2021 IHSA Class 3A Cross Country Sectional Previews

By Michael Newman [email protected]

It is not worth it to get mad about the situation in the Class 3A Sectionals. We cannot ignore the elephant in the room It is better to celebrate the joy that runners will get racing at Katherine Legge Memorial, Bob Mays Park, Busse Woods, and the East Campus Course close to Medinah National on Saturday.

By Saturday night, 72 Boys and Girls Teams will be whittled down to 28 teams (or more if ties) that will know if they have one more week to the season.

Here is a look at each of the four sectionals that will take place on Saturday.

Note: Teams were re-ranked after the regional races that took place on October 23.

Class 1A Sectional Preview | Class 2A Sectional Preview

Hinsdale (Central) Sectional – Katherine Legge Memorial, Hinsdale

Girls – 11:00 AM

Teams - #2 Naperville (North), #5 Downers Grove (South), #6 Hinsdale (Centra)l, #8 Batavia, #9 Naperville (Central), #10 Oak Park-River Forest, #13 LaGrange (Lyons Township); #14 Downers Grove (North), #17 Oswego (East), #20 Aurora (Metea Valley), #25 Oswego, Chicago (Whitney Young), Chicago (Lane Tech), Orland Park (Sandburg), Chicago (Mother McAuley), Bolingbrook, Burbank (Reavis), Summit (Argo)

Preview - So where should we start in this monster of a sectional meet? 11 ranked teams have an eye on the 7 state qualifying spots that could out of this race. Naperville North was without two of their top five runners Lucy Westlake and Marissa Magna in their regional race due to health-related issues. The Huskies still finished third in that race. North has run with a tight pack behind Westlake all season and could do so again in this race. This team at full strength should be tough to beat. It could be interesting if the two do not run in Saturday’s race. Downers Grove South first rested Sophia McNerney in their conference meet then Holly Johnson last week at regionals. The two runners could finish in the top five with Kelsey Casella in the top 15. Their fourth and fifth runners could finish in the 50’s. That still might be enough to get them to the state meet. Hinsdale Central came back with a convincing win last week at Lyons led by Catie McCabe who could finish in the top 10 in this race. The Red Devilettes have a tight pack behind McCabe with four runners within 30 seconds of each other. Getting that pack in the top 40 clinches a spot for this team in the top seven. Batavia continues to show improvement with every race they are in. Katrina Schlenker will be one of the race favorites on Saturday morning and gives her team small numbers in the front. The Bulldogs won a tough regional meet last week at Oswego East after winning the DuKane Conference Meet the week before. The addition and emergence of three freshman in their top five along with junior Liliana Bednarek give this team a solid pack and a shot of making it to Peoria. Naperville Central has been a pleasant surprise all season led by Liv Phillips, Ava Hendren, and Kate Tueting. The three sophomores should all be in the top 20 in this race.

This Girls race is about packing and positioning of the fourth and fifth runners in such a high pressure and high stakes race. Central in this instance needs their top 5 in the top 55 to be in position to finish in the top seven teams. Oak Park-River Forest did not have their best race in regionals after finishing second the week before in the WSC-Silver. Josephine Welin is the individual race favorite and will need Avery Minnis and Kate Stabb in the top 25 to finish in the top seven. Lyons Township and Downers Grove North are close to even for the seventh qualifying spot. Lyons Township has Katherine Sommerfeld that could challenge for a top 5 finish. Their pack needs to be in the top 40 to make it to Peoria. Downers Grove North ran their best race of the year in finishing second last week at Lyons Township. They will need to duplicate that effort in Saturday’s race with Claire Pyne finishing in the top 20 and with their pack finishing before that of Lyons Township. Oswego East is another team to keep an eye on with three runners in the top 27 led by Morgan Dick. Dick near the top 15 and five runners packed within 50 seconds of each other could get their team into that top seven. Metea Valley will have Sarah Maggio and Keely Behr in the top 20. They will need to move their pack closer to the front for this team to have a chance. Oswego is ranked in the top 30. It could be tough for this team to finish in the top seven even with individual race favorite Audra Soderlind near the front.

Individual Preview - Josephine Welin ran 17:34 for 5k in consecutive weeks at Lyons Township to collect two wins. She comes into this race as the favorite hoping to go after Katelynne Hart’s course record of 16:28 from 2019. Katrina Schlenker will push Welin in this race challenging for the win. Holly Johnson and Sophia McNerney will also be in the mix in the front. So should Audra Soderlind, Catherine Sommerfeld, and Catie McCabe be also in the mix in the front. Keep an eye on Lucy Westlake, Sarah Maggio, Liv Phillips, Louisa Diamond of Benet Academy, and Nikki Chopra of Whitney Young as some of the runners to keep an eye on in the front of this race.

Boys – 12:00 PM

Teams - #1 Orland Park (Sandburg), #2 Hinsdale (Central), #3 Downers Grove (North), #4 Oswego, #6 LaGrange (Lyons Township), #9 Naperville (Neuqua Valley), #10 Aurora (Waubonsie Valley); #18 Downers Grove (South), #19 Oak Park-River Forest, #22 Chicago (Jones Prep), #26 Naperville (Central), #27 Bolingbrook, Chicago (St. Ignatius Prep), Naperville (North), Lisle (Benet Academy), Palos Hills (AA Stagg), Burbank (Reavis), Palos Heights (Shepard)

Preview - This race has the same high-powered field as the Girls race with 12 ranked teams toeing the line at high noon. There is a little more certainty in the team race with 7 state ranked teams in the top 10. Anything can happen in a state sectional race so one team running their best race while other teams do not have their best day could dramatically change the standings in this race. Everything starts with top ranked Sandburg who enter this meet as the race favorite as they have most of this season. Declan Tunney, Brock Rice, and Sean Marquardt could be in the top 10 in this race with 5 runners in the top 15. In a field this loaded, those kinds of places are more than enough to take home the sectional title. Hinsdale Central and Downers Grove North traded off wins in the past two weeks at Lyons Township with Hinsdale winning the WSC-Silver and then Downers winning the regional last weekend. Daniel Watcke and Colby Revord could finish in the top five in this race. They could also have the Hinsdale Central pack in the first 30 which will advance them to state. Downers Grove North is coming on strong led by Roy Llewellyn possibly in the top five and their top five in the first 34 close again to Hinsdale South. Oswego has demonstrated some strong pack running all season. We should see a tight pack between their top five led by Ethan Forsell who could finish in the top 10. Lyons Township also has a tight pack led by Charlie McLawthorn who could be in the top 10 and their next four runners led by Finn Gallagher that finished within six seconds of each other in last week’s race. That kind of packing gets the Lions to the state meet. Waubonsie Valley was ahead of Neuqua Valley by eight points two weeks ago at the DuPage Valley Conference meet in their win. Neuqua Valley did not have two of their top five runners,  Charlie Rook and Nick Rohlwing, in their regional lineup. The Wildcats should have Noah Schalliol in the top 20 with a pack within 30 seconds of him. Waubonsie Valley will have a tight pack with Angel Solis and Ethan Marshall towards the top 25. The Warriors need a split near 28 to 32 seconds with their fourth and fifth runners closer to their front trio. Both teams have good chances to qualify.

If one of the seven teams listed above implode, there are some good teams ready to make the step up. Downers Grove South continues to improve led by Tim Neumann. Oak Park-River Forest’s racing has improved in championship racing season. The Huskies should be a threat in this race. Jones Prep, Naperville Central, Bolingbrook, and St. Ignatius Prep are all good teams that will need good races for a chance to advance. That still might not be enough to get downstate especially with this kind of quality of a field.

Individual Preview - Tim Neumann ran 14:32 for 2.98-miles last week at Sandburg and could be the race favorite. Daniel Watcke and Roy Llewellyn had two great races in the past two weeks with Watcke displaying a great kick in winning both races. It could be Watcke and his kick that takes charge at the end of this race. Parker Nold of Oswego East set a course record last week on his home course winning the regional title. Gabe Ryan of Naperville North finished second in that race and will be one of the runners in the front. Sandburg’s Declan Tunney, Brock Rice, Sean Marquardt, and Grant Giblin you should see in the front in this race. Ethan Forsell should be challenging for a top 10 spot along with Charlie McLawthorn, Hunter Whitney of Lane Tech, and Noah Schalliol.

Hoffman Estates Sectional – Busse Woods, Elk Grove Village

Girls – 10:00 AM

Teams - #3 Mt. Prospect (Prospect), #12 Barrington, #15 Winnetka (New Trier), #19 Wilmette (Loyola Academy), #26 Algonquin (Jacobs), #27 Libertyville, #29 Palatine; Lake Zurich, Gurnee (Warren Township), Arlington Heights (Hersey), Palatine (Fremd), Fox Lake (Grant), Evanston (Township), Zion-Benton, Glenview (Glenbrook South), McHenry, Northbrook (Glenbrook North), Schaumburg

Preview - Prospect has been one of the top teams in the state most of the year. They demonstrated their strength in the past two weeks with strong wins at the Mid Suburban League Championship and then next week in their regional meet. Lily Ginsberg and Hailey Erickson could finish in the top 5 while Prospect could have 5 runners finishing in the top 21. Barrington should be the front runner for the second spot led by freshman Scout Storms. New Trier has improved coming down the stretch at the right time. Beatrix Gilson and Samantha Fellman could finish in the top 15 leading the Trevians. It is hard to read Loyola Academy going into this meet. They have been without Morgan Mackie their past two meets. It is uncertain if their top runner will be in this meet. If so, the Ramblers could challenge for the second. If not, it could be a challenge to finish among the top seven. My guess is that they will. Four teams could challenge for the final three spots. Jacobs ran great last week in their regional led by Kelly Carpenter. They could be a factor in the top seven. Libertyville ran great in winning their own regional and now have a chance for a state berth led by Sheila Tucker and Bree Ponchak. Palatine also could make it back to Peoria led by freshman Abigail Jordan with a solid pack that needs to stay within 30 seconds of each other in this race. Lake Zurich, Warren Township, or Hersey would be the teams to keep an eye on if one of the top seven have off days.

Individual Preview - Aly Negovetich of Grant and Brooke Johnston of Lake Zurich were both under the course record at Libertyville with Negovetich winning by nine seconds. The two runners face -off again Saturday at Busse Woods. Scout Storms won her regional race on this course last week and will be among the top five runners in this race along with Prospect’s Lily Ginsberg and Hailey Erickson. Maria Polyakov of Glenbrook North has stepped up in her freshman season of high school running. She could be a surprise in the front on Saturday. Anna Harden of Hersey could be among those in the front pack with Polyakov. Other runners to watch for include Beatrix Gilson, Juliet Frum of Glenbrook North, Kristin Loftus of Lake Zurich, and Brenda Torres of Wheeling.

Boys – 11:15 AM

Teams - #5 Winnetka (New Trier), #12 Palatine, #15 Barrington, #16 Lake Zurich, #20 Arlington Heights (Hersey), #21 Mt. Prospect (Prospect), #23 Wilmette (Loyola Academy); #28 Gurnee (Warren Township), Palatine (Fremd), Evanston (Township), Algonquin (Jacobs), Highland Park, Glenview (Glenbrook South), Hoffman Estates (Conant), Libertyville, Northbrook (Glenbrook North), Fox Lake (Grant), Mundelein

Preview - New Trier is the team to watch in this sectional. The Trevians will have one of the individual favorites in this race with Nick Falk leading the way. George Cahill leads their pack that will need a split of 25 seconds on their second through fifth runners to secure the sectional title. Palatine will display some tight pack running in this race led by Mason Krieg and Jack Casaccio. The Pirates will chase for the sectional title if they keep their 5-runner split under 40 seconds. Barrington edged ahead of Palatine last week in winning the regional at Schaumburg. Joey Furlong should be in the top five to lead the Broncos. Lake Zurich has run great races in the past two weeks including a win at Libertyville. They have a pack that can help them to the in led by Danny Burns and Dylan Myers. Hersey will have their full lineup intact for Saturday’s race including their #1 runner Sean Safford. The Huskies have the depth to make it back to Peoria. Prospect, Loyola Academy, and Warren Township are three teams that will fight for the final two state qualifying spots in this sectional.

Individual Preview - The last time that Luke Wiley of Warren and Nick Falk met, it was in Peoria at the beginning of the month. Falk used a strong kick to win by just two seconds running 14:23. The two runners are the favorite in this race looking for the sectional win. Spencer Werner of Loyola Academy could be in the top five in this meet if he has a good race along with his teammate Aidan Simon. Sean Safford claimed the MSL title on this course two weeks ago. I would not count him out in this race. Joey Furlong went under 15-minutes last week winning the regional race on this course. Watch for him in the front. TJ Garland of Prospect, Palatine’s Mason Krieg and Jack Casaccio, Danny Burns of Lake Zurich, Nate Wehner of Highland Park, and David Lara of Warren are some of the runners that you could see in the front.

Quincy Sectional – Bob Mays Park, Quincy

Girls – 10:00 AM

Teams - #4 Minooka, #11 Yorkville, #23 Frankfort (Lincoln-Way East), #24 Lockport (Township), #28 Plainfield (North), #30 Edwardsville, O’Fallon; New Lenox (Lincoln-Way West), Normal (Community), Quincy, New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central), Pekin, Plainfield (Central), Plainfield (South), Tinley Park (Andrew), Belleville (West), Moline, Romeoville.

Preview - It should be a repeat of the East Moline Regional race from last week when Minooka edged Yorkville by three points for the team title. Minooka had a 55 second split on their top five in that race with 26 seconds separating their first four runners. Gabrielle McCollom, Audrey Boles, and Jocelyn Host could be in the top 10 for the Indians with 5 runners possibly in the first 22. Yorkville ran better than they did in their conference race and remain a threat for the sectional title. Anna Hunter won the regional title and will look ahead for a top five finish. Their split was over 60 seconds on their top 5 in the East Moline race. It needs to come down 10 seconds to solidify the sectional championship. Lincoln-Way East did not have their top runner Kara Waishwell in last week’s race but still stayed ahead of Lockport in that race. Lockport, led by Kayla Shea, could surpass their SWSC rival in this meet. Plainfield North is having a great season and should be challenged by Edwardsville and O’Fallon for the fifth qualifying spot.

Individual Preview - Caroline Schoen of Homewood-Flossmoor has emerged as one of the top 3A runners in the state. She is a big favorite in winning the sectional title. Peyton Schieppe of O’Fallon ran 17:21 at Peoria this year and could be Schoen’s chief competition. Anna Hunter and Gabriella McCollom you could see in the tp five. Ali Ince of Normal Community is a runner you could see in that front group. Other runners to keep an eye on include Makenna Edwards of Yorkville, Minooka’s Audrey Boles and Jocelyn Host, Kayla Shea, Anna Schuering of Quincy, Alyssa Elliott of Belleville West, Emily Nuttall of Edwardsville, and Gianna Arizzi of Lincoln-Way West.

Boys – 11:00 AM

Teams - #8 Minooka, #13 Edwardsville, #14 Plainfield (South), #17 Plainfield (North), #29 O’Fallon, #30 Plainfield (Central), Frankfort (Lincoln-Way East); New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central), Quincy, Yorkville, Homewood-Flossmoor, Pekin, Lockport (Township), Normal (Community), Joliet (Central), Bradley-Bourbonnais, Tinley Park (Andrew), New Lenox (Lincoln-Way West)

Preview - Four teams are pretty much guaranteed to qualify for the state meet in this race. The order in which they finish is yet to be decided. Minooka has the edge but barely for the team title. Zachary Balzer is the team’s #1 runner that could finish among the top five runners. The Indians should have their top 5 in the top 21 led with Daniel Schalk leading that pack. Edwardsville is at full strength led by Ryan Watts contending for the individual title and Geordan Patrylak and Ryan Luitjohan in the top 10. The Tigers getting their fourth and fifth runners in the top 50 gets them closer to Minooka. Plainfield South could surpass Edwardsville in this race led by Camryn Viger placing in the top 10 and the rest of their pack placing in the first 35. Plainfield North has Oliver Burns leading the way for them and should be among the top four teams. O’Fallon and Plainfield Central should be the fifth and sixth teams. Lincoln-Way Central and Lincoln-Way East had to go to the sixth runner to decide the regional title last week. It may come down to single digit points again to decide that seventh spot.

Individual Preview - Ryan Watts edged Marcellus Mines of Joliet West by three seconds when the two last met in Peoria at the beginning of October. Mines is running better with wins in the Southwest Prairie Conference Meet and last week in East Moline. The Peoria race was only Watts’s second race back after his injury. He is in better shape now and will challenge Mines in what should be a great race. Oliver Burns, Camryn Viger, and Zachary Balzer will be challenging for top five places along with Caden Simone of Lincoln-Way Central, Nolan Rogers of Lincoln-Way East, Byron Jones of Belleville East, Fiker Rosen of Quincy, and Dylan Ybarra of O’Fallon.

Roselle (Lake Park) Sectional – Lake Park East Campus Course, Roselle

Girls – 10:00 AM

Teams - #1 Elmhurst (York), #7 Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West), #16 St. Charles (East), #18 Park Ridge (Maine South), #21 St. Charles (North), #22 Wheaton-Warrenville South, Huntley; South Elgin, Wheaton (North), Rockton (Hononegah), Bartlett, Lombard (Glenbard East), Chicago (Taft), DeKalb, Rockford (Guilford), Elgin (Larkin), Hampshire, Elk Grove Village (Elk Grove)

Preview - This is no question that top ranked York should win this sectional team title. Bria Bennis has emerged as the team’s top runner and should be in the top five in this race. Their top six runners should be among the first 11 runners in this race. The Dukes should win with a point total under 35 points. Glenbard West, led by Audrey Allman, is clicking at the right time and is the front runner for second behind York. St. Charles East had a good race with a win in their home regional. Morgan Sandlund is a runner that you could see in the top 15 to lead the Saints. St. Charles North, Maine South and Wheaton-Warrenville South and are in solid position for the fourth through sixth qualifying spots. That order could change in this race. Huntley has a slight advantage ahead of South Elgin and Wheaton North for the seventh qualifying spot.

Individual Preview – Grace Schager of Glenbard North has run 16:42 this season and could put down a fast time on this Lake Park course depending on conditions. Audrey Allman was a little off in her regional race finishing second behind Bria Bennis. The two will be challenging for the second spot along with Naomi Ruff of South Elgin. York’s quartet of Katelyn Winton, Katherine Klimek, Brooke Berger, and Michaela Quinn you should see in the top 10 in this race. Bella DiCrosta of St Charles North, Morgan Sandlund of St. Charles East, Sofia Accuri of Maine South, Breanna Burak of Huntley, Nicole Poglitsch of Wheaton-Warrenville South, and Jenna Buchanan of Bartlett are some of the runners you could see finish in the top 15.

Boys – 11:00 AM

Teams - #7 Elmhurst (York), #11 St. Charles East, #24 Wheaton (North), #25 Wheaton-Warrenville South, DeKalb, Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West), Hampshire; Rockford (Guilford), Huntley, Park Ridge (Maine South), Geneva, South Elgin, Carol Stream (Glenbard North), Rockton (Hononegah), Elgin, Lombard (Glenbard East), Franklin Park-Northlake (Leyden), Elk Grove Village (Elk Grove)

Preview - It is misleading on the performance that York had in their easy win at Proviso West last week. They still pushed to some good times on the 3.05-course with only a 15 second split. The question is how it will correlate in this sectional race? The Dukes have had up and down races this fall. This one should be a good one with Ethan Summer, Garrett Schwan and Jeff Luka all finishing in the top 10 on Saturday. St. Charles East ran better than they did in their conference meet. That trend could continue on a course with which they are familiar. This is the third time this season that East has run at Lake Park. Micah Wilson is the big favorite in this race. Mitch Garcia and Joey Xotla finishing in the top 10 with 5 runners in the top 28 could get the Saints the win in this race. Wheaton-Warrenville South and Wheaton North are the only other ranked teams in this race. Michael Atkins leads South and should finish in the top five in this race. They will need five runners in the first 40 to solidify a top four finish. The same holds true for Wheaton North. The Falcons could have three runners in the top 12 led by Ryan Schreiner. Their goal is having five runners in the top 50 to keep them in the top four teams. The remaining three spots will go too unranked teams. It should be the only 3A sectional in the state to do that. DeKalb could have a slight edge for the fifth spot. It is a toss-up between Hampshire, Glenbard West, and Rockford Guilford on which two teams will advance to Peoria.

Individual Preview - Out of the four 3A Boys’ sectional races on Saturday, this could be the easiest to figure out. Micah Wilson enters this race with the fastest of all runners in the field. The 3A 3200m Run champion from last spring should roll to the win in this race. Riley Newport of DeKalb has been running hot coming into this meet and could push Wilson in this one. Ethan Summer and Garrett Schwan, along with Michael Atkins and Ryan Schreiner could challenge for a top five position. Jeff Luka, Mitch Garcia and Joey Xotla, Carter Eid of Bartlett, and Ryan Zydek of Wheaton North are some of the runners that you can see finishing in the top 10.