Boys track and field: Scouting Northwest
MID-SUBURBAN EASTBuffalo GroveCoach: Timothy Podulka (3rd year)
Last season: 11th place MSL
Key losses: Nate Woten, Brendan McKinney (state qualifier, Marquette), Marlo Johnson, Jake Wenzel, Montana Nimerfroh, Eli Hinkle, Ed Punzalan, Mike Tsypin, Tripp Wallner
Key returners: Senior: Tom Cleary, Kevin Salvano (8th in state 3,200), John Krzezowski; junior: Jimmy Trieb, Dimitri Lomnick, Arturo Bautista; sophomore: Ronald Michel, Manny Manzeriegos
Top newcomers: Senior: Trey Cervantes; Sophomore: Michael Guittar
Outlook: One of the top distance runners in the state returns in the Notre Dame-bound Salvano. Whether it's the mile or 2-mile, Salvano will be a favorite to win either. The talent goes on from there for the Bison with newcomers Cervantes and Guittar expected to contribute all over the track. Bautista is a middle distance threat and Cleary should help in a number of events.
Elk GroveCoach: Brian Bucciarelli (8th year)
Last season: 10th Place MSL
Key losses: Paul Ifianyi (2nd in state 300 hurdles, Illinois State), Peter Ifianyi (State qualifier), Greg Johnson, Alberto Centeno, Chris Mertes, Ryan Miller, Paul Was, John Glennon
Key returners: Senior: Carmen Galgano, Danny Dalenberg, Carlos Zamarron, Campbell Kraemer, Sean Fritner, Azeez Alabi; junior: Dominic Schiavone
Top newcomers: Senior: Josh Collier, Fulton Wingba; junior: Marquis Friend, Connor Cloherty
Outlook: Plenty of new faces grace this year's Grenadiers squad with Collier and Wingba expected to help right away. Friend and Cloherty should help plenty as well. Dalenberg is a returning medal contender in the shot, but in the discus he could be the MSL's best. Schiavone should help in the sprints this spring.
HerseyCoach: Ken Blazek (22nd year)
Last season: 3rd place MSL
Key losses: David Rodriguez (State qualifier, Bradley), Josh Plischke, Alex Siepiora, Cody Bayless, Erik Anderson, Danny Somary, Austin Kane, Grant VonderLippe (Marquette), Cole Monckton (State qualifier, Winona State), Kyle Svoboda (State qualifier, SIU), Kevin Ziegenhorn (State qualifier, UIC), Seth Harden (State qualifier), Josh Plischke (State qualifier, Northwoods)
Key returners: Senior: Jared Polfuss (State qualifier), Kevin Paton, Kevin Roy, Clayton Smith, Nick Wagner, Jack Ruane; junior: Grant Wagner, Alex Nickens, Bobby Szymanski, Jack Rasmussan, Eric Wagner, Jacob Krupa, Sigmmund Serranila, Sam Szienty
Top newcomers: Sophomore: Quinn Cunningham, Jack Fredian, Nate Mayo, Ryan Theisen, Joe Theisen
Outlook: Overcoming losses to graduation is nothing new to Hersey, but this past graduation took a bigger hit than usual. Still, the Huskies should be able to respond with the likes of Polfuss and the Wagner brothers holding down the fort. The incoming group of sophomores will keep the distance tradition afloat, particularly with the Theisen brothers. Hersey should contend again in the MSL East.
ProspectCoach: Frank Mirandola (2nd year)
Last season: MSL East Champions, 2nd place MSL
Key losses: Mike Anderson (7th in state 3,200 relay, North Central), Greg Suarez (7th in state 3,200 relay, Marquette), Sam Garcia (State qualifier), Dema Govalla, Mike Tomasetti, Mike O'Malley, Vinny Lai
Key returners: Senior: Matt Cozine (7th in state 3,200 relay), Luke Filipic (7th in state 3,200 relay), Dan Marshall (State qualifier), Teddy Eckhardt, Karsen LeComte, Brady Schwartz (state qualifier); junior: Anthony Kies, Billy Matzek, Nick Konstantinou (state qualifier), Sean Sanaghan, Joe Riordan, Andrew Shafis, Dante Cecala, Kevin Sherwood, Vince Shields, James Estella
Top newcomers: Senior: MacKenzie Bach; freshman: Michael Shafis
Outlook: Fresh off winning the MSL Indoor, the Knights look primed to take on all comers in the outdoor season. The bulk of a solid distance corps is back with Cozine, Filipic and Eckhardt. LeComte is a top medal contender in the mile. The sprints are in pretty solid shape too, with Schwartz and Konstantinou leading the way. Estella in the vault, Matzek in the shot, and you can see why the Knights are conference title favorites.
Rolling MeadowsCoach: Frank Schweda (8th year)
Last season: 12th place MSL
Key losses: Mike Priller, Dan Kim, Tim Howley (West Alabama), Andre Russell-McGraw, Antonio Atencio, Colin Piscitello, Peter Tatkowski, Franciso Trejo, Nick Devona
Key returners: Senior: Jack Swindells, Tripp Turchik, Ian Perkins; junior: John Gerardi, Matt Ziemba, Alex Vo, Mike Utyro, Zach Gunger; sophomore: Jared Axelrad
Top newcomers: Junior: Nigel Wilson; freshman: CJ Miller, Eddie Lennon
Outlook: There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic for the Mustangs. The sprint relays are solid with the transfer of Wilson from Buffalo Grove joining Swindells, Axelrad and Ziemba. Meadows has already been at or near the school indoor mark in the 800 relay and figure that outdoor mark to fall when they get outdoors. Perkins is another solid threat in the pole vault.
WheelingCoach: Mike Kamedula (2nd year)
Last season: 7th place MSL
Key losses: Cole Danmeier, Tyler Urban (State qualifier), Evan Brown (state qualifier), Drew Schwartz, Steven Abraham, Armani Dennis, Melvin Sandoval, Steve Montesinos, Bhupinder Chahal
Key returners: Senior: Josh Diaz, Elliott Nabatov, Alex Mendez, Joe Swiech, Dylan Draka, Kyle Hall; junior: Blake Greenberg, Justin Loquercio, Jason Shannon, Jalen Dennis, Sinai Rodriguez, Matt Hoffman; sophomore: Phil Bucko Angel Villegas.
Top newcomers: Sophomore: Lawrence Kanish
Outlook: In just his second year, signs that the program is headed in the right direction gives Kamedula a reason for optimism. Draka is a solid all-around sprinter and Mendez and Hall provide good depth in the throws. Loquercio is a key performer for the Wildcats in the middle distance events after terrific cross country and swimming seasons.
MID-SUBURBAN WESTBarringtonCoach: Todd Kuklinski (13th year)
Last season: MSL Champions, MSL West Champions
Key losses: Konrad Eiring (3rd in state 3,200 relay, Illinois), Derek Harms, Brandon Melynchuk (9th in state 400 relay, Illinois State), Curtis Monahan, Andrew Gensberg (3rd in state 3,200 relay), Joe Bolger, Daniel Stermer, Julius Smith, Terrance McGovern (9th in state 400 relay), Kyle Monahan, Tyler Anderson (3rd in state 3,200 relay), Greg Schuett, Scotty Miller (8th in state 100, Bowling Green Football), Griffin Claes (9th in state 400 relay)
Key returners: Senior: Mark Landwer (state qualifier), Grant Elliott, Scott Williams, John Davidson, Thomas Hermann, Ryan Ziolkowski, Cooper Van Kampen, Scott Jonske (State qualifier), Alex Maher, Hunter Merritt; junior: John Misko, Harrison Arledge, Peter Jakowski (State qualifier), Logan Moews (9th in state 400 relay), James Pirie (3rd in state 3,200 relay), Ross Bravo, David Lozzio, Bartek Susol, Tom Jomantis, David Stanton, John Steffan, Mark Bock; sophomore: Louis Cossio.
Top newcomers: Sophomore: Brad Warmen, Ray Niro, Alec Andrea, Connor Mahoney, Nick Lanning; freshman: Michael Curran
Outlook: Is this finally a rebuilding year for the Broncos? With the likes of Pirie, Landwer and Jonske returning, maybe not as much as one might think despite the loss of some real standouts. Steffan is a nice find in the shot put and should contend for a conference title. Moews looks to fill the very big shoes left by Miller, as does Cossio. Jakowski and Maher will also be contributors for the Broncos, who look to repeat in the MSL.
ConantCoach: John Powers (8th year)
Last season: 8th place MSL
Key losses: Zach Dale (3rd in state 1,600, Illinois), Joel Almodivar, Kevin Chang, James Janczy, Saad Altaf, Jake Bean, Bhavin Chaudhari, Mike Meier, Joe Kim, Shujaat Sultan (State qualifier).
Key returners: Senior: Tim Engebretson, Nick Elms (State qualifier), Eric Ellefson, AJ Hermann, Jason Guiliano (State qualifier), Eliott Chang; junior: Chris DiGioia (State qualifier), Jake Stumpf; sophomore: Tabish Sultan
Outlook: Two things that can always be counted on with the Cougars are the hurdles and distance events. While they have to replace one of the program's best in Dale, they still look to be strong in the hurdles with Engebretsen returning. Elms is a middle distance stalwart for Conant and figures to contribute to the Cougars' 3,200 and 1,600 relays. DiGioia and Guilano will also be solid in the middle distance events this season.
FremdCoach: Jim Aikens (27th year)
Last season: 6th place MSL
Key losses: Darius Burchette, Pat McMahon, Kyle Lewis (State qualifier, UW Whitewater), Eric Nelson, Jawan Gaines (State qualifier), Jack Albrecht, Casey Wood (state qualifier, North Central), Matt Fossing, Nathan Hanlon
Key returners: Senior: Caleb Vail, Samson Oladimeji, Ryan McMahon (State qualifier), Raqid Adebayo; junior: Danny Peterson, Aaron Cudak, Jack Buban, Andrew Castro, Tyler Faust; sophomore: Brett Lewis, Keith Contreras, Matt Wallace, Jaden Jackson, Ben Konopka
Top newcomers: Junior: Ethan Hanson, Kievon Brown, Roman Murashko, Luke Vogelgesang; freshman: Ryan Spankowski
Outlook: Last season is one Aikens and crew would prefer to forget. This year's group should make that easy. Hanson should figure in the shot put after already hitting 55 feet indoors. Peterson is a nice distance threat and Oladimeji and Faust are solid field event contributors. Maybe a year away from contending - but then again, maybe not.
Hoffman EstatesCoach: Tyrone Jones (9th year)
Last season: 9th place MSL
Key losses: Javonte Brownlee, Corey Riley, Jordan Schultz, Brian Miller, Mike Baureis, Nic Fortney, Mike Sanflippo
Key returners: Senior: Bryan Gamboa (State qualifier), Shiv Patel, Michael Johnson, Zach Clark, Tom Krawiec, Matt Petersen (State qualifier), Nathan Otto (State qualifier); junior: Alex Makrounis, Ryan Greenwalt; sophomore: Declan Rustay, Nigel Jones, Jack Worman (State qualifier)
Top newcomers: Senior: Jalen Hill (Transfer from Streamwood); junior: Danny Bahanan, Fiyin Alade
Outlook: The talent is there and so are the big point-scorers for the Hawks. Rustay is one of the top sprinters in the conference and the middle distance is as good as any in the league with Gamboa and Patel leading the way. Peterson and Otto add nice depth, which puts the Hawks in the position to contend for a top four spot in the MSL. Hill could be a huge addition in the jumps as he medaled for Streamwood last year.
PalatineCoach: John Nalley (25th year)
Last season: 4th Place MSL
Key losses: Jake La Rocca (State champion 3A pole vault, Illinois), Graham Brown (state qualifier, Arkansas), Rob Fekete (state qualifier), Josh Mackie, Gavin Falotico, Jimmy Jones, Erik Cardoso, Tom Sobotka, Cam Cornelius
Key returners: Senior: Dan Garcia (State qualifier), Mike Hilmer, Zach Micheal, Nick Sabado, Ethan Lloyd, Lyle Kean, Thomas Nalley; Junior: Mackenzie Balanganayi, Everado Bustamante, Nate Izewski, Courtland Cornelius, John Elischer, Cordell Griffin, Brian Leonard, Kendall Johnson, Zion Oluleye, Cole Wasowicz
Top newcomers: Senior: Joey Roy; Junior: Ben Kontney, Curt Kontney; Sophomore: Art Ochinson, Elliott Hardwick, Evan Eckels; Freshman: Jorge Corona
Outlook: When years like this roll around, the Pirates usually find themselves contending for the conference title. If that's going to happen, Palatine will need the likes of Garcia, Michael and Cornelius to have big seasons. Roy is a nice addition and Corona is another good freshman in the distance pipeline. These Pirates look sneaky good and figure to be a factor in the MSL race.
SchaumburgCoach: Ryan Senica (6th year)
Last season: 5th place MSL
Key losses: AJ Vetter, Halleluyah Eluobaju, Jarmon McMillon (5th in state 400 relay), Juan Maldonado, Alonzo Sally, Cesar Arenas, Shandall Thomas (5th in state 400 relay, 3rd in state 100, 8th in state 200, Illinois State), Isaac Rogenski, Sammy Ramani (state qualifier), Eddie Lamas, Jack Wagner (5th in state 400 relay, DePaul)
Key returners: Senior: Bernard Payne, Zack Merkendorfer, Dan Artman, Payton Buchanon; Junior: Dakari Ferguson, Danny Galovich (5th in state 400 relay), Victor Olaitan
Top newcomers: Junior: Connor Czarniak; Sophomore: Mike Baranowski, Karsten Zielinski
Outlook: After a tremendous stretch of elite level sprinting, the Saxons are starting to rebuild. That rebuild will be made much easier with Galovich and Ferguson returning. Payne is another nice find that will help add depth. Merkendorfer should play a key role too. Keep an eye no newcomer Czarniak.
CENTRAL SUBURBAN NORTHMaine WestCoach: Andrew Trotter (23rd year)
Last season: 5th place Central Suburban League North Division
Key losses: Alex Liston, Chris Asuncion, Joey Vogeney, Lucas Martin-Ranft, Pat nelson, Adam Hill, Jake Hill, Denis Vujic
Key returners: Senior: Shane Huffaker, Juan Bahena, Nick Clarisse, Charles Ellsworth, Edgar Vallejo; Junior: Marteen Robinson, Kevin Leon, Connor McGing, Daniel Serrano, John Pacini; Sophomore: Taras Dzhul
Top newcomers: Sophomore: Tom Kmiotek, Matt Litas
Outlook: In the always tough CSL, the Warriors look to take their best shots at front runners Deerfield and Glenbrook North with Huffaker, Robinson and Pacini. Pacini has impressed early in the 400 while Robinson will be effective from 100 on up. Huffaker looks to bounce back in the pole vault and return down state.
WEST SUBURBAN GOLDLeydenCoach: Tom Cartwright (9th year)
Last season: 6th Place WSC Gold
Key losses: Josh Pitts, Daniel Tragarz
Key returners: Senior: Alan Prado, Mateusz Scelazek (state qualifier); Junior: Jalen Moore
Top newcomers: Sophomore: Brian Santos; Freshman: Patrick Sarad
Outlook: Scelazek earned a trip to state in the 800 last season and aims to become the Eagles' first medalist since 1997. Prado is a veteran who should help lead the way for Leyden in the always tough WSC Gold. Keep an eye on newcomers Santos and Sarad. Both should contribute on the varsity level this spring.
EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLICCarmel CatholicCoach: Jim Halford (31st year)
Last season: 4th Place ESCC
Key losses: David Biondo (7th in state 2A Pole vault, St. Francis), Matt Maloney, Ian Davies, Patrick Pastika (State qualifier), Collin Psenka (State qualifier), Nuriel Canles, Patrick Hogan, Jason Kadowaki, Austin Truesdale (State qualifier), Patrick Foster (State qualifier, Illinois Wesleyan), Julian Johnson (State qualifier)
Key returners: Senior: Michael Cusack (State qualifier), Cameron Dean, Tommy Kelly, Birken Cetinkaya, John Caffarelli; Junior: Ryan Thompson, Jeremy Strutzel, David Daniels, Stephen Lacke, Jacob Demarco; Sophomore: Jacob Unze, Kennedy Gawin, James Stefo.
Outlook: Graduation losses were heavy for the Corsairs. Getting back to the top of the ESCC will start with key returnees Cusack, Strutzel and Unze. Kelly and Caffarelli will be important pieces as well, as Carmel looks to contend with Notre Dame, Benet and Marian Catholic atop the always tough ESCC.
St. ViatorCoach: Rodero Warren (12th year)
Last season: 3rd place ESCC
Key losses: Brian Peters (State qualifier), Yoon Chang, Jake Scanlon, Zach Gyuricza (6th in 2A 300 hurdles, Webster College), Chris Beiersdorf (State qualifier)
Key returners: Senior: Miles McDonnell (state qualifier), Kevin Teraji, Drew Morton, Danny Sullivan, Joey Finnegan, Jake Ryan, John Duffy, Jacob Bonanotte (State qualifier), Nick Lang, Trevor Koos, Denzel Downing (8th in 2A State 300 hurdles); Junior: Jae Jung, Sam Brey (State qualifier); Sophomore: Jack Scilowski, Brady Collis, Richard Rinka
Top newcomers: Senior: John Hafner; Sophomore: Jeremy Yoder, William Sherriff
Outlook: The Lions have quietly put together a team that has big point potential in the 2A state meet. Downing is one of the top hurdlers in the state and a host a returning qualifiers make this a very deep group. Brey will be a factor in the distance events as will McConnell. Bonnanotte adds great depth for a team that should factor near the top of the ESCC.