Boys cross country / Scouting Northwest

Barrington

Ty Gorman and Barrington only return two of its top seven runners from a team that finished eighth in Class 3A, but they do return senior Erik Peterson. He capped a sensational season by finishing sixth in Class 3A last fall. Peterson also won the MSL title and the Schaumburg sectional title and helped Barrington secure second place in the 3,200-meter relay last track season in a breakout year. Juniors Ryan Burgoon and Ryan Skelly will be looking to aid a Barrington team that took third in the MSL. Nolan Wojtowicz, Mike Rappleye and Kerry Frank add depth. It is always an added bonus to have the second-best returning runner in state on your squad, and Barrington would like to keep progressing.

Buffalo Grove

Coach Jamie Klotz welcomes back senior Jereme Atchison, who finished 21st in Class 3A and third in the MSL. Atchison looked very comfortable last season and is one of the elite runners in state. But the senior star will have help as senior Taras Didenko, senior Dan Roe, sophomore Steven Salvano, junior Rob Kresnicka, senior Ryan Degelmann, junior Yegor Krutikov, and junior Jason Clark will help the Bison contend for the MSL East Division title. Klotz knows that with Atchison on his team this is the year to make a serious run at qualifying for state.

Conant

Coach John Powers lost top runner Troy Cunningham to graduation, but the Cougars are senior-heavy. Senior Alex Miller, Tyler Schneider, Michael Shoro, Dominick Massa and James Weaver will lead the charge for the Cougars, who finished sixth in the MSL last season. Junior Joe Sulentic is also a valuable member and will be a major contributor for the Cougars.

Elk Grove

Coach David Dompke will be looking for senior Alex Mertes to provide a spark. Mertes placed 24th in the MSL and will join Vince Greco, Sunny Patel, Robert Uehera and Jose Medina in leading the Grens.

Hersey

Coach Jay Renaud takes over the reins from Tim Phillips, and it should be a smooth transition for the Huskies. Hersey finished 23rd at state last season but has only one returning runner. Renaud doesn’t think there should be too big of a drop-off as junior Robert Somary looks to lead the Huskies charge. Junior Ryan Kearns joins Somary as captain and will combine with returning runner Erick DeLoera to make up the Huskies’ core. Keep an eye on freshman standout David Rodriguez, who has been pressing Somary for the No. 1 spot all summer. Andy Philipose will add depth to a Huskies attack that doesn’t figure to fall off after a late charge last season.

Fremd

Coach Darius Sanchez takes over from Mike Bruce and is feeling hyped about the young talent the Vikings have. Jake Winter finished 25th at the MSL meet last fall and is poised to lead a team that includes Harry Winter, Nick Vucovich, Andrew Maturano, Danny Johnson, Josh Peterson, and Jacob Wilson. Sanchez feels the Vikings are deeper and the experience gained during the regular season should have the Vikings primed for the postseason.

Hoffman Estates

First-year coach Brendan Mariano replaces Matthew Dowd and is eager to unleash the Hawks’ talent. Senior Michael Goers and junior Connor Dressler will pace a Hawks attack that also features seniors Brian Gonzales and Chad Struck and junior Adam Long. The Hawks are hoping to convert a strong summer of training into a productive season.

Leyden

Coach Rick Mason is optimistic about an Eagles group that returns five varsity runners. Senior Fabian Cabrera was a state qualifier last season and combined with senior George Johnson and senior Paul Bosnyak in leading the Eagles to a state qualification in the 3,200 relay in track. Senior Deep Shah, juniors Rocco DiMatteo and Nick Avilia will add depth for the Eagles.

Maine West

Coach Andrew Trotter and the Warriors lost three all-conference runners to graduation. Seniors Nathan Schiavone and Felipe Garcia will combine with junior Alex Gasca to lead the way for the Warriors.

Palatine

Coach Chris Quick returns four of his top seven runners, and the Pirates are understandably shooting high. Senior Anthony Gregorio (20th Class 3A) returns to set the tempo for a Pirate team that has won eight consecutive MSL titles and has also finished in the top 10 at state for eight consecutive years. Seniors Tim Johnson (12th MSL), Marcus Garcia (15th MSL), and Tim Meincke (23rd MSL) return from all-conference seasons and have the Pirates primed for a run at the state title. Senior Peter Tomkiewicz, after running junior varsity last season, is looking to put a charge in the Pirates’ pack. Freshman Graham Brown has plenty of talent and along with a strong junior class Palatine will be up to achieving some lofty goals. Junior Christian Zambrano and junior Zach Stella will add depth.

Prospect

Coach Mike Stokes returns four of his top seven runners for a Knights team that finished fourth in the MSL. Senior Mike Thill and senior Josh Campos helped lead the Knights to a fifth-place state finish in the 3,200 relay in track last season; now the duo is hoping to lead the Knights back to the state cross country meet. Ethan Koch and Jeremy Fuller will aid the Knights’ effort. Stokes will be depending on a number of newcomers to help set solidify the attack.

Rolling Meadows

Coach Frank Schweda welcomes back his entire 2010 lineup, and it has the Mustangs thinking big. Seniors J.P. Manzanarez, Eric Ure and Brendan Thielsen lead the way for a Mustangs team that has its sights set on an MSL East Division title and possible state berth. Senior Andrew LaTourneau, junior Alex Duman, senior Jimmy Dohn and junior Josh Smith will add depth to an experience Meadows squad.

Schaumburg

Coach Scott Lilley takes over for hall-of-fame coach Jim Macnider, who led the Saxons to nine state trophies and three state titles during his tenure. And the cupboard isn’t bare as the Saxons return four of their top seven runners and will be Palatine’s biggest threat in the MSL. All-conference runners in junior Evan Prizy (sixth in the MSL), senior Tyler Anderson (13th MSL) and senior Pat Sweich (14th MSL) will pace the Saxons. Senior Brian Flight, will combine with junior Juan Barajas, junior Mikias Tibebu, junior Nick Smith and junior Stephan Pillar to give Schaumburg plenty of depth. The Saxons have solid core and are ready to start the Lilley era.

St. Viator

Coach Wayne Edelman welcomes back Kevin Scheiber, Tyler Sammons, Elliot Hilgert, and Nick Brey for a Lions team that hopes to challenge for the East Suburban Catholic Conference title after finishing second for two straight years. Newcomer Jason Ziolkowski will also contribute.

Wheeling

Coach Tom Polak and the Wildcats return six of their top seven runners and are aiming to break into the upper half of the MSL. Nick Modlin, Jordy Arriaga, Terrance Moran, Jose Ortiz and Bruce Ferraro figure to lead the way. Arriaga, Modlin, and Moran form a solid core, while Ferraro definitely has potential. Polak is now searching for a fifth runner to bolster the group.