Sandburg Boys Cross Country Pushes Past Pack, Makes History with First State Title

Sandburg High School’s boys cross country team went into the Class 3A state meet gunning to avenge its second-place finish the previous year.

The motivation fueled the team to notch 79 points to top the pack for their first state championship Saturday at Detweiller Park. Lyons finished second with 118 points.

The team’s championship run included a third-place finish from Sean Torpy, at 14 minutes and 25 seconds. The team’s other scorers included Max Lehnhardt (13th, 14:39), Chris Torpy (16th, 14:42), Brandon Lukas (31st, 14:54) and Tom Brennan (38th, 14:58). Number two runner Dylan Jacobs sat out after suffering a hamstring injury in the sectional meet.

Sandburg started from the inside position of the No. 4 box, and surged to the front. The team ”got stuck” in that same area last year and fell behind.

“We got out too slow and got stuck around the turn. That was our fault,” Chris Torpy told the Daily Southtown. “This year we knew what we had to do.”

Coach John O’Malley complimented the team’s fortitude.

“They turned that box into their strength,” O’Malley told the Southtown. “The idea that they took something that was a disadvantage and turned it into an advantage is the epitome of who they are.”

Read more from the Daily Southtown.