Behind the ILXCTF.com XC Rankings - September 15, 2022

 

By Michael Newman [email protected]

 

It should be busy this weekend with so many big meets taking place. That means more chaos in the rankings. A little chaos is always a good thing. It is expected in the first month of the cross-country season.

 

The final article of this series will come out before Naperville Twilight where give you some insight on why teams moved etc. IHSA Sectional Assignments were released on September 9. We will give you some insight on what the sectionals look at weekly along with changes that might have happened.

 

Class 3A Boys

We have good idea of who the top three teams are in this classification. Plainfield South won First to the Finish last Saturday behind the individual win for Camyn Viger and some pretty good pack running behind him. Downers Grove North’s pack went out hard at the start of the race but then dropped back a little in the middle of the race. It is evident that the two schools were just a step ahead of the rest in this class along with top ranked Hinsdale Central. It will be interesting to see how the Red Devils compare to the Cougars after this Saturday’s Richard Spring Invitational.

 

Neuqua Valley has a solid grip to the fourth spot in the rankings after finishing third last week at Palatine. Oswego East, Palatine, and Oak Park-River Forest, top 10 teams, were idle last week. We will get an idea how they are in their turn at Peoria.

 

The ranked teams in this class will be interchangeable for the next three weeks. We will see changes in the top 10. The next 25 spots are extremely fluid. There was a lot of flipping going on after last week’s meet. However, only three teams jumped into the Top 30 this week. Huntley jumped in after a third-place finish at Lake Park. Jacobs and Rockford Guilford moved in at #24 and #27 after good races at Detweiller Park.

 

Sectional assignments came out last Friday so now we can follow the paths of each of the four sectionals. The Waubonsie Valley Sectional by far is the toughest of the four in this class. There are 9 top 30 teams assigned to Waubonsie Valley. The lowest ranked “qualifying team” is York at 18. The top 5 teams are ranked in the top 10. The top 10 in this sectional this week stops at 31st.

 

The Normal Community Sectional became stronger with the addition of Oswego and Oswego East. The top 7 qualify spots stop at 35th. Three of those schools, Plainfield South, Oswego East, and Plainfield North, all Southwest Prairie Conference Schools, are ranked in the top 10. The top 10 teams in this section are within the first 49 spots.

 

7 teams are in the top 26 in the Hoffman Estates Sectional with Palatine (#8) the only team in the top 10. That could change on Saturday with Lake Zurich racing all their runners for the first time. The top 10 teams in this sectional are within the first 45 teams.

 

There is balance in the Lake Park Sectional instead of one team that really stands out. Wheaton-Warrenville South at #10 and Maine South at #13 are the top two teams in this sectionals. There are 8 teams that are in the top 30. This sectional will flip around with the top seven until we get to the sectional meet. The 10th best team is at #33. There are six teams between 21 and 33.

 

Class 3A Girls

The top 2 teams in this class York and Prospect faced each other last week at Lake Park for the first of expected three straight meets. Even though York won the meet 38-62 ahead of the Knights, the two teams are close especially when Prospect will put their sophomore runner Veronica Znajda in the top seven. It puts the two teams close to even with each other through four runners. York has an advantage on the fifth, sixth, and seventh runners. It makes for an interesting rest of the season starting in Peoria on Saturday.

 

#3 Naperville North is in the same boat as the above two teams. That showed last week in winning First to the Finish. They are extremely strong through four runners. Finding a fifth runner puts the Huskies on the same page as York and Prospect.

 

Naperville Central moved back to #4 even though finishing behind Batavia and Lyons Township. Their top 2 with Kate Tueting and Liv Phillips will cause problems to other teams in invitational meets and state type races. If Ava Hendren can join up with that pack, look out.

 

Loyola Academy looks to start with their full lineup on Saturday. We will see if they move up, move down, or stay where they are. Just like 3A Boys, we are seeing a little stabilization in the top 30 with this group. There were only 3 teams that moved into the top 30 this week. Barrington was ranked in the top 10 pre-season but was missing their top two runners. The return of Scout Storms, who won FTTF, moved the Fillies into the #22 position. Lincoln-Way Central edged district rival Lincoln-Way East by 1 point last week at Joliet. They make a big jump up to #25. Wheaton North had a big race at Peoria and moved into the #28 spot. While Lincoln-Way Central was the biggest mover into the rankings, Hononegah’s race at Peoria moved the team from #24 last week to #13 this week.

 

The 3A Girls Sectional at Waubonsie Valley is the toughest in the state in years. York and Naperville North lead this pack. 6 of the top 9 teams in the state were assigned to this location. The seventh team is ranked #12, Hinsdale Central. There are 12 teams all together that are in the top 30.

 

Let’s compare that to the rest of the sectionals. The Lake Park Sectional after last week has no teams in the top 10. There are four teams between 10 and 20 led by Huntley at #11. Those four teams are interchangeable. The final qualifying spot at this point in this sectional at #32. The top 10 teams in this sectional are in the first 46 spots in Class 3A.

 

Prospect is the team to beat at the Hoffman Estates Sectional. Loyola Academy races for the first on Saturday and Palatine races again after being idle are teams also in the top 10. There are only five teams in the top 30, 7 in the top 33. 10 teams in this sectional are ranked in the top 44.

 

Minooka at #7 is the only team in the top 10 in the Normal Sectional. All 7 qualifying spot teams are in the top 25 with the next 6 teams this week between #15 and #25. The top 10 in this sectional stop at #38.

 

Class 2A Boys

Grayslake Central is a solid #1 in this class. They were idle last week but will be tested Saturday in Peoria. The next six spots will be fluid even though #2 Riverside-Brookfield won by 10 points at First to the Finish. They are solid through the first four spots led by FTTF race winner Cooper Marrs. The fifth runner looked to be the place to watch. They need to move their 5-6-7 runners closer to the first four.

 

Glenbard South, Belvidere North, and Prairie Ridge moved from spots outside of the top 10 before last Saturday’s race. They are now in the top 5 with great races at Peoria. Woodstock made a huge jump from #27 to #7 after a strong Peoria run. Mather looked extremely good in Peoria and are rewarded moving into the top 10 at #8 for the first time this fall.

 

Champaign Central finished 22 out of 55 teams in the FTTF 2A Race. How come they are still in the top 10 this week? Simple. Nick Bonn and Caleb Mathias were two of the top three runners the week before in their win at Charleston. They did not race last week in Peoria. Add those two runners into the lineup and the Maroons would have been challenging in the top five. They move down but are at #9. We will get a good indication of how this team responds Saturday at Highland.

 

There was no major changes in the top 30 in Class 2A last week. Five teams along with Mather entered the top 30 this week led by St. Francis at #25. The Spartans are one of those teams that may start towards the top of the ranking =s at the beginning of the year because of how they finished the year before. The team finds their legs during the season and will again be in the hunt by state series time.

 

Peoria area teams #27 Metamora and #28 Washington step into the top 30. Northside Prep in Chicago had a good race at DePaul and move to #29. Normal West jumps into the final rankings spot at #30.

 

It is hard to say how the moves of the Lakes Regional from Kaneland to the Deerfield Sectional will affect qualifying in October. The Deerfield Sectional has all 7 qualifying top teams in the top 29 led by Grayslake Central and Mather in the top 10. Niles Notre Dame is the eighth team just missing right now at #33. The top 10 teams are in the first 52 teams. Unless a team makes a huge jump, it should be eight teams fighting for the seven qualifying spots.

 

The move of the Hinsdale South Regional now to Kaneland will just make that sectional tougher. We might be saying the same thing if the two regionals were not moved. As of this week, the top 10 teams at Kaneland are ranked in the top 25. The top 8 teams are in the 2A top 14. We are not even talking about defending 2A state champion Fenwick who is not among those top 25 teams. The Friars have not run their two all-state runners Grayden Rill and Nathaniel McKillop yet. Put those two runners in and it complicates this meat grinder of a sectional even more.

 

The Chatham-Glenwood Sectional has Champaign Central and Marion among the top 10 teams in their complex. Like most other years, we are going to see teams moving up and down. It will be unpredictable to find the top 7 teams even when we get to sectional day. 8 teams in this sectional are ranked in the top 30.There are 5 more teams that are ranked between 31 to 40.

 

The Metamora Sectional looks to the lowest ranked of the four in Class 2A. Morton is the only ranked team at #6 in the top 19. Peoria Notre Dame at #20 and Dunlap at #21 are the next two teams. 5 teams in this sectional are ranked in the top 30. There are 7 schools that are at 40 or better. The top 10 teams in this sectional are ranked in the top 53.

 

Class 2A Girls

There were not that many huge changes in the top 10 in this class. Grayslake Central was idle last week and will test themselves Saturday in Peoria. Lakes Community won last week at Peoria and are a solid #2 behind Grayslake Central. I do not foresee that changing in the next couple weeks on top.

 

Normal University’s top two runners Natalie Bierbaum and Zoe Carter push the Pioneers up to #4. Dunlap and Washington running great races in Peoria moved the two teams to #3 and #6. Crystal Lake Central had Haley Ferrero racing for the first time this season. Their convincing win at Wauconda moves them up to #5. Crystal Lake area Girls Schools South and Prairie Ridge were idle. We should see these two teams move up in the next couple of weeks.

 

Four teams moved into the top 30 this week led by Troy Triad at #22. Hinsdale South, St. Francis, and Kaneland, all teams heading to the Kaneland Sectional moves into the 27 through 29 spots.

 

The Kaneland Sectional could be wide-open with their top 11 teams all in the top 30. Prairie Ridge is the seventh team at #23. There are four more teams ranked from 34 to 39 in this sectional.

 

The Deerfield Sectional right now has some mystery in it. There are 4 teams ranked in the top 10 led by top two state teams Grayslake Central and Lakes Community. 5 teams are ranked in the top 14. 7 teams are ranked in the top 31. The top 10 teams are ranked in the first 42. Latin School is not one of the top 10 teams in this sectional. Injuries to their top 2 runners have pushed the Romans down in the rankings. It will be tough for this team to be in the top 7 without Mia Kotler and Ellen Anderson in their top 7.

 

I think the first six spots in the Metamora Sectional are pretty much set led by Dunlap and Washington in the top 10. 6 teams are ranked in the top 25. You have to go down to #43 to find the seventh team. 10 teams in this sectional are ranked in the top 52.

 

The move of Normal University and Normal West into the Chatham-Glenwood Sectional makes this complex a little more interesting. 4 teams are ranked in the top 15 with the two Normal area schools along with a strong Waterloo team and Chatham-Glenwood. All of the top 7 positions are ranked in the top 26. All top 11 teams in this sectional are ranked in the top 40.

 

Class 1A Boys

I think there is a solid 5 to 6 teams on top of Class 1A. It could change as we get closer to the state series in October. Latin School only finished sixth at Peoria last week mainly because their top runner Akili Parekh was on a college visit. They move to #3 this week. That could change. The Romans will be back in Peoria on Saturday.

 

DePaul College Prep, who won their own home meet last week, continue to look stronger with every meet. The Rams move into the #1 position this week. DePaul also will be in Peoria this week along with #2 Normal University. The #2 Pioneers are without one of their top five runners, but still ran a strong pack last week for the Peoria win. Good packing for U-High could mean bug things for this team in October.

 

Riverdale have a strong top 3 led by Tommy Murray. They had a great race last week in Iowa and remain a threat for a trophy. St. Teresa is at #6 after a good Peoria race. Rockford Christian also has a strong top three. They will continue to strengthen their top five which will benefit them in state series time.

 

Three teams jump into the top 30 this week. Chicago University had a strong race at DePaul and jump in at #22. Pinckneyville winning at Marissa last week moves them into #25. They could move up higher with a great race tonight at DuQuoin. Wheaton Academy at #27 is the final new team into the top 30 after their race in Peoria.

 

Remember, only 6 teams advance out of 1A sectionals. 4 teams are ranked in the top 10 at Harvest Christian Academy led by DePaul and Latin School. 6 teams are ranked in the top 22, 8 teams are ranked in the top 30 with 10 teams in the top 40.

 

Riverdale and Rockford Christian are the only Oregon Sectional teams in the top 10. All 6 qualifying teams as of now are ranked in the top 29. 10 schools are ranked in the top 41.

 

Normal University at #2 and Eureka at #8 are the only top 10 teams at the Elmwood Sectional. There are 7 teams right now that are ranked in the top 30. 10 teams are ranked in the top 43 statewide.

 

A sectional has not been announced yet for the East Central area. Hopefully we get an answer soon. This sectional, like the other five, are evenly balanced. St. Teresa and a surprising Tuscola team are ranked in the top 10. The top 6 teams are ranked in the top 26. 10 teams are among the top 42 teams in the state.

 

Benton with a strong race in St. Louis remains the top team in their own sectional. Freeburg at #20 and Pinckneyville at #25 are the only other teams in this sectional in the top 40. As of this week, 6 teams are ranked in the top 51 with 10 teams ranked in the top 63.

 

Class 1A Girls

Tolono Unity cemented their position as the top team in Class 1A with a convincing win at Peoria with a solid top five pack. Winnebago was the one team I was anxious to see In Peoria. They moved their fourth and fifth runners closer to their top three. They are a legitimate top 3 trophy team right now. We could see Bago move closer to Tolono Unity as the season progresses.  Rosary split their team into two races in their home meet. We will see them at full strength (we hope) this week at Richard Spring. Eureka ran solid in finishing second at Detweiller. The Hornets are a solid trophy contending team.

 

I had one person comment to me last week that my top five looked good, but I was so far off on everything else. Okay then.

 

Marshall was one of those teams that jumped out of no where into the top 10. They only ran three runners in the Peoria race. Brooklyn Bender, Molly Farrell, and Isabel Arthur all finished in the top 21 in that race. The rest of the team ran at Shelbyville where they looked good. The combination of those two races moves them up one spot.

 

Chicago Christian I moved into the top 10 last week. They finished second last week at the Christian Schools Invitational in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Knights still stay in the top 15 at #13 only moving back five spots. Johnsburg was the big surprise this week with a great race in Peoria. They are a legit top 10 team. They step into the top 30 for the first time at #9.

 

3 more teams enter the top 30 besides Johnsburg. IC Catholic Prep re-enters at #24. Joliet Catholic at #26 and Mercer County at #30 also make a jump in.

 

Winnebago remains the team to beat at the Oregon Sectional ranked at #2. Johnsburg are also ranked in the top 10 in this sectional. Three more teams are between 16 to 20 include Sandwich, Seneca, and Rock Falls. 7 teams in this sectional are among the top 30. 11 schools are ranked in the top 61.

 

The Benton Sectional looks better with every week. A young Anna-Jonesboro team and DuQuoin are teams that are ranked in the top 10. 6 teams are ranked in the top 32. 10 teams are ranked in the top 52.

 

It could be wild in the Harvest Christian Academy between in the bottom half of the top seven. Rosary, DePaul College Prep, and Chicago Christian have solidified themselves in the top 13 in this Chicago area sectional. The next four teams are between 24 to 29. The top 10 in this sectional are ranked in the top 42.

 

The “TBA” East Central sectional is solid up front led by top ranked Tolono Unity. Marshall and an ever improving Urbana University are in the top 10 in the state. 6 teams are ranked in the top 31, 10 teams are ranked in the top 41 in the state.

 

Eureka is the top team in the Elmwood Sectional. All 6 qualifying spot teams are ranked in the top 21 in this sectional. The top 10 teams at Elmwood are ranked in the top 44.