2021 IHSA State Cross Country Season Previews - 1A Boys Individuals

 

Drew Rogers leads a strong senior group in Class 1A

 

By Michael Newman

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The peak moment of this year’s IHSA State Cross Country could happen in the 10 o’clock hour on the first Saturday in November at Detweiller Park. Drew Rogers of Herscher has developed to the top runner in this state entering this season. When asked about the state record time on this hallowed loop in Peoria, Rogers just smiled. It is a thought that is in his back of his mind. It could be the thing to drive him in every race he competes in this fall.

 

It was first Virgin’s 13:50.6. That fell two years ago with Methner’s 13:49.9. Does that record go even lower in November?

 

Rogers leads a strong senior group of runners with Miles Sheppard of Hamilton/Warsaw and Ryder James of Paxton-Buckley-Loda. Lurking in the wings is Gavin Genisio of Geneseo who was putting up senior-like times as a freshman on the track last May and June.

 

Here is a look at some of the top runners in Class 1A for the upcoming Illinois cross-country season.

 

 

1 Drew Rogers – Herscher – SR

 

Preview – Drew Rogers not running in the post-season national meets after last year’s state meet gives you an indication of what he was thinking about heading towards his senior season. Rogers has become even more focused than what he used to be in his junior year of running. He will be the top runner in this state regardless of classification. He could be one of the top runners in the nation by the time the season ends in December. Forget that he runs in Class 1A. That does not matter. Rogers is in a class by himself in this state.

 

We saw that during last track season where he put up some monster performances. Rogers become more confident as a tactician in is racing. He has become more confident in a lethal kick that brought him success. Rogers seemed to be out of the race at Festival of Miles at the beginning of June entering the final lap. He passed at least 10 runners on his way to a 4:08.02 mile to finish second. That last lap was run in 57 seconds. The same can be said about his 1600 Meter Run race at the 2A State Finals where he looked gassed running in third for the start of the final 400. He ran a 59.1 last lap to set a new 2A record and won by four seconds. He was two seconds behind at the gun. There has been an aura about that kick that could change the way people think about racing against him. It may not even matter.

 

Rogers won the 1A State title as a sophomore in 2019 blowing the field away as he entered the triangle portion of Detweiller Park. He went undefeated last fall including winning the D1 ShaZam Club Championships with one of the fastest times out of all the races from that weekend. He ended last year finishing 10th in the XC Town Meet of Champions in Terre Haute. He did achieve a personal best of 8:57.78 in winning the 3200 Meter Run at Distance Night in Palatine in May. He did pick up state championships in the 3200 and 1600 making the hot temperatures his allied. He ran under 9:06 three times indoors at Gately Park and 4:11 for 1600-meters in that facility.

 

“I obviously could talk for days on Drew,” said his coach, Rob Grosso. “What he is doing will be talked about for quite some time. The legacy he has already created in our area will last decades, and I’m so excited to see how his story ends at the state/national level at the end of this season! I am so fortunate to be able to see firsthand what others do not get the chance to. His work ethic and his leadership are as equally impressive as the talent that he is working with. He is such a smart and focused trainer on how to improve and reach his goals. The way he has worked with our younger guys and passed on his passion and knowledge of the sport is something I will never forget. As far as his training he is right where he wants to be. He is starting to get that itch to start feeling fast and go hard but is focused on staying true to getting the miles in knowing he needs to do both to accomplish his goals come November.” 

 

We know one of those goals will be defending his state championship. I am sure he will want to run faster that 13:49.9 when he gets to November. He is not scheduled to step on the course at Detweiller Park until November. Every race that he is in this fall will all serve a purpose for the end goal for what he hopes to earn at the end of this season.

 

2 Miles Sheppard – Warsaw – SR

 

Preview – The COVID-19 guidelines that schools had to follow last fall prohibited teams to run out of their own specific area. For some runners, that may have curtailed the progress in their running. That was not the case for Miles Sheppard as he found ways to motivate himself to takes those steps up the mountain to obtain the goal of winning a state champion. He one of the three “super-seniors” in Class 1A that all want to leave Detweiller Park with a state championship.

 

Sheppard started his season last Saturday winning at Macomb covering the 3.04-mile course in 15:11. He was undefeated in his exile schedule leading up to regionals and sectionals. Most of those races he had to run by himself. There he won the Liberty Regional but finished second the next week at the Olympia Sectional. Sheppard finished last fall finishing third at the ShaZam Club Championships. He finished seventh as a freshman in 2018 in the 1A State Meet. He followed that up finishing third as a sophomore in 2019.

 

His times dropped during last springs track season running bests of 9:24.78 for 3200-meters and 4:26.4 for 1600-meters. He qualified for the 1A State Finals in those races. He finished fourth in the 3200 Meter Run. He came back to finish 13th in the 160 Meter Run. It may not have been the result he was looking for to end last year. That could drive hm to big things over the next couple of months.

 

“Miles Sheppard is still improving every day,” said his coach, Brad Niesen. “Workouts are showing signs of improvement over last year. He knows he has his work cut out for him this season with all the 1A talent out there. He even has a runner on his team now that can push him in workouts, which will help keep him sharp and moving forward. I was happy with his 15:11 time at Detweiler at dark, considering it was 84 degrees and really humid.”

 

3 Ryder James – Paxton-Buckley-Loda – SR

 

Preview – Ryder James again will be one of top runners in Class 1A this fall. He would be the top runner in his area but there is this guy in a school just north of him that might have a say in that. James and Drew Rogers are friends and have grown up running and racing against each other in what it seems for them forever. They will toe the line one final time in high school to race against each other.

 

James started this season already winning at the Saber Corn Classic last Saturday. He was all-state as a freshman in 2018 finishing 12th. He improved on that finish as a sophomore in 2019 finishing fifth. James finished second behind Rogers in the McNamara Regional last October. He did not have a great race the following week finishing seventh at the Harvest Christian Sectional. He rebounded the following week finishing fourth at the ShaZam Club Championships.

 

James saw improvement in his times on the track last spring which should me great things when he steps on the course this fall. His times dropped to 9:22.97 for 3200-meters, 4:24.21 for 1600-meters, and 2:01.00 for 800-meters. He was all-state in two events in the 2A State Finals in June finishing fourth in the 3200 Meter Run and eighth in the 1600 Meter Run.

 

4 Gavin Genisio – Benton – SO

 

Preview – We caught an eye of this runner when he was in eighth grade during the 2020 spring where track was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gavin Genisio went out in a time trial and ran 4:30. Not bad for an eighth-grade runner. It was no surprise what we saw him do during his freshman year. He has his eye on a state championship this fall. It could be tough especially with the seniors that are ahead of him. We know he will be a state champion. We just don’t know which year it will be.

 

Genisio has already started year two winning a small quad at Herrin last week. He finished third at the Hamilton County Regional and second at the Althoff Catholic Sectional before placing 11th at the ShaZam Club Championships.

 

He got noticed last indoor season winning the 1-Mile Run at the adidas Indoor Nationals. He put up some good indoor times at Gately Park running 1:58.75 for 800-meters and 4:18.80 for 1600-meters. Genisio earned all-state honors last June finishing third in the 2A State Finals 1600 Meter Run. He had some great personal bests this past track season running 9:19.2 for 3200-meters, 4:13.93 for 1600-meters, and 1:58.24 for 800-meters. Those would be great times for a high school senior. Genisio was only a freshman when he ran those. Big things are ahead for this promising superstar.

 

5 Ryan Hardiman – Chicago (Latin School) – SR

 

Preview – Ryan Hardiman showed big improvement during his junior season both in cross-country and track. He enters this fall where he could be one of the top Class 1A runners in this state and the top runner on his team. Hardiman found success at the end of last fall’s cross-country season placing second in the Latin Regional and then eighth the following week at the Harvest Christian Sectional. He duplicated that finish in his next race at the ShaZam Club Championships. Hardiman earned all-state honors on the track last June when he finished third in the 1600 Meter Run. He achieved personal bests in the post season running 4:22.46 for 1600-meters and 1:59.19 for 800-meters. He did also run 9:49.22 for 3200-meters at the end of May. That was also a personal best. “Ryan had an excellent track season and was having a great summer training,” said his coach, Dan Daly. “However, he had a Mt. bike accident in Colorado and broke his collarbone a few weeks ago. The good news is he is recovering on schedule and has been cross training. He is likely to return to racing in early to mid-September.”

 

1A Runners to Watch (In Alphabetical Order)

 

Logan Beckmier – Arthur Lovington – JR

 

Preview – Logan Beckmeier will step in as the #1 runner for this team this fall. He has already started his junior season finishing third last Saturday at Clinton. Arthur-Lovington has a strong 2020 season and Beckmeier was one of the reasons why. He finished sixth in the regional and fifth in the sectional held at Decatur St. Teresa. He finished 26th at the ShaZam Club Championships. Beckmeier during his sophomore track season last spring ran personal bests of 9:57.53 for 3200-meters and 4:39.66 for 1600-meters. “The heir apparent to lead this group after Layton Hall's departure to Indiana State,” said his coach, Richard Dorjahn. “He dropped his track PR's to 9:57/4:39 to go with his sub 16 xc PR. He is motivated to improve from his 26th place at Shazam. More motivation comes from a disappointing effort in 3200 at Sectional after failing to qualify for state in extreme heat. After taking an extended break, he ran a couple of USATF Jr Olympic events with a 1500 PR and a national qualifying run in the 2000-meter Steeplechase. Even though his preseason conditioning is good,  plans are for a late season peak.  His goals are high for he and his team.”

 

Jackson Grambart – Monticello – SR

 

Preview – Jackson Grambart will not be running this fall for Monticello after he suffered a stress fracture late last track season. Last fall included finishing second in the St. Teresa Regional, fourth in the St. Teresa Sectional, and 31 at the ShaZam Club Championships. “Jackson has emerged as a great leader over his time with our program,” said his coach, David Remmert. “Unfortunately, his leadership this year will come more from the sidelines as he works through a stress fracture diagnosed in late spring.  He will serve as a great motivator for our squad.”

 

Thomas Harmon – Elmwood – SR

 

Preview – Thomas Harmon should step into the #1 for the since his former teammate Luke Hoffman graduated. He finished second last fall at the Petersburg PORTA Regional. He finished 32nd in the Elmwood Sectional but bounced back the following week to finish 29th at the ShaZam Club Championships. Harmon was all-state last June when he finished seventh in the 800 Meter Run at the 1A State Finals. He was also part of the Elmwood quartet that finished second in the same meet in the 4x800m Relay. His time of 1:58.97 in the state race was a personal best. He also ran a personal best of 4:32.60 for 1600-meters.

 

Jack Hiller – Belleville (Althoff Catholic) – SR

 

Preview – Jack Hiller finished third to start this season at the Mascoutah Kickoff Meet last Saturday. Hiller could be one of the top 10 1A runners this fall. His junior season included finishing second at the Freeburg Regional and eighth at the Althoff Catholic Sectional. He did not have his best race the following week finishing 84th at the ShaZam Club Championships. Hiller ran on the Althoff Catholic quartet that qualified for the 1A State Finals in the 4x800m Relay where they finished 19th. Hiller ran a personal best of 4:32.02 last spring for 1600-meters. “Jack Hiller is at the helm of the Althoff program this season as Team Captain and lead runner,” said his coach, Mike Sanders. “He has made a major leap in training showing that he is stronger and faster proven by taking down his own Summer 1.5 Mile Time Trial School Record by 28 seconds, which he ran in 7:31. It is expected that he will apply what he’s gained over the summer to the racing season and should do well in the Metro East areas and beyond. We are looking forward to seeing him lead the team out of Sectionals again with a repeat team performance from last year and we can finally get them to the “Show” at Detweiller.”

 

Brock Loftus – Amboy – SR

 

Preview – Brock Loftus was the top runner for the Clippers last fall. His leadership this year could include a top 25 finish in the state meet. His season started last week by finishing fourth at Rock Falls. His 2020 season ended by finishing second in the St. Bede Regional, sixth at the Seneca Sectional, and 51st at the ShaZam Club Championships. Loftus qualified in the 3200 Meter Run in last June’s 1A State Finals. The heat affected him in that race where he placed 26th. Loftus achieved personal bests of 10:05.17 for 3200-meters and 4:41.77 for 1600-meters last spring. “Brock is a great leader to the team,” said his coach, Michael Robinson. “He organizes things, helps the others with different ideas and fun stuff. He is always keeping them interested in changes and things that he saw. He has been a real inspiration to others.”

 

Carson Maroon – St. Joseph-Ogden – SO

 

Preview – Carson Maroon should be one of the top runners for the Spartans just like he was last year as a freshman. His second season already started finishing ninth at Paris last Saturday. Maroon finished 10th at the St. Teresa Regional, 12th at the sectional also at St. Teresa before placing 43rd at the ShaZam Club Championships. Maroon was part of the SJO quartet that was disqualified in the 4x800m Relay in the 1A State Finals last June. Maroon also ran a personal best of 4:46.96 this past track season. “Carson is a hard worker with a big upside,” said his coach, Jason Retz. “If he can find a way to put large training block together and stay healthy, the sky's the limit.”

 

Eli Mojonnier – Bismarck-Henning – SR

 

Preview – Eli Mojonnier stepped into spotlight last spring when he won the 800 Meter Run at the 1A Boys State Finals. He also qualified in the 1600 Meter Run where he placed ninth. It is a good bet that the success from last track season should transfer over to the cross-country course. Mojonnier ran 1:56.44 for 800-meters, 4:25.23 for 1600-meters, and 9:54.90 for 3200-meters. His season started last Saturday when he won at Paris. Mojonnier finished fourth in the St. Teresa Regional and third at the St. Teresa Sectional before placing 18th at the ShaZam Club Championships. “Eli has had another solid summer of training,” said his coach, Todd Orvis. “Coming off that state title in track, he was fired up to get started with summer training.  He has remained healthy which was the top priority.  On top of that, I think he has had the opportunity to continue to build his overall strength and mileage base to help prepare him for the rigors of fall training. Last season, I didn't feel that his best time was indicative of his overall fitness.  We didn't have an opportunity to run at Detweiler, which didn't help matters.  I expect Eli to be one of the top runners in his classification this season.”

 

Tommy Murray – Port Byron (Riverdale) – JR

 

Preview – Riverdale will be one of the teams to watch this fall. Tommy Murray will be the runner to step up and lead this team. Murray had a good sophomore season that included finishing third in the Alleman Regional and third at the Seneca Sectional. He did not have his best race when he finished 48 in the ShaZam Club Championships. That race was not indicative of the runner that we will see this fall. Murray qualified for the 1A State Finals in both the 3200 Meter Run and the 1600 Meter Run. He was all-state finishing seventh in the 3200. He placed 16th in the 1600 Meter Run. Murray achieved personal bests of 4:38.71 for 1600-meters and 9:50.76 for 3200-meters. “Tommy is awesome,” said his coach, Kevin Claus. “He’s a great teammate, leads by example, brings positive energy to practice every day, and always does what he needs to do to get better. He’s as consistent as they come, and he’s good at doing the right things at the right time. He's helped make being a part of this team a ton of fun for me and the rest of our squad. He's also a superb ultimate frisbee player and a master of geography.”

 

Akili Parekh – Chicago (Latin School) – JR

 

Preview – Akili Parekh should jump into the spotlight this fall as one of the top juniors in Class 1A and one of the top runners for Latin School. His 2020 season was an indication as he finished third in the Latin Regional, sixth at the Harvest Christian Sectional, and then 13th at the ShaZam Club Championships. Parekh earned all-state honors when he placed sixth in the 3200 Meter Run in the 1A State Finals last June. He ran a personal best of 9:52.90 to achieve that. He ran a personal best of 4:25.98 for 1600-meters three days after his state race at Hope Academy. “Akili has matured into a solid competitor,” said his coach, Dan Daly. “He loves the sport of running and will be a leader at the front of most packs he races in this season. He's had a great summer of training and I expect him to help guide Ben Gibson along this year.”

 

Noah Stout – Warsaw – SR

 

Preview – A runner that could find himself in the top 20 at the end of the year. Noah Stout stepped up in a big way last season and could help Warsaw challenge for a state trophy. He finished tenth last year at the Liberty Regional before finishing ninth in the Elmwood Sectional. His season ended by placing 28th at the ShaZam Club Championships. Stout was part of Warsaw’s quartet that finished ninth in the 4x800m Relay to become all-state in the 1A State Finals. He also qualified for the 1600 Meter Run where he placed 22nd. Stout achieved personal bests of 2:09.02 for 800-meters and 4:36.48 for 1600-meters. “Noah is probably one of the most improved runners in the state,” said his coach, Brad Neisen. “He started his freshman year running 19:30 as a PR, sophomore year 17:20, and last season he ran 16:05 at Sectionals. In track last spring, he ran 4:36 in the 1600 multiple times and going into last season he was a 4:50 miler.  With his added speed, I could see Noah getting down to under 15:25 and pushing the Top 10 at State.”  

 

Landon Swiney – DuQuoin – SR

 

Preview – Landon Swiney will look for all-state honors at Detweiller Park in November. He ran at state in 2019 as a sophomore where he placed 30th. He should be one of the top 1A runners this fall after finishing second in the Marissa Regional, fifth in the Althoff Catholic Sectional, and 17th at the ShaZam Club Championships. Swiney qualified in the 1A State finals where he finished 11th and in the 1600 Meter Run where he placed 21st. He achieved a personal best of 4:45.41 for 1600-meters in that state race and ran 9:57.30 for 3200-meters in winning his sectional race. “Landen is excited,” said his coach, Eric Kirkpatrick. “He is ready to compete in the postseason. He led our team to a state berth last year for the first time in 34 years and then we didn't get to go. We graduated a lot of seniors on the Boys side so a repeat of that performance will be tough. When you can start with an athlete like Landen it makes rebuilding a lot easier.”

 

Issac Teel – Pinckneyville – SO

 

Preview – Issac Teel finished no worse than fourth as Pinckneyville’s top runner last year as a freshman. Teel won the Marissa Regional last October followed by placing fourth at the Althoff Catholic Sectional. Teel was part of Pinckneyville’s 4x800m Relay quartet that was disqualified in the 1A State Finals. He also qualified in the 1600 Meter Run where he finished 15th. Teel achieved personal bests of 4:41.2 for 1600-meters and 2:05.20 for 800-meters. “Isaac is a special runner,” said his coach, Ryan Bruns. “He is a competitor, that never seems satisfied with his performances. He had a great XC season last year, and a nice track season.  He has been working hard over the summer and I’m excited to see what he can accomplish. I just hope and pray that I am smart enough with training to get the most out of his God given ability.”

 

Daniel Winkelman – Elgin (Harvest Christian Academy) - JR

 

Preview – If there is one runner that could finished in the top five in Peoria this November, it could be this guy. Daniel Winkelman should step out of the shadows to become the Lions top runner this season. He has already started his season winning at Genoa-Kingston last week. His sophomore season was fantastic both in the fall and spring. Winkelman finished second and fifth in his regional and sectional on his home course. He also finished 12th at the ShaZam Club Championships. He finished 35th in the 1A State Meet as a freshman in 2019. Harvest Christian Academy were the team champions in the 1A State Finals last June. One of the reasons was because of Winkelman running all-state performances of finishing fifth in both the 3200 Meter Run (9:39.55) and 1600 Meter Run (4:26.86). Both were personal bests. “He was working hard, started showing great strength, he was derailed three weeks ago,” said his coach, Steven Bland. “We will need to see how long it takes him to shake it off. Prior to that I would have projected him to be top 5 at the state meet.”

 

Nick Zwilling – Newton – SR

 

Preview – A runner that could do big things this fall. Nick Zwilling started his season finishing second last Saturday at Paris. Zwilling won his regional race at Chrisman before placing ninth at the St. Teresa Sectional. He was part of Newton’s 4x800m Relay that qualified for the 1A State Finals last June. He finished 20 at state in the 1600 Meter Run. Zwilling ran personal bests of 4:42.78 for 1600-meters and 10:25.42 for 3200-meters last track season.