By Michael Newman

Could we see the same dominance from Mahomet-Seymour that we did last fall on cross-country courses across the state? The Bulldogs had six all-state runners and seven runners in the first 27 on their way to first a 2A State Championship and then a trip to Portland for the Nike Cross Nationals. Grayslake Central’s Jack and Matt Aho finished 1-2 at Detweiller Park last fall. They again will be competing in 3A this spring opening the door a little wider to those with the vision of standing on top of the podium at the end of May in Charleston.

800 Meter Run

Top 25 Returnees

Outlook – Josh Cable (Rochester, junior) has had a good first two years on the high school level finishing fifth his freshman year and then seventh last May. He did not have his best race at state getting boxed in for most of his run. Cable does enter this season with the fastest returning time (1:53.25) that was achieved at his conference meet.

Tim Krashevsky (Vernon Hills, senior) had a good post season running 1:53.62 to finish third at the Festival of Miles last June. The senior spent most of last year helping his school in their 3200 Meter Relay. He anchored the Cougars to a fourth place finish at state. Krashevsky did make it to the state finals where he finished 11^th on the IHSA’s abbreviated schedule. If no rain hits the Charleston area this May, a regular schedule could help him challenge for a state title.

Jake Gillum (Metamora, senior) and Chris Stanley (Cahokia, senior) most likely will be helping their teams in the 3200 relay. Both could also be factors in the open race. Five athletes are back that earned all-state honors led by Drew Wilkerson (Freeburg, senior). Brendon Sebastian (LaSalle-Peru, senior), Eduardo Rodriguez (Lindblom Academy, senior), and Will Walton (Taylorville, senior) are other runners to keep an eye on this spring.

1600 Meter Run

Top 25 Returnees

Outlook – Three runners that were all-state in this event last year return led by fourth place finisher Jake Gillum. He chose this event over the 800 last year after competing in the 3200 Meter Relay. Gillum had a 4:20.83 seasonal best in winning the Dunlap Sectional. Ben Flowers (Jersey, senior) was slowed down last indoor season with injuries. He came on strong to finish fourth at the Illinois Top Times Championships. Flowers finished fifth in the IHSA State Finals. He followed that up less than a week later in running 4:21.5 for a full mile at the Festival of Miles. His eighth place finish at Detweiller Park last fall shows that he could have a great senior season on the track.

Michael Church (East Peoria, senior) is the other top nine returnee finishing sixth last year. Mahomet-Seymour’s Gabe Pommier or Andrew Walmer could be factors in this event. Matthew Richtman (Kaneland, junior) is an athlete to keep an eye on. He did qualify for state in the 1600 last May but did not make it to the finals. His fourth place finish in the 2A State Finals at Detweiller Park last November is an indication of his improvement. Keep an eye on him. One runner to also watch is 1A state cross country champion Brayden Hamben (Rock Falls, senior). His junior season was slowed down by various injuries and illnesses but still made the 2A 800 finals. I think he could go under 4:20 for this event. We could also see him in the 3200.

Jacob Gebhardt (Sterling, junior) made the finals in this event last year and could be a factor in 2017. Michael Ronzone (Marmion Academy, senior), Zach Young (Marion, senior), and Austin Knight (Carterville, junior) would be other runners to watch in the 2A distances this spring.

3200 Meter Run

Top 25 Returnees

Outlook – Jack Franklin (Normal University, senior) is the lone returnee in this event. Franklin, who finished third behind the Aho brothers at the 2A Sate cross-country meet last November, ran 9:22.34 at the Corn Belt Conference Meet. 9:15 or under is possible for him this season. Andrew Walmer has the next fastest time (9:29.10) behind Franklin and could be his chief competition. Walmer’s teammate Brian Butcher showed improvement last fall and could also be in the mix in this event.

This distance is wide open where we could see surprises up front. Charlie Parrish (Freeburg, junior) had a successful cross-country season helping his team to finish second in 1A. He had a seasonal best of 9:41.91 last spring. Watch for Parrish to show a huge improvement this spring. Zach Young or Brayden Hamblen are two other runners that would not surprise me seeing them towards the front when we get to the state finals.

3200 Relay

Outlook – Cahokia has won this event the last two years. It could be tougher for a three-peat this spring with two runners back led by Chris Stanley. Geneseo could be the team to watch. They finished seven tenths of a second behind Cahokia in finishing second last year. All of that team returns making the Maple Leafs the favorite in this event.

Normal University finished seventh in last year’s finals but was disqualified. They return three runners led by Jared Shuckman that could challenge for the top spot. Mahomet-Seymour also has three runners back finishing seventh officially. The group has improved as cross-country showed us. Watch for the Bulldogs.

Taylorville could also be a factor with three runners back. Metamora and Mascoutah are some of the other teams that I would watch.