Boys track and field: Scouting Lake County
NORTH SUBURBAN LAKELake ZurichCoach: Randall Dunbar (3rd year)
Last year: 8th place NSC
Key losses: Ryan Fitzgerald, Dan Abboud, Adam Griffith, Justin Wright, Anthony Baca, William Llanos (State qualifier), Donovan Long
Key returnees: Seniors - Justin Shim, Alex Goodridge, Nick Mandal, Gregory McLain, Zach Swanson, DJ Smith, Mark Spatz, Michael Peters, Ryan Gay; Juniors - Ben Klett (State qualifier), Alec Rowell, Dante Manley, Matt Milner, Nate Quinn; Sophomores - Matt Pereira (8th in state 3,200), Jake Stevens, Alex Nelson, Brian Griffith, Kyle Fitzgerald,
Top newcomers: Junior - Bo-Kun Lee; Sophomores - Kyle Griffith, Shawn Bandel; Freshman - Andrew Bouc
Outlook: Last season was a down year by the Bears' standards, but the cupboard is plenty full as Lake Zurich aims for a return to prominence. Klett looks to be healthy, which is bad news for the rest of the NSC as the sprint qualifier as a freshman is primed for a return downstate. Pereira is ready to improve on his eighth -place finish in the 2-mile. Could he star at shorter distances this year?
LibertyvilleCoach: Jason Schroeder (4th year)
Last season: 7th place NSC
Key losses: Griffin Maldonado, Patrick Humen (State qualifier), Matt Surrell, Kevin Barbian (7th in state shot put, 4th in state discus - Augustana), Mark Girgus, Atticus Rush, Evan Mazurek
Key returnees: Seniors -Max Roberts (State qualifier), Atakan Pekpolat, Jordan McInerney, Liam McCown, Liam Hyek, Mark Dunsing, Scott Littwitz, Thomas Doherty, Thomas Peterson, Quade Kayle, Nicholas Seneczko, Pat Quinn, Keith Wilson, Alex Zolek; Juniors - Ethan Fowkes, William Johnson, Sean O' Malley, Kyle O' Malley, Cameron Chen; Sophomores - Ryan O' Malley, Brandon Tang, Stephen Richardson
Top newcomers: Juniors - Jared Huch, Jack Seton; Sophomore - Victor Sartain
Outlook: There's a lot to like about this years version of the Wildcats. Roberts is a two-time state qualifier in the hurdles and is hungry for a medal. Dunsing and McInerney look to keep the ever-growing throwers tradition going. Keep an eye on Wilson. One of the top jumpers in the county looks towards a trip to state.
MundeleinCoach: Kevin Shifley (8th year)
Last season: 10th place NSC
Key losses: Chance Lindley
Key returnees: Seniors - Bryce Richards (State qualifier), Alek Escuduro, Anthony Gibbons, Anthony Wick, Aaron Tellez, Chris Palacios; Juniors - Uli Hagedorn, Sergio Morales, Christian Kaider, Mitch Alberts, Antoine Hicks; Sophomore - Mitch Sharer, Aaron Woolford
Top newcomers: Sophomores - Ben Krauss, Shane Kosmach; Freshmen - Kenny Adiyih, Bobby Nuzzo
Outlook: Enthusiasm is flowing freely through the Mustangs program so far this spring, and with a big jump in numbers it's easy to see why. Richards is a two-time qualifier and should make it three straight for Mundelein this year. The freshman and sophomore classes are deep and should provide depth for the Mustangs.
StevensonCoach: Andy Farrissey (19th year)
Last season: 6th place NSC
Key losses: Ki Hwan Kim (state qualifier) Jeremy Bloomfield
Key returnees: Seniors - Sammy Oh (state qualifier), Matt Legan, Matt Poetker, Tim Vestuto, Aaron Lund, Henry Sise; Juniors - Jared Borowsky (state qualifier), Jake Calamari, Jonathan Gilbert, Daniel Long; Sophomores - David Goncharov, Caleb Oh, Paul Udoni, Noah Lukz, Jordan Eng
Top newcomer: Sophomore- Dan Long
Outlook: Distance dominance is quickly becoming a trend for the Patriots and this year will provide more of it. Borowsky looks to continue his strong run. After an amazing freshman year, he figures to be a big factor in year three. Sise is a threat in the shot put and a healthy Vestuto could mean a strong sprint corps again for Stevenson. And Oh my, don't forget about Sammy and Caleb.
WarrenCoach: Bill Dawson (20th Year)
Last season: 3rd place NSC; NSC Lake Champions
Key losses: Reese Brady, Rayvon Spruill, Nitin Tangellamudi, Tom Steen, Kevin Ward, Marcus Shamberg, Adam Shurson (state qualifier), Derrick Nickerson, Julian Flores, Michael Kliene, Darius Davis, Jovan Charleston (state qualifier)
Key returnees: Seniors - Jakob Martinez, Nathan Campbell, Jeff Abbott, Will Kellerhals, Joe Haight (state qualifier), Isaac Walker (state qualifier), Dominic Rossi; Juniors - Dustin Macuiba, Nick Marcinkus, Brady Roegner; Sophomores - Melvin Pettis, Hugo Flores (State qualifier), Julian Ruiz, Donte Johnson David Ramirez-Wilson
Top newcomers: Senior - Matt Sladek; Junior - Kendrick Bell; Sophomore - Nabil Asmar
Outlook: The defending Lake Division champs look primed to defend their title and contend in the NSC. Macuiba is emerging as one of the top distance runners in the NSC. To go with that distance is a very deep sprint corps led by Haight and Flores, who are returning qualifiers. Pettis will provide sprint depth to a team that should be in the mix for an NSC title.
NORTH SUBURBAN PRAIRIEAntiochCoach: Chris Bailey (6th year)
Last season: 11th place NSC
Key losses: Dan Lonski, Cam Ayers, A.J. Marsiglio (State qualifier)
Key returnees: Seniors - Matt Horton, Bogdan Anghel (state qualifier), Jack Kovach, Tim Christian (state qualifier), Brad Russell, Gabe Lopes (state qualifier), Alan Taylor, Destiny Dickson, Danny Ressler; Juniors - Dylan Duckworth; Sophomores - Brandon Etayem
Top newcomers: Sophomore - Landon Keefover; Freshmen - Nick Galante, Drew Porter.
Outlook: The Sequoits look to build off their successes last season with a well-balanced group. Anghel and Lopes are returning qualifiers on the track while Christian looks to take another trip to state in the shot. Good freshmen are in reserve in Galante and Porter, while Taylor looks to return to state in the discus.
GrantCoach: Tom Evans (4th year)
Last season: NSC Prairie Champions, tied for 12th in state, Class 3A
Key losses: Jonathan Wells (3A state champion long jump, high jump - Illinois), Kyle Hatton (10th in state 800 - Illinois State), Dalyn Romig, Jorge Costilla, Billy Sullivan (state qualifier), Jake Bychowski (state qualifier), Joey Sadauskas, Francisco Uribe, Andrew Parker
Key returnees: Seniors - Jeremy Bredwood (state qualifier), Jose Robles, Collin Stefanowski, Brandon Ehmann, Mike Jones, Tom McNulty, Peyton Rehling, Ayitey Ayree, Deonte Dillon, Frank Cardy, Mikel Graves; Juniors - Nick Peterson, Tim Brundidge, Octavian Wells (state qualifier), Kemar Miller (state qualifier), Tyler Schaefer, Ryan Devito, Ben Schram, Chris Hatton; Sophomores - John Schmidt, Bryan Bajerski
Top newcomers: Seniors - Timmy Hollins, Trevon Jones; Freshmen - Cody Zajak, Xavier Brandon
Outlook: No team in the area took a harder hit from graduation than the Bulldogs. Losing a two-time state champion and two-time medalist will be tough to replace. However, there is plenty in reserve. The youngest Wells will be a factor in the sprints with Miller and Bredwood still here to provide good depth. Grant has enough to still be a factor in the NSC.
LakesCoach: Kurt Rowells (10th year)
Last season: NSC champions
Key losses: Rodolph Boyer, Jimmy Burchard, Jake Zimmerman, Ryan Campbell, Hitart Patel, Alex Murray (8th in state 1,600 relay)
Key returnees: Seniors - Cory Hertz (5th in state 400, 8th in state 1,600 relay), David Macias, Jake Balliu (8th in state 1,600 relay), Ryan Mullen (state qualifier), Steve McVicker, Tyler Ibarra; Juniors - Nate Fuentes, Hayden Falls, Cooper Jazo (state qualifier), Charles Hudson, Mike Zalapukis, Robert Kuhlmann, Brandon Thiel (8th in state 1,600 relay), Ibraheem Reffat; Sophomores - Nick Garcia, Jeremy Wallace, Cameron Ruiz (8th in state long jump)
Top newcomers: Juniors - Kyle Jones, Kris Jones; Sophomore - Leon Small; Freshmen - Kael Moran, Ethan Greenfield
Outlook: After its first year in the Class 3A state meet, the Eagles want more. With Northern Iowa recruit Hertz, they may get just that. Hertz is a beast and leads the way on the track. He'll have first-rate help from Balliu and Thiel. In the field, Ruiz jumped to a medal last year and Mullen and McViker may throw for one as well. Jazo is a top pole vault returner for the preseason favorite in the NSC.
Round LakeCoach: Kevin Brady (11th year)
Last season: 12th place NSC
Key losses: Chris Washington, Matuesz Lopez, Taylor Stempinski
Key returnees: Seniors - Kevin Perez, Fabian Zapata, Stephen Ladewig, Joey Greenhill, Morgan Fields, Enrique Sanchez, Cole Steger, Andrew Maskevich, Rosendo Acosta; Juniors - Emmanual Sanchez, Kyle Johnson, Luis Nunez, Vidal Ortega, Carlos Rosas, Francisco Villanueva, Christian Vasquez; Sophomores - Moises Acosta,
Top newcomers: Sophomores - Tobias Young, Alex Valladeres.
Outlook: Two years ago, when the Panthers track program and football program expanded their relationship, the track program has benefitted greatly. The numbers are off the charts this spring and there is plenty to be excited about. Steger, Greenhill and Sanchez look to lead the way.
Vernon HillsCoach: Mark Whitney (3rd year)
Last season: 9th place NSC
Key losses: Ben Mohrdieck (2A state champion 1,600 - Purdue), Eric Doerhoefer (state qualifier), Kyle Whitney (6th in state 3,200 - Loyola), Nick Webber (state qualifier), Chris Lannan, Keith Carlson, Ryan Fasbinder, Kyle Erchenger, Ilya Fedorovich (state qualifier).
Key returnees: Seniors - Tyler Smith (state qualifier), Richard Clark (state qualifier), Mani Sundararajan, Rob Williams, Juan Martinez (state qualifier), Eric Slovak, Colin Alexander, Nathan McAdams, Ty Chong, James Hommer; Juniors - Caleb Ju, Bryan Castellanos, Alex Geier, Noah Agnew (state qualifier), Brandon Coty, Jordan Martin, Alex Yang, Jamie Cervantes, Sam Laneman, Trevor Moyers (state qualifier), Jay Holloway, Kenny Dantes; Sophomores - Shane Williamson (state qualifier), Martin Bolotin, James Hommer (state qualifier)
Top newcomers: Senior - Joe Blitstein; Junior - Josh Williams; Sophomores - Tim Krashevsky, Cacper Jaskowski, Nick Mohrdieck, Zak Baumann; Freshmen - James D'Argo, John Moore, Nikolay Kravtsev, Aidan Williamson, Sohan Barot, Avinash Nathan
Outlook: All the pieces appear to be in place for the Cougars to challenge for the top spot in the Prairie Division. Clark is a top performer in the sprints as a returning qualifier. He has help in the sprints with Hommer returning and Dantes emerging. The distance events are covered with the Williamson brothers and Smith.
WaucondaCoach: Megan Zemanek (13th year)
Key losses: Nick Ledova, Kacper Kulesza, Ross Theel, Luke Fugle, Austin Pequeno, Tommy Thomason
Key returnees: Seniors - Adrian Zambrano, Alex Payne, Ben Lanzerotti, Mike Miller, Max Beuchner; Juniors - Justin Klein, Tyler Theel (state qualifier); Sophomores - Antonio Acosta, Tyler Stankiewicz, Collin McFadden
Outlook: The younger Theel turned heads as he took a spot at state in the 400 meters at state a year ago. With a deep and talented group of juniors, look for the Bulldogs to take a bigger bite out of the state meet this year. Senior leadership is always a strong point.
FOX VALLEYGrayslake NorthCoach:Garrett DeGross (2nd Year)
Last year: 6th in Fox Valley Conference
Key losses: Ryan Bruder, Alex Shulga (9th in state 400), Jakes Hensley
Key returnees: Seniors - Titus Booker (2nd in state 100, 5th in state 200), Kevin Meyer, Jordan Kennedy, Eli Atwater, Brannan Morris; Juniors - Dylan Ponomar, Brandon Keaskowski, Jeff Kesselring, Jordan Calta, Josh Brand; Sophomore - Michael Cabahug, Alex Moran, Liam O' Connell
Top newcomers: Junior - Adrian Suarez; Sophomore - Griffen Gawenda
Outlook: With one of the states best sprinters returning in Booker, the Knights figure to be a factor in the FVC this spring. Suarez is a nice new addition from Warren. Atwater is a sprint contributor to a deeper than normal group for North. The numbers for the Knights are up this year and the state qualifiers could be as well.
Grayslake CentralCoach: Brent Pitt (12th Year)
Last year: 4th place Fox Valley Conference, sectional champions
Key losses: Kacey Adams, Devin Quinn, Ben Schwaiko, Diego Quezada, Kevin Orozco (state qualifier), Malcolm Reed, Jacob Wiggins, Steve Anderson (state qualifier), Demarcus Quick (state qualifier)
Key returnees: Seniors - Cam Schwartz (state qualifier), Spencer Hirt (state qualifier), Seth Graf, Max Brunk (state qualifier), De'Juan Ali; Juniors - Elijah Eugene, David Dorlack, Connor Gosell (state qualifier), Jack Battaglia, Danial Vincent (state qualifier), Jonathon Wong, Zachary Cinq-Mars; Sophomores - Jack Aho (state qualifier), Matt Aho.
Top newcomers: Juniors - Noah Cummerford, Cam Dennison; Freshman - Eli Minski
Outlook: Will graduation finally catch up to the Rams? Perhaps not, as this group is hardly shy on talent or returning qualifiers. One of the most talented is sophomore Jack Aho. Add in the returning strength in the sprints of Ali, and Brunk and the Rams will be right in the race in a deep FVC. Can the Rams handle the move up to Class 3A this spring?
EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLICCarmel CatholicCoach: Jim Halford (30th Year)
Last season: 6th Place ESCC
Key losses: Dillon Novak (state qualifier), Anthony Gattuso (state qualifier)
Key returnees: Seniors - David Biondo (state qualifier), Matt Maloney, Ian Davies, Patrick Pastika (state qualifier), Collin Psenka (state qualifier), Nuriel Canles, Patrick Hogan, Jason Kadowaki, Austin Truesdale, Patrick Foster, Julian Johnson; Juniors - Michael Cusack, Tommy Kelly, Birken Cetinkaya, John Caffarelli; Sophomores - Brian Thompson, Jeremy Strutzel, David Daniels, Stephen Lacke
Top newcomers: Junior - Cameron Dean; Freshmen - Jacob Unze, Kennedy Gawin, James Stefo
Outlook: In year 30, Halford has plenty to be excited about with this group of Corsairs. Biondo is a returning qualifier while Pastika and Psenka got a taste of state last season in the 3,200 relay. Look for that relay and a Carmel tradition - the 1,600 relay, to make a strong push to state. Good depth at the freshmen level from Unze, Gawin and Stefo will push Carmel towards the top of the ESCC.