2019 First to the Finish Invitational Preview

 

By Michael Newman

[email protected]

 

Saturday is the first time this cross-country season that runners will toe the starting line to race at Detweiller Park. In less than two months from now, some of these athletes will be back to race on the state course for the IHSA State Cross Country Championships.

This is the only time where will see as many state ranked teams converge at the Det other than November’s State Meet. 69 ranked teams will compete with the Boys Class 2A  race having the most (16).

The gun for the first of eight races goes off at 9:00 AM with a race starting every 40-minutes. The Open races will start at 11:40 AM and 12:20 PM before the 3A teams take the course at 1:00 PM.

Here is a look at each of the six class races that will take place.

BOX ASSIGNMENTS

 

Class 1A Girls – 9:00 AM

Ranked Teams (14) - #1 Winnebago, #2 Rock Falls, #6 Normal University, #7 Rockford Christian, #8 Urbana University, #10 Williamsville, #11 DuQuoin, #12 Elmwood-Brimfield, #13 Tremont, #14 Eureka, #16 Bloomington Central Catholic, #18 Stanford Olympia, #21 Chicago University, #24 Roxana

Other Teams - Abingdon, Annawan Kewanee-Wethersfield, Argenta-Oreana, Athens, Aurora Central Catholic, Beecher, Bloomington Cornerstone, Bluford Webber, Byron, Cambridge, Carlinville, Illinois Valley Central, Clinton, Colfax Ridgeview, Cullom Tri-Point, Dakota, Decatur St. Teresa, Delavan, Edwardsville Metro-East Lutheran, El Paso-Gridley, Prairie Central, Farmington, Fountain IN, Galva Mid-County, Genoa-Kingston, Father McGivney, Harvest Christian, Henry Senachwine, Illini Bluffs, Illini Central, Johnsburg, Judah Christian, Liberty, Montini Catholic, Deer Creek-Mackinaw, Macomb, Monmouth-Roseville, Oregon, Ottawa Marquette, Peoria Heights, Peoria Manual, Pittsfield, Pleasant Plains, Pontiac, Princeville, Riverdale, Erie-Prophetstown, Riverton, Rock Island Alleman, Rockford Lutheran, Seneca, Staunton, Toulon Stark County, Steeleville, Stockton, Trenton-Wesclin, Wheaton Academy, Westmont

Teams Preview – We could get a good indication of how good this Winnebago team is in this meet. After finishing fourth in last year’s state meet, the Indians reloaded and now have three freshman in their top five led by the team’s top runner Grace Erb. Natalia Martino and Katie Erb were all-state last year and give this team a strong top three. Their split on five last week was 64 seconds on the younger Erb. This could team could have three runners in the top 10 which could cause problems for the rest of the field.

Rock Falls it seemed to run a tempo-type pace last week in the Oregon Opener trailing behind Winnebago. A true idea of this team came in the first week of the season when they had their top three Bailee Fortney, Alex Gomez, and Erin Porter within 41 seconds of each other. Fortney should be in the top five individually. The key is getting their pack closer to their front runner.

We did not see the full lineup for Normal University last week at Normal. Ella Bittner and Macie Madix should be among the top 10. We will see on Saturday what kind of pack this team has. Williamsville has a strong first two with Caroline Gwaltney and Lexy Henrikson. Their split was huge on five last week at Rochester. Keep an eye to see if that packs gets closer in this race.

This will be the season opener for the defending 1A State Champions Eureka. They did lose two all-state runners including state champion Emma Argo. Alexi Fogo steps in as the team’s top runner and could finish among the top five in this race.

 

Runners to Watch – Kate Ahmari-Urbana University; Gabby Alongi-DuQuoin; Savanah Beavers-Stanford Olympia; Ella Bittner-Normal University; Lydia Camp-Harvest Christian Academy; Grace Erb-Winnebago; Katie Erb-Winnebago; Victoria Fasano-Beecher; Alexi Fogo-Eureka; Bailee Fortney-Rock Falls; Olivia Frail-Toulon Stark County; Lizzy Friedinger-Tremont; Alex Gomez-Rock Falls; Caroline Gwaltney-Williamsville; Veronica Hein-Decatur St. Teresa; Lexy Henrikson-Williamsville; Caroline Jachino-Pleasant Plains; Audrey Jenkins-Seneca; Mackie Madix-Normal University; Natalia Martino-Winnebago; Amanda O’Donnell-Chicago University; Isabella Orosco-Aurora Central Catholic; Lydia Roller-Staunton; Renate Toldo-Rockford Christian; Payne Turney-Clinton; Janelynn Wirth-Roxana; Lyndsey Wolters-Normal University

Individuals Preview – It is hard to look at anyone but Lydia Roller as the favorite in the first race of the day. The junior has started out strong winning at Edwardsville at the end of August. She finished second last week at Granite City but ran an impressive 17:37 time. She is again focused on some big goals this fall. The conditions should be good for her to go under 17:30 in this race.

It is anyone’s guess who will come in next after Roller. Payne Turney ran 18:24 to start her season at Champaign at the end of August and could be a factor in this race. This will be the opening race of the season for Alexis Fogo and Ella Bittner. We will see where they are at in this race. Caroline Jachino finished second behind Caroline Gwaltney last week at Rochester. Expect both runners to challenge in the top five. Amanda O’Donnell opened the season running 18:32 last week at St. Patrick. She could be a difference maker in the top five along with Bailee Fortney, Alex Gomez, and Grace Erb.  A freshman Katie Ahmari along with Lydia Camp could be surprises in this race and finish among the first 10.

Roller, Turney and Natalia Martino finished second through fourth in last year’s race. It should be Roller’s turn to win this race after narrowly beaten to the finish by Argo by less than a second a year ago.

 

Class 1A Boys – 9:40 AM

Ranked Teams (12) - #1 Stanford Olympia, #3 Urbana University, #7 Elmwood-Brimfield, #8 Father McGivney, #9 Clinton, #11 Eureka, #14 Latin School, #20 El Paso-Gridley, #21 Athens, #22 Rockford Christian, #24 Deer Creek-Mackinaw, #25 Chicago University

Other Teams - Abingdon, Annawan Kewanee-Wethersfield, Argenta-Oreana, Aurora Central Catholic, Beecher, Bloomington Central Catholic, Bloomington Cornerstone, Bluford Webber, Byron, Cambridge, Carlinville, Judah Christian, Illinois Valley Central, Colfax-Ridgeview, Cullom Tri-Point, Dakota, Danville Schlarman, Decatur St. Teresa, Delavan, DuQuoin, Edwardsville Metro-East Lutheran, Prairie Central, Farmington, Fountain IN, Galva Mid-County, Genoa-Kingston, Illini Bluffs, Illini Central, Putnam County, Hamilton-Warsaw, Henry-Senachwine, Johnsburg, Liberty, Macomb, Monmouth-Roseville, Oregon, Ottawa Marquette, Peoria Heights, Peoria Manual, Pittsfield, Pleasant Plains, Pontiac, Riverdale, Princeville, Erie-Prophetstown, Riverton, Rock Falls, Rock Island Alleman, Keith Country Day, Rockford Lutheran, Roxana, Seneca, Staunton, Steeleville, Stockton, Toulon Stark County, Tremont, Trenton-Wesclin, Wheaton Academy, Westmont, Williamsville, Winnebago

Teams Preview – All eyes should be on Stanford Olympia who is the top ranked team in the state in this classification. They are also the defending team champions in this race. The Spartans made a strong statement in their first race at Champaign when they ran a 29 second split on their top five runners in winning over three other teams in the top five in Class 1A. Jon Neville, Logan Wheeler, and Charlie Kistner should be the top runners for this squad. They may not have a runner in the first 10 individual finishers. They do have such a good pack that no one will touch them in this race.

Urbana University finished in a tie for second behind Olympia in the Champaign race. They have a strong duo in the front with Henry Kraatz and Aryan Lalwani. Their split on five was 87 seconds in that race. That needs to come down for this team to challenge for a top three finish. Elmwood-Brimfield finished third last week behind Olympia at Normal with a 50 second top five split behind front runner Luke Hoffman. The Trojans have the talent to finish in the top three in this race.

Clinton had a 64 second split on their top five last week in winning at Rochester. That split needs to come down in this race. Latin School and Rockford Christian are young squads but have the talent to be surprises in the top five. Chicago University did not have their best race last week at Schiller Woods but do have two runners (Luke Sikora and Nicky Edwards-Levin) that could be among the top five runners across the line. Athens did not have their best race last week at Canton. We will see how much they improve in Peoria on Saturday. Father McGivney will have a runner in the front with Tyler Guthrie. They could be a team that is among the top five. This will be Eureka’s first invite of the season. We will find out how good they are after this race.

 

Runners to Watch – D’Artagnon Beaver-Rockford Christian; Elias Bergman-Illinois Valley Central; Jack Cook-Eureka; Nicky Edwards-Levin-Chicago University; Tyler Guthrie-Father McGivney; Ian Hale-Clinton; Ryan Hardiman-Latin School; Thomas Harmon-Elmwood; Luke Hoffmann-Elmwood; Colby Johnson-Deer Creek-Mackinaw; Charlie Kistner-Stanford Olympia; Henry Kraatz-Urbana University; Aryan Lalwani-Urbana University; Noah McIntyre-Athens; Braden Moore-Pleasant Plains; Justin Mumford-Trenton Wesclin; Jon Neville-Stanford Olympia; Tristan Olpin-Keith Country Day; Miles Sheppard-Hamilton/Warsaw; Luke Sikora-Chicago University; Asa Smith- El Paso-Gridley; Dawson Smith-Rock Falls; Leland Sumer-Tremont; Logan Wheeler-Stanford Olympia

Individuals Preview – Dawson Smith finished fourth in last year’s race and should be the favorite on Saturday. Smith started his season with a strong effort on his home course almost two weeks ago. Miles Sheppard finished 26th in his first race at Detweiller this year. Confidence and experience over the last year should have him closer to the front. Noah McIntyre finished second last week at Canton and will be in the front pack in this race. Elias Bergman looked strong in his win last week at Normal. Keep an eye on him as one of the favorites.

Tristan Olpin could be a runner that will surprise in the front. Leland Sumer, Tyler Guthrie, Henry Kraatz, and Luke Sikora are some of the runners that you could see finish in the top 10.

 

Class 2A Girls – 10:20 AM

Ranked Teams (15) - #2 Belvidere North, #3 Latin School, #4 Vernon Hills, #5 Dunlap, #7 Dixon, #10 Burlington Central, #11 Mahomet-Seymour, #14 Grayslake Central, #15 Mt. Zion, #19 Lemont, #21 Washington, #22 Troy Triad, #23 Highland, #25 Waterloo; 1A: #9 St. Joseph-Ogden

Other Teams – Antioch, Bartonville Limestone, Belvidere, Burlington IA, Canton, Champaign Centennial, Champaign Central, Charleston, Mather, Northside Prep, Solorio Academy, Danville, Freeport, Galesburg, Geneseo, Glenbard South, Hampshire, Jacksonville, Nazareth Academy, Lincoln, Marengo, Maroa-Forsyth, Metamora, Bremen, Morton, Olney-Richland County, Ottawa, Peoria, Peoria Richwoods, Plano, Trinity, Riverside-Brookfield, Rochelle, Rochester, Rockford Boylan, Sterling, Streator, Sycamore, Wheaton St. Francis, Woodstock, Woodstock Marian Central Catholic

Teams Preview – 15 of the top 25 teams in this classification are entered in this race. One of the keys to watch is if defending 2A State Champion Belvidere North is at full strength. One of their top three runners Gianna Sagona has not raced in her team’s first two meets. The Blue Thunder has two-all state runners in Madison Diercks and Sydnie Elder leading them. Their split on five this past Tuesday was 80 seconds. Sagona in the lineup makes this team tough to beat.

Vernon Hills has been the surprise team early in this season. Instead of rebuilding, the Cougars have reloaded with four freshmen in their top seven. They could have three runners in the top 10 in this race led by Rose Sheridan, Reina Hill, and Emma Wakefield. Their split on the top five last week at Fenton was 133 seconds. That split needs to come down for this team to win on Saturday.

We will see what Latin School has in this meet. They will be without Marianne Mihas who is now training after a minor injury. They do have individual race favorite Ava Parekh leading the way. Dunlap has looked strong in their first two meets led by freshman Saniya Mathew and Macy Priess. Their top five split was close to three minutes last week at Galesburg. Getting their pack closer together behind their top two could be the difference in this team race. Dixon did not go full tilt last week at Galesburg. We could see their “A” race on Saturday which could put them in the top three teams.

 

Runners to Watch – Tatum David-Olney Richland County; Madison Diercks-Belvidere North; Sydnie Elder-Belvidere North; Brooke Evans-Washington; Taylor Fox-Mt. Zion; Megan Garrett-Charleston; Reina Hill-Vernon Hills; Erin Jossart-Burlington Central; Colette Kinsella-Nazareth Academy; Saniya Mathew-Dunlap; Grace Meyer-Highland; Jade Miller-Dixon; Kylie Nicklaus-Sterling; Ava Parekh-Latin School; Rachel Patterson-Waterloo; Macy Priess-Dunlap; Rose Sheridan-Vernon Hills; Emma Skinner-Morton; Elizabeth Sims-Mahomet Seymour; Paige Stees-Dixon; Siobhan Stoll-Marian Central Catholic; Ella Ton-That-Northside Prep; Colleen Ziebert-Rochester

Individuals Preview – This could be the best of the eight races in this meet on Saturday. We saw what Ava Parekh could do last Saturday at Hinsdale when she ran 17:28 on the hilly Katherine Legge Memorial Park course. She followed that up 24 hours later running 4:48 on the New York City streets in the 5^th Avenue Mile.

Entering the Detweiller Park spotlight is Tatum David. The Richland County freshman finished ahead of Parekh at Detweiller at Dark in July running 16:55. David has been on a role in her first couple of races setting course records. Parekh and David ahead of everyone else will make for an exciting finish. The conditions dictate that the winning time should be under 17-minutes.

Madison Diercks and Sydnie Elder could be challenging for top five finishes along with Saniya Mathew, Emma Skinner, and Rose Sheridan. Siobhan Stoll has been running strong early in this season and could surprise in the top 10 along with Ella Ton-That and Elizabeth Sims.

 

Class 2A Boys – 11:00 AM

Ranked Teams (16) - #1 Kaneland, #3 Dixon, #4 Sycamore, #5 St. Ignatius Prep, #6 Burlington Central, #7 Troy Triad, #10 Marmion Academy, #12 Metamora, #13 Bartonville Limestone, #15 Waterloo, #17 Geneseo, #19 Morton, #20 Antioch, #22 Champaign Centennial, #25 Hampshire; 1A: #12 St. Joseph-Ogden

Other Teams – Belvidere, Belvidere North, Burlington IA, Canton, Champaign Central, Charleston, Mather, Northside Prep, Solorio Academy, St. Patrick, Danville, Dunlap, East Peoria, Elmwood Park, Freeport, Galesburg, Glenbard South, Grayslake Central, Highland, Jacksonville, Nazareth Academy, Lakes Community, Lemont, Lincoln, Marengo, Maroa-Forsyth, Bremen, Mt. Zion, Normal University, Oak Forest, Olney-Richland County, Ottawa, Peoria, Peoria Richwoods, Plano, Riverside-Brookfield, Rochelle, Rochester, Rockford Boylan, Sterling, Streator, Washington, Wheaton St. Francis, Woodstock, Woodstock Marian Central Catholic

Teams Preview – Dixon and Sycamore did not race against each other because the Sycamore Invitational was cancelled. It seemed that Dixon ran temp in their race last Saturday at Galesburg. It is hard to get a true feeling on these two teams. We saw how Dixon ran in this meet last year winning the team title. I know, different team, different year. But, keep an eye on the Dukes.

Kaneland looked good in their opener last week at Crystal Lake and will be the favorite in this meet. Austin Adams finished 19 seconds ahead of teammate Daniel Occhipinti on the hills of Veteran Acres Park. The two should be together in this race. Their split was 76 seconds in that race. Watch that go under 60 seconds on Saturday.

One of the new faces in Class 2A is St. Ignatius Prep who could come away with a top three finish and perhaps challenge for the win. The Wolfpack had a 14 second split on their first three runners led by Jacob Flynn. Their split on the top five was close to 60 seconds. The pack will need to move closer to the front in this race. St. Ignatius does have the talent to challenge for one of the top spots.

Burlington Central will have the low numbers up front with Andrew Farmer and Gio Martinez. Troy Triad has the good pack with four runners within 24 seconds on their top four at Granite City but then a 60 second gap between four and five. A tighter split on their fifth runner could have Triad surprising the rest of the field. Bartonville Limestone is young but could be a difference maker in this race.

 

Runners to Watch – Austin Adams-Kaneland; Drake Bleier-Troy Triad; Alex Carlson-Marmion Academy; Anthony Farmer-Burlington Central; Brock Drengenberg-Dixon; Jacob Flynn-St. Ignatius Prep; Wilson Georges-Bartonville Limestone; Adam Gilbreath-Glaub-Metamora; Matt Herren-Rochester; Alex Hess-Normal University; Ryan Jones-Marian Central Catholic; Gavin Kirby-Olney Richland County; Sam Lange-Morton; Liam Linnen-St. Ignatius Prep; Luke Manolakes-Champaign Centennial; Gio Martinez-Burlington Central; Daniel Occhipinti-Kaneland; Ian O’Laughlin-Metamora; William Plumley-Geneseo; Charlie Smith-Antioch; Aaron Trier-Sycamore; Ben Walter-Troy Triad; Eli Ward-Waterloo; Dan Weizeorick-Wheaton St. Francis

Individuals Preview – The top two returning runners from last year’s Class 2A state meet face off in what should be a great race. Andrew Farmer had a rocky track season with a broken jaw but is in great shape heading into this race. Charlie Smith has yet to race this fall but should be on the line with his teammate. The two runners could push each other to times well under 14:50.

Daniel Occhipinti and Austin Adams will give their team low numbers in the front. They could also challenge for the individual win. Sam Lange looked good in finishing second last week at Galesburg. Keep an eye on him in the front. Eli Ward, Dan Weizeorick, Adam Gilbreath-Glaub, Ian O’Laughlin, and Brock Dregenberg could be faces that you see in the front. Wilson Georges, Ryan Jones, and Jacob Flynn are other runners that you could see finish in the top 10.

 

Class 3A Girls – 1:00 PM

Ranked Teams (10) - #1 Naperville North, #3 Yorkville, #4 Barrington, #8 Batavia, #12 Lockport Township, #13 New Trier, #16 Lyons Township, #17 Minooka, #20 Naperville Central, #23 Metea Valley

Other Teams – Addison Trail, Algonquin Jacobs, Berwyn-Cicero Morton, Bolingbrook, Bradley-Bourbonnais, Dundee-Crown, Cary-Grove, Whitney Young, DeKalb, East Moline United, Edwardsville, Evanston Township, Highland Park, Lakes Community, Libertyville, McHenry, Moline, Normal West, Rock Island, Rockford Auburn, Rockford Guilford, Rockton Hononegah, Niles West, Argo, Willowbrook, Westfield IN, Wheaton North

Teams Preview – Top ranked Naperville North will be without one of their top five runners Campbell Petersen for the second week in a row according to Coach Dan Iverson. The Huskies will still be one of the favorites with Maggie Gamboa and Audrey Mendrys leading them. North had a tight pack from three to five last week in Iowa of only 14 seconds. Their overall split in that race was 50 seconds.

Batavia will also be without their top runner Katrina Schlenker for the second meet in a row as she getting up to fitness for a later start to the season. The Bulldogs rest of their top seven will be in the race led by Mia Gianfrancesco. They will be a team to watch in the front.

Yorkville will be the mystery since this is their opening race of the season. They will be missing one of their  top five runners Kailey Fox due to an injury. Hailey Simmons is slowly coming back from an injury and will race on Saturday.. Yorkville will have Helena Kleronomos and Anna Hunter leading them. The Foxes have a good group of freshmen that could be factors in their top five. We will find out how good this team is Saturday afternoon.

Barrington made a statement with their win last week at St. Charles and could make a bigger one on Saturday. Molly FitzPatrick, Allison Drage, and Alyssa Norris could give the Fillies three runners in the top 10. The key will be getting their fourth and fifth runners closer to the front. Barrington could be close to Naperville North in this race.

Lockport Township and New Trier ran tight packs last week at Hinsdale and could challenge for top five finishes in this meet. Lyons Township did not have their best race last week on their home course. Watch for them to bounce back in this race. Minooka will be stronger with the addition of three freshmen in this varsity race. The Indians could find themselves finishing in the top five.

 

Runners to Watch – Sophie Daigle-Wheaton North; Julia Dames-Minooka; Kate Dickman-Lyons Township; Morgan Dieschbourg-Cary Grove; Alyson Doherty-Jacobs; Allison Drage-Barrington; Molly FitzPatrick-Barrington; Bridget Forbes-New Trier; Maggie Gamboa-Naperville North; Mia Gianfrancesco-Batavia; Anna Hunter-Yorkville; Helena Kleronomos-Yorkville; Riley Knoyle-Edwardsville; Abby Lopez-Argo; Audrey Mendrys-Naperville North; Alyssa Norris-Barrington; Bree Ponchak-Libertyville; Sophia Sandy-Metea Valley; Jenna Schifferer-Batavia; Brooke Stromsland-Lakes Community; Claire Williams-Lyons Township;

Individuals Preview – The finish of last year’s race between Katrina Schlenker and Molly FitzPatrick was a close one. The two runners were only separated by two seconds. Schlenker is not running in this race on Saturday. Lakes Community’s Girls team opted to run in the 3A race on Saturday placing Brooke Stromsland among the favorites. The defending 2A state champion opened her season by finishing second last week at the Lake County Invitational. A dual to the finish again this time with FitzPatrick and Stromsland could happen.

Abby Lopez finished 19th in last year’s race. The senior has showed great improvement over the last year and could challenge in the front. Helena Kleronomos finished third in this race in 2018 and could also be a factor in the front.

The Naperville North duo of Maggie Gamboa and Audrey Mendrys should be challengers for a top five finish. Allison Drage, Kate Dickman, Riley Knoyle, and Mia Gianfrancesco could be some of the runners that you see in the top 10 in this race.

 

Class 3A Boys – 1:40 PM

Ranked Teams (12) - #6 Oswego East, #7 New Trier, #8 Lyons Township, #12 Maine South, #13 Minooka, #15 Edwardsville, #17 Downers Grove North, #20 Lockport Township, #21 Naperville Central, #22 Hinsdale Central, #24 Batavia, #25 Waubonsie Valley; (Indiana Ranked Teams): #5 Fishers, #9 Brownsburg, #25 Westfield

Other Teams – Addison Trail, Algonquin Jacobs, Metea Valley, Berwyn-Cicero Morton, Bolingbrook, Bradley-Bourbonnais, Buffalo Grove, Dundee-Crown, Cary-Grove, Whitney Young, DeKalb, Downers Grove South, East Moline United, Evanston Township, Glenbard West, Granite City, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Stevenson, McHenry, Moline, Lincoln-Way Central, Normal West, Plainfield North, Rock Island, Rockford Auburn, Rockford Guilford, Rolling Meadows, Romeoville, Niles North, Argo, Andrew, Willowbrook, Yorkville, Zion-Benton

Teams Preview – With the top five Class 3A teams racing next Saturday at the Richard Spring Invitational, this final race of the day could be wide open. Fishers IN won the team title last year and has the talent to repeat led by Will Clark. They finished second last week at the THSB Invitational but ran a 26 second split on their top five runners. Another Indiana school Brownsburg easily won their own invite and could finish in the top five. Alex Freeman is the team’s top runner that had a top five split of 61 seconds. Freeman could finish in the top 10.

Oswego East ran a 56 second split on their top five in finishing second last week at Hinsdale led by Brad Wiggins. The Wolves are the top ranked Illinois team in this race. New Trier was only five seconds behind Oswego East at Hinsdale and could surpass them in this meet. The Trevians split on five was 44 seconds. Moving that pack closer to the front at Detweiller Park could give them the win. Lyons Township had a strong top four last week in finishing second in their own invite led by Jack Ehlert. They need a fifth runner within 40 seconds of Ehlert. They could find him in this race.

With no Frosh/Soph race in this meet, we could see some teams with improvements in the standings with the younger runners toeing the line. Minooka, Waubonsie Valley, and Hinsdale Central are three of the teams to keep an eye on. Edwardsville ran great last week at Granite City with Jack Pifer leading the way. The Tigers could be a surprise in the top five along with Downers Grove North.

 

Runners to Watch – Heriberto Alvarez-Oswego East; Wes Beitler-Waubonsie Valley; Zach Benziger-Waubonsie Valley; Maxum Caesar-Cary Grove; Will Clark-Fishers IN; Evan Cummins-Downers Grove North; Tyler Cushing-Bolingbrook; Jack Ehlert-Lyons Township; Andrew Flynn-New Trier; Alex Freeman-Brownsburg IN; Owen Hays-Lyons Township; John Heneghan-Downers Grove South; Jason Hoffman-Minooka; Guillermo Ibarra-Morton Township; Joey Kasch-Maine South; Adam Kennedy-Batavia; Will Kiley-Lockport Township; Jared Kries-Lincoln-Way Central; Riley Newport-DeKalb; Max Peterson-Evanston Township; Jack Pifer-Edwardsville; Damian Rodriguez-Batavia; Ben Rosa-Lake Forest; Nathan Schmitt-Lake Forest; Charlie Siebert-New Trier; Ivan Westcott-Yorkville; Charlie Wetzel-Normal West; Brad Wiggins-Oswego East; Emmanuel Yepiz-DeKalb

Individuals Preview – We did not see Jared Kries run last week at Lyons Township but is expected to race this weekend. Kries has started out strong this fall with both of his two races under 15-minutes. It could be three for three on Saturday.

Tyler Cushing looked good at Hinsdale last week running 15:05 to finish third. He will be one of the runners pushing Kries. Charlie Wetzel, who finished seventh the last time he raced at Detweiller in the 3A State race, came back with a strong run in Galesburg. You can expect Wetzel up in the front. Joey Kasch of Maine South ran 14:50 on the fast Lyons Township course last week and will also be among the front runners. Guillermo Ibarra finished behind Kasch running 15:00 but should be in the front. Jack Ehlert was in the Lyons race and could also be a factor in this race. Ben Rosa and Nathan Schmitt looked strong in their seasonal opener last week at the Lake County Invitational. Schmitt should bounce back after a fifth-place finish. Rosa, who won last week at Lake County, is running with confidence and could come away with the win.