Boys gymnastics: Scouting Lake County
INDEPENDENT CONFERENCELIBERTYVILLECoach: Josh Cimo (sixth season)
Last year's record: Fifth in Independent Conference, seventh in sectionals
Top graduated seniors: Jade Fisher (state qualifier on floor), Alec Ovassiapian
Top returning competitors: seniors A. J. Jacob (all-around, 2016 state qualifier on vault), Erik Meyer (four events), Jake Reichert (three events); junior Pat Tanski (all-around, state qualifier on vault and parallel bars);sophomore Tyler Kukla (five events)
Key newcomers: sophomore Matt Neuberger (all-around)
Outlook: After scoring over 140 points in only their second meet of the season, the Wildcats are off to a much better and promising start to their new season than they were a year ago.
The addition of key sophomore club gymnast Matt Neuberger should make a world of difference to Libertyville's scoring as Neuberger should provide plenty of consistency and depth at the top of the Wildcats' lineup.
Add to that two more experienced all-arounder's in Tanski and Jacob, who have both competed in the state meet in individual events, and Libertyville should be looking forward to a pretty promising 2017 campaign.
"I was happy with the 133.4 (in the season-opener), and it was our best start in the six seasons I've been here," said Cimo, whose team placed sixth in the state three years ago. "But we still made some mistakes here and there, and now we can progress forward and our timeline is looking a lot better."
With Jacob only competing in four to five events early in the season due to an ankle injury, the Wildcats can look forward to even more improved team-scoring once he starts taking part in the all-around.
"Overall we definitely did a lot better in our second meet than we did to start the season," added Cimo, whose team beat host Naperville Central to open the season. "I hope to be in the mid-140's pretty soon, and we just have to stay on the apparatus and stay focused from taking those little deductions."
MUNDELEINCoach: Jesse Piland (ninth season)
Last year's record: seventh in state, second in sectionals, first in Independent Conference
Top graduated seniors: Brandon Swanson (tied for fifth in state all-around), Noe Alcantar (state qualifier on still rings), Jordan Ader (state qualifier on floor), Ismael Antunez (state qualifier on parallel bars), Jimmy Parello, Andrew Lock
Top returning competitors: seniors Greg Godellas (25th in state all-around), Yianni Wiechering (all-around); juniors Tyler Collins (all-around), Carson Bernett (all-around)
Key newcomers: junior Angel Davis (four events), sophomore Will Ferro (all-around)
Outlook: After losing six seniors to graduation from last year's seventh-place state meet squad, the Mustangs will try to build on that success with some hard work in the off-season hopefully paying off in 2017.
Mundelein will really miss the presence of elite senior Brandon Swanson, though, as Swanson was one of the anchors for the Mustangs' lineup especially over the past two seasons when he placed ninth and fifth in the state all-around respectively.
But in spite of all of the losses to graduation, Mundelein is once again in a pretty good position to return to the Elite Eight meet for the 22nd time in school history with Godellas, Collins, and Wiechering expected to lead the way.
"Making it to state is definitely in our sights, and improving our score from last year (145.8) is the goal," said Piland, whose team has already scored a 146.4 in winning the Homewood-Flossmoor Invitational. "We're obviously going to have to improve, 150 would be a very lofty goal. But this is a good group of guys, they're very tight, and they work hard."
If Mundelein can stay healthy, there is absolutely no reason that the Mustangs will not be able to reach the state meet once again.
Hinsdale Central is looking like the early favorites to raise the first-place trophy when the Red Devils host the 66th Annual IHSA state meet on May 12-13.
Lyons is also looking like a potential contender to capture the crown as is perennial power Glenbard West with outstanding scores early in the season.
Palatine senior Prakash Nigam is the top returning all-arounder in the state after he placed third in the 2016 state meet with 52.55 points.
Grayslake Central sophomore Andrew Taylor could be another gymnast to watch when the state series rolls around in early May, while Cary-Grove junior Luka Sisauri is the defending state champion on pommel horse with a 9.5 last spring.
STEVENSONCoach: Joe Rogalski (second season)
Last year's record: fourth in Independent Conference, sixth in sectionals
Top graduated seniors: none
Top returning competitors: seniors Matt Krames (11th in state all-around, first on floor exercise, tied for third on parallel bars, ninth on vault), Karan Menon (four events), Adi Crook (three events), Alan Chin (three events), Jacob Rosenberg, Kent Lee, Leo Aquino, Patryk Wierzchucki;junior Danny Less (three events)
Key newcomers: freshmen Ryan Galin, R.J. McGhee, Georgi Vladimirov, Mark Lozovnoy
Outlook: The big story for the Patriots is that they will be graduating 11 seniors (nearly half the team), including elite performer Krames, who was a member of Stevenson's state championship squad in 2015.
Krames is Stevenson's last remaining gymnast from that title team, and he is planning to attend Iowa next year where he will also participate in cheerleading for the Hawkeyes.
Krames placed sixth in the state all-around as a sophomore before winning the state title on floor exercise last year.
Coach Rogalski is excited about his current group of dedicated yet inexperienced gymnasts, who he said are picking up new skills at a rate that he has not seen in a freshmen class in seven or eight years.
And while the Patriots' current young squad does not appear to be in a position to add to its nine top-three state trophies (including five state titles) dating back to 1999, they could develop into a serious contender over the next few seasons if all goes as planned.
Krames will certainly provide great senior leadership and guidance for the team this spring as he will go for broke to make a big splash in his final high school campaign. Rogalski can definitely count on Krames to once again lead by example as he has such much success and experience to fall back on for Stevenson.