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2019 ILXCTF Illinois HS XC Season Previews - Class 3A Boys TeamsPublished by
York, Wheaton-Warrenville South, and St. Charles East at the head of the 3A Boys Class
By Michael Newman
Wheaton-Warrenville South earned their first state championship last fall. After dominating meets early in the season, the Tigers made their way through the state series on their way to the Peoria win and then to the Nike Cross Nationals with Hersey. South has the talent to again challenge for another state championship. York has been thinking about this moment since the summer of 2018. The Dukes are a team with a huge chip on their shoulder. The chip grew larger after being dropped out of a “ranking top 25” when the team kept their frosh/soph runners on the lower level in their first meet of the season. York rose finishing fourth in the state meet and then third the following Sunday at the NXR Midwest Regional. This year, they would like to finish their climb to the top. St. Charles East has a similar chip to what York has. The team rose in the rankings last year only to finish fifth behind York at the state meet. The Saints thought they could run better and have let that memory fuel their summer training. It is tough to separate the three teams as we head into the season. It would be easier to rank them 1A, 1B, and 1C. The three are ranked among the top 15 nationally and they should climb higher. They are all interchangeable talent wise. It should make for an amazing season. Three Boys teams from Illinois running in Portland in December would be nice. The three schools, however, know that there is plenty of work that needs to be done. Here is a look at the projected top 25 teams for the start of this season in Class 3A. We will also look at some of the other teams to keep an eye on in this classification.
Top 25
1 – Elmhurst (York) 2018 Finish – 3rd NXR MW, 4th IHSA 3A State Coach – Charlie Kern Runners to Watch – Ethan Kern SR (9, 14:32), Colin Hill JR (30, 14:53), Daniel Klysh SR (43, 14:59), Brian Pratt SR (61, 15:09), Sam Ayers JR (168, 15:52), Will Yasdick SR (185, 15:58), Max Lupo SR, Mickey Vreeland JR, Thomas Braun JR, Johnny Brennan SR, Sam Rodgers SR, Eric Rutherford SO, Jackson Geiger SO. Preview – The drive for 29 started at the beginning of York’s summer running camp in 2018. Not too many people thought this young team would accomplish that much on the state scene. The only people that believed was the team themselves. They started ranked 19th at the beginning of last season. They climbed up to finish fourth at the state meet in November winning the WSC-Silver Championship along the way. “We have many athletes that have a fierce competitive instinct,” Coach Charlie Kern said. “They want to personally succeed, but first and foremost they are seeking team accolades. They want their team to comfortably stand with the great York teams of the past. They left Detweiller last year very disappointed. They were a bunch of punk runners who worked so hard to level up and felt they missed an opportunity. They do not want to leave Detweiller with the same feeling.” This team is deep with talent. Not only do they have the top seven runners back from that state team, they return the top 15 runners from 2018. The team is deep enough where they could change the schedule. Their top 10 runners will run at the Nike Valley Twilight Meet in Terre Haute, Indiana on October 5. Earlier in the day, seven more York runners will get the experience to run at Detweiller Park in the Peoria Invitational. The summer camp was full of one runner pushing the next runner wanting to get one step better than the next. “Our expectation was established on the first day of summer camp,” added Kern. “I asked the team on day one if they believed that they could improve. Everyone raised their hand. Improvement has become our motto. We are focused on being a little bit better each day; To get a little bit better at managing our time; To get a little bit better with our diet; To get a little bit better at our core drills and exercises; To be a little bit more intense when the workout calls for intensity; To work on pack running a little bit more. We expect to improve, and we are actively doing so every day.” There is no lack of leadership on this team. Ethan Kern earned national recognition last fall qualifying for both the Nike Cross Nationals and the Foot Locker Nationals. Kern finished did not have his best race at state but still finished ninth overall. He will contest for the individual state championship. Colin Hill and Daniel Klysh should be interchangeable near Kern. Hill was injured and sick during track season but is healthy ready to go. Klysh showed a drive during track season where he helped his team earn all-state honors in the 4x800m Relay. Michael Moriarty had a breakout season in track lowering his personal bests to 1:56.32 for 800-meters and 4:18.83 for 1600-meters. Kern, Klysh, and Moriarty all achieved personal bests for 1600-meters under 4:20. The biggest improver of the summer was Max Lupo. The senior did not even make the traveling squad for York to the state meet last November. That has driven him to some big things over the past nine months. He will challenge for the fifth spot with Brian Pratt, Mickey Vreeland, Thomas Braun, Sam Rodgers, and Sam Ayers. Like I said, this team is deep with talent. “I was very pleased with our summer training,” Coach Kern continued. “Our track season was extended to Father's Day weekend, so we are a little bit behind where we were in 2018. We needed a longer runway to increase our mileage from the track season, but we are more concerned with our performance in November and do not want to rush things unnecessarily. I was very pleased with our commitment to summer training, like the freshmen group, this was our largest numbers in 6 years. Each grade was well represented, and this bodes well for the future. We had our top runners reach the 75-85 miles per week this summer, but most were in the 60s. Overall, I smiled every day of camp.” There is the tradition of what York runners of the past have accomplished. There is pressure that the media that will give them from the beginning of the season on. There is the pressure they have put on themselves. In each one of those three things, they embrace the pain of it knowing what they want to accomplish. Pain is only temporary. Memories last forever. This York team would like to create a forever moment like runners that have worn the green and white did in the past. Coach Kern concluded: “I think the 2018 group was motivated in part, by a desire to prove they should never be counted out. To be left out of a Top 25 team poll in your own state was a great motivator. This year there may not be the same fuel of motivation, but there is a hunger to do something that York has not done, by York standards, in a long time - win a trophy. This senior group has watched other teams take home hardware and all they have done is viewed the trophy from a distance. As we look at the competition this year, the 2019 Dukes will be among the best York teams should they earn a trophy.”
2 – Wheaton-Warrenville South 2018 Finish – 13th NXN, 2nd NXR MW, IHSA 3A State Champions Coach – Christopher Kuntz Runners to Watch – William Hauenstein SR (8, 14:30), Jacob Kluckhohn SR (15, 14:43), Jared Peaslee SR (59, 15:08), Ethan Seng SR (67, 15:11), David Zeller SR (151, 15:46), Joseph Franke SR, Carson Rewiski JR, Matthew Lifka JR, Michael Macabobby SO, Michael Atkins SO, Charlie Sanders JR, Rowan Fahey JR. Preview – It was a rocky but a memorable ride for Wheaton-Warrenville South last fall. They started on high as the pre-season state favorite and were hot throughout September. Illnesses and injuries hit some of the top seven starting in October. Nevertheless, the Tigers were still a step ahead of the rest of the teams in Class 3A. This team is motivated enough to take that journey again on their way to a state title. The road maybe a little more crowded but the Tigers are just as hungry. “We lost Sean and Scott Maison to graduation,” Coach Christopher Kuntz said. “Those are two quality team guys. They were great leaders on our team as well as great runners. Sean was a two time All Stater in Track, and Scott was a Cross Country All Stater last year. They will be missed. But our guys learned from them just as our young guys are learning from this group of seniors. It’s a great process and It’s really fun to watch as a coach.” The top five for this season oud be as strong, perhaps maybe stronger than the top five from last year’s championship season. William Hauenstein was consistent all of last year which resulted with a seventh-place finish at the state meet. He is the third returning runner from that race. Jacob Kluckhohn did not have his best track season. He hurt his ankle on a training run and took a long time to recover. He helped his team qualifying for the state meet in the 4x800m Relay. He had a great summer of training and should be in the front close to Hauenstein. Then comes the pack that makes this team good. Ethan Seng had a good track season after finishing 67th at state. He dropped his personal bests down to 9:39 for 3200-meters and 4:26 for 1600-meters. Jared Peaslee was the team’s fifth runner last year and lowered his 3200-meters best down to 9:44.24. The forgotten runner in the top five is David Zeller. The senior ran 15:01 at Detweiller Park as the team’s fifth runner but came down with pneumonia right after that. He was never able to get back to full strength the rest of the season. Zeller also ran a personal best of 4:26 .17 during the track season. He is healthy and ready to go. This team does have the depth if there are injuries in the top seven. Juniors like Matt Lifka and Alex Gazarek. Sophomores like Michael Atkins and Michael Macabobby. There are about eight other juniors and seniors that could step into the top seven. Even when the seniors graduate, there is an entirely new group ready to step up. “Our summer running went great,” added Kuntz. “Billy missed a couple of weeks early in the summer but he's up to speed. Jacob is totally healthy and is highly motivated. Peaslee, Seng and Zeller are right with them. We get great leadership from our captains Hauenstein, Kluckhohn, Peaslee and Lifka.” The Tigers will have the small numbers up front led by Hauenstein and Kluckhohn. The question will be how close will there three to five pack will be to each other and close they will be to the front two. Right now, the gap between two and three is only 15 seconds with the same time frame for the pack. Both South and York are too close to determine right now who could win. This year, Wheaton-Warrenville South needs to stay healthy when they get to the state series. Both York and St. Charles East are stronger. The Tigers changed up their schedule to now include the Lake Park Invitational where they will race against conference rival St. Charles East. “Our kids are "All In". They've had some success and they are very motivated to continue,” said Kuntz. “They have created a great culture and they work together as a team. The kids believe in the process and they work really hard. We've had great success running as a pack team and we will continue that.”
3 – St. Charles (East) 2018 Finish – 5th IHSA 3A State Coach – Chris Bosworth Runners to Watch – Aidan King SR (26, 14:50), Micah Wilson SO (40, 14:59), Bob Liking SR (64, 15:10), Zach Loomis JR (96, 15:20), Luke Schildmeyer JR (115, 15:27), Connor Murphy JR, Abu Syed SR, Matthew Connell JR, Michael Del Signore JR, Henry Pierce SR, Jack Algrim JR, Logan Bell SR, Lexton Rockwell FR, Gabe Im FR. Preview – The Saints were one of the top teams last year with confidence growing in every race. East did not have their best race in Peoria finishing fifth. It was not how they wanted their season to end. The start of this season is just a continuation of last season full of unfinished business. “Staying and watching the award ceremony last year really stuck with our team,” Coach Chris Bosworth said. “With the guys coming back this year, having that experience that came with last year, the guys are ready to create a memorable season for our program. Pack running will of course be our strength this season.” The team relied on pack running like they will again this season. The split on their top five in the sectional race was 35 seconds. It was only 27 seconds in their conference meet. Their top five split at the state meet was 38 seconds. “Summer training has gone well for us the last couple of months. We have continued to put in good weeks of mileage with the emphasis on building a strong base for the season. We went up to Devil's Lake for our annual camping trip where team goals were set,” Bosworth added. “Last year was a fantastic year for the program....the guys raced for a trophy for the first time in years. Our state is so competitive that the whole team needs to be "on" that day, it just wasn't our day last year. I would not change anything from how the guys raced last year.” Their first three runners are strong. Aidan King just missed an all-state place by one spot. It was not Bob Liking’s best race last year at state as the team’s fourth runner. Liking was the team’s top runner for most of the season even running 14:50 at the Richard Spring Invitational. You could see him run faster than 14:40 by the end of this season. You have to take a double look when you see a freshman run under 9:30 for 3200-meters. Such is the case for Micah Wilson who ran under 9:30 three times. It would not surprise me if those three runners were within 10 seconds of each other. The key is keeping the fourth, fifth , and sixth runners within 15 seconds of the first three. Luke Schildmeyer and Zach Loomis should fill two of those spots. Connor Murphy missed half of last season due to a knee injury that eventually needed surgery. He was the teams sixth runner at that time. He is healthy and had a good summer of training. He will be challenging for one of the top five spots. The one thing to watch are the trends in their pack running especially the first month of the season. St. Charles East changed their schedule for this season. They will split their team up running their top seven in Peoria on October 5 while the rest of the team runs at St. Charles North. The top five keeping a split under 30 seconds will be a good thing. That will also put them in the state trophy chase especially if they have three or more runners under 15-minutes. “We just want to run at our best when it counts,” stated Bosworth. “The team knows what they are capable of. They are confident in one another and have built a trust in each other that they are running for something other than themselves.”
4 – LaGrange (Lyons Township) 2018 Finish – 21st IHSA 3A State Coach – Michael Danner Runners to Watch – Jack Ehlert SR (38, 14:57), Owen Hays JR (104, 15:22), Sawyer Madell JR (106, 15:24), Joaquel Thorpe (210, 18:01), Charlie Mclawhorn SO, Caden Nelson JR, Finn Gallagher SO, Michael McDermott SO, Sam Nowak JR, Sam Schafer SR, Luke Armstrong SR, Jackson Siegel SR, Ben Mathis SR, Ryan Whelton SO. Preview – When researching this preview every year, I always make sure I go deep into a team’s results just in case I missed something. In the case of Lyons Township and looking at their “resume”, you just can’t look at their final two races. They did not run good at the state meet when they finished 21st. The following week at the NXR Midwest Regional, they did not have Joaquel Thorpe in their lineup and finished 15th. The learning experience at the end of last year should pay off in 2019. This team should again have a tight pack like they displayed last season. At the WSC-Silver Championships, Jack Ehlert and Thorpe came in together, followed by Owen Hays three seconds behind and then Sawyer Madell only five seconds back. That top four split was only eight seconds as they finished second behind York. Two weeks later at the Marist Sectional, Ehlert did not run. Hays led the way with Thorpe finishing six seconds back followed by Madell another five seconds split. Their top four split was only 11 seconds as they finished behind Downers Grove South and Downers Grove North in third. The state meet split on three was 27 seconds with Thorpe collapsing just after two miles. He did get up and finish. What all this information tells us is that they will be strong in the front. Ehlert should be the team’s top runner and could run 14:50 or faster. If the team on their first four keeps there split under 15 seconds? Well, time to watch out. The key is finding a fifth runner. There are about 10 runners that are strong enough to challenge for those three spots. Keep an eye on Finn Gallagher, Michael McDermott, Charlie Mclawthorn and Caden Nelson among all of them that could challenge for that spot. “Summer training was similar to the last few years,” Lyons Township Coach Michael Danner said. “Our top 4 (Ehlert, Hays, Thorpe, Madell) have been pretty much stride for stride in everything they have done. We have a group of about 10 guys that will be vying for those final top 7 spots. Our expectations are to challenge for a top 3 position at state and NXN berth. In 2018, we learned about our potential but also learned about the importance of experience and focus at the end of the season.” I don’t like to count out this team because of the fight that this program has. If they can keep their top five split under 35 seconds, this team could challenge for a trophy.
5 – Arlington Heights (Hersey) 2018 Finish – 19th NXN, NXR MW Champion, 2nd IHSA 3A State Meet Coach – Kevin Young Runners to Watch – Josh Methner SR (1, 14:11), Max Svienty SR (20, 14:46), Colin Safford SR (54,15:06), Luis Vasquez JR (184, 15:58), Quinn Born JR, Jason Palafox SR, Ethan Marunde JR, Conner Oiler SO, Remy Jankusky JR, Sam Stubbs SR, Tim Choma SR, Sean Safford SO, Luke Linscott JR, Quinn Rudy SR, Nick Caraba SR. Preview – One of the things that you could say about Hersey is that they ran their best races at the right time. Their race at the state meet was memorable as they earned their first state trophy in finishing second behind Wheaton-Warrenville South. Eight days later at the NXR Midwest Regional, they upped their race game in winning the race ahead of the Tigers. Hersey went to Portland and finished 19th at the Nike Cross Nationals. “These guys have been having a blast this summer,” said Hersey Coach Kevin Young. “We were really about 5 strong last year and if anyone of them were off, we were in trouble. We are trying to fix that this year. We return three very strong guys from the state scoring five but them we have another ten guys who are working very hard to be part of the fun. I say “ten” but there’s a whole group putting in the time to make it happen.” It is nice when you have a state champion returning to your team. That is the case with Josh Methner. The senior had a fantastic 2018-19 season pulling away from the field to win the Class 3A Individual Championship at Detweiller Park. His post season was great when he finished 15th at the Nike Cross Nationals and then 6th at the Foot Locker Nationals. A target is on his back since he is the top runner returning in the state. It is a position that he relishes. Max Svienty gives Hersey a strong #2 runner that will be among the state’s top 15 runners this fall. Colin Safford was the team’s fourth runner at state last year and should move up a spot. Expect Safford to get his time under 15-minutes for three miles this year and flirting with a top 25 finish. The Huskies are looking back to repeating what they went through last year. The leadership from their coaching staff and from their seniors will make things easier this year. “We have very high expectations of our crew,” Young added. “We have no idea where we rank among the Illinois contingent, but we will do everything we can to have our fun come early November. We have some very successful puzzle pieces that are looking to get another group to be part of the story. It’s not going to be about where we finish at State or NXR but rather how we compete at those meets. Before the crew even found out about the final results at state, we were already celebrating because of the way we competed. We want to end the season with that same excitement! Do the guys want a trophy? Absolutely! But that won’t define the season.” What will get Hersey back to contention for a state trophy is the group that will challenge for one of the four other spots. Iron sharpens iron so these runners looking to get on the varsity will make each other better. That will benefit Hersey’s squad this fall. Luis Vasquez was in the top seven and leads that group. Runners such as Jason Palafox, Conner Oiler, Quinn Born, and Nick Caraba are some of the runners that you will see in their top seven. The Huskies will have low numbers in the front. The key is getting their fourth through seventh runners within 10 to 15 seconds of Colin Safford. That will be something to watch for the first few meets of the season. While they are doing that, the Huskies will be having fun in the process. Coach Kevin Young concluded: “The state meet was just plain fun. As I stated earlier, we were celebrating as a team even before we heard the results. We came down as a team on Saturday morning just like any other meet of the year, so being able to enjoy that moment as an entire team was a very special day. The results just cemented our passion for the process. NXR, now that was a different experience. We really had NO idea how things went down until I started to get some texts from alumni and other coaches. It’s so hard to tell how you did at that meet because you’re among other states along with individuals that have absolutely no impact on the team scores. My favorite moment was when the guys realized that they got the job done and were getting a chance in Portland. From there though, we raced tired and out of gas. Our training was geared at having our best race in the first week of November, not the first week of December. Having four weeks between our state meet and NXN makes things very tough for the teams in our state. I have to do a better job at gearing the training to last another month and be there for the guys. Being in the hospital the day before the guys were supposed to leave sure didn't help the situation. Coming from Illinois and having a team that can’t be coached by their coaches really puts us behind the eight ball compared to other teams. We will find a way to combat this major disadvantage and the Midwest teams will bring it next year. They’d enjoyed the experience last year but want more this year.”
6 – Oswego (East) 2018 Finish – 10th IHSA 3A State Coach – James Milner Runners to Watch – Luke Wentz SR (42, 14:59), Heriberto Alvarez SR (73, 15:12), Brad Wiggins SR (76, 15:13), Nick Bozarth SR (102, 15:22), Maverick Lange SR (118, 15:28), Nick Henz JR (127, 15:33), Nathan Brischetto SR, Tyler Koopman SR, Peyton Hartman SR, Ryan Schlitz SR, Kyle Small SR, Alex Das FR, Noel Velazquez FR, Parker Nold FR. Preview – The one team that snuck up on people early last year was Oswego East. The 2018 junior dominated team made their presence known by making it to the state meet finishing 10th overall. The top six runners from last year’s team returns. The key to their success is by using simple pack running. Their state meet split on the top five was 29 seconds. It was 31 seconds in their sectional race. When they won the Southwest Prairie Conference, their split was a mere 20 seconds. “Our pack is an ever evolving entity,” said Coach Jim Milner. “We do spend most of the summer with the focus on running together, so it is something that we do practice. I like that focus for the summer because I feel that it helps with development while not wearing out the top group of guys. Once we get racing in the beginning of the season, I like to let our guys go out and "race." The pack tends to happen and then we can evolve from there. There have been years where we've had a couple of packs and then a year like last year where it was one tight pack. It's where the athletes take it. Even with this group that tends to run as a tighter pack, it was rare for them to finish in the same order from meet to meet. So, it becomes more a buddy system where a guy sees his teammate up ahead and uses that to improve position, or he might be falling off of where he was from the last race, but he learns to hang on to his teammate. The pack remains strong and the team score is improved. I've very rarely told a group to "pack it up." We have guys who like to go out aggressively and try to win the race. My advice to the team before most races is to get out well and then find each other.” Luke Wentz emerged as the top runner for the Wolves last year and should do so again. You could see his confidence growing in the state series. He should be towards the front in most races this fall. Then comes the pack. Heriberto Alvarez, Brad Wiggins, and Nick Bozarth are interchangeable and will switch between the second and fourth runners. In the state meet, there was only nine seconds separating three runners. Maverick Lange and Nick Henz were constant five / six runners for the team last year. They could be challenged by freshman Alex Das or Nathan Brischetto for varsity spot. Das will be interesting to watch. He has never run cross-country before but has staying with East’s top pack this summer. In his first cross country race ever at Detweiller at Dark, Das won the Junior High School race. 2018 was a dry run for the team when they finished in state in the top 10. Expectations will be higher for this team. “Last year this group showed themselves that they can "do it." They were very successful as underclassmen, but they needed to find their "varsity identity." They were able to do that fairly early in the season last year and they just kept building on it. Going into this summer they had a better idea of what needed to be done to prepare themselves for success for the upcoming season,” Milner added. “I'd say this summer has just been more efficient or crisper. Some of these seniors have been in our summer running camp for five or six years and they came in this summer with more of a purpose. They set a great example for our younger athletes. Between the boys and girls programs, we had over 160 athletes attend our summer running camp this year.” The one thing to watch for again from this team in 2019 is what kind of split on their top five do they have. To dig deeper, where is that pack starting? With all the teams that will be contending for a trophy, they will have their low sticks in the front and able to run tighter packs. Oswego East just needs to move their pack closer to the front to be in the hunt for a state trophy. The Wolves will be challenged early running at Hinsdale Central on September 7. They are scheduled for both Peoria races the following two weeks. The question will be which race will the varsity run in? They end the month running at Palatine. We should have a good idea by the team at the end of the month. “They understand that we're in the hunt to win it this year, so expectations are high,” stated Milner. “As coaches we're expecting the same things that we always expect out of our athletes regardless of what they can accomplish in competition. They need to do everything that they can to continue to improve and they need to continue to be the great people that they already are.”
7 – Orland Park (Sandburg) 2018 Finish – 16th IHSA 3A State Coach – John O’Malley Runners to Watch – Will Giblin SR (69, 15:11), Ben Giblin SR (79,15:14), Ismail Tineh JR (91, 15:18), Sam Rodriguez SR (105, 15:23), Griffin Lehnhardt JR (161, 15:49), Ahmad Alhayek JR, Ian McGrath SR, Tommy Sieczkowski JR, Sean Marquardt SO, TJ Cosler SR, Diego Hernandez SR, Ibrahim Tineh FR, Trent Anderson FR. Preview – The Eagles finished 16th in the state meet last year with five of their top six runners from that squad. Do not expect another finish in the teens for this year’s team. The experience from last season in how they learned so much about each other will mean bigger things to follow this cross country season. “Our summer of training was fantastic,” Sandburg Coach John O’Malley said. “This group just took ownership of the team and have a ton of positive energy and the right mindset. All in all, it was our best summer ever. The group was super cohesive and had a lot of fun training and developing the new identity of the team. Everyone is fit and strong.” The top five split for the Eagles at last year’s state meet was 30 seconds. It could be close to the same this year. The key will be moving that pack closer to the front. Their top two runners Ben and Will Giblin will be the be the ones to push their pack up. The twin brothers were separated by ten places and three seconds at last year’s state meet. Both showed improvement during last spring’s track season as the two qualified for the state meet in the 3200 Meter Run. In their sectional race Will ran 9:27.27 while Ben ran 9:27.37. That improvement should transfer to this fall where they could both be close to top 25 finishes. The split on the returning top four at state was only 12 seconds. Ismail Tineh and Sam Rodriguez will look to keep that pack close. Griffin Lehnhardt, Ahmed Alhayek, and Ian McGrath are all within 10 seconds of each other and will work to get closer to the front four. The keys for Sandburg are simple. Keep that pack close together. Move that pack closer to the front. Accomplishing those things will get the Eagles into the top five and trophy contention.
8 – Lake Zurich 2018 Finish – 23rd IHSA 3A State Coach – JB Hansen Runners to Watch – Jack Gilboy JR (37, 14:57), Jacob Myers JR (46, 15:00), Adam Cupples SR (111, 15:26), Danny Burns SO (175, 15:56), Caleb Engelmann SR (209, 17:20), Patrick Hart SR, Jack Mason JR, Oscar Phillips JR, Kevin Loftus SO, Aidan Markiewicz SO, Parker Oshgan JR, Cory Blend SR, Mark Santi SR. Preview – The Bears should be on the prowl this season in the top 10 in Class 3A. This team is deep with talent. Five runners return from the state team that finished 25th. There are at least five more runners that have the desire to be within that top five this fall. “Our training has gone very well,” Lake Zurich Coach JB Hansen stated. “The kids have taken ownership of their own training and have been very consistent.” Jack Gilboy and Jacob Myers stepped up as sophomores to be the team’s top two runners in 2018. Both should be in the same positions as this season starts. Both were under at or under 15-minutes Detweiller last November. Both should challenge for spots in the top 25. The big surprise for this team could be Patrick Hart. “He is very much under the radar for a number of reasons,” said Hansen. “He was our 5th man at state 2 years ago (15:30) but missed the state meet last year. He ran 9:59 in our conference meet for sixth (after anchoring the 4x8) and 9:51 at sectionals for sixth (in 80+ heat). He is much better than his PRs indicate and is ready for a breakout season.” Adam Cupples, Danny Burns, Jack Mason, and Caleb Engelmann should all be a part of Lake Zurich’s top five some time this season. The split for this season (or to start with it) should be between 45 to 50 seconds. With Gilboy and Myers in top 25 range, that split could make this team dangerous. It seems this team will be driven by their finish from last year’s state meet. Add that along with the talent this group has, and you could have a top five state team. “Expectations are high for this season, and I believe they are realistic. A trophy is within reach for this team,” added Hansen. “This team battled through a lot of adversity last year, but they stuck together and have something to prove this season.”
9 – Winnetka (New Trier) 2018 Finish – 12th IHSA 3A State Coach – David Wisner Runners to Watch – Andrew Flynn JR (62, 15:09), Charlie Siebert JR (109, 15:25), Nick Falk SO (132, 15:34), Jackson Flick SR (133, 15:34), Patrick Jamison SO, Tyler Ackerman SR, Ben Akason SR, Matt Flick JR, JD Shelly SR, Connor O’Neill JR, Raghar Gupta SR, William Lober SR, Henry Plante SR, Noah Rush JR. Preview – What makes this team a perennial top 10 squad in Illinois is that they are deep in talent. In the Sub 5 Challenge this past track season, the Trevians had 33 runners under five-minutes for 1600-meters. 25 of those runners were underclassmen. That is a trend that you see from this program every year. One runner graduates, one runner steps up. That is the case with this team entering the 2019 season. Four runners are back from their 12th place state team. There are 12 other runners that could step into their top seven in the next few months. What a surprise! “This is the most experienced team we have had in recent years,” their coach David Wisner said. “We return four from last year’s 12th place state squad and have many other talented runners vying for a Top 7 spot. We had an excellent track season and a strong summer. This team is focused, committed to excellence and to being one of the best New Trier teams ever, and there is no reason to doubt that they can achieve this goal. Last season we were inexperienced and didn’t have any front runners, so we relied heavily on our pack running to score well in big meets.” Andrew Flynn traded off as the team’s first or second runner all year and will be one of the top runners in the front. Charlie Siebert, Nick Falk, and Jackson Flick all ran in the state meet and will challenge for top seven spots. Tyler Ackerman, Patrick Jamison, JD Shelly, and Ben Akason are some of the runners that you could see in their top seven. One of Wisner’s biggest surprises over the summer has been Noah Rush. “Noah was a back of the pack runner freshmen year in XC, injured during freshmen year in track, had a solid sophomore XC season, and had mono during sophomore track. So far, he is leading our pack in all summer workouts, but we will see how this translates to racing starting in September. One fun fact about Noah, he didn't break 5 minutes for the mile until this summer and it was a after a 5 mile tempo when we were finishing with a classic North Central College Maintenance Mile.” Rush could be one of those runners that was not on anyone’s radar, but steps into he top seven. That is what New Trier’s tradition is all about. By the time we get to the Palatine Invitational at the end of September, we should have a good idea (as well as Wisner) on how good this team is. Their first test is at Hinsdale on September 7. “It's hard to say where we will finish at state, but we will be very competitive and our pack of 5 to 6 runners should be tight and further up in races than last season,” Wisner added. “At the moment we don't have a regular number 1 (which is good) and we may not the entire season, but our 1-5 split should be 20 seconds or less.”
10 – Barrington 2018 Finish – 9th IHSA 3A State Coach – Thomas Root Runners to Watch – Patrick Furlong SR (48, 15:00), Joey Furlong SO (88, 15:17), Ben DeWeerdt JR (97, 15:20), Matt Hargrave SR, Carter Hart SO, Alex Kermath SO, Trevor Giampa SR, Jake Ziebarth JR, Logan Skidmore JR, Grant Ackard JR, Greigh Wells JR. Preview – The Broncos will be in the hunt for the Mid-Suburban League title chasing defending champion Hersey. Barrington will just reload this with three runners back rom their state team along with seven other runners able to step into their top ten. Patrick Furlong ran 15:00 last November at state when his team finished ninth. He could be challenging for a spot in the top 25 this season. His brother Joey had a good freshman season and ended up as the team’s third runner. He may get close to his brother in races in 2019. Ben DeWeerdt was three seconds behind the younger Furlong and will challenge for the second spot. Matt Hargrave was in the team’s top seven in the league championships and could be among the top five this year with Trevor Giampa, Carter Hart, and Alex Kermath. The Barrington split on the top five at last year’s state meet was only 33 seconds. Plenty of racing and development of their top seven during the first month could get Barrington close to that time. They are projected to be at 45 to 50 seconds to start the season.
11 – Naperville (Neuqua Valley) 2018 Finish – 4th NXR MW, 3rd IHSA 3A State Coach – Paul Vandersteen Runners to Watch – Nicolas Dovalovsky JR (28, 14:50), Vasant Fong JR, Quinn Kennedy SR, Ryan Horn JR, Brian Jett JR, Luke Mennecke JR, Luke Suman JR, Stephen Smilie JR, Ramasay Johnson SR, Noah Schalliol SO, David Tassone SR, Nathan Howard SO, Sachin Fong SO, Liam Dorsey SO. Preview – Before the start of the 2018 season, there were really no outside expectations for Neuqua Valley’s team. They had finished second the year before and had lost five runners including their top runner Zach Kinne who had moved to Pennsylvania. So, what was the result from that 2018 team? They finished third in the state meet, fourth in the NXR Midwest Regional. We enter the 2019 season looking at dire circumstances. Only one runner is back from last year’s top seven. It is a different scenario for this season for the Wildcats. That 2018 had a group of seniors ready to step into the top seven. It is different entering this year with basically juniors and sophomores that could be in this year’s top seven. “In past years, we lost a lot of guys to graduation and were able to bounce back with senior contributions,” Coach Paul Vandersteen said. “This team will rely mostly on non-seniors to contribute. We have a strong junior class but it's going to take some time for them to figure things out.” Vandersteen does have one ace in the hole with their top runner Nicolas Dovalovsky having state meet experience. He was brought along slowly last year which resulted in a 28th place finish as the team’s third runner. The junior should be among the top 15 this season. Neuqua Valley’s team always run with a good pack. That will be necessary for this group. Vasant Fong ran in their regional meet last year and should lead the pack. After that, it is hard to determine who will step up. 2019 is a window of opportunity for this team. Expect a five runner split around 45 seconds. Their second through fifth runner split is projected to start at 20 seconds. We will see how that develops in September. “The guys worked hard this summer. As a whole team, we embraced the efforts to get better. Usually, it's mostly the varsity guys that embrace this,” added Vandersteen “This team had more guys outside the varsity working consistently. Even though we have a relatively small senior class, they are good leaders by example. We want to be a more complete team through marked efforts in supporting one another. This team is a joy to coach, for they look out for one another. We are looking for ways to enhance this even more.”
12 – Downers Grove (South) 2018 Finish – 14th IHSA 3A State Coach – Brian Caldwell Runners to Watch – John Heneghan SR (77, 15:13), Canyon Stage SR (117, 15:28), John Norris SR (126, 15:32), Tim Neumann SO, Tyler Bleau SR, Benjamin Skibbe SR, Nathan Luczak SR, Stephen Nicholson SR, Jay Wiseman SR, Carlos Mendez SR, Angel Galvan JR, Joey Auccillo SO, Nick Matuelle SO, Ben Tunney JR, Robert Del Cotto SO, Jeffrey Spirek FR, Carter Smott FR, Shane Hosty FR. Preview – The Mustangs had a rollercoaster type season which ended in finishing 14th at the state meet. The week before at the Class 3A Marist Sectional, South won the sectional title. There are only three runners back from the team. All of them are seniors. The majority of their varsity squad could be seniors resulting in possibly more consistency. “This was certainly not our best summer of training for the guys most likely to fill varsity spots as there seemed to be continual interruptions to the training,” Coach Brian Caldwell said. “We had some nagging injuries early on, a few guys who weren't showing up consistently for a variety of reasons, and the usual vacation interruptions. Overall though, for the most part, guys got in the foundational work that we'll build off of in the fall, but it just seemed like we never had the guys (particularly the "varsity" group) all there together at the same time. This will be quickly remedied with the start of school. With regard to our lower levels, this was as good a summer as we could have hoped with them coming together as a cohesive group and looking ready to make some solid improvements.” One runner that has showed improvement over the past seven months has been Canyon Stage who looked strong during the track season. “While Canyon had a breakthrough track season qualifying for state in the 3200, the most exciting thing is that he's managed to put in some really consistent work from late June through the beginning of August,” added Caldwell. “Prior to last winter, he'd always dealt with continual minor injuries due to growing but now seems to have finally topped out at like 6'2" and is able to handle a greater volume of training. He should be a big boost for us this fall up front.” John Heneghan and John Norris were major contributors in the top five all last fall. Stage, Heneghan, and Norris could all run under 15-minutes this fall. Tim Neumann could be a major factor in the top five. It is the sophomore’s first year of cross-country. He ran 4:40 for 1600-meters and 2:05 for 800-meters during the track season. “He's shown this summer that he should be a major contributor as he's stayed on the heels of our top returners on some workouts and even displayed some strength doing 4+ mile tempos,” added Caldwell. “If he remains healthy, he'll certainly be top 7 and probably a scorer on varsity by the end of the year.” This team should have strength up front with their top three runners. Then it comes down to the next four who will need to stay together for good things to happen for the Mustangs. “For the whole team, we have a streak of 4 years of winning the WSC-Gold on all levels,” Caldwell concluded. “We'll aim to keep that streak going again this year. From a varsity perspective, we'll aim to qualify for state for the 3rd year in a row and have our best race of the year on November 9. My top priority is to get the guys to embrace the process, focus on improving over time, and not be overly concerned with external results. If we can do that and manage to put the team first, we will have a fun and rewarding season.”
13 – Mundelein 2018 Finish – 19th IHSA 3A State Coach – Kurt Rutz Runners to Watch – Dillon Blake SR (12, 14:38), Carter Schorr SR (160, 15:48), Trevor Werner SR (186, 16:03), Aaron DeLara SR, Elian Salgado JR, Nathan Clapp JR, Jeremy Hernandez SR, Andrew Brizzell JR, Jacob Perraud SR. Carter Laureys FR, Tyler Miller FR. Preview – This should be a reloading year for the Mustangs despite the fact that they lost four seniors to graduation. Three runners are back from last year’s 19th-place state team. 2018 was the first time that the program had made it to Detweiller Park in November. This group would like to make it two in a row. “We had a very solid summer of training,” Coach Kurt Rutz said. “Attendance at our Summer Running Camp was consistently good. We started a little later than in previous years and have been taking our time building up the miles. As a result, running injuries this summer have been few.” Dillon Blake will be one of the elite runners in the state this fall and the leader of this team. Blake finished 12th in the state and will aim higher this fall. Carter Schorr took a step up during this track season and will give Rutz a strong #2 closer to Blake then most think. He was part of Mundelein’s all-state quartet in the 4x800m Relay at the state meet. He was the 17-18 age group champion when he ran 6:13.49 to win the 2000 Meter Steeplechase at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships in California. He is definitely someone to keep an eye on this season. Trevor Werner will lead the pack behind these two which could include Elian Salgado and Aaron DeLara. Their three to five pack needs to be under 10 seconds and within 30 seconds of Schorr if this team wants to make a repeat trip to the state meet. Coach Rutz added: “With the graduation of such and outstanding group of seniors, we honestly have a lot of work to do, but our goals for this season are the same as the last several- continue to improve and compete for the conference championship and a spot at State.”
14 – Downers Grove (North) 2018 Finish – 8th IHSA 3A State Coach – John Sipple Runners to Watch – Evan Cummins JR (121, 15:30), Karan Sketty SO (162, 15:49), Phillip Tipton JR (191, 16:05), Matt Rowley JR, Jonathan Jasso SR, Clark Kelly SR, Andrew Thompson SR, Thomas Diamond SR, Isaac Wagereich SR, Roy Llewellyn SO, Kyle McNally SO, Chris Allen JR, Elijah Chen JR, Jackson Flynn JR. Preview – This will not be your ordinary Downers Grove North Boys team to start out the season. A strong group of seniors led by Jack Roberts and Trevor Murphy have graduated. Only three runners (all underclassmen) are back from the state team that finished eighth. “In recent years we have consistently had some serious front runners returning (i.e. Zack Smith, Ryan Clevenger, Alec Danner, Jacob Ridderhoff, Miles Christensen, Jack Roberts) and that has helped the team establish some initial leadership roles and foundational running structures/formations,” Coach John Sipple said. “But this year we really did not have that, and we had a lot of leadership roles open that needed to be filled. So, the beginning of our summer was very much a feeling out period for the vast majority of guys on our team and guys were establishing roles on the team and figuring out where they could best assist their teammates.” One of the runners that could make the biggest impact on this 2019 team is Evan Cummins. I was impressed when I saw him win the 3200 Meter Run on a windy day at Downers Grove South. He had that something that makes ordinary runners great. “Evan's sophomore season (XC/track) really allowed him to gain the much needed experience to learn and understand what it will take to compete at the varsity level in Illinois and the Midwest Region,” Sipple said. “Evan Cummins is truly evolving before our eyes into a front runner and he is poised to establish himself as someone to be reckoned with at the varsity level at Detweiller Park in November.” This team is young and could have a top seven lineup that is all underclassmen. Karan Sketty and Phillip Tipton will be some of the runners that will lead the pack behind Cummins. A young team needs good pack running to gain more confidence. This is a team that will make some noise in 2019 but will be louder in 2020. “We had some sickness and consistency issues earlier this summer that got us off to a slow start,” added Sipple. “But the level of maturity and commitment on the team has significantly improved and as a result we have really started to string together some solid blocks of training. The leadership on the team has grown significantly and the number of fired up stake holders continues to grow as well. So, this is going to be an exciting season for us. This group is going to challenge each other and grow together, which will further challenge the coaching staff to be creative and push us out of our comfort zone to help this group achieve what they have set out to do. Our group acknowledges that we are young and inexperienced, however, that has not diminished the goals that they would like the team to achieve in terms of qualifying for the state meet and doing some serious damage down there. Furthermore, this group of guys has also set out to commitment to a set of impressive core beliefs and team values that will help our guys grow as people throughout the year.”
15 – Chicago (Jones College Prep) 2018 Finish – 7th 3A Niles West Sectional Coach – Andrew Adelmann Runners to Watch – Anthony Maida SR, Ian Bacon SR, Ryan DeSantis SR, Aaron Hou JR, Andy Niser JR, Benito Sarkiss SR, Luke Benes JR, Ethan Sterling SO, Michael Sommese JR, Andrew Blackledge JR, Ned Wojcik JR, Anthony Rizk SR. Preview – The first team in the pre-season top 25 that did not make it to the state meet in 2018. The Eagles have the talent to advance out of what will be another tough Lake Park Sectional in November. Five of their top seven runners are back from last year’s seventh-place sectional team. “As always, our focus is less on any one specific goal and more on the processes that make us better each day,” Jones Prep Coach Andrew Adelmann said. “If we can grow as people and control what we can control, we will be successful. Everyone matters from top to bottom, and that is what is most important to us. It may seem that we may sometimes focus on the freshmen, sophomore or JV guys to the detriment of our 'top guys', but I am not comfortable coaching other way, nor are our guys OK with diminishing focus on anyone based on 'PR' marks either.” The top three runners for Jones Prep are all seniors. All three are capable of running under 15-minutes in the state series. Anthony Maida and Ryan DeSantis ran together in their sectional race and will be two of the leaders on this team. Ian Bacon, who has gone through some injury problems the past two years, came on strong at the end of track and will be with their front two. “He had a lot of things structurally to fix, which led to some major setbacks the second half of his sophomore year and all of his junior year,” said Adelmann. “He has been incredibly diligent in pay attention to these little details and we saw again what he is capable of on the track at the end of the Spring. This is a guy who ran 15:30 as a sophomore for us and I believe he is back on track with being a Sub-15 guy his senior year.” Luke Benes and Michael Sommese, along with Aaron Hou and Andy Niser, had good summers of training and are ready to take the next step up. The Eagles are in good shape to defend the Chicago Public League Championship that they won last year. They are also in good shape to run at Detweiller Park in November. “I do believe we have a special group this year,” Adelmann stated. “There are a lot of guys with a ton of character who have some great individual stories. We opted to be really cautious most of last season with four of our top seven only running about 20-25 miles a week and cross training the rest of the time, as we had this year circled on our calendars. While we learned a lot, we unfortunately just ran out of steam by the State Series. We are going in what is the third year in a process that we thought would be three years. Based on how much fun and progress we made in year two, I am excited to see what this Fall and beyond holds.”
16 – Lockport (Township) 2018 Finish – 24th IHSA 3A State Coach – Tom Razo Runners to Watch – Jacob Hinchley SR (119, 15:29), Ross Cronholm SR (165, 15:50), Brenden Diamond SR (192, 16:07), Aidan Pajeau SR (200, 16:19), Wil Kiley JR, Timothy Nielsen JR, Anthony Molitor JR, Josh Scholl SR, Devan Callahan JR, Dylan DiZonio JR, Michael Barber SR, Kaelum Alvarez SR. Preview – The Porters four runners from last year’s state team that finished in 24th. They will look to improve on that finish. The one runner that Coach Tom Razo thinks will be one of the team’s top runners is Wil Kiley. He did run as a freshman but missed all of last fall’s cross country season. He did come back during track to run a personal best of 9:40.32 for 3200-meters in May. He will be an asset for this team. Jacob Hinchley and Ross Cronholm will be close behind. Lockport’s top five split was 52 seconds at last year’s state meet. That was with a runner leading them that ran 15:00. It is hard to say if the Porters will have a runner near that point. Only time will tell. I had the team projected to start their pack around 15:13 to 15:15 with a 26 second split. That could place them in the top 20. It will also help them get back to the state meet for the third year in a row. “We had a great summer of training,” Razo said. “It has been the most summer miles the Porters have logged in years. The guys are healthy and fit. We are hoping for a solid year and will have some extra depth that we have not had in years past. We will rely on solid pack running this year.”
17 – Aurora (Waubonsie Valley) 2018 Finish – 8th 3A Waubonsie Valley Sectional Coach – Kevin Rafferty Runners to Watch – Wes Beitler SR (86, 15:16), Jackson Bukala SR, Zac Benziger JR, Robert Szivak SR, Nathan Shepard SR, Ethan Marshall SO, Aidan Oster SO, Angel Solis SO, Andres Perez SO, Joey Sweeney JR, Daniel Sprout JR, Toby McGuire JR. Preview – The Warriors took a step forward in 2018 as they finished eighth in their own sectional with three runners graduating from that squad. The four runners that are back have that year of experience and a year of hunger as well. Waubonsie Valley will be one of the team favorites in the DuPage Valley Conference this fall. They will also be chasing after a spot on the starting line at Detweiller Park this November. “This was one of the best summers we've had in a couple of years,” Coach Kevin Rafferty said. “Summer camp attendance was generally good. Kids that went on vacation generally tried to run and came back in acceptable shape. During the June track camp, the kids are allowed to work out the kinks and figure out their fitness level and just generally focus on themselves. The July cross country camp is when I start putting an emphasis on team dynamics and pack running, etc. We started working some of the details of being good teammates out during July and I was pretty happy with the direction we were heading prior to the no contact period.” Wes Beitler had a breakout track season which will step him up for bigger things this fall. Beitler did qualify for the state meet last November finishing 86th. His track season was solid as he ran 9:38.57 to qualify for the state track meet. His confidence in his running is growing which could mean huge things for him when he gets to November. The Warriors have good pack mentality and that should show again in their racing this fall. Zach Benziger had a good sophomore season which he will build off this season. Jackson Bukala, Robert Szivak, and Nathan Sheppard all improved this summer and should give this team a strong pack behind Beitler. “I think we're in for a good year,” Rafferty added. “You can't control what anybody else does but I feel like my #1 is going to be in the mix with everybody else's #1 and my 1-5 split is going to be pretty close to 30 seconds or better (at the end of the year). I feel like if we can do that, we'll be competitive in most meets we're at. I feel like we're back in the mix of being able to go toe to toe with the top teams. If we're top 5 in sectionals great, if we're outside of that we'll live. I just want to keep seeing 5-7-10-12-20 kids committing to the process and holding each other accountable to the process. It's been a couple of years since we've been able to say that. So far, despite frustrations with individuals in other areas, the kids as a collective group have been good for each other and better as a whole rather than just the sum of their individual parts.”
18 – Naperville (Central) 2018 Finish – 6th – 3A Waubonsie Valley Sectional Coach – David Ashton Runners to Watch – Arthur Graham JR, Nicholas Keeling SO, Nathan Ramachandran SR, Vinny Adamo SR, Patrick Spisak SR, Brandon Kamp JR, Patrick Julian SR, Benjamin Smith JR, Alan Wandke SR, Kyle Zhao SR. Preview – The Redhawks came close to a trip to the state meet finishing sixth and missing by five points. They will miss track state champion Thomas Shilgalis who is now at the University of Michigan. Three runners return from that sectional team. Pack running will be required from this group if they have hopes of qualifying for the state meet. Arthur Graham, the team’s fourth runner at conference and fifth runner in sectionals, will be one of the top runners for this team. Nicholas Keeling, Vinny Adams, and Nethan Ramachandran should be among the front group. Central’s top five split could be as little as 25 seconds this season. The key is moving that pack closer to the front in races.
19 – Minooka 2018 Finish – 22nd IHSA 3A State Coach – Kevin Gummerson Runners to Watch – Vincent Van Eck JR (92, 15:18), Jason Hoffman SR (93, 15:18), Daniel Schalk SO (143, 15:50), Hunter Phillips SR (178, 15:57), Nate Chaidez SR, Mason Engler JR, Nick Chaidez SR, Emerson Fayman SO, Adam Shaw JR, Alexander Forster SO, Jason Riley SO. Preview – Minooka will look to improve on their 22nd place state meet finish despite losing three runners to graduation. Four runners lead the pack this fall with ambitions of making back to the state meet. The Indians should accomplish that especially with their sectional placement. “Summer training has gone very well,” Coach Kevin Gummerson said. “Obviously, we use this time to lay the foundation for our training. However, it has also been good to see this team start to form and grow. After losing a strong senior class, the various roles have to be filled. While we still have a lot of work to do, this summer has been a strong one.” Minooka possess a strong 1-2 punch in front with Vincent Van Eck and Jason Hoffman leading the way. Van Eck looks to be recovered from a rollercoaster track season and appears to be ready for the fall season. Hoffman was strong during the track season especially in the middle distances. “Jason did have an outstanding track season,” said Gummerson. “When he steps to the line in the 800 and 1600, he possesses a tremendous amount of confidence that he can run with anybody. We have been working on getting that same belief in the longer races. He knows that and has looked so much better on his longer runs this summer. With that improvement on those, comes confidence. There is no doubt that the success he experienced this spring is going to help him this fall.” Daniel Schalk and Hunter Phillips are returning top seven runners and will fit into the top five along with Nate Chaidez, Mason Engler, and Nick Chaidez. This team could have a split under 45 seconds. If Van Eck and Hoffman get under 15-minutes, it will make this team just tougher to face. “We are returning 4 of last year's top 7, and this group understands the level it takes to succeed in this conference, and the state of Illinois,” added Gummerson. “I expect this to be a team that is going to possess a lot of fight. Looking at the strength of our schedule we are going to get some great opportunities to run against top tier teams. I anticipate us learning from each one of those early contests. I am extremely excited about the potential of this group. It is a group that is willing to learn from each one of their races, which no doubt will pay off when it matters the most.”
20 – O’Fallon 2018 Finish – 7th IHSA 3A State Coach – Jon Burnett Runners to Watch – Nick Edwards JR (63, 15:10), Christopher Wichlac SR (147, 15:45)), David Tady SR (187, 16:03), Braden Gaab SR, Tristen Fornes SR, Nico Parker JR, Jack Peterson JR, Peyton Mueller SO, Nick Novy JR. Preview – One of the many things that I have learned while covering cross country is never count out this O’Fallon team. There were not a ton of people that though O’Fallon would be in the top half of the state standings last November. The Panthers prevailed by finishing seventh. Three runners are back from that team. Their projected top runner Will Ray will not. He moved with his brother Matt and his family to Japan. Nick Edwards, who was the team’s third runner last year and 10 seconds behind Ray at state, should step into the #1 spot. Christopher Wichlac had a good summer of training but is recovering from a hernia. He should be back to full strength according to their coach Jon Burnett. David Tady should lead the pack behind their top two runners. Their top five is projected to be close to 70 seconds as the season begins. That should come down as the season progresses. “Summer training was fine, but we do not have the higher mileage type runners that we have had in the past. We have lower mileage type athletes,” said Burnett. “Our athletes expect to compete at the best of their abilities.”
21 – Hinsdale (Central) 2018 Finish – 11th IHSA 3A State Coach – Jim Westphal Runners to Watch – Piyush Mekla JR (49, 15:01), Carter McCarroll SR (116, 15:28), Colby Revord SO, Daniel Watcke FR, Aaron Lu SR, Chinmay Amin SR, Daniel Skora SR, Thomas Kusak JR, Victor Bouret JR, Henning Lay JR, Mason Steele SR, Henry Gruber SO, Grant Miller FR. Preview – This is a team that I would keep an eye on especially when they get to the state series in October. The Red Devils only have two runners returning from last year’s 11th place state team. They do have some young talent that could step up to the varsity level. “Our summer training went well and was consistent,” Jim Westphal said. “We’ve had a few dings, aches, & pains but it’s been manageable. Our kids worked extremely hard and were diligent in their day to day training. Very methodical. We had a number of rising seniors really set great examples of putting in the work that will hopefully pay off in the fall.” Piyush Mekla had a breakout sophomore season last fall as the team’s second runner. He should be the #1 runner this year and could be in reach of a top 25 finish. Carter McCarroll was among the top five runners all last year and should be within 10 seconds of Mekla this fall. This team is young. We could see some new faces emerge in the top seven. One of those runners is Daniel Watcke. Last May at Magis Miles, he won the junior high mile running 4:37.14. He may not be up on varsity right away, but the freshman could be up on varsity by the time they get to state series. Senior Aaron Lu and Thomas Kusak should be among the top five. Sophomore Colby Revord ran in the regional and sectional races last year and will be a factor in the top five.
22 – Wheaton (North) 2018 Finish – 8th 3A Niles West Sectional Coach – Nate Roe Runners to Watch – Josh Gorup SR, Will Roth JR, John Logan SR, Mauricio Xochitecatl SR, Joseph Parker SR, Henry Frye JR, Ryan Schreiner SO, Ryan Zydek SO, Sam Walkout JR, Jonah Noyes SO, Lucas Urchell SR, Seth Reiske SR. Sam Carlson SO. Preview – This could be the year that the Falcons get to the state meet. They have the talent coming back ready to make the charge to Peoria. Five runners are back from their eighth-place sectional team. “Our training has been great, with a solid group of 8-10 guys in the top group,” Nate Roe said. “We have added more progression within our long runs and brought back some old fashioned fartlek work. Guys are healthy and ready to work together towards a common goal. We realize that it's been a few years since we've had a team qualify for state but that's the main goal for this group. We'd also like to move up into the top 3 in the DuKane Conference. It will be a formidable task once again.” This team to have a top five split of 40 to 44 seconds led by Josh Gorup and Will Roth. Mauricio Xochitecatl improved during the track season along with Henry Frye. Both should contribute to their top seven. “One thing that really helps us get is that we have 3-4 of our guys vying for the top 7 who were track state qualifiers. This gives us a level of poise and experience that we haven't had in a while, “ said Roe. “Our returning varsity members of Josh Gorup, Will Roth, Mauricio Xochitecatl, John Logan, and Joseph Parker have all looked great thus far. Add in 4x8 qualifier Henry Frye, sub 4:40 Jr Sam Walhout, and a surging Sam Carlson, and we believe that we have enough to achieve our goals.”
23 – Park Ridge (Maine South) 2018 Finish – 13th IHSA 3A State Coach – Greg Nordahl Runners to Watch – Joey Kasch SR (44, 14:59), Adam Christopher SR (158, 15:48), Walter Glockner SR (174, 15:55), Luke Burkum SR (183, 15:57), Matt Coyle JR, Sean Bauer SR, Brad Altman SR, Jack Walsh SR, Danny Murges JR, Eamon Brady JR, Matt Cull JR. Preview – The Hawks could be among the top10 teams in the state by the time we get to the state series. Maine South finished 13th in last year’s state meet. They return four runners from that team but will miss graduated multi all-state runner Tommy Brady who is now at the University of Michigan. “We had a group of 10 very hardworking and solid runners that completed our summer training, and most attended the UW-M Camp of Champions,” said Coach Greg Nordahl. “They look very strong and I believe make us an extremely competitive team. I thought we would be in rebuilding mode this year, but the way they have worked makes me think very differently.” Joey Kasch should step into the #1 spot. He did not have his best race of the year last fall but rebounded to earn all-state honors in the Class 3A 1600 Meter Run. A top 15 finish in November is within his grasp. Adam Christopher, Walter Glockner, and Luke Burkum were in the top five at some points last year and should contribute. Matt Cull and Eamon Brady played soccer last year but came out for cross country in 2019. Cull ran 4:30 for 1600-meters last spring. Brady just ran 16:05 at Detweiller at Dark in July. “Last year was a disappointment as we did not have the race that we were capable of at state and placed 13th,” Nordahl said. “Depending on how things shake out we should be able to be a top ten team this year with potential for more.”
24 – Wilmette (Loyola Academy) 2018 Finish – 9th 3A Niles West Sectional Coach – Dan Seeberg Runners to Watch – Spencer Dzyacky JR, Spencer Werner SO, Harry Wood Prince SO (transfer from Latin School; 2A 68, 15:53), Alex Owens SR, Michael Solmos JR, Leo Stanton JR, Cameron Matejka JR, Jack Garrigus JR, James Delaney SR, Ryan Dettling SR, Seichi Shinozaki SO. Preview – Could be an interesting team to keep an eye on. They return four runners from last year’s ninth-place sectional team. The Ramblers also did get in transfer Harry Wood Prince from Latin School. The sophomore ran in the 2A State Meet and should be in the top five for this team. Loyola has a dynamic duo in the front with Spencer Werner and Spencer Dzyacky leading the way. Werner had a breakout track season running 9:18 for 3200-meters. The sophomore also competed in the USATF National Junior Olympic winning the 1500 Meter Run and 3000 Meter Run in the 15-16 Year Old age group.
25 – Batavia 2018 Finish – 9th 3A Waubonsie Valley Sectional Coach – Bronco Meeks Runners to Watch – Adam Kennedy SR, Joseph Knanishu SR, Damian Rodriguez SR, Eamon Samsami SR, Ryan Mansour JR, Ryan Hamilton SR, Joshua Newburn SR, Matthew Ashe SR, Brody Kmoch JR, Ian Rousseau JR, Nathan Szuberla SO, Quintin Lowe FR. Preview – The Bulldogs had a disappointing end to last season finishing ninth in the Waubonsie Valley Sectional. Four of the five runners coming back from that lineup are seniors. You can imagine what kind of drive they will have entering the season. Coach Bronco Meeks made some adjustments with their training this summer that could pay dividends in November. “Summer training went well. We changed our approach with a few athletes. Last year we ran into some health issues around the middle of the season,” said Coach Meeks. “Overall our team looks good. We have some great senior leaders that all have multiple years of varsity experience. They have been a huge asset to the team and have really been taking our talented group of freshman under their wing.” Adam Kennedy and Eamon Samsami got through the summer healthy and will be watched during the season. Kennedy’s iron/ferritin levels are starting to come back up according to Meeks. Samsami was hit with Lyme disease during track in 2018. He was hit with mono in cross country season last fall. Joseph Knanishu and Damian Rodriguez give the team a strong first four. Meeks said to keep on Quintin Lowe. The freshman had a good middle school career and could be in the top five by the state series. “The athletes are excited to be competing against the great teams in the DuKane Conference,” said Meeks. “While it will be challenging going against 2 of the state's best teams, it will certainly help them to prepare for the postseason. We were disappointed with our sectional performance last year. 5 of the athletes from the 2018 team are returning. Most of them are seniors and they definitely would like to redeem themselves from a sub-par performance.”
The Next 20 Teams (in alphabetical order)
Cary (Cary-Grove) 2018 Finish – 12th 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional Coach – Layne Holter Runners to Watch – Maxum Caesar SR (103, 15:22), Ian Barnes SO, Joseph Drage SO, Ryan Peters JR, James Grant SO, Eric Christensen SR, Adam Caesar SR, Dominic Garrard SO, Ethan Rische JR, Ashby Jordan SO. Preview – The Trojans will look to improve on their 12th place sectional finish. They return three from that team led by state individual qualifier Maxum Caesar. Sophomores Ian Barnes, Joseph Drage, James Grant along with junior Ryan Peters should be the nucleus of their top seven. Peters missed most of last season due to injury. With possibly four underclassmen in their top five, Cary-Grove could be a team to watch on the state scene in 2020.
Edwardsville 2018 Finish – 20th IHSA 3A State Coach – George Patrylak Runners to Watch – Zach Walters SR (129, 15:33), Jack Pifer SR (155, 15:47), Henry Gruben SR (196, 16:15), Xander Valdez SR (203, 16:32), Drew Stover JR, Geordan Patrylak SO, Kurt Brase SR, Ryan Lutjohan SO, Jack Perulfi JR, Mason Miller SO, Jaylin Ruckman JR, Ryan Watts (transfer from West Aurora). Preview – The Tigers will need to do a little rebuilding but should be able to get back to the state meet after finish 20th at Detweiller last November. Four runners are back from that team led by Zach Walters and Jack Pifer. Both runners could be close to the top 50 this season. Pifer ran 15:02 at the Peoria Invitational at the end of September. “We have had 20 plus boys all summer long, with solid senior leadership,” George Patrylak said. “Although I wish numbers would be higher, the majority of the athletes mentioned above have been in attendance regularly and should be ready to go. I anticipate a roster of over 50 runners again this year. We have not had any key injuries to date this summer.” Ryan Watts transferred from West Aurora where he won the Frosh/Soph title at the Upstate Eight Conference Meet. He could be a factor in the top five along with Geordan Patrylak and Drew Stover.
Evanston (Township) 2018 Finish – 10th 3A Niles West Sectional Coach – Don Michelin Runners to Watch – Max Peterson SR (35, 14;56), James Moran SR, Jack Rutstein SR, Conor Ward SR, Alan Ellis JR, JT Darin JR, George Whiting JR, Owen Briggman JR, Aidan Vernon JR, Isaac Ren JR. Preview – It could be tough for the Wildkits to get into the top five of their sectional especially how rough the Lake Park Sectional will be again this fall. Evanston finished 10th last year returning five runners from that team. Max Peterson should be the top runner again for this team after qualifying for the state meet individually. He could be in the top 25 at state this fall. Their split on five runners could be close to two minutes. Work will need to be done on that split for this team to be close to a top 10 sectional finish.
Fox Lake (Grant Community) 2018 Finish – 8th 3A Grant Regional Coach – Jeff Durlak Runners to Watch – Justin Splitt SR, Colton Romig JR, Ryan Bishop SR, Josh Delgado JR, Randal Holm SO, Emilio Figueroa JR, Clayton Cottrell SO, Hunter Harvey JR, Christian Suaste SR. Preview – This could be a team that could surprise in the sectionals this fall. Grant did not make it that far last year finishing eighth in their own regional. Four runners are back from that team. They will miss Jalen Rios and Charlie Hamann who did not run this summer in the team’s running camp according to Grant Coach Jeff Durlak. “Our summer training went really well,” said Durlak. “Most of our experienced returners were consistently at our summer camp and completing their training on their own. The boys have gradually increased their training throughout the summer with few setbacks and are healthy transitioning into the season.” Justin Splitt qualified for the sectionals last year and should take the next step to the state meet. Splitt was all-state for 800 Meters at the Class State Meet last May. Colton Romig missed the last month of last season due to a leg injury. He is healthy and ready to go. Ryan Bishop had a good summer of training and gives the Bulldogs a solid third runner.
Geneva 2018 Finish – 7th 3A Waubonsie Valley Sectional Coach – Peter Raak Runners to Watch – Ben Calusinski JR (52, 15:03), Eric Palmquist SR, Vladis Slokenbergs SR, Colby Coronado JR, Xander Thomson SR, Logan Keen SO, Aaron Beck SR, Nathan Lehman SO, Jacob Caballero JR, Adam Coats JR, Ryan DeMarco SR, Connor Chadwell SR. Preview – The Vikings could be close to qualifying for the state meet after finishing seventh last year at Waubonsie Valley. Five runners are back from that team led by Ben Calusinski. The junior finished 52nd last year. He could be within a top 25 state finish in November. “I'm very happy with how our summer training has gone,” Peter Raak said. “We have had a nice group of boys who have been very consistent with their training and have built their aerobic strength over these weeks. Other athletes waiting in the wings and showing improvement are Colby Coronado, Nathan Lehman, and Brady Ahern. These kids have taken their commitment level up a notch and this summer and have basically ate, slept, and breathed running all summer.” One other runner that had a great summer was Eric Palmquist who juggled triathlon training with cross country training. He was the team’s fourth runner in last year’s sectional and could be one of the reason’s why this team qualifies for the state meet in 2019. “The expectations for the athletes remain constant. We expect to work hard, continue team traditions, and make memories with teammates,” added Raak. “We expect all to fully commit to the program regardless of age and talent, to work at an appropriate level, and see improvement during the season. At the varsity level, we expect to contend in a very challenging DuKane Conference and vie for a trip to the state meet.”
Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West) 2018 Finish – 6th IHSA 3A State Coach – Kyle Nugent Runners to Watch – Pierce Cousins JR (81, 15:15), William Hohe JR (144, 15:40), Tyler Yeager JR, Colin Hess JR, Ben McGrath JR, Andrew Malek SR, Sullivan Monteith SO, Michael Miller SO, Jeff Johnston SR, Austin Nielsen SO. Preview – Glenbard West lost the most talent among the state meet qualifying schools last year finishing sixth in Peoria. This will be a young team with just two runners back from their top seven. They will miss the leadership of all-state runners Rory Cavan and Stephen Moody. “Losing last year's senior class will obviously be tough, but there is a silver lining,” Coach Kyle Nugent said. “Those guys created a culture that emphasized team success, hard work, and high expectations. With that structure in place, this year's team is locked into that mindset. While we did lose a lot of talent, I know these guys have a chip on their shoulder. This summer's training has been more pack-heavy. After our top two, we have a nice pack of 6-7 guys that we'll rely on. Compared to last year, we did scale back some runs & workouts. We also tried to work in more cross training than usual this summer. The volume is not quite where it was last year, but that's been good as the training has been high quality and we've remained pretty healthy all summer.” William Hohe had a good season last track season and ramped it up with an even better summer. He finished 144th last year. A top 50 state finish would not surprise me. Neither would a top 25 finish from him surprise me. Pierce Cousins could have a breakout junior season along with teammates Colin Hess and Tyler Yeager. This is a young team that could make it to state, but it could be tough in a sectional like Lake Park. “We just want to have fun developing this team. There's a lot of work to do,” said Nugent. “There's a lot of personality on this team, and so far, it's been a fun summer. We hope to keep having fun while we work to improve. We want to stay focused on team success. If we can stay healthy and keep our pack improving, we hope to remain competitive within the conference and hopefully make another trip downstate as a team.”
Glenview (Glenbrook South) 2018 Finish – 7th 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional Coach -Kurt Hasenstein Runners to Watch – Will Kelly SR, Will Houser SR, James Kurtzweil SR, Brian Hiltebrand SO, Harrison Wollney JR, Matt Finkel JR, Wade Herrera SR, Dane Branstrom JR, James Scott JR, Tyson Anthony JR. Preview – A team that I would watch for first in the Central Suburban League and then chasing after a top five finish in their sectional. The Titans finished seventh last year in the Hoffman Estates Sectional. They return five of last year’s top seven. “Our training this summer was good,” said Kurt Hasenstein. “Our top guys were able to build on to what they did last summer, and everyone is healthy which will obviously be critical as we progress into our meets” The thing that will power this team this fall is their pack running. Glenbrook South only had a 20 second split in their sectional race from first runner Will Kelly to fifth runner Brian Hiltebrand. Will Houser and James Kurtzweil will also be a part again of this scoring group. Matt Finkel and Harrison Wollney will challenge for the fifth and sixth spots. “Our goal is to finish in top half of the CSL and challenge the perennial powers (New Trier and Maine South) for the top spots,” added Hasenstein. “Post season goals also include advancing out of regionals and sectionals and make it to the state meet for the first time in many years.”
Gurnee (Warren Township) 2018 Finish – 9th 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional Coach – Bill Dawson Runners to Watch – Griffin Pasha JR, Luke Wiley SO, Andrew Metcalf SR, Carlos Villa JR, Hunter Subry SR, John Wiser SR, Maxwell Zeisler SO, Samuel Yoder SR, Nathan Paperniak SR, Nathan Garcia SO, Caleb Levy FR, Cole Kaethner FR, Fahim Rafi FR. Preview – The Blue Devils could be a surprise in the Schaumburg Sectional especially with the talent they have coming back. Six runners from their sectional team that finished ninth are back. “Our summer training probably the best we have had in seven years,” Bill Dawson said. “I think the realization that we could have a pretty nice team this year has been a strong motivator. We return 6 out of our top 7 from last year. I also think the success of the 4x800 at last spring's state track meet helped to convince them that they can compete. A number of them went to Madison for the Wisconsin camp and that was beneficial because they had more people to push them. The team had a 46 second split in their sectional race. That should come down led by Griffin Pasha and Luke Wiley. Keeping focused on the prize getting to Peoria could challenge them and push this group harder. “I think our expectation is to compete,” Dawson said. “We have some talented runners. Griffin Pasha ran 15:35 at Detweiller at Dark. Luke Wiley was 2nd in the freshmen 1600 at Distance Night at Palatine. Hunter Subry has a medal from state track meet. The North Suburban Conference is loaded this fall. There are 5 schools in the conference with at least 2 runners capable of running sub 15:00 on the state course. Throw in the MSL and CSL schools into the Sectional and there are going to be some very good runners/teams who don't make it out. We just have to do our best and at the end of the day have no regrets on our performance.”
Huntley 2018 Finish – 17th IHSA 3A State Coach – Matt Kaplan Runners to Watch – Ian Geisler SR (17, 14:44), Jimmy Ozzauto SR (201, 16:20), Brice Klepfer SR (208, 17:14), Thomas Patel JR, Charlie Kucz SO, Barach Yops SO, Ryan Besch JR, Blake Nasternak JR, Brady Bird JR, Matt Saldivar SR, Jake Leonard SO, Ben Rocks FR. Preview – This could be a rebuilding year for the Red Raiders. Their second, third, fourth, and fifth runners have graduated from their state team that finished 17th. “I was very pleased with the work put in by our boys team this summer,” Matt Kaplan said. “We had a group of 25-30 boys put in consistent quality weeks. The weather has been great this summer and I liked the attitudes shown each morning. I was pleased to see new faces push themselves up to our front group and started to write their own story already. It's been good to see new boys take on the leadership needed in the summer to get us going in the right direction. I enjoyed being around the positive attitudes each morning shown by our boys.” Ian Geisler finished 17th earning all-state honors last fall and will be the team’s top runner. A top 10 finish by Geisler is probable. Jimmy Ozzauto and Brice Klepfer, both seniors, form the nucleus of the pack behind Geisler. Charlie Kucz had a great summer of training and could push for one of those top three spots. “I'm very excited for this upcoming season,” added Kaplan. “This season reminds me of our team 3 years ago when we went through growing pains and a team rebuild. Up front having a runner like Ian Geisler gets our team scoring off to a great start, but we'll need our other boys to step up and close our scoring off ASAP to have any chance of success in the postseason. We will be a work in progress from the start of this season to the end.”
Lake Forest 2018 Finish – 13th IHSA 2A State Coach – Matthew Jerina Runners to Watch – Nathan Schmitt SR (2, 14:47), Ben Rosa SR (40, 15:36), Kaleb Whiteside JR (53, 15:45), Casey Hippel JR (166, 16:55), Nicholas Tegel JR (177, 17:07), Ethan Lane SR (198, 17:34), Joshua Lane SR, Carson Ward SR, Daniel McKiernan SR. Preview – The Scouts make the jump up to Class 3A for the next two years after finishing 13th in the Class 2A Championships. This team just missed the 3A Top 25 entering into this season. The Scouts have six runners back from their 2018 state team. Lake Forest had a strong pack of three runners in the front. Nathan Schmitt finished second in the 2A race last November and could challenge for a finish in the top 15 in the 3A state meet. Ben Rosa had a great track season finishing third last May in the Class 3A 1600 Meter Run. Schmitt and Rosa were separated by 49 seconds last year in Peoria. The two runners will be closer this season. Kaleb Whiteside dropped his personal best for 1600-meters down to 4:31.11. He was within five seconds of Rosa in their conference meet, nine seconds last year at state. How close will the two runners be this season? What could hurt this team is the gap between Whiteside and their fourth and fifth runners. It averaged around 65 seconds at the end of 2018. Casey Hippel and Nicholas Tegel need to be within 40 seconds of Whiteside for this team to have a chance to advance back to Peoria.
Libertyville 2018 Finish – 8th 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional Coach – Stuart Mendelsohn Runners to Watch – Will Gordon SR (78, 15:13), Liam Tucker JR, Ali Faiz SO, Andrew Clark JR, Ben Scheunemann SR, Emmett Burke SR, Isaac Sweitzer JR, Dylan McCarthy SO, Jack Hamilton SO, Ethan Hansen JR. Preview – A team that if they do not make it the state meet in November, they will make it in 2020.There are four runners back from the team that finished eighth in the Hoffman Estates Sectional. Six of the seven runners projected to run in their top seven this fall are underclassmen. “Our training went well due to the cool start of summer break,” Stuart Mendelsohn said. “I have a young team this year that are passionate about a goal of making it to state as a team.” Will Gordon is the lone senior in this group. Gordon made it to state last year as an individual qualifier placing 78th. Liam Tucker, Ali Faiz, and Andrew Clark lead the group behind Gordon. This team is projected to have a split on five of close to 100 seconds. Gordon will get the team the low numbers. A split from their second through fifth runners of 47 seconds or closer and staying within 25 seconds of Gordon could get this team to the state meet.
Lincolnshire (Stevenson) 2018 Finish – 10th 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional Coach – Scott Sommers Runners to Watch – Anthony Rodriguez SR, Cameron Coffey SR, Corey Pacernick SR, Cameron Sprague SR, Aidan Plautz SO, Jack Lee JR, Tyler Roberts SO, Connor Wang JR, Stuart Rand SR, Mark Lozonyoy SR. Preview – The Patriots return four from last year’s team that finished 10th at the Hoffman Estates Sectional. Anthony Rodriguez missed qualifying by three spots in last year’s sectional race should lead this team. The top four projected runners are should be all seniors. Their split on the top five needs to stay under 42 seconds with Rodriguez near the front for this team to have state qualifying hopes.
Mt. Prospect (Prospect) 2018 Finish – 16th 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional Coach – Mike Stokes Runners to Watch – Erik Snell SR, Andy McNally SO, Thomas Walter SR, Logan Mertes SR, Nicholas Squillacioti JR, Kevin Slawacki JR, Jack Dechoudens SO, TJ Garland SO, Matthew Brooks JR, Sean Kura SO. Preview – The Knights have a good core of seniors that could help them push into the top ten of their sectional. Five runners are back from Prospect’s 16th place team. Erik Snell again should be the top runner on this team. He missed qualifying for state in his sectional by one place. He did have a good track season running 9:26.34 for 3200-meters and 4:20.23 for 1600-meters. It could be a group of sophomores that pushes this team forward this year. Andy McNally and Sean Kura are good bets to be part of their top seven. Seniors Thomas Walter and Logan Mertes will be pushing Snell in the front.
Naperville (North) 2018 Finish – 15th IHSA 3A State Coach – Tim Brown Runners to Watch – Jake Allen SR (34, 14:56), Gabriel Ryan SO (148, 15:45), Chase Burrell JR (177, 15:56), Tommy Paltzer JR (202,16:23), Joshua Tong SR, Nick Williams JR, Harrison Boelke SO, Jeremy Liu SR, Julian Head JR, Peter James Harrison SO Preview – Naperville North is another team that just missed the pre-season Class 3A Top 25. They do have the talent to make the return back to Peoria in November. Four state runners are back for new Head Coach Tim Brown. “Since this is my 1st year as head coach (and I obtained the position relatively late spring), I kept our summer training pretty much the same as years past,” Brown said. We run the camp together with Dan Iverson and the girls, and both he and Dave Racey have created a great summer structure of training. Kids respond well to it and have experienced success in the fall, so it made sense to keep it. My focus and message throughout the camp this season has been consistency. Run, train, rest, etc. consistently and you will set yourself up for success.” Jake Allen finished 34th as the team’s top runner at state last year. Allen had a great track season where he was all-state finishing seventh in the Class 3A 3200 Meter Run. Big things are ahead for him this fall where he could finish in the top 10. There are a strong group of underclassmen that will form a group behind Allen. Gabriel Ryan, Chase Burrell, Tommy Paltzer, and Nick Williams could step into the second through fifth runner positions. The split needs to be under 30 seconds for this group and within 40 seconds of Allen for a repeat trip to Peoria to happen. “The guys are focused on qualifying for state and improving on last year’s performance,” Brown added. “I think our team definitely has the potential to achieve that as well as have Jake Allen have an opportunity to be an all-state runner. Physically, we train hard; however, we need to spend more time focusing on mental toughness. We run against tough competition all season long. I expect us to be both physically and mentally ready for the competition.”
Normal (Community West) 2018 Finish – 7th 3A Quincy Sectional Coach – Chad Aubin Runners to Watch – Charlie Wetzel SR (7, 14:30), Cody Dunn SO, Josh Perry JR, Grayson Talaski JR, Elijah Bush JR, Jalen Erps SO, Owen Gieseler SO, Logan Saufley JR. Preview – The opportunity is ready for Normal West to advance to the state meet especially running on their home course at Maxwell Park for sectionals. Five runners are back from last year’s seventh-place sectional team. A major loss is that their #2 runner from last year Luke Reinhart needed surgery for his hip and will be out for the year. It does help that they have Charlie Wetzel leading them. Wetzel was all-state last year in cross country (7th) and last spring in track in the Class 3A 3200 Meter Run (6th). The sky is the limit for him this year as he should be one of the elite runners in the state. There will be a gap between the pack and Wetzel. With Reinhart out, Cody Dunn will lead the pack that could have a split of 65 to 70 seconds. Getting those number down and getting the pack within 70 seconds of Wetzel will be something to watch for. “The goal and expectation is continued self-improvement,” said Coach Chad Aubin. “We will continue to focus on the process of being better than we were the day before. Doing that will hopefully lead to exciting results when it comes to championship season.”
Oswego 2018 Finish – 7th 3A Oswego East Regional Coach – Daniel Whipple Runners to Watch – Jacob Bohnert SR, Kole Schramm SR, Owen Erickson JR, Balin Doud SO, John Harshberger JR, Colby Lee SO, Ethan Forsell SO, Benjamin Huey SO, Jacob Everix JR, Tai Frederich SR. Preview – Oswego returns four runners from their top seven of a year ago. The Panthers will look to extend their season an extra week after finishing seventh in the Oswego East Regional. Jacob Bohnert, who qualified individually for sectionals should lead this team. The top five, which is projected with a 77 second split, will have another senior Kole Schramm leading the pack.
Palatine 2018 Finish – 13th 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional Coach – Chris Quick Runners to Watch – Richie Jacobo SR (23, 14:49), Andrew Duran SR, Ian Cameron SR, Andrew Johns JR, Andrew Jordan FR, Jack Casaccio FR, Brandon Waller JR, Thomas O’Sullivan SO, Patrick McClanahan SO, Alex Reyes SR. Preview – The Pirates return four runners from last year’s 13th place sectional team. This team does have the talent to challenge for a top five finish in their sectional in November. Richie Jacobo earned all-state honors by finishing 23rd in last year’s state meet. A higher finish is probable for this senior perhaps the top 10.He is stayed healthy according to Coach Chris Quick which is important. H missed the first six weeks of last season due to IT Band issues. What will help Palatine is a great class of freshmen runners coming in. They may not help the varsity on day one but keep an eye on them when they get to the state series. “We have possibly the strongest incoming freshmen class in Palatine history,” Quick added. “It is highlighted by Andrew Jordan, who finished 2nd in Class A IESA cross country and ran 4:49 for 1600, and Jack Casaccio, who ran 4:34 for 1500 at the beginning of the summer. We also have a great deal of depth so these guys should be fun to watch grow. Probably our largest and fastest group ever (in my tenure for sure).” Work will need to be done with the pack behind Jacobo. That work may happen if the two freshmen develop and come into the varsity. Keeping a split on five of 30 seconds will be something to keep an eye on. Keeping the pack within 40 to 45 seconds would be nice also. “Our summer training has been consistent with good depth,” said Quick. “We decreased our mileage a bit since our team is so young, but that has allowed our guys to be fresher and to avoid injury. We seem fit, but we haven’t really tested how fast we are in strenuous workout or race conditions. We shall see.”
Plainfield (South) 2018 Finish – 6th 3A Marist Sectional Coach – Jason Crowe Runners to Watch – Jake Schoo SR, Matthew Graham JR, Ryan Wengler SR, Riley Jepsen JR, Matthew Jalcovik JR, Scott Crabb SO, Grant Trentz JR, Ramsey Littrell JR, Matthew Pierson JR, Aman Townsend JR. Preview – This would be a team to watch for by the time they get to the state series. There could be growing pains for the Cougars this year especially losing three state qualifiers including all-state runner Christian Knowlton along with two runners projected in the top five that decided not to go out for the team. “We have had a nice summer of training,” said Coach Jason Crowe. “Our summer running was led by our 3 seniors, Jake Schoo, Ryan Wengler and Nick Escobar. Our numbers are a little down this summer, but we consistently had 20 young men committed to their team and working together throughout the summer. As a coach, I will always be happy with quality over quantity and we definitely had quality this summer.” Schoo was the team’s fifth runner most of last year and will step into the leader’s role in 2019. The Cougars will need good pack running to be in the sectional qualifying mix. The key is keeping their pack within 35 seconds of Schoo and within 20 seconds of each other. If they can accomplish those things by the time they get to the state series, this could be a team that gives their competition problems beginning at the end of October.
St. Charles (North) 2018 Finish – 12th 3A Waubonsie Valley Sectional Coach – Kevin Harrington Runners to Watch – Ryan Arnold SR (74, 15:13), Ben Cook SR, Noah Eng JR, Patrick Obernesser SR, Kaden Kirby SR, Cooper Hornstrom JR, Connor Lundborg JR, Joey Santoro SO, Drew King SR, Scott Wagner SR. Preview – Could we see this team in the top half of the DuKane Conference this season? Will the North Stars qualify for the state meet? The probabilities of saying yes to these questions are good. St. Charles North finished 12th in their sectional last year but return five of their top seven runners. Ryan Arnold qualified last year for state finishing 74th at Detweiller Park. He could surprise in the top 25 this fall. He just missed qualifying for the Class 3A 3200 Meter Run running 9:31.07. He is ready for the next step up. This team will have a good second through fifth pack with a split of 15 to 20 seconds expected. Arnold will be moving up closer to the front. The pack will also need to staying within 30 seconds of their #1 runner led by Ben Cook and Kaden Kirby. “We have two dates in mind this season- October 19 (DKC Conference) and November 2 (Sectionals),” Coach Kevin Harrington said. “The goal is simple. Be our best on those dates. Anything can happen if we take care of our business at that time. We expect to be a team that competes in Peoria in November.”
Yorkville 2018 Finish – 6th 3A Quincy Sectional Coach – Chris Muth Runners to Watch – Ivan Westcott JR (122, 15:31), Jackson Edwards JR, Austin Hunter SR, Jack Stillmukes SO, Aiden Goodwin JR, Colin Kachlic JR, Nicholas Clever SO, Jack Brucher JR, Austin Popplewell JR, Ben Whaley FR. Preview – Chris Muth steps back to coach the Boys team and the Girls team at Yorkville. He will have good talent to work with this season. The Foxes just missed state qualifying last year by eight points finishing sixth at the Quincy Sectional. Four runners are back from last year’s team. Ivan Westcott qualified individually and will again be the top runner for this team. The pack should be 20 to 25 seconds with Jackson Edwards, Austin Hunter, Colin Kachlic, and Jack Stillmukes part of the pack. Kachlic, who missed last fall, had a great summer of training according to Muth and could be a factor this year in the top five. “My expectations are that we continue to develop and push the envelope every chance we can,” said Muth “We have a lot of Juniors and Sophomores that will be the makeup of our varsity and it’s time for them to not just train like it but have the confidence to race like it. They will improve as the season progresses, but it’s up to them to fight for a state weekend invitation. They have to start a new standard in Yorkville Boys cross country. We might be a year away, but it is up to them to prove that we aren't. I think by the end of the season we will be tough to keep out of the state meet.”
Other Teams to Watch (in alphabetical order)
Aurora (West) 2018 Finish – 8th 3A Oswego East Regional Coach – Anthony Rizzo Runners to Watch – Jackson Morrill SR, Julian Deleon SR, Seth Kunio SO, Horacio Rosario SO, Ty Rodgers SO, Nathan Lindstrom SO, Cesar Lopez SR, Brandon Ngosong SO, Jesus Sanchez SO. Preview – The start of the 2019 season for West Aurora means new beginnings such as moving this year from the Upstate Eight Conference to the Southwest Prairie Conference. Three runners are back from last year’s eighth-place regional team. The Blackhawks will be young but could extend their season an extra week. Jackson Morrill qualified individually for sectionals and will be joined by fellow senior Julian Deleon in the front. The rest of the top seven should be comprised by sophomores. We may not get a true indication of how good this team is until the state series. “We are going to be a young team on the Varsity level, so that is a hard season to swallow,” Coach Anthony Rizzo said. “However, there are several Varsity athletes who will be knocking on the state qualification door this season. They have put in the work and will turn some heads.”
Bartlett 2018 Finish – 7th 3A Hampshire Regional Coach – Dennis Lau Runners to Watch – Sam Jennes SR, Luke Jennes SR, Ramsell Lopez SO, Chase Konstancer JR, Kevin Prashaad JR, Carter Erd SO, Louie Paul JR, Braydon Barth SO, Steven Kalish SR, Adrian Acosta SR. Preview – Bartlett missed out on the sectionals last year but that could change in 2019. New coach Dennis Lau welcomes back five of the top seven that finished seventh in the Hampshire Regional. Brothers Sam and Luke Jennes ran close together last season trading off the team’s top spot. That should happen again this fall. “We had a great summer in terms of training. Everybody showed up every day and is committed to getting better,” Lau said. “I could not be any happier with our summer training. We got over 500 miles in our training and everybody is healthy. The combination of building a good base has already led to some great speed workouts already.” The pack behind the two will be young and will need to move closer. Ramsell Lopez and Chase Konstancier should lead that group that should be 15 to 22 seconds within each other. “We finished 4th in the conference last year,” added Lau. “Our team goal is to win the conference this year and improve on our finishes at the regional and sectional.”
Chicago (Lane Tech) 2018 Finish – 12th 3A Niles West Sectional Coach – Kris Roof Runners to Watch – Jack Burns SR, Tommy Donohoe SR, Jonathan Archer JR, Denys Chelak JR, Theo Canji JR, Alex McBride SR, Nick Gloss SR, Aidan Pacius JR, Declan Roomey JR, Adam Neale JR. Preview – The Indians will look to get to the top half of their sectional in 2019. Lane Tech returns four runners from the sectional team that finished 12th at Niles West. Jack Burns was the #2 runner last season and should step up one spot this fall. Burns had a good track season dropping his personal best down to 1:56.39 for 800-meters and was a part of his team’s 4x800m Relay that made the state finals. This squad could surprise some this fall as they have the ability to run a top five split from 38 to 42 seconds. The key will be moving that pack closer to the front in races.
Chicago (Whitney Young) 2018 Finish – 6th 3A Niles West Sectional Coach – Bob Geiger Runners to Watch – Paxton Ferencak JR, Daniel Murphy JR, Aiden Lorenz JR, Carlos Moreno JR, Bryce Wolf JR, Ryder Kern SO, Trinton Moore JR, Ryan Wong JR, Seth Carlson JR, Jack Fleck SO, Carlos Barillas SO, Jameson Koonce SO. Preview – This will be a different team than the one that stepped to the line last year at the Niles West Sectional. The Dolphins finished sixth in that race missing state qualifying by 13 points. Billy Poole-Harris is now the assistant coach at Indiana State University, Bob Geiger, who coach the Girls team at Whitney Young but retired a few years ago, steps in to coach the Boys team. Justin Villasenor was supposed to be the only returning runner but did not appear in the team’s camp over the summer and does not look like he will be on the team according to Geiger. This squad is young with juniors and sophomores that are expected to comprise of their top seven. The biggest surprise could be a junior, Paxton Ferencak. He ran 18:02 at their conference meet a year ago. Ferencak trained with a group over the summer. He recently dropped a 9:47 time in a 2-mile time trial. I would keep an eye on him this fall. “I am very optimistic. We have made a lot of improvements but need to see how they work out in races, Geiger said. “Our summer training has been outstanding. At the end of the track season I laid out expectations and the team responded. Without Sam Rivera and Charlie Nevins (and graduating most of our top 7, except Justin Villasenor who has been absent all summer and may not be on the team) we needed to really step up to compete.”
Deerfield 2018 Finish – 15th 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional Coach – Scott Friedlander Runners to Watch – Josh Puyear JR, Ben Kraemer SR, Cole Bernstein SO, Charlie Hart JR, Jacob Nitsun SR, Andrew Osborn JR, Ben Zamler JR, Mac Cooley SR, Elai Spector SR, Jason Dahlberg SR. Preview – Deerfield will look to step into the top 10 of their sectional after finishing 15th at the Hoffman Estates Sectional last year. Four runners are back from that team that could have a top five split at the end of the year under 50 seconds. The big improver on this team was Josh Puyear who wowed those that saw him run at Detweiller at Dark in July. “I didn’t realize the extent of his improvement until Detweiller at Dark, but he has improved tremendously,” said coach Scott Friedlander. “In practice it was obvious that Josh is our top runner, but not by that much. Then holy cow did he blow away everyone’s expectations at Detweiller at Dark. 15:06! I would have expected 15:45ish and would have been thrilled with 15:30. But 15:06! Wow. He had a good freshman year, but he got hurt at the end of freshman track season which really dampened his sophomore summer. He still managed 15:44 sophomore year, but now with a clean bill of health for about a year, he has risen to new heights. He is tough as nails and will chase top runners without fear.” There could be runners that are within 10 to 20 seconds of Puyear including Ben Kraemer and Cole Bernstein. The three were within nine seconds of each other in the sectional race. “We’re a young team. Our seniors are excellent leaders, but most of the top runners are in the junior and sophomore classes. We might see as few as one senior in our Top 7, although only time will tell. We’re much deeper than we’ve ever been too. We have 15 guys returning who broke 5:00 in the 1600 in track season, and only four of them are rising seniors. The same times that got you in our Varsity Top 7 a few years ago might not even get you in the JV Top 7 this season,” added Friedlander. “Team-wise, we have the same goal as every year we are 3A. These guys would like to be the first Deerfield team to qualify for State in the big class since 1983. It’s a very difficult goal, but this is probably our best team yet.”
DeKalb 2018 Finish – 11th 3A Waubonsie Valley Sectional Coach – Mike Wolf Runners to Watch – Emmanuel Yepiz SR, Juan Castro SR, Aidan Donahue SR, Eric Jang SR, Karl Olsen JR, Riley Newport FR, Angel Fernandez FR, Ulysses Ramos JR, Hayden Borunda JR, Connor Donohue SO. Preview – DeKalb makes the move from the NIB-12 Conference to the DuPage Valley Conference starting this fall. The Barbs return four runners that have state series experience. Aidan Donahue and Emmanuel Yepiz expect to be the top runners on this team. Juan Castro and Eric Jang should be close behind. Their pack should improve with the addition of Riley Newport. The freshman enters this program after winning the IESA Class 2A State Meet individual title last October. In the spring, he also ran 2:04.57 and 4:42.33 to win the 8th Grade Championships for the 800 Meter Run and 1600 Meter Run.
Frankfort (Lincoln-Way East) 2018 Finish – 9th 3A Quincy Sectional Coach – Ross Widinski Runners to Watch – Brett Gardner SR (14, 14:42), Nolan Rogers SO, Cameron Kavanaugh SR, Nolan Enright JR, Ben Zinsky SR, Hayden Stairs SO, Justin Falejczyk FR, Gerry Cushing FR, Jack Roberts FR, Joe Pasyk SR. Preview – The Griffins return four from last year’s sectional team that looks to improve on last year’s ninth-place sectional finish. East will always get low numbers from Brett Gardner who finished 14th at state last year. He has emerged as one of the state’s elite runners that will challenge for an individual title. The gap between Gardner and the rest of the top seven will be big maybe perhaps as 70 seconds. Nolan Rogers should lead the pack that will need to stay within 45 to 50 seconds of each other. “We always want to maximize our talent and attempt to qualify as a team for State,” Coach Ross Widinski said. “This goal is now really in the hands of about 5 seniors on our team. It's time for them to step up or let the younger guys take over.”
Lombard (Glenbard East) 2018 Finish – 8th 3A Lake Park Regional Coach – Chris Pietsch Runners to Watch – Aidan Ihms SR, Andrew Bylsma SR, Alex Kapala JR, Nigel Neibel SR, Mack Mecenas JR, Alfredo Toledo SR, John Flanagan JR, Thomas Oakson JR, Ben Berry JR, Henry Barry SR. Preview – The Rams will look to take one step forward and run into November after finishing eighth at the Lake Park Regional. Six of their top seven runners are back from that squad led by Aidan Ihms and Alex Kapala. Their top five split was 84 seconds in that race. Watch for the split on that group to be under 60 seconds by the time they get to their conference meet.
McHenry 2018 Finish – 7th 3A Regional Coach – Kevin Horst Runners to Watch – Jessi Garcia SR, Dylan Jensen SR, Carlos Montes JR, Ian Knebel SR, Caleb Schopen JR, Enrique Robles SO, Jacob Letmanski SR, Brayden Singer SR, Nate Rotundo SO. Preview – McHenry will look to stay in the top half of the Fox Valley Conference after finishing fourth last year. They will also look to extend their season into November after finishing seventh last year at the Grant Regional. All of their top seven from the regional race are back. Jessi Garcia should be the lead runner for this squad. Dylan Jensen and Carlos Montes should be within 10 to 15 seconds of Garcia again this fall.
New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central) 2018 Finish – 8th 3A Quincy Sectional Coach – John Taylor Runners to Watch – Jared Kreis (123, 15:31), Caden Simone SO, Lucas Dion SR, Jay Parker JR, Erik Johnson SR, Andrew Flais SO, Kevin Martin JR, Jack Starklauf SO, Ryan Flais SO. Preview – This team again will revolve around Jared Kreis as they look to improve on last year’s eighth-place sectional finish. The Knights lost last year’s second and third runners to graduation. They do have Kreis up front getting them low numbers. The senior did not have his best race at state last fall but came back during the track season to drop his personal best to 9:02 for 3200-meters. Caden Simone will be the leader of their pack. .Ignore the split between Kreis and everyone else on this team this fall. It should be big. If the team can stay within 30 seconds on their second through fifth runners, positive things will happen for this team in 2019.
Palatine (Fremd) 2018 Finish – 18th 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional Coach – Darius Sanchez Runners to Watch – Kaede Kokubu SR, Jack Wolski SR, Nick Grasse SR, Antony Aloisio JR, Dylan Siena JR, Kevin Lui SR, Thomas Novak SR, Jeut Pote JR, Anish Pokharkar JR, Kaleb Odachowski SO. Preview – A team that will improve on last year’s 18th place sectional finish at Busse Woods. Fremd returns seven runners from that team. The Vikings had a 32 second split on their top five in the Mid Suburban League Championships. It was 66 seconds in their sectional race. Kaede Kokubu and Jack Wolski will again be the top runners for this team. “Our runners logged a lot of miles, and many progressed to 7 days/week of running and/or crossed the 50 mi/week barrier,” Darius Sanchez said. “These are usually indicators of maturity and a strong foundation. Likewise, many of our benchmark workouts were crushed by this group. This group is hungry and had a lot of fun training together. We go into this season expecting to compete hard and improve upon our MSL Invite finish from last season. We expect to compete hard to the regional meet and advance to the sectional meet. This group of runners learned a lot over the last year and they are hungry to compete. It’s been a pleasure watching them grow and get ready for the 2019 season.”
Palos Heights (Shepard) 2018 Finish – 13th 3A Marist Sectional Coach – Troy Walker Runners to Watch – Evan Jamrozy SR, Jackson Sima SR, James Greene SR, Josh Kingzette SR, Miguel Mora JR, Santana Garcia SO, Omar Montiel JR, Bart Mydra SO, Max Szykowny SR, Daniel Mitchell SR. Preview – A team that could sneak up on some this fall. Their top six runners are back from the sectional team that finished 13th last year at Marist. Evan Jamrozy has showed improvement over the summer according to his coach Tory Walker and could be in reach of qualifying for the state meet individually. Their two to five pack, led by Jackson Sima, could have a snug 30 to 38 second split. Sima staying within 10 to 15 seconds of Jamrozy could mean good things for this team. “We have 5 kids that have broken 17 min last year but only Evan was under 16 (15:41) so we are hoping to get them all under 16 min and see who can make the huge jumps from there,” Walker said. “At Sectionals, we are looking to improve on our best Sectional finish ever (8th place twice). We are also hoping Evan will have a chance to qualify for state and if he does out of our Sectional, he will have a chance to flirt with All State as well. We are also not leaving out the possibility of another qualifier if someone emerges as a lock down number 2 runner for us.”
Plainfield (Central) 2018 Finish – 9th 3A Marist Sectional Coach – Jeff Purdom Runners to Watch – Austin Emrath SR, Ryan Bonomo SR, Tommy Adelmann JR, Dan Hale JR, Aaron Wyckoff SO, Dean Eubanks SR, Christian Reun SR, Alex Rojo SO, Paul De Avila SO, Mike Forbear SO, Cam Mulyk SO, Colin Graefin SO, Asher Bradley FR. Preview – The chances are good that the Wildcats will be among the top 10 sectional teams in 2019. They lost their top two runners to graduation but return five from the team that finished ninth in the Marist Sectional. Austin Emrath and Ryan Bonomo will be the runners to watch in the front for Central. “We had a very strong summer,” said Coach Jeff Purdom. “Most of our returning guys really stepped up and were able to take their training and commitment to the next level. Our seniors took the lead and held guys accountable to getting things done the right way. We also were able to spend some time as a team at Loredo Taft to get some great training, but also bond as a team. The guys put in more consistent work as a group than they have in the past, and that team first attitude should pay off in the fall.” The pack behind these two should be strong headed by Tommy Adelmann and Aaron Wyckhoff. This team is young. However, it is also talented. We could see how good they are when we get to October and the state series. “The guys want to see consistent improvement as a group. We know we are lucky to get to compete in a very strong conference and would love to improve upon our finish as a team from the previous years,” Purdom said. “Last year was the first time in more than a decade that the team advanced on to Sectionals as team, and we would love to improve upon our place at Sectionals.
Plainfield (North) 2018 Finish – 8th 3A Marist Sectional Coach – Andrew Derks Runners to Watch – Matthew Thomas SR, Ryan Maseman JR, Sean Curran SR, Ian Morrison JR, Jacob Henry SR, Ryan Casey JR, Andrew Radulovich JR, Jeremy Drag JR, Dylan Young JR, Jack Rutkowski JR, Jack Patton SR, Suchir Sumant SO, Josh Bedford SO, Ryan Tracey FR, Oliver Burns FR, Maxim Snitko FR. Preview – A team that could have two to three seniors in their top seven being pushed by an extremely talented underclassmen group. That is the scenario that you should watch from the Tigers in 2019. They return three runners from their eighth place sectional team. Matthew Thomas gives the team strength in the front. Ryan Maseman has showed tremendous improvement this summer according to Coach Andrew Derks and could be challenging for the team’s top spot. The pack behind these two should be tight with seven runners within 40 seconds of each. The Tigers are a team that I would not count out when we get to the state series. “Our athletes expect to be a much improved team this year,” adds Derks. “We had a great team camping trip to the Indiana Dunes, and we laid out a few areas that we will need to work on and improve to be able to make the jump as a team to be that state-qualifying level team we know we can be. We are in a very competitive conference and sectional, and we love it. There is a quiet focus and intensity with this group that perhaps has been missing, and I have seen a definite shift in many of our guys. They expect more from themselves and from each other, and that is a fun environment to be in every day.”
Rolling Meadows 2018 Finish – 18th IHSA 3A State Coach – Frank Schweda Runners to Watch – Stephen Barreto JR, Jack Martin SR, Jacob Johnson-Wright SR, Erik Vinopal SR, Jose Castillo SR, Carter Wachtel SO, Victor Rogowski JR, Alex Sanchez JR, Tyler Wengronowitz FR, Danny Quick FR. Preview – It could be tough for the Mustangs to reach the heights that they got to last season. Six of their top nine runners have graduated from the school’s 18th place state team. This will be a rebuilding year for Mustangs. It will be fun to see the development from this squad. Stephen Barretto finished 71st at state last year as a sophomore. His potential over the next two years is endless. Jack Martin and Jacob Johnson-Wright give this team strong team leadership. “This season should be interesting. We have lost 6 of our top 9 guys to graduation. They were guys who were history makers at RMHS,” said coach Frank Schweda. The good thing is they have shown our top 3 guys what it takes and those 3 are going to try to top what the class of 2019 guys did. Jack Martin and Jacob Johnson-Wright will be our senior leaders. Jack is coming off a solid track season that saw him push himself late in races and contend for wins at MSL and just missing qualifying in the 4x8. Jacob finished off his baseball season and has been steadily increasing his mileage and hanging with the guys on runs. Then there is Stephen Barretto who was 71st at state last year. He’s looked good training wise and should only get better. He had a very nice track season but will have to step up his game as there is no Eddie Lennon to follow in practice or meets. Our top 3 will lead us this season. If Jack and Jacob can keep close to Stephen in meets, we’ll have some low numbers. However, our 4 & 5 will probably make or break us this season. Jose Castillo should be our 4 - he’s done well this summer and we’ll need him to continue to improve. After that we could have a couple different guys fighting for the 5th spot. My goals for the team are to be competitive in our division, finish in the top 5 or so in conference and then do as well as we can in the post season.” More news |
