By Michael Newman

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While most of the attention this weekend will be in Peoria and the First to the Finish Invitational, there are some good meets that will give us more insight on teams since we did have those cancellations of meets from last Saturday.

3A Top ranked Wheaton-Warrenville South Boys team makes their debut at Wauconda along with their Girls team. Neuqua Valley’s Boys team travels to St. Louis this Saturday to compete in the Forest Park Classic to open their season.

Katelynne Hart and Glenbard West open their season at Lake Park with the Boys race headlined by Naperville Central’s Thomas Shilgalis just as exciting in this meet.

Here is a roadmap of where to find some of your favorite teams in meets across Illinois for Saturday.

You can find more information about the First to the Finish Invitational at these links:

FTTF Meet Preview | 10 Storylines for FTTF

 

Lake Park Harvey Braus Invitational

Boys Ranked Teams – 3A #6 Huntley, #10 Naperville Central, #12 St. Charles East

Boys Teams Entered – Bartlett, Jones College Prep, Lane Tech, Lincoln Park, Deerfield, Machesney Park Harlem, Wheeling, Glenbrook North, Plainfield East, Lake Park, South Elgin, Schaumburg

Girls Ranked Teams – 3A #10 Glenbard West, #16 York, #17 Prospect

Girls Teams Entered – Bartlett, Glenbard North, Lincoln Park, St. Ignatius, Deerfield, Downers Grove North, Elgin, Huntley, Machesney Park Harlem, Maine South, Plainfield East, Lake Park, Schaumburg, South Elgin, St. Charles East, St. Charles North

Meet Thoughts – The addition of Naperville Central puts a little more flair in the Boys side of the meet. Thomas Shilgalis of Naperville Central looks to be the favorite. The condition of the course on Saturday will determine how far under 15-minutes that he will go. Three ranked teams in the Boys race go at it with Huntley the slight favorite if they have Jeremy Roe in the line-up. The packing of St. Charles East and Naperville Central could determine the winner of this meet. Wheeling is coming off a third-place finish last week at Fenton and could surprise the form chart of this race.

Katelynne Hart of Glenbard West runs her first race of the season and should be the big favorite. The question will be how fast she goes on this course? Katie Hohe of Glenbard West and Sarah May of York should be leading the pack along with St. Charles East’s Alice Abbott. Three ranked teams also in the Girls race but Glenbard West should have the talent to win the team title.

 

Springfield Lanphier Lee Halberg Invitational

Boys Ranked Teams – 3A #4 Mundelein; 2A: #1 Chatham-Glenwood, #3 Bloomington, #6 Springfield, #19 Mahomet-Seymour; 1A: #2 Monticello

Boys Teams Entered – Normal Community, Quincy, Mattoon, Rantoul, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, Springfield Southeast, Taylorville, Urbana

Girls Ranked Teams – 2A: #10 Chatham-Glenwood, #12 Springfield, #20 Urbana; 1A #15 Monticello

Girls Teams Entered – Normal Community, Quincy, Bloomington, East Peoria, Mattoon, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin, Springfield Southeast, Taylorville.

Meet Thoughts – It was expected to be a challenge between one of the best in 3A Mundelein against the top ranked 2A team with Chatham-Glenwood. ACT testing will leave Chatham-Glenwood not at full strength with Cooper Peterson out of their starting seven. Mundelein will look to keep a tight pack under 40 seconds led by Robert St. Clair. This could be a good tune-up for the Mustangs for next week’s Woodbridge XC Classic in California. Bloomington looked good in last week’s opener at Normal. I would not count them out in this race.

Mahomet-Seymour’s Mathias Powell is coming off an impressive 39 second win last week at Charleston and should be the runner to watch in this race. Quincy’s Fiker Rosen and Bloomington’s Nick Doud could be Powell’s chief competition.

An area showdown between Chatham-Glenwood and Springfield is to be expected in the Girls side of the meet. Olivia Rosenstein of Urbana did not run last week at Charleston. If she is on the line Saturday morning, watch for her to be one of the favorites.

 

Wauconda Invitational

Boys Ranked Teams – 3A #1 Wheaton-Warrenville South; 2A #14 Lake Forest, #15 Crystal Lake Central

Boys Teams Entered – East Aurora, Glenbrook South, Warren Township, Libertyville, Round Lake, West Chicago, Wheaton North, Grayslake North, Wauconda, Harvard

Girls Ranked Teams – 3A #4 Wheaton-Warrenville South

Girls Team Entered – East Aurora, Lane Tech, Glenbrook South, Warren Township, Stevenson, Mundelein, Round Lake, West Chicago, Crystal Lake Central, Grayslake North, Lake Forest, Wauconda, Harvard

Meet Thoughts – Wheaton-Warrenville South will be the class of the field on both the Boys and Girls side of this meet. The South Boys’ team has yet to race but could have five in the first 10 by the time the scores are tallied. Crosstown rival Wheaton North should be the Tigers chief competition. Lake County winner Nathan Schmidt of Lake Forest could challenge Wheaton North’s Connor Zydek and the Wheaton-Warrenville South quartet of William Hauenstein, Sean and Scott Maison, and Jacob Kluckhohn for the individual win.

The Wheaton-Warrenville South’s Girls team could place their top seven in the first 10 in this meet and should be the overwhelming favorite. Samantha Poglitsch of Wheaton-Warrenville South and Glenbrook South’s Kate Jortberg will challenge for the individual win.

 

Joliet Central Invitational

Boys Ranked Teams – 3A #17 Plainfield South, #20 York; 2A #8 Benet Academy

Boys Team Entered – Glenbard North, Joliet Central, Joliet West, Lincoln-Way West, Fenwick, Oswego, St. Charles North, Providence Catholic

Girls Ranked Teams – 3A #14 Oswego, #25 Lincoln-Way Central

Girls Teams Entered – Jones College Prep, Lincoln-Way East, Joliet Central, Joliet West, Neuqua Valley, Lincoln-Way West, Fenwick, Plainfield Central, Plainfield South, Andrew, Providence Catholic

Meet Thoughts – The Boys race should have Plainfield South leading the way. The Cougars had a 21 second split from their second through fifth runners at the Plainfield City Championships with an overall top five split of 53 seconds. Watch for that gap in this meet. Benet Academy looked good in winning the Artman Invitational on Thursday with a 58 second pack on their top five. This is York’s first meet of the year and we may not see them at full strength with some of their top sophomores running on the frosh/soph level. The Dukes are strong enough to challenge for a top three finish. Christian Knowlton of Plainfield South will be one of the individual favorites with York’s Daniel Klysh, Benet Academy’s Connor O’Keefe, and Lincoln-Way West’s Jonathan Stiglic also challenging for the win.

Oswego will be the top ranked team in this meet but will be without their top runner Isabelle Christiansen who will be away from the team on a college visit. The Panthers still have the talent to challenge Lincoln-Way Central for the team win. The Lady Knights have a solid 1-2 with Rachel Baumgartner and Merrigan Allen from last week’s meet at TF South. Getting that pack closer with and to challenge Oswego’s pack led by Ella Hale and Becca Corbett will be something to watch at Channahon Park.

 

Paxton Buckley-Loda Invitational

Boys Ranked Teams – 1A #1 Clifton Central, #15 Paxton-Buckley-Loda, #18 Herscher, #22 St. Joseph-Ogden

Boys Teams Entered – Arthur-Lovington, St. Thomas More, Kankakee McNamara, Peotone

Girls Ranked Teams - #1 Tolono Unity, #3 St. Joseph-Ogden, #8 Herscher, #10 Kankakee McNamara

Girls Teams Entered – St. Thomas More, Tri-Valley, Paxton-Buckley-Loda

Meet Thoughts – Some great 1A teams in this meet. Top ranked Clifton Central should be the team to watch in the Boys meet with Isaiah Ditta and Jeremy Snejberg challenging Layton Hall of Arthur-Lovington and Herscher freshman Drew Rogers for the individual win.

This will be the first of many team showdowns that we will see between Tolono Unity and St. Joseph-Ogden this season. The addition of top 10 ranked Herscher and Kankakee McNamara will make things that much interesting to watch. The individual race should be dynamite with St. Thomas More’s Fran Hendrickson the favorite but with a close pack behind her led by Kankakee McNamara’s Eden Rainbolt, Herscher’s Josie Mendell and Molly Raymond, and St. Joseph-Ogden’s Cassidy Bagby challenging.

 

Other Meets to Watch This Weekend:

 

Belleville West Invitational

Boys Ranked Teams – 2A #20 Mascoutah

Teams Entered – Alton, Belleville East, Belleville West, Collinsville, Bethalto Civic Memorial, Waterloo Gibault Catholic, Columbia

Girls Ranked Teams – None

Girls Teams Entered – Alton, Belleville East, Belleville West, Collinsville, Bethalto Civic Memorial, Columbia, Mascoutah

 

Princeton Invitational

Boys Ranked Teams – 1A: #14 Sterling Newman

Boys Teams Entered – LaSalle-Peru, Kewanee, Morris, Amboy Bureau Valley, Spring Valley Hall, Taylor Ridge Rockridge

Girls Teams Entered – LaSalle-Peru, Morris, Amboy, Bureau Valley

 

Royal Cadet Invitational

Boys Ranked Teams – None

Boys Teams Entered – Geneva, Lincoln-Way East, Glenbard East, IMSA

Girls Ranked Teams - 3A #8 Benet Academy, #18 Oak Park-River Forest; 2A #17 Rosary

Girls Teams Entered – West Aurora, Geneva, Glenbard East, IMSA, Wheaton Academy

 

Shelbyville Invitational

Boys Ranked Teams – 1A: #23 Marshall

Boys Teams Entered – Cowden Herrick, St. Anthony, Neoga, Shelbyville, Toledo Cumberland, Tuscola

Girls Ranked Teams – 1A #21 Shelbyville

Girls Teams Entered – Cowden-Herrick, St. Anthony, Neoga, Toledo Cumberland, Tuscola

 

Reavis Invitational

Boys Teams Entered – Eisenhower, Reavis, Brother Rice, Marist, Homewood-Flossmoor, Sandburg (JV), TF South, Oak Lawn, Richards, Stagg, Marian Catholic, Oak Forest

Girls Teams Entered – Eisenhower, Reavis, Marist, Mother McAuley, Homewood-Flossmoor, TF South, Oak Lawn, Richards, Sandburg, Stagg, Plainfield North, Marian Catholic, Hinsdale South, Oak Forest

 

Waukegan Invitational

Boys Ranked Teams – None

Boys Teams Entered – Waukegan, Richmond-Burton

Girls Ranked Teams – 2A #13 Kaneland

Girls Teams Entered – Waukegan, Richmond-Burton

 

IC Catholic Prep Invitational

Boys Teams Entered – Leyden, Montini Catholic, IC Catholic Prep, Walther Christian

Girls Teams Entered – Leyden, IC Catholic Prep

 

Forest Park Classic (Missouri)

Illinois Teams Competing – Boys: 3A #9 Neuqua Valley, #24 O’Fallon, 1A #7 Freeburg, #9 Benton; Girls: 3A #23 O’Fallon; 1A #16 Freeburg, #18 Belleville Althoff, Benton, Breese Central

 

Photo Credit: ©2017 Laura Duffy