This is our second to last installment of our team rankings. 3A Boys produced our biggest response rates on previews emails which makes this article a little more lengthly of a read.
Plainfield East
Head Coach: Rich Gatz
Last Year's Finish: 12th @ 3A Naperville North Regional
Key Returners: John Berducido (Jr.), Grant Withaeger (Jr.), Tyler Fadenholz (Sr.), Evan Breese (Jr.), Dominic Taylor (Jr.), Tristan Dravo (Jr.)
Coach Gatz's Outlook: Overall, it has been hard to get kids to come out for the Fall season since I came back to coaching last year so our numbers are small. That being said, the group I have had the benefit of coaching the last couple of years are starting to come of age and I look forward to a decently competitive junior class and one senior this season. Look for John Berducido, Grant Withaeger and Tyler Fadenholz to have successful seasons this year, along with a handful of juniors and sophomores to round out the seven.
Oak Lawn (Richards)
Head Coach: John Kawulia
Last Year's Finish: 17th @ 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional
Key Returners: James O’Shea (So.), Aimen Bawadi (Sr.), Eric Villalobos (Sr.), Santiago Carbajal (So.), Angel Ramirez (Sr.), Shawn Mallo (Jr.), Anthony Villalobos (So.), Jayden Cruz (Sr.), Yamil Juarez (So.), Michael Vegas (Jr.), Steven Cozen (Jr.)
Coach Kawulia's Outlook: Our program has been growing a lot over the past 5-10 years. We are now looking to have around 40 boys on the team. We have began to implement more consistent strength work this summer which I think will benefit the team in staying healthy this season. We have a young team that is very hungry to compete with whoever we race against. Last year was our first year in 3A so the goal now is to not just make the sectional meet but to be able to really compete when we get there.
Geneva
Head Coach/Coaches: Peter Raak / Ben Jeffrey and Jenna Kortenhoeven
Last Year's Finish: 16th @ IHSA 3A Lake Park Sectional
Key Returners: Julian Hipp (Sr.), Luke Gaston (Sr.), Dominic Ross (Sr.), Noah Martin (Sr.), Drew Hosman (Sr.), Dominic Savarese (Sr.), Ernie Bebe (Sr.)
Coach Raak's Outlook: This season, we have a solid core of seniors who look to lead the team back to the state meet for the first time in a while. This group of seniors have been working together towards this goal over the past 3 years and are looking to make that final step. They are focused and they are motivated. The time is now! Along with this solid group of seniors, we have a big group of freshmen who are also passionate about cross country. They are ready to follow the example set by the seniors and see what high school cross country is all about.
Lake Zurich
Head Coaches/Coaches: JB Hanson / Courtney May
Last Year's Finish: 13th @ 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional
Key Returners: Merrick Barth (Jr.), Colin Fridner (Sr.), Edwin Galarza (Sr.), Owen Holzhauer (Jr.), Sushant Kesevan (Jr.), Gordy Libby (Jr.), Marc MacCormac (Jr.), Nishanth Mandavilli (Jr.), Miguel Marquez (Jr.), Luke Marshall (So.), Esau Mesa (Jr.), Carson Porter (So.)
New Additions: Karanveer Patil (Fr.)
Coach Hanson's Outlook: Our team goals are the same every year: win the NSC Conference, qualify to IHSA State, and run our best race at state. The addition of Karanveer Patil is a huge boost to our program. He is a special kid and will make his presence known in Illinois cross Country right away. Luke Marshall was our #1 last year and individual qualifier as a freshman. He is training at a higher training level and is ready for the next step. Edwin Galarza is starting only his second full season of cross country, but he is ready to become a star as well.
Franklin Park-Northlake (Leyden)
Head Coach/Coaches: Brad Henning / Tim Stark
Last Year's Finish: 11th @ 3A St. Charles East
Key Returners: Hector Cortes (Sr.), Daniel Gumper (Sr.), Josh Sandi (Jr.), Erick Ferrer (Jr.), Ivan Saucedo (Jr.), Elijah Scheidler (Jr.), Dan Uy (So.)
New Additions: David Ferrer (Fr.), Josh Armedilla (Fr.), Mohamed Elhindi (Fr.), Julio Rodriguez (So.)
Coach Henning's Outlook: So our outlook is to develop our young runners and provide our juniors and 2 seniors the opportunities to become leaders of our team and provide us some stability in training by holding their teammates accountable for training or lack of training. Our breakout runners this year could be David Ferrer, Mohamed Elhindi and Ivan Saucedo.
Hoffman Estates (Conant)
Head Coach/Coaches: John Powers / David Cromer
Last Year's Finish: 11th @ 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional
Key Returners: Charlie Calderone (Jr.), David Shu (Jr.), Andrew Yamaguchi (Sr.), Joe Basile (Jr.), Henry Dombrowski (Jr.), Justin Czepiel (Jr.), Evan Cisneros (So.), Dylan Wyka (Sr.), Milo Pineda (Jr.)
Coach Power's Outlook: Summer has been going great. I’ve been impressed and encouraged by the squads work ethic.
Rock Island
Head Coach/Coaches: Jarrin Williams / Anthony Pena
Last Year's Finish: 9th @ 3A Plainfield Central Regional
Key Returners: Gabe Mahn (Jr.), Elliot Batz (So.), Lucas McCall (Jr.)., Henry Mass (Jr.), Lukas Heine (Sr.), Merrick Stockwell (Sr.)
New Additions: Nolan Jared (Fr.), Stephen Hernandez (Fr.), Cylar Smith (Fr.)
Coach Williams' Outlook: The captains largely lead summer running due to not wanting to have too many contact days. Despite having five of the top seven return, only three of them were competitive in most of our meets last season. We need to improve there — especially in the areas of confidence and consistency. I’m excited for that developmental challenge. Our junior class will likely be the performance leaders for this year’s team. We have two seniors who have to fully embrace their roles for us to improve in the postseason team standings from 2023.
Vernon Hills
Head Coach/Coaches: Steven Szabo / Bryson Taylor and Suzanne Curry
Last Year's Finish: 10th @ 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional
Key Returners: Bryant Lester (So.), Jeremy Gitzinger (Sr.), Trevor Todd (Jr.), Konstantin Koychev (Jr.), Aarav Sheth (Jr.), Brady Koetz (Sr.), Will Gagamov (So.), Nathan Kim (Sr.), Stephen Posner (Sr.), Raghav Verma (Sr.), Juno Lee (Sr.)
Coach Szabo's Outlook: We lost two really outstanding runners from last year's team in Charlie Blackmer and Campbell Woolard. Replacing a top runner like Charlie Blackmer is going to be difficult and it may take a little while to find our stride but so far this summer we have really put our best foot forward. We have really strong senior leadership who have helped the group together this summer and focus on our goals. We will need a few of our younger guys to continue the work that they have put in this summer, focus on the small things to remain injury free and I realistically think that we can put a great effort forward by the end of the season.
Wheeling
Head Coach/Coaches: Tom Polak / Tyler Polak
Last Year's Finish: 7th @ 3A Loyola Regional
Key Returners: Jesus Campos (Sr.), Wilbur Bahena (Sr.), Jon Lenert (So.), Aramis Alcantar (So.), Jason Aivazian (So.), Ryan Warner (So.), Orion Voss (So.), Lorenzo Magaru (So.), Evan Leonida (So.), Aaron Varaghese (So.)
Coach Polak's Outlook: The Wildcats will be led by two seniors this season, Jesus Campos and Wilbur Bahena. These two seniors have worked hard, both recovering from stress fractures at the end of XC, and getting a late start on the Track season. Their summers have been very strong, both look very fit and are ready to make an impact in the MSL and beyond. Behind them will be a large group of sophomores who have worked hard, and are coming together as a team. The miles are getting put in, the commitment is being made, and there are a few who have surprised themselves at their progress. This varsity team's success will be determined by how far up Campos and Bahena can get, and how much progress these sophomores can actually make.
Huntley
Head Coach/Coaches: Matt Kaplan / Jason Monson, Brandy Swanson, Jimmy Jestus
Last Year's Finish: 10th @ 3A Lake Park Sectional
Key Returners: Tommy Nitz (Sr.), Nathan Sauber (Jr.), Andrew Raistrick (Jr.), Brandon Thompson (So.), Derek Spaid (Sr.), Logan Barreto (Jr.)
Coach Kaplan's Outlook: The boys team will be led up front by senior Tommy Nitz. Tommy earned All-State honors in the 2023 season along with All-State honors in the 3200/1600 this past track season. Tommy will give our team a great start in the team scoring at every meet. Juniors Nathan Sauber (4:42/9:52), Andrew Raistrick (4:35/10:05) and sophomore Brandon Thompson (4:48/10:16) look to be our 2-4 runners making an impact at the varsity level. All 3 boys return from last year's top 7 and saw solid improvements in their recent track season. Senior Derek Spaid and junior Logan Barreto are also expected to impact the top 7 this season. This boys team focus will be working on improving our 2-5 split all season in order to perform the best they can come post season.
Deerfield
Head Coach/Coaches: Scott Friedlander / Bill Anderson
Last Year's Finish: 28th @ IHSA 3A State
Key Returners: Jamie Chandler (Jr.), Ben Freedman (Sr.), Andrew Calderon (So.), Danny Kriegel (Sr.), Nick Dowell (Sr.), Scott Harvey (Jr.), Sam Chaban (Jr.), Hugo Albrecht-Buehler (Jr.), Charlie Marks (Jr.), Will Lambert (Jr.), Sam Rush (Sr.), Noelan Tossing (Jr.)
Coach Friedlander's Outlook: I’d expect us to have a front-runner this year in Jamie Chandler who ran 9:27 in the 3200m in May. I think he has a shot at being a single digit for the team at Sectionals and maybe even All-State. Behind Jamie, we should have 8-12 runners realistically vying for the next six spots. Our depth is so strong that it’s hard to predict who and in what order. The favorite in that bunch might be sophomore Andrew Calderon who was good but not outstanding in middle school and freshman cross country, but then had an incredible breakout season on the track running 9:57/4:36/2:04. He’s still physically young, so we expect some physical growth along with the fact that he’s working hard. Senior Ben Freedman should be up there as the only runner besides Jamie returning from last year’s Top 7. After those three, we have eight more guys who ran between 4:43 and 4:53 this past spring, so it will be tight. We were proud of the fact that we finished in the top ten in Illinois on ILXCTF’s sub 5:00 and sub 10:30 lists, which is pretty great depth for a school of 1,450 students. We punch above our weight, and we’re hoping to do it at Busse Woods again.
Neuqua Valley
Head Coach/Coaches: James Janota / Mike Kennedy, Jared Righter, Michael Rossi
Last Year's Finish: 9th @ IHSA 3A State
Key Returners: Ryan Adamski (Sr.), Aaron Hamilton (Sr.), Tarun Avantsa (Sr.), Garrett Anderson (Jr.), Neel Chawla (Sr.), Liam Yack (Sr.), Jesse Gudauskas (So.), Anish Bhagwat (Jr.), Max Mayer (Jr.), Reyaansh Bhagat (So.)
Coach Janota's Outlook: The summer has gone well thus far. We've avoided any significant injuries and have kept true to our motto of moderation and consistency. Everyone has worked hard. The biggest obstacle we have faced is staying consistent when athletes go on vacation and are away from the structure of the team. Our goal is to as always, continue our legacy of qualifying for the IHSA State Championship.
Hampshire
Head Coach/Coaches: Ryan Hollister / Rachel Hollister and Cindy Wagner
Last Year's Finish:
Key Returners: Jack Sheets (Sr.), Nolan Sheets (Sr.), Sam Beamon (Sr.), Cody Dobush (Sr.), Marcus Davis (Jr.), Marshall Waldau (Jr.), Lucas Heitman (Sr.), Lucas Bailye (So.), Tyler Krauss (So.), Craig Butcher (Jr.), Xander Lewis (So.)
New Additions: Hudson Cuplin (Fr.), Chase Bowers (Fr.), Gavin Weston (Fr.), Gavin Holmer (Fr.)
Coach Hollister's Outlook: We have had great summer turnout and our seniors are a fun group who lead by example. Jack and Nolan Sheets both broke 16 minutes last season and have the potential for a lot of success this year. With our entire varsity roster returning from last season, there should be a lot of competition for the last five varsity spots. If that competition lifts our pack to running with Jack and Nolan at meets, the sky's the limit. We've joined some more competitive invites this season. Although we probably won't win as many invitationals as last year, I think the improved competition will help prepare our runners for the postseason.
Roselle (Lake Park)
Head Coach/Coaches: Joey Pacione / Albert Villa
Last Year's Finish: 8th @ 3A St. Charles East Regional
Key Returners: Jimmy Jalowiec (Sr.), Nick Sheklarevski (Jr.), Nick Zegger (Jr.), Lucas Skupien (Sr.), Daniel Bernal (Sr.), Holden Anderson (Sr.), Brendan Gaffey (Sr.), Jacob Rymarcsuk (Sr.), Tommy Jalowiec (So.), Chris Cozzo (Jr.), Jael Jimenez-Perez (Jr.), Brandon Arguello (So.), George Courlas (Sr.)
New Additions: Christian Gallant (Fr.)
Unexpected Losses: Jamarious Bassette (Jr.)
Coach Pacione's Outlook: With 12 out of the top 14 from last season returning, LP is looking forward to big improvements building on what was an excellent track season. The athletes have worked very hard to pull us up from the bottom of the conference and are now looking to make a push towards state relevance. But more importantly, creating a culture where the runners are proud to compete for our team and believe in their ability to go up against anybody.
Elgin
Head Coach/Coaches: Chris Vargas / Dan Barsotti
Last Year's Finish: 8th @ 3A Hampshire Regional
Key Returners: Cole Tupper (Sr.), Ricardo Loeza (Sr.), Ian Godinez (Sr.), David Dorantes (Jr.), Daniel Valdivia (Jr.), Kevin Martinez (Jr.), Jacob Lesch (Sr.)
Coach Vargas' Outlook: Outlook for the season is bright. We have a core group of athletes who are ready to take their fitness to a new level. Led by Senior and team captain, Cole Tupper, we are excited to see what we can do this season.
Bartlett
Head Coach: Alexander Surluco
Last Year's Finish: 10th @ St. Charles East Regional
Key Returners: Whalan Eid (Sr.), Joseph Bagnuolo (Jr.), Aimad Ourahou (Jr.), Frederick Villegas (Jr.), Dylan Alvarez (Jr.), Sebastian Martinez (So.), Anug Patel (Jr.), Micah Vargas (Jr.)
New Additions: Eli Yung (Jr.)
Coach Surluco's Outlook: This year is a transition year for the team. We had a bigger senior class last year where a lot of the guys had been with us for 4 years and knew how our system worked. This year we will have a small senior class and a lot of new guys overall on the team. If the older athletes can help transition the new runner and lead by example, I think there will be great strides along the way. We have runners that will be very spread out on time and will have their own individual goals, whether it is breaking 20 minutes, to trying to qualify for the state meet. The team's success will depend on the commitment that each runner puts into the team on a weekly basis.
Glenview (Glenbrook South)
Head Coach/Coaches: Nick Morley / David Berkson and Dan Rhoades
Last Year's Finish: 17th @ 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional
Key Returners: Cole Branstrom (Sr.), Owen Cummings (Jr.), Will Fontana (Sr.), Jack Kordish (Jr.), Jack Lyons (So.), Pawel Odziomek (Sr.), Spencer Rudolph (Sr.), Rahm Sheinfeld Sr.), Ryan Taylor (Jr.), Owen Wu (So.)
Coach Morley's Outlook: We are very excited for the 2024 season. Led by senior leaders such as Cole Branstrom, Will Fontana, and Spencer Rudolph, along with up and coming contributors such as junior Ryan Taylor, we are hoping to have a successful season. Athletes have been working diligently running, biking, and swimming throughout the summer to earn the coveted High Mileage Club, and we are on track for one of our largest High Mileage classes in recent memory. Our underclassmen look strong with sophomores Jack Lyons (the reigning freshmen conference champion) and Owen Wu, as well as impressive freshmen newcomers such as Roland Hu, Bryce Kopinski, and Shane Kopinski.
Homewood-Flossmoor
Head Coach/Coaches: Brian O'Donnell / Matt Aniywo and Anna Pignatiello
Last Year's Finish: 8th @ 3A Andrew Regional
Key Returners: Ryan Castady (Sr.), Saaungkh Tarrer (Sr.), Jacob Roe (Sr.), Bennett Matthys (So.), Jackson Alsberry (Jr.), Rory Paredes (Jr.), Talib Clemons (So.)
New Additions: Matthis Tyrone (Sr.), Matthew Tyrone (Sr.), Henry Maier (Fr.), Branko Ivancevic (Fr.)
Coach O'Donnell's Outlook: Based on summer training our top 5 will be led by four seniors: Ryan Castady, Saaungkh Tarrer, Matthis Tyrone, and Matthew Tyrone. There will be a large group of athletes competing for those final 3 spots to round out the top 7. We had a nice group of committed athletes who put in a quality summer of running. Our team has a good balance of veterans and young runners who are committed to being successful. Entering the season it looks like we may have a gap between our 4 and 5 runners which will obviously limit what team success we can expect. I am excited to see how our young athletes progress.
Palos Heights (Shepard)
Head Coach/Coaches: Troy Walker / Cameron Kavanaugh
Last Year's Finish: 8th @ 3A Marist Regional
Key Returners: Elijah Bywater (Jr.), Alex Guzman (Jr.), Diego Hernandez (Sr.), Enzo Restivo (Sr.), Jake Cachor (Sr.), Idal Sanchez (Jr.), Dailan Holmes (So.), Rowan Serdar (Jr.), Luis Madrigal (Sr.), Desmond Wolynia (So.), Martin Foertsch (Sr.)
Coach Walker's Outlook: While our top 2 runners are back, we lost 6 out of our 9 top runners from last years team to graduation. We will be looking everywhere to fill out our top 5-12 runners. It has been nice to see some of the guys step into leadership roles after losing so many seniors, we are optimistic that we have some freshman and sophomores that will be ready to step up by the end of the season to help out our juniors and seniors.
Minooka
Head Coach/Coaches: Kevin Gummerson / Jessica Hopkins, Leslie Hencinski, Ashley Tutt, Matt Clark
Last Year's Finish: 12th @ 3A Granite City Sectional
Key Returners: Nico Cimino (Jr.), Jase Cook (Jr.), Alex Null (Jr.), Nate Schallk (Jr.), Sam Cernetich (Sr.), Carter Wikoff (Sr.), Matthew Whalen (So.), Vaughn Van Eck (So.), Bryce Fuhrman (Jr.)
Coach Gummerson's Outlook: We are excited to see what this team can accomplish. Not qualifying as a team last year has been a motivating factor in the minds of these athletes all summer and they are determined to take their performances up another level. This group of juniors has done a great of job of improving their level of training this summer and I am looking forward to seeing that jump from this group. I really like the schedule that we have set up and the key for this team is to learn from each one of these high powered invitationals we attend.
Plainfield Central
Head Coach/Coaches: Jeff Purdom / Emily Brodko and Kyle Draghi
Last Year's Finish: 11th @ 3A Granite City Sectional
Key Returners: Luke Adair (Sr.), Ubaldo Rodriguez (Sr.), Micah Ruland (Sr.), Adrian Castillo (Sr.), Dominik Barrios (So.), Brady Husak (So.), Aden Veljacic (Sr.)
New Additions: Ty Vitanovek (So.)
Coach Purdom's Outlook: The team brings back 4 returners from last year's varsity team, but will have a lot of new faces filling the rest of the spots. The sophomore class has stepped up in a big way this summer and will be pushing the upperclassmen this fall. Luke Adair, Ubaldo Rodriguez, Micah Ruland and Adrian Castillo will bring much needed senior leadership, but the story of the season will be how the young guns step into the varsity role.
St. Charles North
Head Coach/Coaches: Kevin Harrington / Matt Ruckoldt and Rick Hornstrom
Last Year's Finish: 17th @ 3A Lake Park Sectional
Key Returners: Noel Sookswat (Sr.), Evan Reck (Sr.), Brian Santos (Sr.), Logan Sundquist (Sr.), Lucas Reed (Jr.), Matthew Russell (Jr.), Sam Hill (So.), Logan Hitchings (So.)
Coach Harrington's Outlook: SCN boys will need a few races to shake out who we are and what we can actually become. We have a few seniors that can take care of business with the potential support of a few underclassman- and the chemistry is still developing.
DeKalb
Head Coach/Coaches: Mike Wolf / Valerie Freeman and Michael Franckowiak
Last Year's Finish: 14th @ 3A Lake Park Sectional
Key Returners: Jacob Barraza (Sr.), Nathan Tumminaro (Sr.), Felipe Hernandez (Jr.), Noah Thompson (So.), Rafeal Forney (Sr.), Christopher Thunder (Sr.), Tegan Bengford-Breneisen (So.)
Coach Wolf's Outlook: Our top group has had a consistent summer with some of our younger guys adjusting well to an overall increase in mileage from last year. Jacob Barraza will lead our team and I am looking for a group of runners who all ran nice PR’s at the end of track to start our CC season at a higher level.
Buffalo Grove
Head Coach/Coaches: Miguel Parra Garcia /\ Zach Crandall
Last Year's Finish: 7th @ 3A Palatine Regional
Key Returners: Riley Wold (Jr.), Will Capito (Jr.), Grant Preusker (Jr.), Spencer Flershem (So.), Alex Hernandez (Jr.), Emanuel Esquina (So.), Nate Lipani (Jr.)
New Additions: Andres Bolaños (Sr.), Patrick Romanski (Fr.), Luke Hilgeman (Fr.)
Coach Garcia's Outlook: We are excited to improve from last year’s 8th place finish in the MSL and our goal is to make it to sectionals as a team. While we’ve had some individual postseason success over the last few years, Buffalo Grove has not qualified a team to sectionals since the 2015 season when we took 6th in state. The boys have been putting in a lot of hard work this summer and continue to get better each day. With no seniors and 2 freshmen potentially in the top 7 this year, we are still young and have a lot of room for improvement.
Algonquin (Jacobs)
Head Coach/Coaches: Kevin Christian / Chris Keller, Michael Hanley, Tom Smith, Robbie Joe Underwood, Nick Spiro, Ruth Haworth
Last Year's Finish: 9th @ 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional
Key Returners: Max Sudrznski (Sr.), Isaac Pepin (Sr.), Austin Stevenson (Jr.), Michael Moore (Sr.), Vince Robles (Sr.), Mehdi Abdagic (Jr.), Gavin Van Antwerp (Jr.)
New Additions: Gavin Glosson (Fr.), Zac Anderson (Fr.), Alex Taskov (Fr.), Doyle Watson (Fr.)
Coach Christian's Outlook: Max Sudrznski finished 3rd in the Palatine Regional and looks even stronger after track season. Isaac Pepin is putting in his first big summer of mileage and is significantly ahead of where he was last year. Freshman Gavin Glosson ran a 4:25 in the 1500m over the summer and will compete with all our guys. With the emergence of Austin Stevenson, we have a strong top 4. Freshman Zac Anderson and Alex Taskov have put in big summers and are ready to compete at the back end of our top 5.
Rolling Meadows
Head Coach/Coaches: Frank Schweda / Jason Sendelbach
Last Year's Finish: 10th @ 3A Palatine Regional
Key Returners: David Opiola (Jr.), Simon Ludolph (Sr.), Erick Olson (Jr.), Alan Hernandez (Jr.), Luke Randolph (Sr.), Lukas Samuels (Jr.)
Coach Schweda's Outlook: Our goal is to move up in the MSL rankings and be competitive in the meets we race in. Lastly run as a pack. summer has gone well - just building mileage and working in some faster workouts
Downers Grove South
Head Coach/Coaches: Brian Caldwell / Sean Senf, Greg Maloney, Mike Kirk
Last Year's Finish: 10th @ 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional
Key Returners: Conrad Saner (So.), John Clinton (Jr.), TJ Harvat (Sr.), Billy Neumann (Sr.), Ethan Traugott (Jr.), Charlie De La Paz (So.), Aditya Kota (So.), Will Miller (Jr.), Martin Joy (Sr.), AJ Handy (Jr.)
Coach Caldwell's Outlook: Right now, we are most impressed by the buy-in we’ve seen. Our numbers were smaller than they’ve been this summer, but the group has really committed themselves to making a big jump. We believe we can be really good this year, but our top priority is creating a positive team culture and getting better and better each week. We have the guys we need to be a great team. If we can get and keep everyone healthy, it could be one of the best seasons DGS has ever enjoyed.
Springfield
Head Coach/Coaches: Trae Cotner / Danny Stults
Last Year's Finish: 6th @ 3A Alton Regional
Key Returners: DJ Peeler (So.), Kishan Ugrappa (So.), Alex Ratz (Jr.), Clayton Borah (Jr.), Lucas Schmitt (Sr.), Colin Nolte (So.), Ben Walden (Jr.), Sam Batterman (So.), Finn Murphy (Sr.)
New Additions: Bennett Nelson (Fr.), Blake Schmitt (Fr.)
Coach Cotner's Outlook: Our summer has been awesome. Our boys are crushing it together in a big group. We have big goals. Our main hope is to stay healthy and consistent and fight for a conference title on our home course. We have a young group with only 2 senior boys. We will be at our best once we move our younger boys up to the varsity level.
Riverside Brookfield
Head Coach/Coaches: Jack Brady / Travis Travizo
Last Year's Finish: 21st @ IHSA 3A State
Key Returners: Brady Norman (Sr.), Diego Lopez-Molina (Sr.), Asa Kahle (Sr.), Abe Ray (Sr.), Hayden Haas (Sr.), Henry Walker (Sr.), Tommy Bogdan (Jr.), Emmitt Olson (Jr.), Sam Lee (Jr.), Quinn Hendricks (Jr.), Clay Dosek (Jr.), Aiden O'Brien (So.), Bryson Reum (So.)
Coach Brady's Outlook: Brady Norman leads the Bulldogs with 2 State XC meet appearances and 2 State Tack appearances. Lopez-Molina and Kahle both have State XC Meet experience. After the Top 3, 10 athletes will compete for the next 4 spots. Summer running went well with 20 seconds separating the 10 runners looking to make the Varsity line-up.
Fox Lake (Grant)
Head Coach/Coaches: Jeff Durlak / Jeff Harvey
Last Year's Finish: 15th @ 3A Hoffman Estates Sectional
Key Returners: Niko Dayment (Sr.), Maxx Haas (Jr.), Nathan Kempf (So.), Eric Ramirez (Jr.), Landon Terryberry (Jr.), Logan Terryberry (Jr.), Jacob Kaufman (Sr.), Russell Holm (So.), Garrett Fries (So.), Jared Lopez (Jr.)
New Additions: Tyler Wahls (Fr.)
Coach Durlak's Outlook: The boys graduated 4 seniors from their top 7 a year ago. Niko, Maxx, and Nathan are the 3 returners that will provide experience and leadership to the team. There are a number of returning runners that are looking to step up and fill in those remaining top 7 spots.
Oswego East
Head Coach/Coaches: James Milner / Derrick Padovich
Last Year's Finish: 27th @ IHSA 3A State
Key Returners: Nico Goduto (Sr.), Eddie Bozett (Sr.), Phoenix Scott (Jr.), Jack Wolstenholm (So.), Mason Van Denend (So.), Logan Santos (Sr.), Bradley Porter (Sr.)
Coach Milner's Outlook: This is a young team with state meet experience. We'll need contributions from all age groups, seniors down to the freshmen. They’ll look to develop as a team throughout the season and work on cutting down that 1-5 split. With a close 1-5 split this team will look for a strong finish in the tough SPC and challenge for a state berth. The team will be led by Seniors Nico Goduto and Eddie Bozett.
Park Ridge (Maine South)
Head Coach/Coaches: Greg Nordahl / Dave Fermanich and Tom d'Amborosio Last Year's Finish: 8th @ 3A Lake Park Sectional
Key Returners: Owynn Garrelts (Sr.), Owen Tremblay (Sr.), Colin Frye (So.), Lucas Runtz (So.), Alex Czerwionka (So.), Jake Eckhart (Sr.), Gabe Szfranko (So.), Gino Arcuri (Sr.), Tony Murphy (Jr.)
Coach Nordahl's Outlook: We have a couple of very talented seniors in Owynn Garrelts and Owen Tremblay. They will lead a core group of sophomores Colin Frye, Lucas Runtz, Alex Czerwionka, and Gabe Szfranco. Seniors Jake Eckhart and Gino Arcuri and junior Tony Murphy have made progress and will compete for a top 7 position. Owynn Garrelts has been our most committed runner this summer and for the last few years. His work level this summer is on par with some of the top runners that Maine South has produced, and he should again be an all-state contender. His endurance is very impressive, and we are working on turnover and finishing kick to make him a top athlete in the state. We should have 2 two sub 15 runners at the end of the season and a solid pack around 15:30. This will make us a competitive team with the goal of being a top ten team
South Elgin
Head Coach/Coaches: Kari Turcan / Gavin Dillehay
Last Year's Finish: 15th @ 3A Lake Park Regional
Key Returners: Logan Lott (Sr.), Noah Callahan (Sr.), Brody Mills (Sr.), Aldrin Boongaling (Jr.), Kyle Diven (Sr.), Noah Sanders (Sr.), Josiah Lindsey (Jr.), Charlie Stace (Sr.)
New Additions: Gael Bibiano (Fr.)
Coach Turcan's Outlook: This is probably the best team South Elgin has had in its short 20 year history. We have a solid 9-10 guys that will be competing for those top 7 spots week by week. We saw many up their summer work by participating in additional running camps or clubs. Everyone is starting the season healthy and strong. We are interested in competing against new schools in our conference which will make our UEC Meet a little more like a typical invitational in terms of number of teams competing. We are always awaiting regional assignments as we have a tendency to bounce around year to year.
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