Since the preseason rankings came out, it has been the Dixon boys cross-country team ranked No. 1 in 2A. That same target remains on their back as the Dukes travel to Detweiller Park in Peoria on Saturday for the IHSA state meet.

“The pressure good for us,” said senior Westin Conatser. “I think we are strong mentally. We’ve shown that all year.”

Having defeated everyone on their schedule this year except a small smattering of 3A powers, Dixon comes in with more swagger than in 2008 when they won their first and only state title under a novice coach in Evan Thorpe. That was a narrow 94-97 win over Belvidere North.

This time, anything less than an undisputed title will be a disappointment. On paper, Dukes have a wide margin over contenders Mahomet-Seymour, Morton, Deerfield and Peoria Notre Dame.

“If we weren’t ranked No. 1, the boys would be miffed,” coach Simon Thorpe said. “We know in a race that everyone is keying off of us. It’s a burden, but we’ve passed that test every time. Going into the state meet, it won’t be new for us. We’ve been doing it all year.”

The Dukes also have a little extra incentive after missing out on the 3rd place state trophy by 1 point last year. Lost from that team was all-stater Aaron Conderman, but the next four scorers return in junior Dean Geiger, senior Keegan Shirley, junior Averick Wiseman and Conatser.

“Our top two runners in Dean and Averick are better than any other team’s No. 1 and 2,” Thorpe said. “Then we have a No. 3 in Keegan Shirley, who is better than anyone else’s 2 or 3. I feel confident all three will medal (top 25 individually).”

At No. 4 is Ethan Carter, who Thorpe calls the best freshman in the state. Conatser rounds out the top 5 and consistently runs close enough to the lead group so that Dixon avoids the dreaded odd scorer way down in the individual standings.

“I think all five are capable of running sub 15 minutes,” said Thorpe, of a team feat rarely accomplished in 2A.

Rounding out the field will be two more upstart freshmen in Abe Garcia and Alonzo Bautista. There is so much depth on the roster that junior Brody Hopper ran at state last year.

“In the last two years, we’ve had all seven runners have personal bests at the state meet,” Thorpe said. “History is on our side. Even if we run average, we should be okay. The main thing is avoiding running poor.”

Morton is similar to Dixon in how they run their program, but hasn’t come up with times comparable. Mahomet-Seymour is a traditional 2A power with good coaching. Deerfield is one of the larger 2A schools with loads of resources, but lost soundly to the Dukes earlier. Peoria Notre Dame did have five runners under 5:30 once. Last year’s runaway state champ, Chicago Payton, was bumped up to 3A.

“We’re confident we can win, but we all have to do our part,” said Geiger, who hopes to run sub 14:40. “Last year, I fell off the pace between mile 1 and 2. On the first 400, I’ve got to get out of the tight turn and keep pace.”

Thorpe has started a mental visualization technique where he virtually guides the team through a course. He has everyone lie down in the school’s wrestling room for 15-20 minutes while he leads this process, a teaching tool gained from coach Chad Clarey of Kaneland.

The Dukes will toe the starting box at the historic Detweiller course on Saturday at noon, which Conatser says is the perfect time to run. In roughly 15 minutes, they will learn if there is any other team in the state capable of being giant killers.

“Last year, we were expecting to do well,” said Thorpe. “This year, we’re expecting to do well. We’ve met those marks we’ve set. I know we’re as well prepared as possible.”

Between Evan and Simon Thorpe, the Dukes have qualified for the state meet 10 times since 2007 and also have a runner-up finish in 2019.

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The Dixon boys cross country runs through their drills Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. The team is gearing up for this weekend’s state tournament. (Alex T. Paschal)