Streamwood girls improving

Streamwood girls cross country coach Ryan Korn has plenty of reasons to be optimistic this season.

His Sabres team finished third at the Elgin City Classic, seventh out of 29 teams at Crystal Lake and sixth (without No. 1 runner Mercedes Mancha) at Rockford Guilford.

"We're doing pretty well," said Korn. "This is my best season I've had team-wise since I've been here. As long as we can stay healthy, we'll be in good shape. We've got girls that run well together."

In addition to Mancha, the Sabres have been bolstered by the efforts of sophomore Jordana LeSavage, juniors Diana Cardenas and Violet Sanchez, as well as freshman Stephanie Brown. Senior Lizi Liberman and sophomores Maria Luna and Ashley Rosch have also been contributing.

"Our goal is to make it out of regionals," said Korn, who noted the team's summer program was a major success (which included a team-bonding trip). "We haven't done that in awhile. Mercedes was our only girl returning in the top seven. We've had a lot of nice surprises. They are all trying to push each other for spots. Compared to where we were to where we are now, this is the next step in building the program up. They are invested in themselves and in the team."

Tiffany's take: Hampshire girls cross country runner Tiffany Phu chimed in with her thoughts on the team's progress this season.

"Our season has continued to consist of hard work and determination," said Phu. "(Since the) beginning of the season, each and every member of this team has been able to work up to a personal record."

Hampshire recently competed in invitationals at Woodstock and Peoria Woodruff.

"The Woodruff invitational was a great opportunity to get a feel for state," said Phu. "Hopefully, we will be able to run there again at the end of this season."

Phu, along with fellow juniors Holy Plichta (a Class A state qualifier last year) and Margaret Wians have been key runners for Hampshire, along with senior Jackie Jeffries and juniors Rachel Neisendorf, Jessica Denardo and Caitlin Gass. Junior Briana Mokowski is out with an injury.

"The unity and work ethic we all have has tremendously helped our team do well," said Phu. "We have been working hard to pack it together and that's our primary goal. With the ability to run together, we have that ability to win together as a team."

Hampshire will host the Big Northern Conference meet on the grounds of the new high school.

"We look forward to running with the tough competition that those other teams will bring," said Phu.

Cary-Grove boys: Injuries are subsiding for Cary-Grove. Standout Phil Fairleigh returned to race action for the first time this week since Sept. 2.

"We appear to finally be getting healthy again," said Cary-Grove coach Layne Holter. "We have also had two other top 5 runners out either sick or injured. Nonetheless, we have been progressing nicely. I am optimistic about our season."

Cary-Grove finished fifth out of 19 teams at the Libertyville invitational last week without Fairleigh-the team's No. 1 runner.

"We are undefeated in conference races this season without Fairleigh and Klein, but have not yet raced Dundee-Crown, which is also very good this year," said Holter.

Cary-Grove, also a FVC title contender, will see D-C this weekend at the Palatine invitational and then likely 4 weeks in a row starting Oct. 7.

Streamwood boys: Streamwood's roster may be thin on numbers (8), but not on talent and potential.

"We've got 8 solid guys," said Streamwood coach Weert Goldenstein. "Everybody is working pretty hard and doing pretty good."

Roger Klein, the brother of former Streamwood standout Neal Klein, is the Sabres' No. 1 runner. Senior Daniel Anderson has also impressed of late.

"Daniel is new to the team," said Goldenstein. "He stepped up and was our number-two guy at our meet out in Rockford."

Sophomore Joel Pinto and senior Kyle Marshall have also been making contributions.

"Our top 5 guys have all been doing pretty well for us," said Goldenstein. "Joel Pinto is another guy in his first year that has stepped up and has worked hard to hang with the top guys."

Dundee-Crown boys: D-C coach Tom Smith likes the focus his team has maintained throughout the season, thus far.

"The guys have remained consistent and keep working hard," said Smith. "I am pleased how each meet they stay focused and so competitive."

Anthony Manfrin is D-C's No. 1 runner and one of the top cross country competitors in the area.

"Anthony has been just amazing lately - he keeps running up front in every meet he is in and his times continue to be impressive," said Smith.

Smith's son, Paul, has also excelled.

"Paul has really been a solid number two runner and his times keep dropping from a year ago," said Smith.

Nathan Prom, Mike Wiechmann, Jon Keable, Jon Magnant and Dan Magnant give D-C plenty of depth as well. Wiechmann had a strong showing at an invitational in Peoria this year and has continued to excel since. Jon Clark won the open race at the recent Kaneland meet.

D-C's frosh-soph team won the Kaneland title. That group has been bolstered by the likes of Robert Medina, Ryan Smith and Kirk Hanselmann, along with Mike Rice, Dillon Muscat, Will Goldberg, Dylan McCarthy and Andrew Blonski.

D-C will be part of the competitive Palatine invitational field Saturday.

Dundee-Crown girls: Smith was pleased with Kelsey Seiler's performance at Kaneland recently.

"Kelsey popped her best race of the year at Kaneland," said Smith.

Clairra Himmel has moved up to the No. 2 poistion on the team, while Sam Clark, Katie Gross, Monique Robinson, Emily Caliendo and Nikki Kasala have tightened the Chargers' pack. D-C finished third at Kaneland.

Senior Alexa Demetriou was fourth in the girls open race at Kaneland. Smith said freshman Allie Beck is the team's most improved runner and is on the verge of a varsity position.

D-C's girls will also run at Palatine Saturday.

"Everyone is very excited about going to Palatine and running with the best and gunning for great times," said Smith.

Bartlett boys: Bartlett recently took 22nd out of 56 teams at the Peoria Notre Dame invitational.

"We're getting better," said Bartlett coach Jeff Bral. "We finished much better than we did there last year, though we're not near where my vision of the future is yet. You have to take baby steps before you get anywhere."

Sophomore Josafat Gonzalez was the team's No. 1 runner at Peoria. Juniors Adam Brhel and Austin Crawford, along with Joe Cotton are also being counted on to make contributions.

Crawford is rebounding from a slash by his Achilles heel that he suffered in a meet at LeRoy Oakes in St. Charles.

"We're almost at full strength again," said Bral.

Bral also praised the work of senior Alex Infusino, who joined the team after previously playing soccer.

"Alex is doing real well," said Bral. "He's a tough kid who is not afraid to race."

Bartlett will host its annual Flying Hawk invitational Saturday at Sunset Park. The event starts at 9 a.m. Bral noted the field includes Lincoln-Way Central, which features freshman standout Lucas Verzbicas.

Crystal Lake South boys: The Gators turned in a pair of strong performances at the recent Warren invitational in Gurnee. The South frosh-soph boys won the championship, while the varsity squad took fifth.

"We have to continue to get better," said South coach Rich Eschman. "We've very inexperienced up front with our top seven. We've got some newcomers who are figuring out how to get stuff done."

The Gators have been paced by veteran Josh Uvodich. Freshman Brian Roesslein has also been a key contributor.

"Brian has been our number two runner," said Eschman. "He won the frosh-soph title at Warren."

Senior Wade Kilian is also part of the mix.

"Wade is one of those guys who can be really good," said Eschman. "We need him to get to where he can be."

Juniors Dave Lundine, Brian Keogh, John Ryan and Jason Louizzi are also part of the top 10 along with sophomores Alex Ortega, John Sullivan, Ryan Masey and Andrew Hubbard.

"Out of our top 10, we've got four sophomores and a freshman and three new juniors," said Eschman. "That's eight of the top 10 that are a little untested. But they continue to get better."

Uvodich has brought a strong leadership presence to the table for the Gators.

"Josh helps us out," said Eschman. "He's very experienced and very mature. They look up to him."

Tuesdays in the FVC: During the regular season Fox Valley Conference teams run in three different jamboree events that feature half of the conference teams at each gathering.

"You don't count the conference scores and you get to see everybody and you get to go to the different conference courses," said Eschman. "We used to do it every Tuesday, but it got to be too much."

Jacobs will host the FVC meet, but Woodstock's Emericson Park course will serve as the conference race course.

Burlington Central boys: Central coach Vince Neil is patiently waiting for his squad to make its move.

"We're right where we need to be right now," said Neil. "We're about to see some nice progress from the kids in the next 2 weeks. That will be our big breakout. We're keeping the kids focused and thinking about the big picture and getting ready for conference and for regionals and keeping everybody mentally fit."

Freshman Clint Kleim (the younger brother of former Central track star Clay Kleim) has made quite an impression.

"If you look at the times from last year, he's pretty close to where Ryan Phebus and Kevin Meyer were," said Neil.

Burlington Central girls: The Rockets have one of the best 1-2-3 punches in the area in Maggie Gannon, Markelle Turk and Katie Puccio.

"Our top three runners are running great," said Neil. "They give us the low numbers. We're looking for the four through seven runners to make their mark and find what their niche is."

Neil has also been pleased with the running of Meghan Thommes and Lili Castillo.

"Meghan and Lili are picking it up," said Neil. "This is the fun time of the year where the kids start to find out where they fit on the team and which numbers they fit in on the team. The girls are very competitive. They work really hard."

Neil has stressed to this year's group to not get into a comparison with last year's team which enjoyed major success.

"We have to focus on things we can control," said Neil. "You have to focus on your workouts, your educational work and your athletic work."

Central heads to Aurora Central Catholic for an invitational Saturday. Neil said the Rockets will encounter 4 teams that will be in their regional, plus they will get to run on the regional course.

"There will be some quality teams there," said Neil.

Cary-Grove girls: Cary-Grove coach Mark Anderson has seen consistent running from the likes of Molly MacInnes and Emily Cummings. Anderson's team is also loaded with new runners including sophomores Meg Cummings and Em Lane, along with junior Rachel Boyd and senior Meg Leibforth.

"They have all shown terrific improvement from last season," said Anderson.

Additional newcomers Karen Serowka (junior) and freshmen Kathie Wollney, Jenna Kurz, Caitlin Gibbons and Paige Freund also have made an impression.

"They are starting to gain confidence and contribute as well," said Anderson. "They are all running extremely well and will have a shot at the varsity lineup."

Anderson has been pleased with his team's progression.

"The team is doing well," said Anderson. "We're still trying to put all the 'pieces in place' and see how strong our varsity can be."

South Elgin boys: As of Tuesday, the South Elgin boys team had not raced since Sept. 6 due to the recent poor weather. The team's home dual against St. Edward has been pushed back to Oct. 8 due to the course still being flooded.

Huntley girls: Huntley placed second at the Woodstock Festival meet with 13 points, falling just a point behind host Woodstock. Haley Loprieno, Sara Scarbro and Amy Kahl have led the way for the Red Raiders.

Crystal Lake South girls: South recently won its own invitational and then took second to Crystal Lake Central at the Warren invitational recently.

Kristina Aubert, Marianne Collard, Nina Wajrowski and Emily Lenzini give South a competitive 1-4 pairing.

"My top four are real solid," said South coach Nicki Lydon.

Stephanie Woods has been another recent key contributor.

"Stephanie Woods really stepped it up (at Warren) and ran with my three and four girls, which is great," said Lydon. "I have been waiting for a girl to step it up and be our fifth runner."

Lydon said a number of freshmen runners are improving as well.

"As along as we stay healthy, we should be very competitive," said Lydon who pegged Crystal Lake Central as a team to keep an eye on.

"My team is running faster times right now at this time than they were last year, so I am happy with how the team is competing and progressing."

Westminster Christian: Senior Zach Holmer has been Westminster Christian's top runner on the boys team this year.

"I am hoping to get Zach to state this year," said Westminster Christian coach Kellen Smith.

Smith noted several newcomers have been progressing.

"We have some new guys that are fairly strong, but it has been a struggle to get them consistently practicing and running in all of the meets because of scheduling conflicts," said Smith.

On the girls side, junior Tayna Rogers and Beth Kautz have led the way. Kautz was a sectional qualifier last year.

South Elgin girls: Like the boys team, South Elgin's girls team has been hampered by the recent wet weather. A home meet was cancelled due to flooding and will be made up on Oct. 8.

The Storm competed in a recent meet at Waubonsie Valley.

"I think (the Waubonsie Valley) meet was tough for some of our girls not being able to compete for over two weeks, but some of them are starting to drop times," said South Elgin coach Jorie Bartholomew.

Freshman Jordan Tuin has been a key addition to the team.

"She is very competitive and is really dropping her times every meet," said Bartholomew.

Sophomore Katie Goplerud has moved into the No. 2 position for the team.

"She has great endurance and since she was on the team last year, she really leads the team with her experience," said Barthlomew.

Junior Karoline Kelly is new to the team after transferring from St. Edward.

"She is starting to gain momentum and be our third runner," said Bartholomew.

Bartholomew likes the direction things are headed.

"We are on the verge of really becoming a more competitive team more than in years before," said Bartholomew. "I like to think that we are still building with our second group of seniors. Most of our top runners are only freshmen and sophomores."

South Elgin will run in the Bartlett invitational on Saturday at Sunset Park.

Hampshire boys: Matt Drendel and Justin Bieber have been two key cogs for the Whip-Purs this year.

"We have 14 rostered (runners) with 13 healthy," said Hampshire coach Dennis Wozniak. "Our outlook for the season is to compete for the conference championship and regional championship. If our top seven are healthy, we have a good chance to move on to sectionals. Our strength is that we have athletes competing for varsity spots."

Huntley boys: Huntley coach Matt Kaplan likes the direction his program his headed.

"This year has seen more positives than negatives," said Kaplan. "The hard work these boys have put in has paid off because they have all reached personal bests by leaps and bounds. Our varsity team has placed in the top half of every meet we have competed in."

Kaplan would like to see the team make even more progress with the FVC meet sitting on the horizon.

"My goal of placing in the top five of that meet is definitely in reach," said Kaplan.

Alex Beruscha and Tyler Leibnitz have led the way for Huntley, which races at Bartlett Saturday.

Elgin Academy: As of early this week, the Hilltoppers had competed in 3 races. Elgin competed in the Elgin City Classic and then faced Westminster at Burnidge and also competed in the Midway Miles at Washington Park (hosted by Chicago U-High).

Ifran Uraizee has been the top runner for the boys' team.

"He has cut two minutes off his time each race," said Elgin Academy coach David Vogt. "Most of the team is consistent with this type of improvement. That was one of our main goals from the outset, so it's shaping up to be a successful campaign."

Steve Maas has been the team's No. 2 runner.