Boys track / Scouting Lake County
Fox Valley / Fox
Grayslake North
Coach: Brandon Boyd (3rd Year)
Last year: 12th in FVC
Key losses: Joe Zeedyk, Tim Borchardt, Tyler Barbacovi, Jose Martinez, Xavier Bataille, Andrew Mittan, Chris Harris, Sean McBrien, Moshay Arnold
Key returners: Seniors –Kyle Kleinschmidt, Tyler Vincent, Ronnie Grazian, Jack Becker, Michael Lahera, David Anderson, Hayden Ford, Doug Mischke, Mark Fletcher; Juniors – Dan Bazan, Cody Stephens, Kasen Christiansen, Matt Kedzior, Carlos Gomez, Jake Geary, Tim Rollings, Ben Guhl, Josh Speer, Matt Zaverdas; Sophomores – Joseph Trinidad.
Top newcomers: Sophomore – Alex Rotter; Freshman – Ryan Bruder
Outlook: In building up the Knights program, Boyd is starting to see the hard work pay off. Kleinschmidt, Vincent and Anderson all had solid indoor seasons and could give the Knights multiple state qualifiers for the first time in school history. Climbing up the ladder in the Fox Valley Conference is also a goal and if the indoor season is any indication, North is ready to make that climb.
Grayslake Central
Coach: Brent Pitt (8th Year)
Last year: 5th place Fox Valley Conference
Key losses: Chris Makay (State qualifier), Michael Katona (State qualifier), Ryan Sieffert (State qualifier), Matt Mohrfeld (State qualifier), Andrew Bryan, Jose Roman, Brandon Bork.
Key returners: Seniors – Bryant Jennings (11th place triple jump), Jordan Bustos (State qualifier), Connor Hirt, David Valko, Kyle Rehberg, Mike Sledz, Donovan Moore, Dan Hsu (State qualifier), Will Reed (State qualifier), Vinnie Culhane (State qualifier), Jahard Nelson (State qualifier); Juniors – Joel Valdivia (State qualifier), Luke Zygmunt, Brett Seaholm, Devon Osborn (State qualifier); Sophomore – Kevin Boyle.
Top newcomers: Juniors – Will Brewster, Ray Beckman
Outlook: The regular season and sectionals was a rampage for the Rams. Grayslake Central had its best season in school history and sent more qualifiers to state in its history in 2010. Now the goal is to bring back some hardware. Nelson, Valdivia, Culhane and Jennings all have state experience. Reed, Bustos and Osborn do as well. The return of Brewster and the emergence of Zygmunt could see the Rams top 2010.
East Suburban Catholic
Carmel Catholic
Coach: Jim Halford (26th Year)
Last season: 2nd Place ESCC
Key losses: Pat Cox, Karl Horcher, Thomas Gray, Nick Sturm, Connor Hughes, Donnie Devitt
Key returners: Seniors – John Thumel, A. J. Gawin, Ryan Ruddell, Jimmy Heid, Paul Madison, Matt Fromm, Tommy Miller; Juniors – Brian Kadowaki, Devin Becker, Anthony Paul, Jack Schoen, K. J. Matuszak.
Top newcomers: Juniors – Jordan Yancey, Christian Horcher.
Outlook: Halford has waited for this current junior and senior class to become juniors and seniors. Now that they have, Carmel looks to ascend to the top of the ESCC. That’s a spot where they ruled in the mid 2000’s and with Thumel, Matuszak, Paul and Schoen, the Corsairs figure to do that again. Carmel missed a state qualifier last year. That figures to change in 2011. Look for another strong 1,600-relay out of Carmel – they have been under 3:30 for every one of Halford’s 26 years.
North Suburban Lake
Stevenson
Coach: Andy Farrissey (15th year)
Last season: 4th in NSC
Key losses: Shane Walsh, Mark Weisman, Zach Rose (State qualifier), Adam Pauley, Stuart Almeleh, Bret Kraiman (State qualifier).
Key returners: Seniors – Kevin Earl, Jon Fajardo (State qualifier), Joe Cassata, Tom Velev, Oliver Simes, Mike Crowley, Kevin Wood, Brandon Stryganek (3rd in state 100, 4th in state 200); Juniors – James Vestuto (State qualifier), Michael Hu, Alex Goldberg, Carl Miller, Jacob Yorntoob, Austin Scheu
Top newcomers: Senior – Jaffar Mascoll; Sophomores – Alan Velev, Stephen Johnson; Freshmen – Parker Deloye, Ki Hwan Kim.
Outlook: Graduation may have temporarily stolen some of the Patriot speed from a record setting 2010. But when you have the best sprinter in school history and his running mate in Fajardo and Stryganek, rebuilding is easy. Mascoll is a nice new addition and Kim could be an exciting freshman who makes an immediate impact. Distance is solid too. Wood had a great indoor season and figures to be a factor outside. Stevenson is a serious contender in the NSC.
Libertyville
Coach: Ray Albin (4th year)
Last season: 10th Place NSC
Key losses: Ryan Burke, Heath Herchenbach, Chris Marr, Ali Farooqi, Mitch Neubauer (State qualifier), Christian Cacciatore (State qualifier)
Key returners: Seniors – Jeremy Birck (6th in state high jump), Sam Littlefield, Cam Hauri, Steve Stanis, Mike Schmitz, Eric Aksland, Pat Regan, Matt Gilbert; Juniors – Kevin Heller, Brad Rafferty, Jake Carlson, AJ Wilson, Dan Ryan, Kevin Burke, Jamison Taff, Nathan Honold, Jake Rezell, Kevin Chiou, Shane Reilly; Sophomores – Nick Korhumel
Top newcomers: Senior – Dan Guerrero, Teddy Kelly; Juniors – Cameron Gillen, Patrick Wlodarski, Nick Glass, Orku Manna.
Outlook: One of the very best high jumpers in the Wildcats history takes his last shot at gold this spring. Birck, who heads off to Dartmouth next year aims for his fourth trip down state. He likely won’t be alone as Littlefield is one of the other Cats’ with a great shot to get to Charleston. Korhumel could be the next great Wildcat distance guy. Wilson is a sprinter to watch and Gilbert looks to rebound in the throws.
Warren
Coach: Bill Dawson (16th Year)
Last season: 3rd place NSC
Key losses: Anthony Portinova, Trevor Raupp (Augustana), Colin Toyra, Jake Jurewicz (State qualifier – M.I.T.), Kendall Roach, Kevin Absil, Phazon Gray, Xavier Suarez (State qualifier), Dan Kleine (George Washington), Matt Goad (Transfer to Lake Forest Academy).
Key returners: Seniors – Kyle Ward (State qualifier), Troi Holley, Eddie Lopez-Villa, Matt Frank, Joe Severini, Tony Severini, Matt Message, Miguel Herrerra, Zach Lowe, Kevin Vollrath, Kyle Berkhoff; Juniors – Nick Moreno, Tyler Hermann, Mike Harland, Roberta Lara, Brad Shearer; Sophomores – Martin Martinez
Top newcomers: Seniors – Isaac Jean-Paul, Kyle Chung, San Neal; Junior – Pat Ward; Sophomores – Jacob Butler, Tra Hall.
Outlook: After last season, it looked like the Devils would have the sprint corps to keep up with the elite in the conference. While they still have standouts in Kyle Ward and Holley, the loss of Goad was a big hit. Message got hot near the end of last season and should be one of the leaders for Warren. Newcomers like Butler, Hall and Chung among others will be counted on to aid the deep junior and senior groups.
Lake Zurich
Coach: Chad Beaver (5th Year)
Last year: NSC Champions
Key losses: Jack Rathe (9th in state 1,600 relay), Colin Wanat (8th in state 400 relay), Francisco Soto (5th in state 3,200 relay - Harper), Andrew Morrison, Paul Geimer (5th in state 3,200 relay – Colorado College of the Mines), Braxton Klavins (8th in state 400 relay, 9th in state 1,600 relay – SIU Edwardsville), Christian Williams (Moved to Florida), Jeff Winters (Transfer to Palatine).
Key returners: Seniors – Jacob Brinlee (8th in state 400 relay, 9th in state 1,600 relay), Andrew Lulis, Eric Porter, Ben Papke, Mitch Dudek, Alex Brend (5th in state 3,200 relay, 9th in state 1,600 relay), Victor DeLaTorre, Mark Tabaka, Jason Tiedmann; Juniors – Chris Helgeson, Chris Rantis (5th in state 3,200 relay), Mike Rantis, Patrick Juras, David Smith; Sophomores – John Ramirez
Top newcomers: Seniors – Cody Cameron, Ryan Moncrieff; Junior – Adam Polywka; Sophomore – Connor Schrader.
Outlook: From move out’s to transfers to move-ins, it’s been a bumpy off-season for the defending NSC champs. The core is still very strong led by Brinlee and Brend. The 800 is Brend’s race. He won the indoor state title and has eyes on the gold outside. Rantis along with newcomer Schrader and Porter make up the bulk of the Bears points this spring. Getting points in the field events will be key. Lulis and Tabaka should help there.
Mundelein
Coach: Kevin Shifley (4th year)
Last season: 12th place NSC
Key losses: Kevin Price, Robbie Rivera, Will Lardner, Nick Franz
Key returners: Seniors – David DuVall, Martin Mena, Robbie Munnings, Dan Richards, Gian Carlo Vassalo, Tom Everding, Alfanzo Arroyo, Brian Cushman, Kyle Hendrickson, Dylan Glenner; Juniors – Natish Kumar, Anthony Doretti, John Tazioli, Joe Ryan, Nick Doretti; Sophomores – Kevin Wilk, Dominic Paliani.
Top newcomers: Juniors – Tyler Danek, Alex Lamboy, LaDarious Frison, Spencer Henley, Gable Leppert; Sophomores – Alec Swanson, Josh Aranda.
Outlook: When talking about the upcoming season for the Mustangs, Shifley can’t help but be excited. The Mustangs aren’t only thinking about getting to state, but picking up plenty of hardware there as well. It’s been 8 years since Mundelein won a medal at state, but with Munnings, Vassalo and Mena leading the way, that figures to surely change. The 3,200-relay team set records all throughout indoor season and have big goals going forward.
North Suburban Prairie
Antioch
Coach: Chris Bailey (2nd year)
Last season: 7th place NSC
Key losses: Sam Pimpo (Olivet Nazarene), Steve Lorenzini, Rolando Ortiz, Brandon Ginter (9th in state Discus)
Key returners: Seniors – Brian Read, Connor Chelmecki, Colin Bennett, Brian Kay, Delante Keys, ; Juniors - Matt Poss, Kyle Metzel, Lee Shannon, Zach Freundt, Travis Gantz, Josh Anttila; Sophomores – Nick Brito.
Top newcomers: Sophomore – Jordan Butler; Freshman – Dan Lonski.
Outlook: A strength for this years’ Sequoits will be in the distance events led by Poss. Poss had a solid cross-country season and should be a key to the outdoor success this spring. The arrival of Butler and Lonski should add needed depth. Read, Bennett and Kay are seniors that will be counted on as well as Keys and Chelmecki.
Vernon Hills
Coach: Jeff Morello (7th Year)
Last season: 14th place NSC
Key losses: Andrew Thompson (9th in state 1,600), Evan Spencer (State qualifier), Marcus Bradford, Alex Lang (Bradley)
Key returners: Seniors – Tom Flynn, Adnan Meskic, James Baek; Juniors – Jakub Jaskowski, Kyle Schrems, Ian Hough, Dan Klema, Mark Alexander; Sophomores – Mitch Campbell, Gabriel Cotton, Jacob Hallendorff, Nick Foley, Dan Galinovskiy
Top newcomers: Sophomores – Morgan Lichtenstein, Drake Randall.
Outlook: When the upperclassmen left, the underclassmen assumed leadership roles and that’s where the strength of this years’ Cougar team lies. Campbell, Cotton and Hallendorff all will be counted on and appear ready to go. Up top, Meskic, Baek and Flynn are the leaders that the young guys need. Schrems paces a strong group of juniors.
Wauconda
Coach: Megan Zemanek (10th Year)
Last season: 8th place NSC
Outlook: A strong offseason of hard work has brought the Bulldogs to the ready for the 2011 outdoor season. From jumps and vaulting in the field events to distance running and sprinting on the track, Wauconda looks to challenge Grant, Lakes and Round Lake in the NSC Prairie.
Grant
Coach: Kurt Rous (4th Year)
Last season: 6th place NSC
Key losses: Oneyd Bermeio, Nolan Hebein, Kyle Buckley, Titus Lotz
Key returners: Seniors – Steven Niewiedzial, Kyle Lombardino (State qualifier), Leo Minne, Ryan Mamerow, Vic Muntu, Jason Capps, Ricky Paz, Joe Lake, Justin Campbell; Juniors – Brandon Lofthouse, Sean Wells (State qualifier), Matt Spears, Kyle Donahoe; Sophomores – Peter Audrain, Trent Peters-Clark, Keion Miller.
Top newcomers: Junior – Dillon Waters; Freshman – Jonathan Wells.
Outlook: When records fall during the indoor season it usually means good things for the outdoor campaign. The Bulldogs certainly hope so and with performers like Sean Wells, Minne and Lombardino, the Bulldogs have their sights set on catching Lakes in the NSC Prairie. Mamerow and Donahoe will also be counted on as Grant looks to send multiple performers to the state meet. Wells looks to return and earn a medal after missing out on his first trip last season.
Round Lake
Coach: Kevin Brady (7th year)
Last season: 13th in NSC
Key losses: Isaiah Thomas
Key returners: Seniors – Juan Carrera, Terrell Davis, Cristian Bayadares, Nick Lange, Isaiah Brooks; Juniors – Sergio Martinez, James Mendez, Juddon Carter, Tony Arenas, Victor Contreras-Gomez, Antonio Farley (State qualifier); Sophomores – Angel Carrera, Jorge Villa
Top newcomers: Juniors – DeAngelo Lockett, Danny Ceja, Erick Cortez; Sophomores – Robert Paz, Nathan Shook, Manuel O’Connor; Freshman – Robert Pisarski.
Outlook: Stability at the top has led to results on the track for the Panthers. The talent is certainly there too led by one of the best distance runners in Juan Carrera. The jumps and sprints are covered as well. Carter emerged last year as a star in the jumps and Lange completes the strong duo. Davis looks to fill the shoes of the departed Thomas along with Brooks. Farley is a returning state qualifier.
Lakes
Coach: Kurt Rowells (6th Year)
Last season: NSC Prairie champions, Sectional Champions
Key losses: Marcell Kirkmanbey (State qualifier – Marquette), Nick Lillig, Joel DeGrave, Bill Brinser (State qualifier), Dante Arnold (state qualifier - Transfer), Tyler Swindel (State qualifier)
Key returners: Seniors – Mike Beckman (State qualifier), Blake Franson, John Pfeiffer (4th place in state shot put and discus), Nick Tagnocchi, Scott Hemmely, Parker Blaine; Juniors – Josh Camp, Hans Hunecke, Mike Pfeiffer (State qualifier); Sophomores – Ryan Prais (State qualifier), Roland Luke, Shaun Beutilich, Justin Bergeron, Trevor Ray
Top newcomers: Juniors – DeVonte Davis, Tanner Blaine; Sophomore – Ty Summers.
Outlook: For one of the first times in the programs infancy, the Eagles actually have to replace long-time stars in Brinser and Kirkmanbey. Instead of rebuilding, the Eagles have reloaded and done so with more juniors and sophomores. Prais is a returning star and Beutilich and Bergeron have filled in nicely indoors. Of course the seniors are important too and Beckman and John Pfeiffer are the leaders for the Eagles. Another Prairie title, that would be four straight, is on the goal chart.