2020 Illinois High School Cross Country Individual Previews - Class 1A Boys

 

Class of 2022 runners Rogers, Sheppard, and James ready to set new high standards the next two years.

 

By Michael Newman

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I really hope that things get better this fall so that we can all meet at Detweiller Park and watch this classification race. Drew Rogers of Herscher, Miles Sheppard of Hamilton-Warsaw, and Ryder James are in a class by themselves in Class 1A. At the same time, they could be three of the top runners in all of the state.

 

Rogers and Sheppard did not rest while the track season was cancelled. Both runners have improved significantly. It will be interesting to see them race this fall. It is doubtful the two will race this fall since they are different areas of the state.  We could Rogers and James race a couple of times. Sheppard could be pushed by Fiker Rosen in his region.

 

14 out of last season’s top 25 are back. Rogers, Sheppard, and James will all be back for the 2021 season along with Isaac Stanford of Flora who finished 14th last season.

 

The main thing is that these kids get to run with their friends and race. That is what this sport is all about. It might not be invitational meets. It might be just dual meets and that is okay with me.

 

The previews that have been written are focused on IF we have a state series and IF we have a state meet. As of this time, that is yet to be determined.

 

There was never the chance that these would not be written for the upcoming season. It is more of a tribute to the student/athletes that did not get a chance to compete this spring and now have that opportunity this fall. This preview is for all of you.

 

 

1A Boys Top 5 Runners

 

 

1 Drew Rogers – JR – Herscher

 

Comments – One of the most memorable things from last year’s state meet came in the Class 1A Boys race. Most people had Drew Rogers the favorite in that race. No one imagined he would win by that much except maybe for himself. His winning time of 14:30 was 14 seconds ahead of Dawson Smith. His time is the eighth fastest time ever for a sophomore run in the 50 years that the state meet has been run on the three-mile Detweiller Park course. Remember he was all-state also as a freshman when he finished 11th running 15:16 which ties for 28th fastest freshman all-time at the state meet at Detweiller Park.

 

The work ethic of this junior showed during the spring and summer period when there was no state track meet. The work during the spring built up to one race at the Illinois Meet of Champions. Rogers ran 4:17.68 to finish third in the 1 Mile Run. He went past 1600-meters in 4:15.73. He took his fitness level to the next level. He should just climb the mountain of success and improvement this fall.

 

“There is just no one like Drew,” said Herscher Coach Rob Grosso. I have never seen let alone coach someone so dedicated to the sport. He works so hard and everything he has accomplished is a product of his work ethic. His level of understanding of what he needs to do to be great as well as his knowledge of the sport is just off the charts. He leads by example and has helped raise

 

each and every member of the team’s level of determination to push to be great! In January Drew ran the indoor 1600 at The Showcase in 4:25. Last month ran the mile in a 4:17 at the Illinois Meet of Champions. He is a workout machine and puts an incredible amount of time in to be his best. Drew is coming into the season ready to go and will continue to reach some huge PR’s once again.”

 

 

 

2 Miles Sheppard – JR – Hamilton/Warsaw

 

Comments – We talked about the drive that Drew Rogers has. The same holds true for Miles Sheppard. This junior finished third in last year’s state meet 14:53. That time was 20 seconds faster than he had run all season. He finished seventh as a freshman in 2018 when he ran 15:11. That time ties him for 21st all-time for a freshman at the state meet. The fact that Rogers was ahead of him last fall at Detweiller has driven him over this off time. He did run time trials by himself running under 9:30 a number of times for 3200-meters. He did race a number of times last fall against Quincy’s Fiker Rosen. That might be the only competition Sheppard might see especially with the guidelines in place.

 

“It's amazing that Miles is still only a junior because he has been on the scene since his freshman year,” said Hamilton Coach Brad Niesen. “He has been lurking right behind the leaders the last couple seasons slowly getting better and better.  I feel like this is his year to make a push to get into the conversation about bringing home the top prize.  He knows he has a good one to chase down in Drew Rogers. Miles has been putting in the work that champions do, and if he continues, he will be rewarded with a low time this year at state. The goal is obvious, 14:30, if he wants to challenge a Class 1A field that is probably one of the most talented ever.  Miles has increased his speed over the past year, which will help him at Detweiller. Times of 9:28 for the 3200 and 4:28 in the 1600 on the track this spring are big improvements, considering it was against no competition.  In July, Miles ran a 9:41 time trial on a two mile hilly road course, which was a 23 second improvement from the summer before so indicators are looking good going into this season.” 

 

 

 

3 Ryder James – JR – Paxton-Buckley-Loda

 

Comments – The third of the stud junior class in Class 1A. James is also a two-time All-State runner at Detweiller Park. He ran 15:17 to finish 12 as a freshman at the state meet in 2018. His time is tied for 30 all-time for a freshman at state. He followed that up last season when he ran 15:05 to finish fifth. James won five races last fall at the championship flight of Chrisman Cowchip Classic, Tuscola Invitational, Twin Valley Conference Meet, and the U-High Invitational. Then he got to the state series races where he won the Tuscola Regional and the St. Anthony Sectional races. Just like Rogers and Sheppard, it will be fun to watch him progress this fall cross-country season.

 

 

 

4 Justin Mumford – SR – Trenton-Wesclin

 

Comments – It looks like the injuries that slowed Mumford down in his sophomore year have passed him. He started out his high school career by finishing sixth at the state meet. His 15:06 time tied him for 12th fastest all-time at the state meet for a freshman. Then the injuries came. He missed most of his sophomore season, but his perseverance showed when he qualified for the state meet. He finished 47th at the state but he did get to run. Mumford came on strong last year. His last four races were eye catching. He won the Cahokia Conference Meet and then finished second at the New Athens Regional and then third at the Benton Sectional. His season ended when he finished eighth in the second meet for his second all-state honor.

 

“I'm happy to say that Justin is coming into his senior season healthy and very focused,” said Trenton-Wesclin Coach Tyler Weis. “I hope for his sake that there is some kind of state competition, because he really has earned a shot at another top 10 (or better) state finish with the work he's put in. Recently he competed at the Meet of Champions competition and ran well in the mile in a time of 4:34.0, which I was excited to see given he is still racking up base mileage and has yet to really shift the focus onto speedwork. Ultimately his goal is going to be to stay healthy and hopefully throw down some solid times to potentially garner some college recognition, and I'm holding out hope that he has the opportunity to show the rest of the state what he can do in some kind of postseason setting. With the kind of drive and tenacity he has, it will be worth seeing.”

 

 

 

5 Charlie Kistner – SR – Stanford Olympia

 

Comments – Kistner will be one of the elite runners in Class 1A this fall. He was his team’s top runner all of last season culminating with a ninth-place finish at the state meet as he ran 15:16. He ran at state at Detweiller Park as a sophomore finishing 57th (15:57).

 

Charlie has had a good summer,” said Olympia Coach Michael Neisler. “He will have logged more miles this summer than last. He has high expectations and has developed a love for running.”

 

 

More 1A Boys Runners (In Alphabetical Order)

 

 

Josh Baysore – SR – Monticello

 

Comments – Baysore should step into the #1 spot for Monticello since all-state runner Luke Sokolowski will not ne running for the team this fall. Baysore ran 15:32 to finish 28 in last year’s state meet.  He also had state meet experience as a sophomore running 16:15 to finish 88th. His top finishes last fall came when he finished third at the Illini Prairie Conference Meet and third at the Amboy Columbus Day Invitational.

 

“Josh is a great runner and has a true passion for this sport but has struggled with an ankle injury some over the last few months,” said Monticello Coach David Remmert. “He is training now, and we hope to see big things from him as he gets his legs under him.  Luke has elected not to join XC this season.  We will certainly miss him, not only as a runner but a teammate who factored into the dynamic of our team really well.”

 

 

 

Adam Bohm – SR – Havana

 

Comments – Bohm could be a surprise in Class 1A this fall. He has never qualified in the state meet. Bohm did run a personal best 15:56 at the Patriot Invitational held at Detweiller Park finishing eighth. He followed that up placing fourth at the Mercer County Regional. Bohm did not have his best race at the Elmwood Sectional where he finished 32nd.

 

 

 

John Blumeyer – SR – Deer Creek-Mackinaw

 

Comments – Should move up to be the team’s top runner this fall. Blumeyer’s best race of last year came when he ran 15:54 to finish 51st. He had top 10 finishes in 2019 at the Canton Invitational, El Paso-Gridley Invitational, and the Olympia Regional. Blumeyer qualified for the state meet as a freshman in 2017. He finished 63rd with a 16:04 time.

 

“John has been a talent that we have been excited to see develop over the last 3 years during Track and Cross Country,” said Dee-Mack Coach Sam Ingram. “He had a big breakthrough race at the end of last season finally going under the 16-minute mark at State. That currently puts him 4th on our all-time 3.0-mile record board, behind two time all-state runner Colby Johnson and previous school record holders Dakota Myers and Gary Cates. John has put himself among great company and I expect to see him reach for a higher spot on the record board should he get the opportunity. He already looked good on our socially distanced time trial. I cannot wait to get him into a competitive race.”

 

 

 

Nicky Edwards-Levin – SR – Chicago University

 

Comments – Edwards-Levin will be pushing himself in workouts now that teammate Luke Sikora has graduated. In last year’s state meet, Edwards-Levin earned all-state honors when he ran 15:24 to finish 21st. He won races last fall at the Riverside-Brookfield Invitational and the ISL Conference Meet. Edwards-Levin also competed in the state meet as a sophomore as he ran 15:40 to finish 32nd. He has the talent to be among the top 10 Class A runners this season.

 

“Nicky is one of the guys that has continued to impress me with his dedication and excited for the sport of running through everything that has been going on,” said U-High Coach Alex Clark. “He has stuck to his weekly training schedules and had some really awesome Time Trials in the Spring on the track. He ran personal bests in pretty much every one of the distance events, and none of them by a small margin. He has got a lot of built up excitement and speed that I know he is ready to bring to the Cross Country course and show everyone. I am also excited to see what his kind of leadership will do for our team this year, as it is a young team. He is going to have a lot on his plate to lead his team both on the course and off, and I think he is more than ready for the challenge.”

 

 

 

Tyler Guthrie – SR – Glen Carbon Father McGivney

 

Comments – Guthrie has the talent to be among the top five Class 1A runners in the state. He ran 16:51 the first time he ran at Detweiller Park as a freshman in 2017. That time came down to 15:20 last year when he earned all-state honors placing 15th at state. Guthrie ran at state in 2018 placing 30th running 15:38. Guthrie won two races last fall at the First to the Finish Kickoff Meet and the New Athens Regional Meet.

 

“Tyler has had his best winter/spring/summer of training at FMCHS,” said Father McGivney Coach James Helton. He has been smarter this summer where he has been able to control pace a little better. He ran a 4:29 1600m Time Trial by himself in May.  He has been a joy to coach. I would love to see him on Detweiller where he should break 15:00.” 

 

 

 

Layton Hall – SR – Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond

 

Comments – Hall has been cast into the East Central Illinois shadows of runners like Drew Rogers and Ryder James. This senior has the talent to race and win against them. He has run at the state meet all three years of his high school career. He earned all-state honors as a sophomore in 2018 when he finished 21st running 15:31. He finished 59th as a freshman in 2017. Hall did not have his best race of the season at last year’s state meet when he finished 37th with a 15:42 time. Hall won the Paxton-Buckley-Loda Invitational last September finishing seven seconds ahead of Drew Rogers. He won the Shelbyville Regional as well as finishing fourth at the St. Anthony Sectional.

 

“Layton Hall is the most fit he's ever been,” said ALHA Coach Richard Dorjahn. “Layton has  incredible work ethic. He has been driven by disappointment at state last year. He has also become a much more active and vocal team leader. It is terrible that we do not get a state series this year. He has worked hard to be in the mix at the end.”

 

 

 

Luke Hoffmann – SR – Elmwood

 

Comments – Hoffmann once again should be the top runner for Elmwood this fall. He earned all-state honors when he ran 15:24 to finish 22nd at the state meet. Hoffmann was on Elmwood’s state championship team as a freshman when he ran 16:03 to finish 60. He followed that up his sophomore season on Elmwood’s second-place state team running 15:38 and placing 29th. Hoffmann had top five finishes last fall at the Amboy Invitational, Elmwood Invitational, and the Mercer County Regional Meet.

 

“Luke has had a good spring and summer and has built a very solid base,” said Elmwood Coach Gregg Meyers. “Luke is the kind of runner who has the ability to switch a gear at the end of the season when we get into crunch time and deliver big performances. I hope for his sake and the rest of our guys they get a chance to show what they can do at the end of the season.”

 

 

 

Reece Johnson – SR – Benton

 

Comments – Johnson ran at Neoga High School for his first two years before transferring to Benton before the start of last season. The move has paid off for the Rangers as he became the team’s top runner. Johnson earned all-state honors at last year’s state meet as he ran 15:24 to place 23rd overall. He ran at state while at Neoga as a sophomore with a 51st place finish. Johnson was successful in his first year at Benton. He won five races in meets including the Toledo Cumberland Invitational, SIRR Conference Meet, Benton Invitational, the Frankfort Regional, and the Benton Sectional.

 

“Reese loves basketball but is a fierce cross-country runner, said Benton Coach Brent McLain. He is a huge influence on our team in a positive way and is very humble. He lacked some experience last year but will be ready this year if given opportunity. Plus, he now has some teammates to push him in practice and meets which will make a big difference.”

 

 

 

Aryan Lalwani – SR – Urbana University

 

Comments – It was a surprise to see Lalwani on this list. He had planned not to run this summer instead to concentrate on his classes. When the University of Illinois decided to go to all online classes, he changed his mind. Lalwani has run in the state meet all three years of his high school career earning all-state honors twice. He ran 15:29 to finish 20th as a sophomore in 2018. He followed that up by running 15:24 to finish 19th in last year’s meet. Lalwani had top five finishes in 2019 at the Chrisman Cowchip Classic, the Tuscola XC Classic, the St. Joseph-Ogden Classic, and the Prairie Central Invitational.

 

“Aryan was going to focus on academics this year, but due to a lot of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign classes moving online, he was able to join XC,” said U-High Coach Rachael Brewer. “Due to his original uncertainty, he has not put in the same summer mileage he did last year. I actually think this will benefit him because he will come into the season feeling fresh.”

 

 

 

Brandon Mattsey – SR – St. Joseph-Ogden

 

Comments – A runner that you should keep an eye on this season. He has improved his three-mile cross country time from 16:58 as a freshman to 15:41 at the end of last season. Mattsey was the Spartans’ top runner at last year’s state meet when he ran 15:48 to finish in 43rd place. He had good improvement during last season which included top 10 finishes in races at the Doc Acklin Meet, St. Joseph-Ogden Spartan Classic, the Illinois Prairie Conference Championships, and the Prairie Central Invitational. “Brandon had a great couple indoor meets,” said SJO Coach Jason Retz. His fitness was at an all-time high. We will see if he can match that this fall.”

 

 

 

Zach McKowen – SR – Centralia Christ Our Rock Lutheran

 

Comments – McKowen was one of the surprise runners in Class 1A on the biggest surprise team in the state. He dropped his three-mile personal best from 22:32 as a freshman all the way down to 15:45 last year. That time gave him 39th place at the state meet. He also finished in the top 10 in races at the Chester Invitational and Chester Regional, as well as the Benton Invitational and Benton Sectional. McKowen will step in as the team’s #1 runner this fall.

 

“Zach is a dedicated distance runner,” said CCORL Coach Tim Bierbaum. “On his own, he logged nearly 400 miles this summer. He is hardworking, determined, self-motivated, internally motivated, outwardly unassuming and encouraging. Did I mention that he is also smart? An A+ average and multiple Honors level courses already. Knowing that there might not be a postseason, he has made up his mind to set our fastest times for all of the courses that we run on. He made a huge breakthrough last season, but I know that he has a lot more in the tank, he has not found the limit of his body yet.”

 

 

 

Briar Nevills – SR – Savannah West Carroll

 

Comments – The best finish of a season that Nevills had  prior to last season is when he finished 17 as a sophomore in 2018 at the Oregon Sectional. He bettered that last season first finishing fourth in the Oregon Sectional, then earning all-state honors by placing 20 at the state meet with a 15:24 time. He finished in the top five of six races he competed in last year prior to the state meet. That included a win at the Erie-Prophetstown Invitational.

 

“Briar had a diversified training program this season,” West Carroll Coach Travis Findlay said. “He was able to incorporate some swimming and cycling into his program along with getting some miles in. One of his focuses this year was to improve his speed. These past two weeks he has included some interval training to work on race pace and his kick. I think he is a stronger runner this year than he was last year. Briar's attitude during this time has been unbelievable. His main aspiration is to just run but he is so competitive that I have no doubt that he will look to win every meet we have this year.”

 

 

 

Matthew Olech – SR – Elgin Harvest Christian Academy

 

Comments – If we get to a state series or a state meet, this is the one runner that I think we would see in the top five. Olech was the team’s #1 runner for Harvest Christian Academy last fall when the team placed second in the state meet. He earned all-state honors when he placed 16th running a 15:22 time. He also ran in state meets at Detweiller Park his first two years of high school. He placed 50th as a freshman in 2017. He bettered that when he finished 41st as a sophomore.

 

“I haven’t seen Mathew at all this summer,” said Harvest Christian Academy Coach Steven Bland.  “His family left for Nevada as soon as the shelter in place order went out.  His dad told me has was running, biking, and playing soccer, a lot, which is what he does in the summer. I am certain he has not done many structured workouts. I did notice he ran a 4:27 in the mile at the Meet of Champions which is a personal best for him.

 

 

 

Connor Price – SR – Gilman Iroquois West

 

Comments – A runner that we could see in the top 25 at the state meet (if we have one). He had top 10 finishes leading up to the state meet when he finished seventh at the McNamara Regional and tenth at the Lisle Sectional. He did not have his best race at the state meet. He ran a personal best (15:56) but finished 58th overall. He also finished fifth at his conference meet. He did run 16:44 at the Patriot Invitational four weeks before state, then ran 48 seconds faster on the same course at state. He has the potential to do some good things this fall.

 

 

 

Chase Provost – JR – Kankakee McNamara

 

Comments – Provost missed his freshman season due to an injury. He came back strong last fall placing 31st at the state meet with a 15:36 time. He won his divisional race at the Metro Suburban Conference Meet three weeks before that. We could see him step up to the next level this fall.

 

 

 

Isaac Stanford – JR – Flora

 

Comments – A runner that we will be talking about the next couple of years. Stanford came on strong at the end of his sophomore season making it to the state meet and earning all-state honors. It started with a second place finish at the Little Illini Conference Meet  behind Class 2A runner Gavin Kirby. He came back the following week to win the regional title at Robinson. He qualified for the state meet by finishing seventh at the St. Anthony Sectional. His season ended when he finished in an all-state spot placing 14th running a 15:20 personal best.

 

 

 

Landen Swiney – JR – DuQuoin

 

Comments – There are a ton of great Class 1A runners in the southern portion of the state. Swiney is one of them. His improvement has been dramatic his first two years of running. He had a personal best of 17:26 at the end of his freshman season. He finished last year by running 15:34 to finish 30th in the state meet. His sophomore season was spotlighted by a win at the Chester Invitational as well as a 14th place finish last September in the Class 1A race at the First to the Finish Invitational.

 

“Landen Swiney seems like he is always running,” said DuQuoin Coach Eric Fitzpatrick. “He puts in a ton of miles on his own. He is our quiet leader as he is a man of few words, but he leads by example. I am excited to see how he handles this year now that he has had some success.  That will be the key going forward. He came out last year and surprised some folks after a solid freshman year. Now he has a bit of a target on his back. I know he has some personal goals that he wants to reach and believe if he continues the way he has been going he can reach them this year. Landen is also one of our best 'team' guys. He wants the entire group to be successful.”

 

 

 

Logan Wheeler – SR – Stanford Olympia

 

Comments – Wheeler was among the top three runners for Olympia. He should be in the #2 position with Dylan Bennet not running this fall. He ran 15:40 to finish 33rd in last year’s state meet as the team’s #2 runner. He finished fifth in the Illinois Prairie Conference Meet. “Logan is always reliable,” said Olympia Coach Michael Neisler. “He has had an injury free summer and is looking to improve on last season.”

 

 

 

Daniel Winkelman – SO – Elgin Harvest Christian Academy

 

Comments – I normally do not put sophomores in this type of preview, but this runner has the stuff to do some great things in his next three years of running. He missed almost a month of running due to an injury. He came back just in time for the state meet. Winkelman ran a personal best of 15:40 to finish 35th in the state race.

 

“Daniel is having a great summer of training and is doing structured workouts,” said Harvest Christian Academy Coach Steven Bland. “I don’t want to build a hype for Daniel, but, if there is a state meet, he will run under 15-minutes.  Last year on an easy 6 mile run, he strained his hip flexor. We do not know how. He was on a bike for three weeks until the sectional meet.  Had he been healthy, he would have been near our top runner at the state meet.”