This “mud-fest” at Detweiller Park will be one not to miss

By Michael Newman

[email protected]

Remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon that will hit the Peoria area on Thursday and Friday should turn the usually fast track at Detweiller Park into a mud-fest in some portions of the course. That won’t stop the First to the Finish Invitational from going off as more than 200 schools will converge on this historical cross-country course.

This meet takes on a little more importance on Saturday morning. For most of the teams entered in this meet, it will be their first race of the year due to stormy weather that cancelled meets in Illinois last weekend. No “rust-busters” or tune-ups for some of the top teams racing here.

Nevertheless, the racing should be furious over the eight races on this day.

Some of the mystery of the pre-season will be erased by the end of Saturday. We could have some answers to the questions that have floated through our minds over the past summer months.

Headlining this meet will be the 3A Girls race at 1:00 PM CDT. Naperville North, Yorkville, and Downers Grove South are nationally ranked teams and the top three Girls teams in Illinois. They will face-off for the first of three times over the next month.

In all three of the Girls races, we will see freshman runners staking their claim as some of the top runners led by Katrina Schlenker of Batavia in the 3A race and Ava Parekh of Latin School. Defending state champions Emma Argo of Eureka and Jenna Schwartz of Waterloo will make their seasonal debuts on Saturday.

The three Boys class races could answer questions in hopefully races that will provide the answers. Tommy Brady of Maine South is the top 3A runner. His team ran their Junior-Varsity team in this meet last year but will run their full squad, including Brady, in this race due to last week’s meet cancellation.  Adam Gilbreath-Glaub is the 2A 3200m champ and could fight off runners in the 2A race. The 1A race will be up for grabs with defending champion Dawson Smith of Rock Falls leading the way.

Here are previews of each of the six class races that will take place on Saturday. There will be an open race for 2A and 3A runners with the Girls racing at 11:40 AM CDT and the Boys racing at 12:20 PM.

1A Girls – 9:00 AM

Ranked Teams (16) - #2 Rock Falls, #4 Eureka, #5 Williamsville, #6 Stanford Olympia, #7 Rockford Christian, #9 Pleasant Plains, #11 El Paso-Gridley, #12 Tremont, #13 Urbana University, #14 Kewanee Wethersfield, #17 Bloomington Central Catholic, #19 Liberty, #22 DuQuoin, #23 Beecher, #24 Winnebago, #25 Decatur St. Teresa

Other Teams – Abingdon-Avon, Argenta-Oreana, Athens, Aurora Central Catholic, Aurora Christian, Bloomington Cornerstone Academy, Bluford Webber, Byron, Cambridge-Ridgewood, Carlinville, Clinton, Cullom-Tri Point, Delavan, Deer Creek-Mackinaw, Edwardsville Metro-East Lutheran, Elmwood-Brimfield, Farmington, Father McGivney, Genoa-Kingston, Guerin Prep, Henry-Senachwine, Illini Bluffs, Illini Central, Illinois Valley Central, Johnsburg, Judah Christian, Macomb, Monmouth-Roseville, O’Fallon Baptist, Oregon, Ottawa Marquette, Peoria Heights, Peoria Manual, Pittsfield, Prairie Central, Princeville, Putnam County, Riverton, Rockford Lutheran, Roxana, Seneca, Stark County, Staunton, Steeleville, Stockton, Trenton-Wesclin, Westmont

Team Race – In the first race of the day, we could see how good Rock Falls is in 2018. The Rockets did not have their best race last time on this course finishing seventh in the 1A State Meet.  They had a convincing performance on their home course on August 21 with a 75 second split on their top five. They did that without All-State runner Alex Gomez who did not compete in that meet. Compare that to a 172 second top five split that they had in their sectional race. It seems that they have solved that problem. Watch to see if they can keep their five-runner split under 80 seconds. That could be a probability if Gomez is racing.

We will find out more about Eureka since this is their seasonal debut. Emma Argo leading them is a nice luxury to have. Williamsville had a tight 26 second split on their top four last week at Rochester. Getting their fifth runner closer to that pack will be a key. Stanford Olympia ran a 48 second top five split in their race last week at Normal. Savannah Beavers and Payton Willie finishing in the top 15 could put the Spartans closer to Rock Falls. Winnebago could be one of the surprise teams in this race. Natalia Martino led a 73 second five-runner split on their home 3k course on Tuesday. They will be one of many teams to watch in this race. 16 of the top 25 teams in the rankings are entered in this meet.

Individuals to Watch (In Alphabetical Order) – Gabrielle Alongi - DuQuoin, Emma Argo - Eureka, Cate Atkins- El Paso-Gridley, Savannah Beavers - Stanford Olympia, Bailee Fortney - Rock Falls, Madison Franseen - Rockford Christian, Lizzy Friedinger - Tremont, Bryahna Ganther - Rock Falls, Alex Gomez - Rock Falls, Caroline Gwaltney - Williamsville, Veronica Hein - Decatur St. Teresa, Caroline Jachino - Pleasant Plains, Whitney Johnson - Kewanee Wethersfield, Anika Kimme- Urbana University, Audra Koechle - Williamsville, Abby Lewis - Bloomington Central Catholic, Natalia Martino - Winnebago, Lydia Roller- Staunton, Sam Schmitt - Johnsburg, Katie Springer - Delavan, Payne Turney - Clinton.

Individual Race – This is a loaded field. We will be saying that a lot about 1A races this fall considering 22 All-State runners are back from the 2017 1A State race. Emma Argo, defending champion in last year’s 1A State Meet race, finished 15^th in this meet a year ago. She should be up for the challenge up front on Saturday. Caroline Jachino could be the top challenger to Argo. The Pleasant Plains junior, who finished second in last spring’s 3200 Meter Run at state, won by nine seconds ahead of Paige Turney who will also be in this field. Lydia Roller has started the season strongly with a win at SIU-Edwardsville two weeks ago and third last Saturday at Granite City. Watch for her near the front. Alex Gomez and Bailee Fortney finished 1-2 a year ago, but it could be their teammate Bryahna Ganther that is ahead in the end after finishing 29 seconds ahead of Fortney in their first meet. The Rock Falls trio finishing in the top 10 in this meet is a possibility. Veronica Hein has the possibilities of placing in the top five. Gabrielle Algoni is a runner that I would keep an eye on. She could be a surprise in this race.

1A Boys – 9:40 AM

Ranked Teams (14) - #3 Stanford Olympia, #4 Elmwood-Brimfield, #5 Athens, #6 Urbana University, #10 Rock Falls, #11 El Paso-Gridley, #12 Deer Creek-Mackinaw, #13 Seneca, #16 Eureka, #19 Steeleville, #20 Tremont, #21 Clinton, #24 Roxana, #25 Carlinville.

Other Teams – Abingdon-Avon, Argenta-Oreana, Aurora Central Catholic, Aurora Christian, Beecher, Bloomington Central Catholic, Bloomington Cornerstone Academy, Bluford Webber, Byron, Cambridge-Ridgewood, Colfax-Ridgeview, Cullom-Tri Point, Danville Schlarman, Decatur St. Teresa, Delavan, DuQuoin, Erie-Prophetstown, Farmington, Father McGivney, Galva-Mid County, Genoa-Kingston, Guerin Prep, Henry-Senachwine, Illini Bluffs, Illini Central, Illinois Valley Central, Johnsburg, Judah Christian, Kewanee Wethersfield, Macomb, Monmouth-Roseville, O’Fallon Baptist, Oregon, Ottawa Marquette, Peoria Heights, Peoria Manual, Pleasant Plains, Pontiac, Prairie Central, Princeville, Putnam County, Red Bud, Riverton, Rockford Lutheran, Rock Island Alleman, Roxana, Stark County, Staunton, Trenton-Wesclin, Westmont, Williamsville, Winnebago.

Team Race – This is the first of the “expect the unexpected” races in this meet. With 1A Boys teams so evenly matched this fall, Saturday’s winner will not be a surprise. Stanford Olympia is the top ranked team in this field. They have a good pack led by Jon Neville that ran a 43 second split on their top five. I don’t think they will have a runner in this meet’s top 10 individuals. Keeping their split at 40 to 45 seconds could get them the win.

Elmwood-Brimfield looked good in finishing second last week at Canton. Expect a tight pack behind their top runner Luke Hoffmann in this race. Athens did not run their full-lineup last week at Canton last Saturday and could be a factor in this race if all their pieces are in place led by Noah McIntyre who should be among the top five individuals. Urbana University’s split on five at St. Thomas More was 89 seconds. The Illiniwek could be among the top five teams, but that split needs to come down. El Paso-Gridley could be a team to watch led by brothers Noah and Asa Smith who finished within eight seconds of each other at Normal. Rock Falls has a solid 1-2 with Dawson Smith and Matt Laws able to place in the top 10. Getting their pack within 60 seconds of the two runners could give the Rockets a chance at the team title. Deer Creek-Mackinaw, who finished right behind Elmwood-Brimfield at Canton is another team to keep an eye on.

Individuals to Watch (In Alphabetical Order) – Elias Bergman - Illinois Valley Central, Christopher Collet - Seneca, Josh Davies - Pontiac, Caelin Foley - Galva-Mid County, Matt Gedraitis - Westmont, Tyler Guthrie - Father McGivney, Luke Hoffmann - Elmwood-Brimfield, Evan Horn - Williamsville, Kyle Johnson - Eureka, Henry Kraatz - Urbana University, Aryan Lalwani - Urbana University, Jacob Landon - Carlinville, Matt Laws - Rock Falls, Noah McIntyre - Athens, Steven Melin - Pleasant Plains, Justin Mumford - Trenton-Wesclin, Dawson Smith - Rock Falls, Noah Smith - El Paso-Gridley, Jackson Stewart - Decatur St. Teresa, Leland Sumer – Tremont, Josh Vogel - Bloomington Central Catholic, Shane Yamco - Riverton.

Individual Race – The winner of this race could come down to five to six runners that have a chance. Dawson Smith won last year’s race and started off the season running 15:20 on his home course. Christopher Collet started his season running 15:27 on a hot day at Morris by himself for more than a minute win. He ran 15:30 on this course in July and will be in the front on Saturday. Jackson Stewart was the runner-up behind Smith in last year’s race and will be another runner to be a factor in the front. Leland Sumer finished 20^th at state last November and could be a runner to watch in the front.

Shane Yamco is better known for his prowess in the 800 Meter Run where he finished third last May at state. Yamco won by 18 seconds ahead of Sumer last week at Rochester and could be the surprise in this race. Noah Smith, Matt Laws or Matt Gedraitis are two runners that you could also see in the top 10 in this race. Justin Mumford of Trenton-Wesclin jogged at Granite City last week (25:01). The sophomore, who is the top returning runner from last year’s state race placing sixth overall, is coming back from a summer injury. It will be interesting to see if Mumford will be running at “full-strength” in this race. He could be a factor if that is the case.

2A Girls – 10:20 AM

Ranked Teams (17) - #1 Belvidere North, #2 Vernon Hills, #3 Lakes Community, #4 Waterloo, #5 Normal University, #6 Dixon, #7 Dunlap, #9 Latin School, #11 Mahomet-Seymour, #14 Washington, #15 Grayslake Central, #16 Geneseo, #18 Riverside-Brookfield, #22 Morton, #23 Highland, #24 Burlington Central, #25 Canton.

Other Teams – Antioch, Bartonville Limestone, Belvidere, Bremen, Burlington (IA), Champaign Centennial, Champaign Central, Charleston, Danville, Effingham, Elmwood Park, Fountain (IN), Freeport, Galesburg, Glenbard South, Kenwood Academy, Jacksonville, Jersey, Lemont, Lincoln, Marengo, Maroa-Forsyth, Mather, Metamora, Montini Catholic, Mt. Zion, Nazareth Academy, Olney Richland County, Ottawa, Peoria, Peoria Richwoods, Plano, Rochelle, Rochester, Rock Island, Rock Island Alleman, Rockford Boylan, Solorio Academy, St. Francis, Sterling, Streator, Sycamore, Trinity, Troy Triad, Woodstock, Woodstock Marian Central Catholic

Team Race – This race will be far from a disappointment considering you have the top seven teams in 2A Girls on the starting line. Belvidere North has the power up front with Madison Diercks and Giana Sagona battling for the individual win and Sydnie Elder in the top 10. Their split last Saturday at Crystal Lake South was over two minutes. It dipped to 99 seconds last Tuesday in their conference preview meet. The Blue Thunder will have the low numbers in the front. Their four and five runners need to get within 30 seconds of Elder to clinch a win.

Vernon Hills has Emily Wakefield that could be a top 10 finisher in this race. The freshman was 29 seconds ahead of their pack led by Carly Sear. Their second through fifth-runner pack was only separated by 18 seconds. Getting their pack close to Belvidere North’s Elder (within four to five places) could give the Cougars the victory. Lakes Community finished 21 points behind Vernon Hills at Lake County led by Brooke Stromsland who will challenge for the win. Their split on the top five was over two minutes. Getting Olivia Schmitt within 60 seconds of her teammate and getting their split under 90 seconds puts this team in contention. Waterloo will have Jenna Schwartz back who will challenge for the individual win. The Bulldogs has a 126 second split on their top four runners last week. Lowering those numbers puts this team into the top three. Normal University and Dixon could surprise in this race. Both have runners that could finish in the top 10 with Lyndsey Wolters and Paige Stees.

Dunlap will still be without three-time All State runner Abby Johnson who is still coming back from a back injury. A timetable for her return is still unknown. Macy Priess has started off the season strong and will lead a Dunlap squad that could pack it up in the top five.

Latin School has sophomore Marianne Mihas and freshman Ava Parekh that could be among the top 10 individual runners. It could also put Latin among the top six teams. Mahomet-Seymour could be a surprise team in this field after coming off team wins at St. Thomas More and Charleston.

Individuals to Watch (In Alphabetical Order) – Madilyn Barnhart - Sterling, Josie Brown - Geneseo, Madison Diercks - Belvidere North, Sydnie Elder - Belvidere North, Megan Garrett - Charleston, Aspen Gordon - Morton, Kylie Hagmann - Woodstock, Jadyn Jacobs - Washington, Alyssa Kowalski - Troy Triad, Brisa McGrath - Mahomet-Seymour, Marianne Mihas - Latin School,  Megan Moreno - Morton, Ava Parekh - Latin School, Kaitlyn Pendergast - Galesburg, Macy Priess - Dunlap, Gianna Sagona - Belvidere North, Jenna Schwartz - Waterloo, Elizabeth Sims - Mahomet-Seymour, Paige Stees - Dixon, Brooke Stromsland - Lakes Community, Emma Wakefield - Vernon Hills, Lyndsey Wolters - Normal University.

Individual race – Jenna Schwartz will start her 2018 XC season in this race. She has been ill the past couple of weeks missing Granite City last Saturday. The 2017 State Champion finished fourth last year. Bet on her to be ready for this race. Madison Diercks is the defending champion in this meet and has run side-by-side with teammate Giana Sagona in their first two meets. Both runners could challenge Schwartz for the win. Brooke Stromsland finished fourth at state last year and ran 18:15 last week at Lake County. The sophomore could be among the favorites in this race.

Watch for Latin School freshman Ava Parekh in this race. She broke the course record at Elmwood Park for two-miles (11:45) beating her teammate Marianne Mihas by 33 seconds. Parekh ran 5:02 for 1600-meters in eighth-grade. She could prove to be a factor in this race.
It is anybody’s guess after these runners. Kylie Hagmann, Lyndsey Wolters, Aspen Gordon, and Jadyn Jacobs all have the talent to finish in the top 10. Also watch for Emily Wakefield. The Vernon Hills freshman has jumped into the team’s top spot and could be one of those runners to watch in the front.

2A Boys – 11:00 AM

Ranked Teams (15) - #2 Sycamore, #4 Metamora, #5 Rockford Christian, #7 Kaneland, #9 Lakes Community, #11 Burlington Central, #12 Washington, #13 Danville, #16 Solorio Academy, #18 Dixon, #21 Vernon Hills, #22 Troy Triad, #23 Geneseo, #24 Belvidere North, #25 Olney Richland County.

Other Teams – Antioch, Bartonville Limestone, Belvidere, Bremen, Burlington (IA), Canton, Champaign Centennial, Champaign Central, Charleston, Dunlap, East Peoria, Effingham, Elmwood Park, Fountain (IN), Freeport, Galesburg, Glenbard South, Grayslake Central, Highland, Jacksonville, Jersey, Kenwood Academy, Latin School, Lemont, Lincoln, Marengo, Maroa-Forsyth, Mather, Morton, Mt. Zion, Nazareth Academy, Ottawa, Peoria, Peoria Richwoods, Plano, Riverside-Brookfield, Rochelle, Rochester, Rock Island, Rockford Boylan, St. Francis, Sterling, Streator, Waterloo, Woodstock, Woodstock Marian Central Catholic

Team Race – The second of the “anything can happen” races in this meet. The top two ranked teams in this field Sycamore and Metamora have yet to race opening a little more intrigue at the finish. Metamora does have Adam Gilbreath-Glaub who will be the individual favorite and hopefully a tight pack behind him. Sycamore is sneaky good even though they lost Stephen Poorten, last year’s top runner to graduation. Aaron Trier will step into that role. The Spartans will also need that tight pack running with him.

Rockford Christian has the talent to challenge Metamora for the meet. Ignore of what has been written that this team would have trouble transitioning from 1A to 2A. They can run with any 2A team especially when they are led by Riley Wells. The senior will be one of the race favorites. Their top five split off Wells was 79 seconds in their first race. Brent Brunner and Stephen Thomas could finish in the top 20. Getting their split under 70 seconds gets this team closer to the win.

Kaneland showed they are up to the challenge with last week’s race at Crystal Lake South. Daniel Occhipinti was 63 seconds ahead of the Knights pack. Their second through fifth-runners were only separated by 17 seconds. Getting to 40 seconds of their top runners gets Kaneland closer to the top.  Troy Triad could be a surprise team in this race after not having all of their top seven on the line last week at Granite City.

Individuals to Watch (In Alphabetical Order) – Austin Ames - Charleston, Drake Bleier - Troy Triad, Avery Davidson - Washington, Anthony Farmer - Burlington Central, Adam Gilbreath-Glaub - Metamora, Collin Grady - Dixon, Adonaliz Hernandez - Solorio Academy, Ryan Jones - Woodstock Marian Central Catholic, Luke Manolakes - Champaign Centennial, Mikio Martinez - Sterling, Jimmy McDonald - Vernon Hills, Michael Moreman - Danville, Daniel Occhipinti - Kaneland, Charlie Smith - Antioch, Aaron Trier - Sycamore, Riley Wells - Rockford Christian, Dan Weizeorick - St. Francis.

Individual race – Adam Gilbreath-Glaub is the class of this field and could be the big favorite in this race. The top nine runners from last year’s race all have graduated with Anthony Farmer and Charlie Smith along with Gilbreath-Glaub back. Smith finished third last week at UW-Parkside and could make things interesting. Expect Farmer to be close to Smith in the front. Riley Wells likes to start out slow in races. If he is close to the front in the final 400-meters, the “mad-kicker” could strike again. Michael Moreman, Austin Ames, and Avery Davidson could be among other runners that could challenge for a top five finish.

3A Girls – 1:00 PM

Ranked Teams (13) - #1 Naperville North, #2 Yorkville, #3 Downers Grove South, #5 Barrington, #6 Batavia, #7 Lyons Township, #9 Minooka, #11 New Trier, #13 Naperville Central, #19 Lockport Township, #20 Cary-Grove, #21 Edwardsville, #24 Rockton Hononegah.

Other Teams – Addison Trail, Argo, Berwyn-Cicero Morton, Bolingbrook, Bradley-Bourbonnais, DeKalb, Dundee-Crown, East Moline United, Evanston Township, Hampshire, Highland Park, Libertyville, McHenry, Metea Valley, Moline, Niles West, Normal West, Northside Prep, Payton Prep, Rockford Guilford, Wheaton North, Whitney Young, Willowbrook.

Team Race – The dynamics of the team competition within this race should be interesting to watch Saturday afternoon. Naperville North had a 44 second split on their top five in a 2.5-mile time trail in August. That was off Alex Morris who was 22 seconds ahead of Campbell Petersen. That’s saying a lot about this team even though these times were run in a time trial. The addition of freshman Lucy Westlake will give the Lady Huskies more “oomph” in the front. A split under 55 seconds would be good for North in their first 2018 competition.

Yorkville will need to have four runners, with Emily Eberhart, Helena Kleronomos, Kailey Fox, and Olivia Borowiak, all ahead of Naperville North’s third-runner in this race. Their key will be finding a fifth-runner in this race. The gap between Fox and Sara Klemm in their home meet on August 21 was 66 seconds. The addition of Nicole Greyer, who could be running in this meet after a foot injury in track, could cut that margin down. If not, Naperville North could have seven runners in before Yorkville’s top five.

Downers Grove South had a 45 second split in last week’s race at Fenton with a 15 second split from two to five. Brenna Cohoon and Melissa Weidner could be in the top ten. The Lady Mustangs could challenge for the win but need to get Cohoon and Weidner in the middle of Yorkville’s pack and also ahead of Naperville North’s fourth runner could make the team finish close up top.

A team of mystery is Batavia. This will be their first race and the showcase debut for Katrina Schlenker. The freshman ran 4:59 on the track last spring for 1600-meters. She could be one of the favorites in this race. Getting her and Mia Gianfrancesco in the top 10 could make Batavia a dangerous team. Barrington will also be racing for the first time this fall. Molly Fitzpatrick will be among the front runners for the Fillies possibly in the top five. Keeping their split under 73 seconds off Fitzpatrick will be a key for this team. The key to watch Lyons Township is not to watch in the front but to watch for their pack moving in the middle and finishing towards the front at the end. That was the formula for the Lions to finish third in last year’s state meet. Emily Henkel will lead this pack. Watch them move in the second half of this race. New Trier, also making their 2018 debut, will also demonstrate some tight split pack running possibly getting them among the top five. Minooka could surprise. Vivian Van Eck could be among the top 10 in this race. A good freshman group led by Kathryn Cichon could give this team a boost if they are in the varsity race.

Individuals to Watch (In Alphabetical Order) – Olivia Borowiak-Yorkville, Brenna Cohoon, Downers Grove South, Emily Eberhart-Yorkville, Molly Fitzpatrick-Barrington, Kailey Fox-Yorkville, Taylor Frommier-Rockton Hononegah, Mia Gianfrancesco-Batavia, Emily Henkel-Lyons Township, Helena Kleronomos-Yorkville, Abby Korak-Edwardsville, Abby Lopez-Argo, Alex Morris-Naperville North, Katherine Olsen-DeKalb, Victoria Palma-Willowbrook, Campbell Petersen-Naperville North, Bree Ponchak-Libertyville, Brielle Rochester-Libertyville, Katrina Schlenker-Batavia, Emily R Scott-Naperville Central, Vivian Van Eck-Minooka, Melissa Weidner-Downers Grove South.

Individual race – It will be interesting to see how Katrina Schlenker runs in her first high school race. In a team time trial in August, the freshman ran the second fastest time ever for that course. It’s her first three-mile race. My guess is she will adjust well. Alex Morris looks to be on another level since we saw her race last spring. Along with Campbell Petersen, we could see two Naperville North runners in the first five finishers. Emily Eberhart ran 17:07 in Det at Dark at the end of July. The course should be muddied up by the time they take the course. We might not see that kind of time, but you can expect Eberhart close to the front along with teammates Olivia Borowiak and Helena Kleronomos.

This field is deceptively deep. This is what happens when you have six of the top seven in the field. Molly Fitzpatrick should be among the top runners in the front of this race along with Katherine Olsen. Abby Lopez is in this race. If healthy, she will be pushing the pace up front. Brenna Cohoon should be among the runners in the top 10 with teammate Melissa Weidner close by her side. Mia Gianfrancesco could be close to her teammate Schlenker in the front. Abby Korak, coming off a win last week at Granite City, is another runner that we could see finish in the top 10. Another freshman, Brielle Rochester, could be a surprise in the top 10 after a strong win last Saturday at UW-Parkside.

3A Boys – 1:40 PM

Ranked Teams (12) - #2 Glenbard West, #5 Hinsdale Central, #7 Downers Grove South, #8 Downers Grove North, #13 New Trier, #14 Whitney Young, #15 Batavia, #16 Lyons Township, #18 Edwardsville, #21 Minooka, #22 Lockport Township, #23 Oswego East.

Other Teams – Addison Trail, Andrew, Argo, Berwyn-Cicero Morton, Bolingbrook, Bradley-Bourbonnais, Buffalo Grove, Cary-Grove, DeKalb, Dundee-Crown, East Moline United, Evanston Township, Fishers (IN), Granite City, Hampshire, Highland Park, Jacobs, Lincoln-Way Central, Maine South, Marmion Academy, McHenry, Metea Valley, Moline, Niles North, Normal University, Normal West, Northside Prep, Payton Prep, Plainfield North, Rockford Guilford, Rolling Meadows, Romeoville, St. Ignatius Prep, Stevenson, Waubonsie Valley, Willowbrook, Yorkville, Zion-Benton

Team Race – It could be a race to the top spot for two WSC-Silver teams. Glenbard West showed last week at Fenton that they will be among the top teams in the state with an extremely close win ahead of Hersey. The Hilltoppers have Rory Cavan and Stephen Moody who will be among the top runners in this race. They had an 87 second split on their top five last week. That split needs to get to 20 seconds on their third through fifth runners with an overall split under 66 seconds if they want to leave Detweiller with the championship trophy. Hinsdale Central has yet to race this season and will be anxious to toe the line Saturday afternoon. Alec Hill was not going to run last week due to plantar fasciitis. He should be running Saturday with Matt Kusak close to him. Let’s see what kind of five runner split the Red Devils have in this race.

Two more west suburbs teams could challenge for the top spot. Downers Grove South has Eddie Siuda leading them in the front. The Mustangs have one race under their belt running a 62 second split in their top five. Closing that gap in this race is something that I will be watching for. Crosstown rival Downers Grove North has a powerful 1-2 with Jack Roberts in contention to win this race and Matt Moravec among the top 10. Their pack at their first meet on August 22 was only 12 seconds from their third through fifth runners. The split was 69 seconds on five but running the first half of the race at temp pace. The Trojans running full tilt in Saturday will need to have their split at the same times if they want to contend for a top three finish.

It is hard to say who will jump into the top five with 12 ranked teams in the field. Edwardsville, New Trier, Batavia, and Lyons Township could be among those teams. Keep an eye on Whitney Young that could have two runners in the top ten and their team looking for a top five finish. Fishers (IN) finished second last Saturday in Terre Haute with a 39 second split on their top five off their #1 Ethan Meyer. I would not count them out of the top five.

Individuals To Watch (In Alphabetical Order) – Wes Beitler-Waubonsie Valley, Tommy Brady-Maine South, Rory Cavan-Glenbard West, Tyler Cushing-Bolingbrook, Nick Henz-Oswego East, Alec Hill-Hinsdale Central, Jared Kries-Lincoln-Way Central, Eddie Lennon-Rolling Meadows, Alex Loos-Yorkville, Jackson McClure-Normal University, Ethan Meyer-Fishers (IN), Stephen Moody-Glenbard West, Matt Moravec-Downers Grove North, Charlie Nevins-Whitney Young, Andrew O’Keefe-Granite City, Roland Prenzler-Edwardsville, Sam Rivera-Whitney Young, Jack Roberts-Downers Grove North, Eddie Siuda-Downers Grove South, Ben Tholen-Yorkville, John Walls – St. Ignatius, Charlie Wetzel - Normal West

Individual race – The cancellations from last weekend give us a great individual competition on the final race of the day at Detweiller. Maine South was going to hold their top runners out of this race. Their race being cancelled at Lyons Township last Saturday gets their top runners into this race with Tommy Brady included. Brady is the top returning runner form last year’s state meet (third-place) and will be one of the runners that everyone will be watching in the front. Jack Roberts is in great shape and will be one of the runners to challenge Brady. He would have run near 14:50 in July at Detweiller at Dark if he did not have “problems” with his shoes before the finish. He ran a 4:48 final mile in his first race in August showing he is fit and ready to go. Andrew O’Keefe is running with confidence and will be among the leaders. He ran 15:10 in oppressive conditions last Saturday at Granite City.

Rory Cavan ran 15:01 in sloppy conditions last week at Fenton and will contend for the win along with teammate Stephen Moody. Tyler Cushing and Jared Kries finished within two seconds of each other at the SWSC Pre-Season Meet in August. I would keep an eye on both runners in this race.

Roland Prenzler finished second behind O’Keefe last week at Granite City and should be among the front runners. Teammates Sam Rivera and Charlie Nevins are in good shape and could also be runners that you see leading the way. Eddie Siuda and Alec Hill are also good possibilities to be in the front at the end of this race.