Illinois HS XC Roadmap to the Weekend - September 17, 2021

 

 

By Michael Newman

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This should be another great weekend of cross-country meets in the state. But isn’t every weekend like that? Some of the top teams in the state will head to Peoria for the Richard Spring Classic. The rest of the teams you can find in some of these meets. Not all the teams are listed in this preview for each of the meets. A few notes are provided for some of the meets this weekend.

 

Minooka Flight Invitational @ Channahon Park, Channahon

 

Boys Teams – (3A) #6 Downers Grove North, #7 Waubonsie Valley, #9 Neuqua Valley, #13 Lyons Township,  #16 Minooka, #19 Plainfield North, #25 Bolingbrook, Batavia, Conant, Homewood-Flossmoor, Huntley, Lincoln-Way Central, Maine South, Willowbrook, Yorkville; (2A) #17 Payton Prep, #25 Marmion Academy.

 

Girls Teams – (3A) #4 Minooka, #7 Naperville Central, #8 Lyons Township, #11 Batavia, #18 Yorkville, #22 Plainfield North, Bolingbrook, Conant, Homewood-Flossmoor, Huntley, Joliet Central, Willowbrook; (2A) #14 Payton Prep, Belvidere North

 

Notes – The name of the game in this meet is have the low number in each of the 7 flights. This meet is deep with 9 Boys ranked teams and 6 Girls ranked teams. The Boys Championship flight should be good led by Oliver Burns of Plainfield North, Caden Simone of Lincoln-Way Central, and  Roy Lewellyn of Downers Grove North. The Girls Championship race could be even better with Katrina Schlenker of Batavia heading the field with Caroline Schoen of Homewood-Flossmoor, Jocelyn Host of Minooka, Liv Phillips of Naperville Central, and Caroline Sommerfeld of Lyons Township racing after the win.

 

Bill Dawson Invitational @ Warren Township

 

Boys Teams – (3A) #23 Warren, Buffalo Grove, Evanston Township, Glenbrook South,  Mundelein, Glenbrook North, Fremd, Maine East, Rockford East, Rolling Meadows, Round Lake, Wheeling, Zion-Benton; (2A) Cary-Grove, Antioch, Fenton, Crystal Lake South, Lakes, Carmel Catholic; (1A) Johnsburg.

 

Girls Teams – (3A) Buffalo Grove, Evanston Township; Glenbrook South, Warren, Mundelein, Glenbrook North, Fremd, Maine East, Rockford East, Rolling Meadows, Round Lake, Niles North, Niles West, Zion-Benton; (2A) #10 Crystal Lake South, #22 Lakes, #23 Cary-Grove, Antioch, Carmel Catholic; (1A) Johnsburg.

 

Notes – Warren Township makes their seasonal debut and should be the favorite in this race led by all-state runner Luke Wiley. Three 2A ranked teams are in the Girls race with Crystal Lake South the team to watch for. The individual race should be good with Glenbrook North’s Maria Polyakov, Mia Pasha of Warren, Bella Gonzalez of Crystal Lake South, and Jocelyn Onstot of Cary-Grove some of the runners to watch in the front.

 

Woodstock Byrne XC Festival @ Emricson Park, Woodstock

 

Boys Teams – (3A) Dundee-Crown, McHenry, Rockford Guilford, Rockford Jefferson, West Chicago; (2A) #6 Grayslake Central, #9 Prairie Ridge, #13 Woodstock, Vernon Hills, Wauconda, Woodstock North; (1A) Harvard, Richmond-Burton, Marian Central Catholic.

 

Girls Teams – (3A) Dundee-Crown, McHenry, Rockford Guilford, Rockford Jefferson, Rockton Hononegah, West Chicago; (2A) #1 Grayslake Central, #2 Vernon Hills, #6 Lake Forest, #7 Prairie Ridge, Wauconda, Woodstock, Woodstock North; (1A) Harvard, Richmond-Burton, Marian Central Catholic.

 

Notes – The  other flight meet on the schedule for this weekend. The Girls races should be great led by the top two 2A teams in Grayslake Central and Vernon Hills. The individual championship flight should be great with Bella Domier of Grayslake Central, Isabella Marasco of Lake Forest, and Rachel Soukup chasing after the win. Will Gelon of Prairie Ride and Bryan Vale of Grayslake Central will challenge for the win in the Boys race. Both of those teams will challenge for the win along with host Woodstock.

 

Kaneland Eddington Invitational

 

Boys – (3A) #29 DeKalb, Jacobs, Aurora East, Benet Academy, Glenbard West, Hampshire, Rockford Auburn, St. Charles East JV (2A) #3 Belvidere North, #11 Kaneland, #12 Crystal Lake Central, #15 Sycamore, #16 Burlington Central, Dixon, Freeport, Grayslake North, Marengo, Rochelle, Rockford Boylan (1A) Timothy Christian

 

Girls – (3A) #21 Jacobs, Aurora East, DeKalb, Hampshire, Benet Academy, Rockford Auburn (2A) #11 Crystal Lake Central, #13 Dixon, Burlington Central, Freeport, Grayslake North, Kaneland, Marengo, Rochelle, Rockford Boylan, Sycamore (1A) Timothy Christian

 

Notes – Belvidere North leads four other ranked teams in this Boys meet. #29 DeKalb had a good race in Peoria and could challenge for the win along with an improving Glenbard West. Riley Newport of DeKalb ran sub-15 last week at Detweiller and will be the favorite ahead his teammate Alex Boyden, Yusuf Baig of Burlington Central, and Evan Horgan of Belvidere North. Crystal Lake Central, Jacobs, and  Dixon will be the Girls teams to watch. Emma Smith of Dixon, Kelly Carpenter of Jacobs, and Hadley Ferrero of Crystal Lake Central will be the individuals to watch in the front.

 

Other Meets to Watch

 

Dunlap Invitational

 

Boys Teams – (2A)  #2 Morton, #29 Normal West, #30 Dunlap, Limestone, Galesburg, Metamora, Peoria Richwoods; (1A) #22 Eureka, Knoxville, Macomb, Tremont

 

Girls Teams – (2A) #4 Dunlap, #15 Normal West, #18 Morton, #20 Metamora, Limestone, Galesburg, Peoria Richwoods (1A) #4 Eureka, Knoxville, Macomb, Tremont

 

Libertyville Invitational @ Adler Park

 

Boys Teams – (3A) #1 New Trier, #26 Jones College Prep, Maine West, Highland Park, Libertyville, Niles North, (2A) Northside Prep, Lake Forest

 

Girls Teams – #20 Libertyville, #27 Lockport, Jones College Prep, Taft, Maine West, Highland Park, Waukegan, Wheeling, New Trier; (2A) St. Viator, Northside Prep

 

Riverside-Brookfield Invitational

 

Boys Teams – (3A) Berwyn-Cicero Morton (2A) #4 Riverside-Brookfield, #7 Fenwick, #27 Niles Notre Dame, Elmwood Park, Evergreen Park, Nazareth Academy (1A) #19 Aurora Central Catholic

 

Girls Teams – (3A) Berwyn-Cicero Morton (2A) Nazareth Academy, Elmwood Park, Evergreen Park, Lemont, Fenwick, Trinity, Riverside-Brookfield (1A) Aurora Central Catholic

 

Tuscola Invitational

 

Boys Teams – (1A) #7 Arthur-Lovington, #24 Urbana University, #26 Tuscola, #28 Paxton-Buckley-Loda, Clinton, Downs Tri-Valley, St. Anthony, Marshall, Neoga, Shelbyville, Toledo Cumberland, Tolono Unity

 

Girls Teams – (1A) #3 Tolono Unity, #7 Urbana University, #13 Marshall, #16 Clinton, #30 Paxton-Buckley-Loda, Arthur-Lovington,  Downs Tri-Valley, St. Anthony, Prairie Central, Marshall, Neoga, Paxton-Buckley-Loda, Shelbyville, Toledo Cumberland, Tuscola, Urbana University.

 

Bureau Valley Dave Donner Invitational

 

Boys – (2A) LaSalle-Peru; (1A) #10 Elmwood, Amboy, Bloomington Central Catholic, Illinois Valley Central, Erie, Henry Senachwine, Kewanee, Kewanee Wethersfield, Bureau Valley, Princeton, Princeville, Rock Island Alleman, Sandwich, Sherrard, Spring Valley Hall, Sterling Newman Catholic, Rockridge, Stark County, Westmont.

 

Girls – (2A) LaSalle-Peru; (1A) #23 Bloomington Central Catholic, #24 Rock Island Alleman, Amboy, Illinois Valley Central, Elmwood, Erie, Henry Senachwine, Kewanee, Kewanee Wethersfield, Bureau Valley, Princeton, Princeville, Rock Island Alleman, Sandwich, Sherrard, Spring Valley Hall, Sterling Newman Catholic, Rockridge, Stark County, Westmont.

 

Highland Invitational

 

Boys – (2A) Bethalto Civic Memorial, Carbondale, Champaign Central, Highland, Jacksonville, Marion (1A) Columbia, Father McGivney

 

Girls – (2A) #29 Highland, Bethalto Civic Memorial, Carbondale, Champaign Central, Jacksonville, Marion (1A) #11 Father McGivney, Columbia

 

Olney Richland County Invitational

 

Boys – (2A) Centralia, Effingham, Mattoon, Mt. Vernon, Richland County (1A) Breese Mater Dei, Fairfield, Lawrenceville, Hamilton County, Newton, Robinson, Salem, Teutopolis, Williamsville

 

Girls – (2A) Centralia, Effingham, Mattoon, Mt. Vernon, Richland County (1A) #27 Breese Mater Dei, Fairfield, Lawrenceville, Hamilton County, Newton, Robinson, Salem, Teutopolis, Williamsville

 

Belleville Althoff Catholic Invitational (Friday)

 

Boys – (2A) #17 Waterloo, Mascoutah (1A) #17 Freeburg, #18 Benton, #20 Belleville Althoff Catholic, Red Bud, Roxana, Trenton-Wesclin, Gibault Classic

 

Girls – (2A)  Mascoutah, Waterloo (1A) #22 Belleville Althoff Catholic, Benton, Freeburg, Red Bud, Roxana, Trenton-Wesclin, Gibault Classic