By Michael Newman

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It is hard not to say that the Tuscola and the Farmington Regionals could be the top two 1A meets this weekend.

For this weekend’s previews, we look at the storylines for five regional meets (one for each sectional).

Another showdown between Tolono Unity and St. Joseph-Ogden in the Tuscola Girls race

The Tolono Unity and the St. Joseph-Ogden Girls teams have given us some memorable races in the state series over the past four years. The two teams will challenge for the Tuscola Regional Girls title on Saturday morning.

Unity has the edge in this meet. The Rockets have Jordan Harmon and Caroline Bachert up front that could finish in the top four in this race. Their pack behind these two runners are strong with the capability of placing their five scorers in the first 11. St. Joseph-Ogden will have Cassidy Bagby leading them. The Spartans pack is good but projected to behind the one from Unity. Moving their top five into the first 13 places gets them closer to Tolono.

Monticello and Urbana University should challenge for the third spot. Monticello has been without their top runner Alyssa McPike since her win at the St. Joseph-Ogden Classic on September 22. McPike in the lineup makes the Sages a solid third. Urbana University and St. Teresa could surpass Monticello if McPike does not run. The individual race should be a great one headed by Fran Hendrickson of St. Thomas More. Bachert, Harmon, Bagby, and St. Teresa’s Veronica Hein are runners that you should see in the front.

Monticello is one of the top 1A teams in the state and is peaking at the right time. The Sages are the favorites in the Boys race led by individual favorite Garrett Dixon. The Sages have the depth and could place their seven runners in the top 14. Urbana University has been idle since the beginning of the month and should be ready for this challenge. Aryan Lalwani is one of the top three runners in this race. U-High has a strong pack, but it will need to move up to having five in the first 20 to get closer to Monticello.

Monticello’s Dixon is the individual favorite in this race. Keep an eye on St. Teresa’s Jackson Stewart, Arthur-Lovington’s Layton Hall, and Unity’s Cameron Woodard to be close to the front along with U-High’s Lalwani.

Top flight races at Farmington

The Elmwood Sectional is one of the deepest 1A sectionals talent-wise. This regional at Farmington is a good example of that. The top seven Boys teams have been in the top 25 rankings at one time this season offering up a tight race on Saturday.

It will be the pack of Stanford Olympia that should be in front in the end on Saturday. The Spartans have run 35 to 40 seconds five runner splits most of the season. It should be no different in this regional. Olympia could have their top five in the first 12 led by Jon Neville and Logan Wheeler. Four runners in the top six is a possibility for this team.

El Paso-Gridley, Eureka, and Deer Creek-Mackinaw should battle for the second through fourth spots. EPG has the edge led by brothers Noah and Asa Smith. This team could get close to Olympia but will need three runners in the top 10 to accomplish that. Illinois Valley Central, Tremont, and Clinton are good bets to snag the three other qualifying spots to next week’s sectional at Elmwood.

The individual race features Tremont’s Leland Sumner leading the way. Noah Smith of El Paso-Gridley, Kyle Johnson of Eureka, and Olympia’s Jon Neville and Logan Wheeler can be expected near the front.

Eureka should be the favorite in the Girls race headed by individual favorite Emma Argo as well as Alexi Fogo placing in the top five. The Hornets will need five runners in the first 14 to secure the regional team win. Stanford Olympia and El Paso-Gridley could be close to Eureka in the two/three positions. Savannah Beavers and Payton Wille will need to be in the top six for Olympia with their top five finishing in the top 15 to make it close. El Paso-Gridley has been without their top runner Cate Atkins due to injury. Without her in the lineup, the Titans will be fighting for the third spot along with Tremont and Bloomington Central Catholic.

Rock Falls Regional offers a close Boys race

All three regionals at the Oregon Sectional are good. The races contested at the Rock Falls Regional on Saturday could be the most interesting. The top four teams in the Boys race could be within 20 points of each other with Sterling Newman, Rock Falls, and Rock Island Alleman to close to call as a favorite. Newman Catholic has two front runners, Spencer Mauch and Shay Hafner, that they will need to depend on to finish in the top five. The Comets will need to get their top five in the first 30 to secure the win.

Rock Falls have Dawson Smith and Matt Laws that should be among the top five. Their scorers need to be in the top 28 to secure the regional win. Alleman will have Aaron Mickelson among the leaders up front. The Pioneers have a tight 10 second split between their second through fifth runners. Getting one of that group in at 18^th place could get Alleman the team win.

Keep an eye also on Erie-Prophetstown could surprise these three teams. They have no “star front runners” but do have a strong pack led by Ben DeNeve and Chris Link. If both those runners can place in the top 10 as well as their scorers getting in before 26^th place, the Cardinals could be the surprise winner. Smith, Mickelson, Mauch, Hafner, and Mid-County’s Caelin Foley should be among the runners in the front individually.

The Girls race should be all about the Rock Falls team who could place all of their scorers in the top 10 led by Bailee Fortney and Alex Gomez. Kewanee-Wethersfield should be the closest team nearest to host Rock Falls.

IC Catholic Prep starts its march to state at Lisle

One of the surprise teams in the 1A Girls scene this fall has been IC Catholic Prep. The small school in Elmhurst is overshadowed by perennial power York. The two schools are located within a mile of each other. One year ago, the Knights could not field a Girls team. Now, they could challenge for their first trip to the state meet and should be the team favorite at Lisle’s Community Park.

The addition of freshmen Carly Manchester and Kennedy Calcagno complement returning all-state runner Frankie Chaidez giving them a strong pack that could sweep the first three places in Saturday’s race. Their fourth and fifth runners have improved making it possible that IC could score 21 points or less in this race. Timothy Christian, led by Hope Clark, and Westmont will be the closest team to the Knights.

Chicago University heads the field in the Boys race with Timothy Christian, Westmont, and Leo Catholic challenging for the second spot. Abraham Zelchenko, Nicky Edwards-Levin, and Luke Sikora could all place in the top five for U-High with all five runners possibly finishing in the top 13. Westmont’s Matt Gedraitis along with Timothy Christian’s Clint Fincher could challenge the U-High trio for the individual win.

Benton’s Boys, DuQuoin’s Girls head deep fields at the DuQuoin Regional

The pack of the Benton’s Boys team should again make some noise in their regional race. Led by Mason Wills and Joey Sample, Benton could get all of their scorers in the top 10 in this race. Steeleville ran a strong race last week in placing second at the Cahokia Conference Meet and could sneak up on Benton. Gavin Conway and AJ Stearns could be among the top five runners. Five runners in the top 15 gets them close to Benton. If Benton runs their normal race, it could be tough for any team to overcome the Rangers. Sparta’s Isaac Sinn will be challenged by Benton’s Mason Wills for the individual title.

Ranked DuQuoin and Pinckneyville should be the teams to watch up front in the Girls race. DuQuoin will have the power up front with Gabrielle and Grace Algoni along with Olivia Phillips being among the top five runners. Having their top five in the first 14 runners secures the regional win for host DuQuoin. Pinckneyville will need to keep their five-runner split under 55 seconds led by Taylor Kurtz to challenge DuQuoin for the win. Benton will have race favorite Amelia McLain leading them. This team has only five runners meaning four runners in the top 15 and then hope their fifth runner stays within 150 seconds of the pack to get Benton close to the front two teams.