How this Williamsville senior has found success in both cross country and football

WILLIAMSVILLE — Nolan Bates knew he would be a good addition to the Williamsville boys cross country team.

The senior standout previously dabbled in cross country his sophomore year — then not interfering with the football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic — before shifting over entirely to football last fall.

He now competes in both sports after acquiring permission from the school.

That’s right.

Bates will appear in the Class 1A boys cross country state meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria on 10 a.m., Saturday before bustling back to Williamsville for the 3A second-round football game against Eureka later that afternoon at 3 p.m.

“I'm really just going to focus on cross country at 10 a.m. and then when that gets done just really go into football mode and once 3 p.m. hits, I'll be ready to play,” Bates said.

More:Where and when Springfield-area teams play in the 2022 IHSA football playoffs

Senior paves a new path

Bates has still remained one of the top tacklers on the football team. He has generated 87 tackles with two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and one interception. He totaled 116 tackles last season.

“I'll be really excited,” Bates said of the weekend, “but I know that I'll need to get some sleep, so I'll hit the bed pretty early.”

Bates said he is the first Williamsville student-athlete to simultaneously attempt both cross country and football. He intends to continue to run after high school.

“It's pretty awesome,” Bates said. “It's pretty good that I can pave the way for other kids that want to do both as well, so they can look to me to get it done.”

He has also helped propel the boys cross country team to its first state appearance in school history.

Senior teammates Daniel Giacomini (15:57.86) and Avery Glasgow (16:14.45) cracked the top 15 individually in the Eureka Sectional meet on Saturday. Bates (16:41.05) and junior Jonathan Janssen (16:44.92) followed with the next best times to earn fifth place in the team standings.

“He's a competitive person, so usually some days if you're feeling like taking it easy, he'll be there to keep you in shape and keep you running fast,” Glasgow said of Bates.

Meet the rest of the pack

Glasgow said they like to dub themselves the front pack.

This particular group has meshed together since sixth grade. Bates said they always get after it during the offseason and ramp up the intensity during the track season.

“We just have a really strong bond,” Giacomini said. “We just have always run together and we just know how to push each other.”

Giacomini qualified for last year’s 1A state finals individually and finished in 53rd place with a time of 16:07.12.

More:Who's advancing to boys and girls cross country state finals in the Springfield area?

He initially wanted to best his older brother, Logan, in junior high before transforming into a top runner.

Giacomini, Bates and Glasgow all just share a passion for cross country.

“It's exciting, especially with every year I just see how hard these guys try,” Giacomini said. “Without them, I don't think I would have gotten here. I seriously feel that they are almost 100% of the reason that I made it to where I am.”

“There’s always usually somebody that you can text like, 'Hey, you want to get a run in?' And they're like, 'Yeah,'” Glasgow said. “It can be three miles, could be six or could be 10. Whatever you feel like doing, you just can get out and do it.”

And here they are now.

“We put in the hard work every single year, we've gotten pretty close every year, but this year, all of us put in the most work I think we've done out of every year of our high school career and it paid off,” Glasgow said.

Wilson returns to state

That success has helped galvanize the girls’ side, too, said sophomore Louisa Wilson.

Wilson earned third place at last year’s state finals in 17:34.48 and said in past years the teams largely worked separately until this season.

“But this year, we've ran so much together, we've done so much hard work together and just like push through it and really gotten closer to each other, so it's really nice to see them go to state for like one of the first times ever as a team,” Wilson said.

More:Here are 11 high school cross country runners to watch in the Springfield area for 2022

Wilson elevated her conditioning en route to a new personal record at Detweiller Park in 17:31.5 on October 15.

“I feel like we've ran more this year than last year and my times have decreased and I've gotten faster,” Wilson said. “On each workout, I've been going faster and faster.”

She returns to the state finals after winning the Elmwood Sectional in 17:59.32. She hopes for a similar result as last year’s state performance.

“I definitely think the competition helps me get to that goal,” Wilson said.

Contact Bill Welt: (217) 871-3229, bill.welt@sj-r.com, Twitter.com/BillWelt

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IHSA cross country: Senior helps spark Williamsville to state finals