12 Conference Meets to Watch in Illinois - October 18, 2019

 

By Michael Newman

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The road to Detweiller Park for most started when the first day of practice in August. For some runners this weekend, this will be their final high school race. For others, it will just be a step towards making it to Peoria in November. It is also a time for conference bragging rights where teams run for pride and conference titles.

Here is a look at some of the meets to watch for on Friday and Saturday focusing on 12 conference meets that will take place across the state.

 

WSC-Silver @ Berens Park, Elmhurst

Girls Race – This conference is one of the toughest in the state especially this year in the Girls division with six of the seven schools ranked in the Class 3A Top 20. #4 Hinsdale Central set themselves up as the favorite after a strong race at the Naperville Twilight Invitational on October 9. Emma Watcke and McKenna Revord should be among the top five in this race. The Red Devilettes finished third at Naperville eve without their third runner Catie McCabe sick but still as the team’s sixth-runner. McCabe and Louisa Branson give the team a strong 3-4 pack. Sarah Fischer closed the gap at Naperville. She will need to do the same in this race.

#9 Glenbard West did not run their best race at Twilight without one of their top three runners Audrey Altman out of the lineup. Katelynne Hart should win her fourth straight conference title. Altman and Delaney Engel could be among the runners in the top 10. The Lady Hilltoppers need a split on their second through fifth runners under 60 seconds to challenge for the division championships. #12 York is the host and is capable of surprising some in this meet after winning at Palatine three weeks ago. Brooke Berger could be among the top five individuals in this race. The team had a six second split on five runners at Palatine. A split of 25 seconds or better could get this team to the top of the podium.

#13 Lyons Township, led by Katie Dickman and Maggie Abbs, will need tight pack running to challenge for a top three team finish. #14 Downers Grove North continues to improve and will be in the mix with Melissa Jachim a possibility to finish in the top five. #20 Oak Park-River Forest finished second in this race last year. Nora Wollen and Josephine Welin could be among the top 10 individuals. Getting their top five split under 60 seconds could move the Huskies among the top three teams.

Boys Race - #2 York found their mojo in their win at the Nike Valley Twilight Invitational on October 5 with only a 34 second split off then fifth-runner Ethan Kern. It was the first race for Kern. With two more weeks under his belt, he could be closer in the pack with Daniel Klysh and Colin Hill. Don’t be surprised of this pack along with Michael Moriarty and Sam Ayers to be within 25 seconds of each other and possibly scoring under 25 points in this meet.

#7 Lyons Township should be the closest team to York in this meet. Jack Ehlert will be one of the individual favorites and will lead the Lions. Owen Hays was one of the team’s top runners early in the season but has not raced since First to the Finish in the middle of September. Hays in their front pack, along with Sawyer Madell and Jocqael Thorpe, could get close to the Dukes.

#18 Downers Grove North has been coming strong in the last couple of races and will need a strong pack of 30 seconds or tighter behind their top runner Evan Cummins. #25 Hinsdale Central did not have their top race at Twilight and will look to rebound in this race. Carter McCarroll and Piyush Mekla are the team’s top runners. Daniel Watcke, a freshman, could give this team a boost if he runs up on the varsity level. #23 Glenbard West is ready for the charge for a state berth led by Pierce Cousins and William Hohe.

 

DuKane Conference @ Lake Park HS, Roselle

Boys Race – The team battle should be intriguing with two of the top four Class 3A teams in this race. The question will be what kind of race will this be? Will it be blazing from the start or one team waiting for the other team to make a move?

Top ranked St. Charles East looks to have the edge coming int this meet after a strong win at the Peoria Invitational on October 5. Bob Liking, Micah Wilson, and Aidan King could be among the top five in this race. Luke Schildmeyer and Zach Loomis give this team strength in the top five. The Peoria race had their top five all under 15-minutes with a 35 second split. This could be their final challenge before the state meet in November. We could see a statement race from them with a point total under 23 points.

Don’t count out the defending 3A champion Wheaton-Warrenville South in this race. The #4 Tigers were impressive in easily winning at St. Charles North two weeks ago. William Hauenstein will be among the leaders in this race. The pack behind Hauenstein with David Zeller, Jacob Kluckhohn, Ethan Seng, and Jared Peaslee needs to be between 15 to 18 seconds behind Hauenstein with an overall split under 30 seconds on their top five to claim the win.

#17 Batavia bounced back in their last race at the Naperville Twilight with a third-place finish. The Bulldogs could have Darian Rodriguez and Adam Kennedy among the top 15. Five runners in the top 24 could get them closer to the first two teams. Wheaton North had an impressive run last week at West Aurora led by Josh Gorup and could challenge for one of the top three spots.

Girls Race – It came down to two points to decide the team winner in last year’s inaugural conference race. The same two teams should challenge for the title with the same closeness in margin expected.

#5 Batavia was on the short end of the stick last year and would like to take home the championship on Saturday. The Bulldogs have been coming on strong especially after the return of their top runner Katrina Schlenker who missed the first few weeks of the season with an injury. Mia Gianfrancesco and Jenna Schifferer give Batavia a strong trio in the top six individuals in this race. The key will be getting their fourth and fifth runners in the top 17 places.

#8 Wheaton-Warrenville South will look to defend their conference championship behind one of the individual favorites in this race Samantha Poglitsch. The junior finished ahead of Schlenker 10 days ago at Naperville Twilight. She will look for the same outcome on Saturday. Kaitlyn Nenninger could be among the top five runners. The key for the Lady Tigers is to have a tight three to five pack with all of their runners in the first 15 for a chance to defend their conference crown.

#21 St. Charles East will have one of the individual favorites Alice Abbott leading the way. Five runners in the top 25 could secure a third-place team finish. Geneva, led by Andrine Larsen, could make it close for the Lady Saints.

 

Mid Suburban League @ Deer Grove East FP, Palatine

Girls Race – The course has changed since the Palatine Invitational with the removal of the trail portion of the course after 1.5-miles. The repeat of the start could make the times faster in this meet.

Three teams could be within 10 points of each other in the front of the Girls team championship. #6 Prospect looked strong in winning at Peoria on October 5. Audrey Ginsberg and Annika Erickson could be among the top five runners in this race. The Lady Knights had a 64 second split on five runners in the Peoria race. To win the league championship for a second year in a row, Prospect will need five runners in the first 16 keeping their split under 60 seconds.

#7 Barrington has the fire power in the front to challenge for the league title. Molly FitzPatrick and Allison Drage could take the first two individual places in this race along with Alyssa Norris finishing among the top six runners. The Fillies had a tighter pack last week at Wheeling. They need their fourth and fifth runners placing between 19th and 25th  places to secure the team win. #11 Fremd could be the spoiler in this race. The Vikings run the second part of the race strong and could catch these two teams. Emme Beaupre and Rebeca Markham should be in the top 10. They need to have their fifth runner in before Prospect’s and Barrington’s fifth runner to have a chance at the win.

#25 Hersey could be a surprise led by freshman Anna Harden. Host Palatine could challenge for the fourth team spot with Anne Marie Jordan and Mia Solano finishing among the top 15 runners.

Boys Race - #5 Hersey will be the clear favorite to capture their fourth straight league title. Defending champion Josh Methner and Max Svienty should be the first two finishers in this race. The possibility of four runners in the top 11 for Hersey is there with Colin Safford leading the pack.

#16 Prospect and #24 Barrington will challenge for the second spot behind Hersey. Patrick Furlong will be the top runner for the Broncos that could finish among the first five runners. Prospect’s Eric Snell is another runner that could find himself in the top five runners in this race. Barrington will need to have five runners in before Prospect’s fourth runner crosses the line to get the second-place spot.

Palatine has been running strong and could surprise Prospect and Hersey. Richie Jacobo will be among the runners in the front on Saturday. The Pirates just need a split under 60 seconds with three runners in the first 20, five in the first 30 to surprise some of the other teams.

 

DuPage Valley Conference @ Waubonsie Valley HS, Aurora

Girls Race – The questions in this race is whether Naperville North sweeps the first five laces in this meet as well as which team finishes second. The Class 3A top ranked Huskies should storm to the title in this race led by Maggie Gamboa and a strong pack led by Audry Mendrys. We could also see the return of Campbell Petersen who should fit nicely among the top five runners in their pack. Ashley Heidenrich of Waubonsie Valley has been running so strong this fall doubting the chance of a top five split for North. She finished seventh at Naperville Twilight ahead of all but Gamboa of the Naperville runners.

#16 Naperville Central, #19 Metea Valley, and #24 Neuqua Valley will challenge for the second-place position all within 10 points of each other most likely. Kayla Zimmer and Emily Scott will need to be among the top 10 runners for Central. Sophia Sandy should finish ninth or better in this race to lead Metea Valley. Maria Widmann will lead Neuqua Valley which will need a split under 59 seconds to challenge for the second spot.

Boys Race – There could be a new champion after the completion of the Boys race after Neuqua Valley has reigned in this conference.

#10 Waubonsie Valley has displayed tight pack running all season. That should be in evidence Saturday on their home course. The Warriors could run away with the conference title if they can put Wes Beitler, Zach Benziger, Jackson Bukala, and Robert Szivak in the first 10 spots. Their fifth runner Aidan Oster would need to finish 15^th  or better to secure their first title since 2004. The Warriors could have a split under 30 seconds on this group making them tough to beat.

#14 Naperville North has the front runner in individual favorite Jake Allen. Their pack behind Allen at Twilight faded in the final mile. They will need that group led by Tommy Paltzer to have all their scorers in before 17th place for a chance at the team win. #13 Naperville Central ran a 23 second split on their top five runners in winning the Naperville Twilight team championship last week. They will need a similar type of race with Arthur Graham finishing ahead of Waubonsie’s third-runner while placing their fifth-runner in before North’s fifth crosses the line.

#22 Neuqua Valley will have Nicolas Dovalovsky in the front challenging for the individual conference title. Their pack behind Dovo will be the key with the group led by Aidan Stone staying within 20 seconds of each other while within 50 seconds of their #1 runner.

The individual race could be a repeat of the Naperville Twilight Invitational when Jake Allen of Naperville North  pulled away from Neuqua Valley’s Nicolas Dovalovsky in the final kilometer to capture the win. The two should be the front runners in this race possibly with DeKalb’s Emmanuel Yepiz.

 

Southwestern Suburban Conference @ Lockport HS

Boys Race – This could be the top Boys Individual race in the state this weekend with three runners capable of challenging for a state title. First, they will need to challenge each other for the conference win.

Jared Kreis of Lincoln-Way Central has not let anyone get close to him since his three second win at the First to the Finish Invitational in Peoria the middle of September. The senior has gone undefeated this season looking to continue his string in this race. Brett Gardner of Lincoln-Way East finished second behind Josh Methner at Peoria’s Richard Spring Invitational almost a month ago but ran 14:14 for 3-miles in the process. He is one of the runners that should stay close to Kreis. Bolingbrook’s Tyler Cushing finished third behind Kreis in the Peoria race and has been putting in some solid races leading up to Saturday’s meet. Don’t forget about Will and Ben Giblin of Sandburg. The two brothers have both been under 15-minutes this fall. Either of the two could find their way into a top three finish if this race becomes tactical.

#3 Sandburg is the huge favorite to win the conference title behind the Giblin brothers along with Ismail Tineh, Sam Rodriguez, and Griffin Lehnhardt. There is a good possibility that the Eagles could place six runners in the top 10. Lockport and Lincoln-Way Central will be the teams that will challenge for the second-place spot.

Girls Race – It should be the pack of #23 Lockport that will have the edge in this race. Abbey Kozak and Monica Skibicki will lead this top seven that could have all of their runners in before 12th place. Lincoln-Way Central has a strong pack in the front with Rachel Baumgartner and Merrigan Allen that could finish in the top five. Lockport’s depth could be too much for the Knights in this race. Sandburg, Lincoln-Way East, and Lincoln-Way West should challenge for third. Sandburg’s Ella Jeffries is having a strong season and should be the favorite in this race.

 

Central Suburban League @ Glenbrook South HS

Boys Race – It could be the depth of #6 New Trier that gives them the slight advantage in this race. Charlie Siebert and Andrew Flynn lead the Trevians and could finish among the top 5 runners. New Trier getting all top 7 runners in the first 14 could be a key in getting the team league win. Keeping their top five split under 27 seconds will be something also to watch for.

#9 Maine South has the power in the front to possibly off set the New Trier pack. South’s Joey Kasch will be the individual favorite in this race. Adam Christopher will need to be among the first five finishers for the Hawks to capture the win. Their split will be close to 60 seconds off Kasch. The key to watch for Maine South is their third runner in before New Trier’s fourth man and then five runners in before New Trier’s fifth. It will be close with a difference of 6 to 9 points separating the two teams.

#15 Glenbrook South came on strong with a good race in Peoria two weeks ago. They will also be on their home course. Will Kelly could be among the top finishers in this race. Four runners in the first 13 and their fifth runner in before 24th place could get the Titans close to the two fore mentioned teams. Deerfield could challenge for the third spot but will need a split on five under 54 seconds with Ben Kraemer and Josh Puyear finishing in the top 12.

Girls Race – It should be close for the team title between 2A #2 Vernon Hills and defending league champion New Trier. The point difference between the two teams could be between 5 to 10 points either way. Vernon Hills has a solid first four runners led by Rose Sheridan that could place four runners in the top 12. Getting their fifth runner in the top 25 could secure a win. New Trier will need to rely on a pack that could have a split under 50 seconds. Bridget Forbes and Emma Braband will be the team’s lead runners hopefully finishing in the top 10 individuals.

Kate Jortberg of Glenbrook South ran 17:16 at Detweiller Park two weeks ago. She should be the individual favorite on her home course.

 

Southwest Prairie Conference @ Channahon Park, Channahon (Friday)

Girls Race – The addition of Yorkville and West Aurora have changed the dynamics in this conference. We could see why on Friday afternoon. We could also see #3 Yorkville at full strength for the first time this season after injuries slowed them down early this season. Helena Kleronomos has stepped up as the team’s top runner. Kailey Fox ran her first race of the season two weeks ago in Indiana winning the open division. We will see how she fits into the Lady Foxes’ top five. Anna Hunter has also not raced for a couple. She will be a plus for this team. Margaret Hunter, Sara Klemm, and Hailey Simmons that will be among the runners that will give this team strength in the front. 30 points or less is a score that we could see this team put up on Friday.

#10 Minooka has a strong freshman group in the front along with #1 runner Julia Dames that could get this team closer to Yorkville. #17 Oswego could pull ahead of Minooka led by freshman Audra Soderlind along with Rebecca Corbett and Ella Hale. All three finishing in the top 11 would mean big things for the Panthers. Oswego East also has the talent to challenge for a top three finish led by Madison Zarembski and Morgan Ede. Their first four runners can match Minooka’s and Oswego’s top quartets. The Wolves’ key is getting their fifth runner in before 28th place.

Boys Race – This could come down to dual meet type of race between #8 Minooka and #11 Oswego East.

Minooka showed their potential last week at the Naperville Twilight Invitational when Jason Hoffman, Hunter Phillips, and Vincent Van Eck finished in the top seven in that race. The addition of sophomores Daniel Schalk and Emerson Fayman to the varsity level puts the Indians in position for the win. Minooka will need four runners in the top 10 along with Fayman finishing 24th or better for this team to take home the win.

Oswego East had a nice pack last week at Metamora that puts them in position to win at this meet. Most of the season there has been a gap between their fourth and fifth runners. That split needs to minimize in this race. It could be a match race with Heriberto Alvarez, Nicholas Bozarth, Luke Wentz, and Brad Wiggins all finishing in the top 10. They will need who ever steps into the fifth spot to finish 18 or better for the Wolves to defend their conference title. #21 Yorkville has been running strong in the past few meets and could be a factor in this race led by Ivan Westcott, Jackson Edwards, and Austin Popplewell.

It could also come down to dual to the finish in the individual race between West Aurora’s Jackson Morrill, Jay Dvorak of Joliet Central, and Jason Hoffman of Minooka.

 

Mid Illini Conference @ Detweiller Park, Peoria (Friday)

Girls Race – 2A #9 Dunlap should hold the advantage in the team race possibly putting all their scorers in the first 15 spots. Pekin, the only 3A school in this conference, could run a 75 second split on five but will not be able to counter the Eagles strength in the front.

Saniya Mathew of Dunlap and Emma Skinner of Morton have raced against each other the past two weeks with different outcomes. Mathew ran 17:41 at Detweiller Park two weeks ago four seconds ahead of Skinner. Last week at Metamora it was Skinner’s turn as she ran a scintillating 17:16.9 on the 2.94-mile Black Partridge course to win ahead of Mathew by 35 seconds. The two will chase each other for the title on the fast Detweiller Park course.

Boys Race – The individual race should be a rematch of the Peoria Invitational two weeks ago at the Peoria Invitational when Sam Lange of Morton pulled away in the second half of the race to win by less than 20 seconds ahead of Wilson Georges of Bartonville Limestone. The two runners will lead the pack in this race.

Pekin will need some tight pack running to win the Boys team title. They could have a 1-5 split under 25 seconds led by Seth Kasinger and Jonathan Blanchard. 2A #5 Metamora could have Ian O’Laughlin and Adam Gilbreath-Glaub finish in the top five on their way to a conference title. Metamora need their top five in the top 14 to counter Pekin’s possible tight pack. 2A #14 Morton will have Lange leading them but will need their top five runners in before Metamora’s fifth runner to contend for the title. 2A #17 Limestone will have Georges in the front. They will need to keep their second through fifth runner split under 17 seconds with a runner besides Georges in the top 15 to be close for a top three conference finish.

 

Central State Eight @ Community Park, Jacksonville

Girls Race – 2A #13 Chatham-Glenwood and 1A #4 Normal University will be the class of the field in the Girls team race. Glenwood will have individual race favorite Nia Gibson leading the Titans with hopes of getting their top five runners in the first 10 places. U-High, led by Mackie Madix and Ella Bittner, could match Glenwood through four runners. Their fifth runner Adriana Crabtree calculates to be 5 to 10 seconds behind projected fifth-runner Abby Teaman. The name of the game for the Pioneers is to win the individual battles through four runners.

Boys Race – 2A #7 Chatham-Glenwood should be the team favorite ahead of #11 Springfield and defending conference champion Normal University in this race. An injury has slowed down their top runner Graham Turk who did not race last week at West Aurora. It is uncertain if he will race on Saturday. The Titans will need to rely on tight pack running led by Cameron Smith and Drew Verenski. A split of under 28 seconds with a runner in the top five might help. Springfield, if Turk is not healthy, could gain the advantage behind top five finishes from Kyle Boughter and Anthony Peralta. The team winner in this race will have their fifth runner in first. Rochester’s Matt Herren and Boughter should be the individual favorites in this race.

 

Interstate Eight Conference @ Morris

Boys Race – Most of the teams from the now defunct NIB-12 Conference reside in this conference. It still should be 2A #2 Kaneland that should control the Boys conference championship putting all of their scorers in the top seven in this race led by race favorites Austin Adams and Daniel Occhipinti. 2A #13 Sycamore should be Kaneland’s chief competition.

Girls Race – It should be a team sweep for Kaneland as the #19 Lady Knights should be the big favorite once again ahead of Sycamore. LaSalle-Peru’s Ashley Heagy and Kaneland’s Rachel Richtman should be the runners to watch in the front in this race.

 

Big Northern Conference @ Fuller Forest Preserve, Winnebago

Girls Race – Class 1A top ranked Winnebago looks to bounce back from a second-place finish at Amboy on Monday. Running on their home course should be a big help. The Indians were without Natalia Martino on Monday, but she will race this Saturday. Winnebago should get their top five runners in the first 10 in this race led by sisters Grace and Katie Erb.

2A #12 Dixon could make it close if they can get Jade Miller and Paige Stees among the top five with a split on five under 72 seconds. 1A #3 Rock Falls has Bailee Fortney leading them. The Rockets will need their top five runners in the first 15 to surpass Dixon in this meet.

Boys Race – Dawson Smith of Rock Falls is coming off a strong performance in his win at Amboy on Monday. Smith should be challenged by Brock Dregenberg for the individual title in this race. Class 2A top ranked Dixon will be the favorite for the team title most likely putting their top five in the first eight runners. 1A #14 Rockford Christian has the advantage for the second spot led by D’Artagnon Beaver and could get all of their top 7 in the first 20 places. Rock Falls could challenge Rockford Christian for the second spot.

 

North Suburban Conference @ Lake Forest West Campus

Boys Race - #19 Mundelein and #20 Lake Zurich will challenge for the team title in what should be an extremely close team race. Dillon Blake and Carter Schoor are two of the individual favorites in this race and will lead Mundelein. The Mustangs need their pack behind these two runners to be within 50 seconds and a pack split from three to five at 20 seconds. Lake Zurich will have Jacob Myers and Jacob Gilboy also challenging for the win. The Bears are deeper in this race. Lake Zurich will need all seven runners ahead of Mundelein’s fifth-runner in order to win the team title.

Stevenson, with Corey Pacernick and Anthony Rodriguez, along with Libertyville led by Will Gordon should battle for the third-place spot. Lake Forest’s Nathan Schmitt and Ben Rosa should challenge Blake, Schoor, Myers, and Gilboy for the individual race title.

Girls Race – It is a toss-up between Libertyville and Lake Zurich for the Girls team title. Lake Zurich’s Brooke Johnston, only a freshman, should be the individual favorite in this race. Lake Zurich will need to win the individual battles with Libertyville to win the team title. Sheila Tucker and Bree Ponchak should be close to Johnston and will lead Libertyville.