner (Bennett) finishing ahead of Parkside's fifth runner
was another big key to the victory. Every place and every position counts, she has stressed to the team all
season.
"It was a total team effort," she added. "Everyone ran exceptionally well."
•Both Zartler and Staley knew that the GMS boys had a strong team, but Martino had been dominant all
season. The Glenwood lineup didn't change much during the season, but one runner in particular moved
his way up the ranks and made a big difference at the end.
"Michael Giovannelli was All-State for us last year, and he got off to a slow start," Staley explained. "He
busted out at our first home meet and won it, and from there something clicked inside him and he started
working his butt off in practice, winning almost all of the workouts. He moved up to the No. 3 spot and
changed the whole outlook and dynamic of the team."
Johnson finished fifth overall to lead Glenwood in 10:57, 18 seconds behind winner Simon Thorpe of
Dixon Reagan. John Schroll was right behind in 7th place in 10:58, with Giovannelli next in 13th in 11:08.
Dowell took 28th place in 11:22, followed by steady Isaac Albracht in 47th place in 11:33. Grant Kaiser
finished in 53rd place in 11:36 for GMS, while Cole Harper took 77th in 11:49.
"It was a pleasant surprise to beat Martino," Zartler added. "But we knew we could do it."
"We had very good teams and better overall times and places than last year," Staley explained.
"Fourteen PR's? That never happens. You save your best for last, and we did that."
"I knew we had good teams for both the boys and girls," Zartler said. "We had a lot of kids back from last
year, and our volunteer coaches (Greg Bennett and Tracy Dowell) helped tremendously with the summer
workouts. We peaked at the right time."
"I'm happy for Sue," Staley concluded. "She's an icon in junior high cross country, and with Arlen Nelson
and Marc Kuhn they have built the best junior high program in the state right here."