In handily winning the Class 2A boys state cross country championship with 115 points, coach Simon Thorpe’s biggest worry was his Dixon Dukes running too fast on the first mile. Like wild horses penned up too long, they raced out to a large lead over the rest of the field contending for the team title.

“Yes, we were going too fast at the mile mark,” Thorpe said. “But, cross country is a sport of places, not times. We had to be up there.”

To wit, Dean Geiger was third, Averick Wiseman ninth, Keegan Shirley 18th and Ethan Carter in 19th at that point, well ahead of their projections.

However, in distance running, there is a danger in going out too hard and having nothing left for the finish. That mistake has kept favorites from winning, but not these highly trained thoroughbreds from Dixon.

In front of thousands of fans lining the iconic Detweiller course, the Dukes fell back slightly in individual standings at the midway point. It was just as well. None of the contenders - be it M-S (143), Deerfield (155), Morton (169) - were gaining ground and each Duke runner continued to look strong and determined.

As long as No. 5 runner, Westin Conatser, held his 58th place from the 1-mile marker and none of the Duke front runners fell or were injured, Dixon was golden. In the end, it was all five scorers hitting personal bests and Geiger and Wiseman gaining all-state honors.

“Last year, we lost (the 3rd place trophy) by a point,” Geiger said. “That’s all I could think about. I wanted to get out really hard.”

Geiger was 14th with a time of 14:40, with Max Weber of Bethalto Civic winning at 14:08 on the 3-mile course. Wiseman came in with a gutty 20th at 14:44, needing help getting off the ground and walking afterwards.

The hard-luck finisher was Shirley, whose 14:47 was 26th, one spot away from all state. Last year, that time would have placed 12th. According to Thorpe, this was the fastest overall 2A ever run by the collective field.

“I had three goals. I wanted to break 15, win team state and make all-state,” said Shirley, a senior. “I got two out of those three. I’m glad to end up with a win for the team. That means the most.”

After decisively winning the Class 3A IESA cross-country title last year, the freshman Carter stepped up to the big stage with a 15:01 clocking and 33rd place finish. His time was best by any freshman, regardless of class.

The consistent Conatser (15:08) held on for a 57th place and was the key to Dixon holding on for the title.

“You got to have a No. 5,” Thorpe said. “Westin hammered it home for us.”

Also competing were freshman Abe Garcia (15:44) in 110th place and Alonzo Bautista (16:50) in 200th.

“This means so much,” Conatser said. “We’ve come full circle since four years ago.”

Conatser did not run distances until high school, while Geiger, Wiseman and Carter were products of the highly successful youth program. Shirley came from China two years ago, after a civil war in Africa prevented his father from transferring to a job there. Garcia moved to Dixon after junior high, where he was a 1A state champ.

“This is the best Dixon cross country team,” said Evan Thorpe, leader of the youth program. “There is a tight brotherhood. Everyone is happy for everyone else.”

With Evan’s state title as coach in 2008 and Simon’s 2025 win, it is thought to be the first time in IHSA history that a father and son won cross-country championships.

“It’s a great feeder system, great talent and great coaching,” Aurora Central Catholic coach Trey Kerber said. “That equals Dixon Dukes.”

This is Dixon’s seventh top 10 finish since 2007. They now have 18 individual medalists in that time span, including four by Simon when he ran for his dad from 2010-2013.

“People don’t know how much time Simon and I put into it,” a teary-eyed Evan Thorpe said. “If potentially we are the only two to ever have had state titles as father and son, that means so much. I’m so happy for everyone connected with Dixon cross country.”

Another person who was in tears afterwards was assistant coach Aidan Johnson, who just graduated from Wisconsin Whitewater and deferred his enlistment to be a pilot in the Marine Corps until after the cross country season was over.

“He was captain of our 2019 team that finished second in the state and was one of the best leaders we ever had,” Evan Thorpe said. “It’s pretty noteworthy for him to defer his Marine enrollment because he specifically wanted to work with our boys and knew he would never have that chance again.”