Scouting Tri-Cities boys track

Aurora Central Catholic

Coach: Troy Kerber (24th year).

Last year: Fourth in the Suburban Catholic Conference; seventh at the 2A Glenbard South sectional.

Top returning athletes: Paul Beeler, sr., jumps; Ben Garcia, sr., distance; John Jochum, sr., distance; Dan Kottkamp, sr., distance; Jason Marchis, sr., throws; Manuel Saucedo, sr., distance; Jimmy Spencer, jr., distance.

Promising newcomers: Alex Chettiah, jr., throws; Alex Duncan, soph., middle distance; Joe Fese, fr., sprints; Zach Flynt, fr., sprints; Mike Gulzynski, soph., pole vault; Matt Meyers, fr., middle distance; Joe Reuland, soph., sprints/hurdles/jumps; Mike Reuland, soph., sprints/hurdles/jumps.

Outlook: As one can see from the number of athletes veteran coach Kerber reeled off, he's pretty high on this group, which returns four of the six runners from ACC's 2009 state-qualifying 1,600 and 3,200 relays. With 90 in the program Kerber has some depth in several events and a few of his boys tasted early success indoors - like Spencer, the two throwers and high jumper Joe Reuland, half of an identical-twin duo. Kerber believes many of these athletes have downstate potential, but green sprinters Flynt and Fese will "need to grow up fast," Kerber said, to provide balance with a solid middle and distance group headed by Kottkamp, Garcia, Jochum and Saucedo. As long as the Chargers stay healthy, Kerber thinks he'll field a pretty good team. "I think our team can compete for a (Suburban Christian) Conference championship, along with St. Francis and Marmion, which have excellent programs," Kerber said. "I've scored the meet about 10 times already." That also indicates he's eager to get going.

Aurora Christian

Coach: Dr. Jeff Schutt (seventh year).

Last year: Third in the Private School League; second at 1A Plano sectional.

Top athletes: Sean Culp, sr., Billy Howorth, so., sprints, pole vault; Nate Jensen, so., sprints; Kyle Kayzar, sr., sprints; Nate McNamara, sr., middle distance; Sam Schuette, so., distance.

Promising newcomer: Jake Gehman, fr., distance; Dean Griffing, sr., throws, high jump.

Outlook: Dr. Schutt, who started the track program here and now moves to the Suburban Christian Conference, has a very young team that at the same time has "probably the best overall attitude I've ever had," he said. That makes it easier to cope with the graduation of state qualifiers Dylan Melody (400), Brandon Oest (high jump), Braxton Warner (shot put) and 400 relay runners Jawanza Wright and Jordan Roberts. The Eagles also lost their three fastest runners - senior Donald Patterson and junior twins Sheldon and Johnny Magee - to transfer. The coach looks on the bright side: "We're excited. With some of these kids we're getting them as freshmen all the way through." As a freshman last year Howorth nearly pegged a downstate pole vault berth just two months into the event; this year, Gehman hopes to join seniors McNamara and Culp on a qualifying 3,200 relay. (McNamara and Gehman went 2-3 in the 800 at the Aurora City Meet.) Utilizing a good base of 400- and 800-meter runners, a solid relay also sounds possible pairing Jensen and Howorth. Time will tell. "A lot of these young kids don't even have in their mind yet what their potential is," Schutt said.

Batavia

Coach: Dennis Piron (11th year).

Last year: Second in the Western Sun Conference; third at the 3A St. Charles North sectional.

Top athletes: Derek Chapman, sr., middle distance, high jump; Kevin Gray, sr., distance; Braden Hartmann, sr., throws; Loren Iwanicki, sr., high jump; Scott Poulos, sr., long jump; Dan Skinner, sr., sprints; Stam Stoner, sr., sprints, middle distance; Adam Svoboda, sr., sprints; Dave Voland, jr., sprints.

Promising newcomers: Jake Benner, jr., discus; Emund Kabba, jr., sprints; Matt Lash, jr., distance; Gavontae Marshall, jr., hurdles; Rob Mohr, jr., hurdles; Kevin Perkins, jr., sprints; Chris Spadafora, so., distance.

Outlook: The well-rounded Bulldogs, a close second to Kaneland at the WSC indoor meet, are based around a deep sprint corps Piron anticipates will qualify relays for the 3A meet and perhaps spin off an individual or two into open events. One of those individuals is Emund Kabba, little brother of since-graduated sprinter Bai Kabba, who won the 2009 state 400, took eighth in the 100 and anchored a second-place, school-record (and all graduated) 1,600 relay. Emund, fifth on Batavia's all-time 100-meter board, broke Bai's 55 indoor record with a 6.3-second sprint at the WSC meet. Also there, Mohr beat out three fellow 2009 state qualifiers to win the 55 hurdles. Mohr - "sensational indoors," Piron said - is tied for Batavia's all-time 110 mark at 14.6 seconds and joins Voland (110 and 300 hurdles), Stoner (1:58.8 in the 800) and Poulos (21-1 long jump) on Batavia's career top-10 boards. Emund Kabba, Skinner and Poulos are part of top-10 relays, and with specialists like Svoboda and Perkins around it gives Piron freedom to mix and match. Distance events should eventually be scorers after nagging injuries heal, and Hartmann heads a deep throws group Piron said has shown great improvement. "I think because we're young and because last year we had a real high level of state success we're going to build week by week," Piron said. "We have the potential to be a very good team."

Geneva

Coach: Gale Gross (fifth year).

Last year: First in the Western Sun Conference; second at the 3A St. Charles North sectional.

Top athletes: Frank Boenzi, sr., throws; Tom Frederick, jr., hurdles, sprints, high jump; Jay Graffagna, sr., sprints; Scott Pospisil, sr., sprints, triple jump; Justin Rodriguez, sr., distance; Kevin Sparks, sr., distance; John Wilger, sr., sprints.

Promising newcomers: Ryan Ahern, jr., hurdles; Peter Archibald, so., middle distance; Doug Berthold, jr., sprints; Dylan Crawshaw, sr., distance; Jackson Grimes, jr., throws; Nic Hall, jr., pole vault; Eric Hansen, sr., pole vault; Ryan Landrum, jr., sprints.

Outlook: Different from last year's team that scored 13 points at the 3A state meet, but another solid Vikings squad. "I think we're getting a nice tradition going of a bunch of kids who work hard and use their own individual goals to make the team stronger," Gross said. "This team's doing a great job of that." Standout Boenzi has personal-bests of 57 feet, 1 inch in shot put and 167-1 in discus. The Northern Illinois University football recruit seeks all-state honors in both events - he's been sixth in shot the last two years and went 55-5 to win at Charleston's indoor meet. "He wants to finish off his senior year and his track career on a very high note," Gross said of Big Frank. Grimes also will push to qualify. Sparks didn't run on the Vikings' second-place 3,200-meter relay team last year - Andrew Nelson, Drew Hickey, Chris Higgins and Jake Tauscher all graduated - but placed 19th in 3A cross country to lead this distance pack along with WSC indoor 1,600 winner Rodriguez. With distance not as deep Gross looks to sprinters like Graffagna, WSC indoor 200 winner Wilger and a middle-distance guy like Archibald. State-qualifying hurdler Frederick is among several who will complement the sprints, and his improved high jump helps a field squad that heads outdoors with a good one-two in pole vault. Relay strength, topped by an 800 foursome, will also be sprint-based at least at the start. Geneva took 11 events to the competitive Charleston indoor meet and 8 scored; the Vikings placed third at the WSC indoor meet. They've taken the last two Western Sun outdoor titles and hope to win out in the conference's final year. "They say the three-peat's the hardest to do," Gross said, "and it will be hard."

Kaneland

Coach: Eric Baron (fifth year).

Last year: Fourth in the Western Sun Conference; first at the 2A Freeport sectional; 13th at the state meet.

Top returning athletes: Taylor Andrews, jr., hurdles; Derek Bus, sr., 800; Dominic Furco, sr., distance; Trevor Holmes, jr., distance; Joe Levita, sr., distance; Brett Ketza, sr., throws; Logan Markuson, sr., hurdles, pole vault; Alex Mollohan, sr., throws; Sean Paulick, sr., middle distance; Matt Reusche, sr., distance; Nick Sinon, sr., jumps; Edgar Valle, sr., 800.

Promising newcomers: Tommy Whittaker, jr., sprints.

Outlook: The Knights had 6 individuals qualify to Saturday's Class 2A finals last year in Charleston and all but graduated pole vaulter Josh Bloome return. Heading the cast is Logan Markuson, who got over the disappointment of his false start in the 110 hurdles finals to win the 300 hurdles in a program-record 38.57 seconds. Sinon, who recently won the 2A high jump competition at the Illinois Prep Top Times Indoor Classic with a 6-7 leap, tied for third at the 2009 state meet at the same height, just an inch below the winner. Both are ready to pad their resumes in advance of college; Baron said potential decathlete Markuson is leaning toward Minnesota, Sinon to Illinois State. They're among a variety of Knights who will run in college, including runners from the 1,600 and 3,200 relays that qualified for state last year. Bus, one of them, won the indoor 800 at a good Byron indoor meet. The "promising newcomers" tab is a little thin, but with top-of-the-line veterans that's OK. After all, the Knights recently won the WSC Indoor for the first time ever. And, there are still more freshmen (28) listed on the roster than for any other class. Whittaker actually qualified in the the 1,600 relay both freshman and sophomore years, but was limited last season by a knee injury. Baron sees injury as the main potential roadblock to another good season with this "fun group of kids." He said, "It's a very good team but it's not a super team. We can't afford any big` injuries. That's key for us, and just putting it together when it really matters."

Marmion

Coach: Dan Thorpe (fourth year).

Last year: First in the Suburban Catholic Conference; first at the 3A St. Charles North sectional.

Top athletes: Alonso Cisneros, sr., triple jump; Sam Duffield, sr., high jump, hurdles; James Duhig, sr., distance; Eddie Grahovec, jr., high jump, hurdles; Chris Hebert, jr., distance; Phil Kloc, jr., sprints; T.J. Lally, jr., throws, sprints; Bennet Marsh, jr., distance; Jeff McLean, sr., throws; Russ Semmler, sr., sprints; Andrew Slade, sr., middle distance; Trevor Stein, sr., middle distance; Brian Strohmaier, sr., distance; Dan Wycklendt, jr., middle distance.

Promising newcomers: Elliot Anderson, sr., sprints; Greg Askwith, sr., distance; Lucas Brandt, sr., throws; Nick Brennan, sr., sprints; Anthony Cabral, sr., jumps; Nick Knudtson, sr., sprints; Julio Landivar, sr., sprints; Paul Reyna, sr., sprints; John Riordan, sr., distance; Laurence Romero, sr., sprints; Alex Strong, sr., middle distance; Zach Young, sr., distance.

Outlook: Challenges await the Cadets, who graduated four individual state qualifiers representing seven events (Alex Rindone, Joe Weber, Oscar Aguinaga and Andrew Larsen, fourth in the 3A 3,200) plus two state relays from a sectional titlist that won its fourth straight SCC title. The Suburban Christian Conference adds a routinely fast Walther Lutheran squad to the cast of 12, while Montini's 2009 SCC champion sophomores more than doubled all others' point totals but Marmion's. Neither potential stars Matt Pircon nor Adam Andras came out. Marmion does catch a break with a drop to the 2A Glenbard South sectional, but that's no picnic either. "We've got some good athletes, I just hope we have enough of them," Thorpe said. "We're going to have to be creative this year." That means athletes like Duffield - the sole returning qualifier, in high jump and 300 hurdles, is recuperating from injury - and Grahovec will put in yeoman's work running the infield event to event. This Marmion squad doesn't have the sprinters' speed of the 2009 group but Marsh and Young - a three-year baseballer out for track the first time - head a solid distance lineup. Field events also are a plus with McLean, Lally and Cisneros. Points at the important meets are there for those Cadets who work hard enough. "We as coaches are going to have to develop them and the kids area going to have to take coaching and stretch themselves," Thorpe said. "We feel they can do that."

St. Charles East

Coach: Ben Provencher (eighth year).

Last year: Seventh in the Upstate Eight Conference; 10th at the 3A St. Charles North sectional.

Top athletes: Andrew Bradburn, sr., throws; Mike Brown, jr., sprints; Jared Eads, sr., middle distance; Andrew Gomez, sr., throws; Mark Hayes, sr., distance; Anders Johnson, sr., hurdles; Tim Johnson, sr., middle distance; Dillon Mugge, jr., sprints; Jake Zahn, sr., distance.

Promising newcomers: Ben Chaloupka, jr., triple jump; Nick Devor, so., hurdles; Ben Manibog, so., jumps; Carter Reading, so., sprints.

Outlook: The experience gained in 2009 by this year's seniors means good things for the Saints. "We were very young last year," Provencher said. "We're still a little on the young side, but I think the kids gained a great deal of experience last year. I think we're going to be much more competitive." He really likes the distance group led by Eads, Hayes, Zahn and Tim Johnson, particularly around the 800 to 1,600 range. This is good, because at sectional the Saints were unable to field an 800 runner trying to load up 1,600 and 3,200 relays. Tim Johnson, Zahn and Eads were part of that latter group that scored at sectional, less than two seconds off state-qualifying time. The Saints did get down in the 800 relay, and though they'll miss graduated Luke Polszek and Wes Allen, they return sprinters Mike Brown and Dillon Mugge. Led by Brown's third-place finishes in both the UEC indoor 55 and 200 dashes, St. Charles East tied St. Charles North for fourth place at the meet. Mugge scored in the indoor 400, both Anders Johnson and Devor contributed in hurdles, and the Saints trailed only powerful Neuqua Valley in two relays and landed another that was third. Triple jump manned by Chaloupka and the youngster Manibog highlights a field crew that Provencher thinks is coming around. The coach doesn't see a lot of depth throughout the lineup - though the Saints look strong enough to perhaps qualify at least three of four relays downstate - but they do have talent up front. Of team goals, Provencher said: "Number one, to be competitive in every single meet, whether it's a Tuesday meet or a big invite. We tied for fourth in the indoor conference meet and I think we can be there again in the outdoor meet. And, as usual, keep getting the kids better."

St. Charles North

Coach: Kevin Harrington (10th year).

Last year: Fifth in the Upstate Eight Conference; tied for seventh at the 3A St. Charles North sectional.

Top athletes: Peter Johnson, sr., middle distance; Bryan Mills, sr., hurdles; Jake Whitehead, sr., high jump; Kyle Zankowski, sr., distance.

Promising newcomers: Luke Bossert, jr., long jump; Billy Clink, so., distance; Ben Hodges, jr., sprints; Christian Ilunga, sr., sprints; Joe Miller, sr., pole vault; Will Novorolsky, sr., distance; Aaron Sanchez, sr., pole vault; Ryan Senci, jr., distance; Jeff Stolzenburg, sr., sprints; Daniel Washington, jr., jumps.

Outlook: An upward arc to end the indoor season - tied for fourth at the Upstate Eight indoor meet, fourth on the sophomore level, fourth at the Gene Armer Invitational - provided Harrington and his staff a pleasant surprise given the number of questions they had. "This year feels more like the first couple of years, because the first couple of years we didn't know exactly what we had," Harrington said. North's calling card has been a distance crew that since 2003 has earned nine all-state honors in events of at least 800 meters. (Billy Clink's older brother, Max, now at DePaul, has two at 800 and was on the North Stars' first 1,600 relay qualifier in history last year.) This group's not off the map: a 20th-place 3A cross country finish headed by 33rd-place individual Zankowski, Senci (2009 outdoor UEC sophomore 3,200 and 1,600 champ), Johnson and Billy Clink. Johnson was a hard-charging second at the UEC indoor 800, Novorolsky took fourth in the 3,200 (sixth outdoors in 2009) as did Zankowski in the 1,600. A state-qualifying 3,200 relay is totally feasible - Johnson, Zankowski, Graham Bultema and Kevin Kilroy took third at the UEC indoor. In sprints, Harrington believes the athletic Stolzenburg and 6-foot-3 Ilunga could lead the program's first downstate 800 relay. The Stars offer a good 110 hurdler in Mills, third at the 2009 UEC outdoor meet. The top individuals may initially come out of field events. Washington scored in both UEC indoor triple jump and long jump with marks of 43-3 and 20-3, respectively. Sanchez hit 13-3 at the indoor Pole Vault Summit, and Miller - not related to graduated distance runner Steve - is right there. Both track and field will chip away while Harrington sorts things out. He's got one answer now - an emphasis on constant improvement. "That's really the extent of the conversation even among the coaches," he said. "And if the kids buy into that, getting better and better, the stuff at the end of the year will take care of itself."

West Aurora

Coach: Cortney Lamb (sixth year).

Last year: Second in the DuPage Valley Conference; third at the 3A Plainfield Central sectional, fourth in Class 3A.

Top returners: Tyrone Carey, sr., jumps; Aviance King, sr., high jump; Steve Loran, jr., distance; Matt Souvannasing, jr., jumps, sprints; Leon Spears, sr., sprints; Marcus Waller, jr., hurdles.

Promising newcomers: Ryan Bartell, jr., middle distance; Tony Ellison, sr., throws; Vontrell Hawkins, so., distance; Matt Lynn, sr., throws; George Malina, jr., pole vault; Parrish McGhee, so., long jump; Matt Muth, jr., middle distance; Jarrick Phillips, sr., sprints; Patrick Schultz, jr., hurdles.

Outlook: For a start, the Blackhawks return all-staters King (fifth in high jump) and Spears (400, 800 relays) and a third state qualifier, Waller. Others may emerge to make this team more balanced and possibly deeper in spots even than last year's fourth-place squad. True, West graduated program piller Josh Zinzer (2009 200-meter champ), but here comes Spears out of the relays to make his own mark. The senior won the 55, 200 and 400 dashes at the DVC indoor meet to lead the Blackhawks to a nearly 20-point win over Wheaton Warrenville South. "Leon can go as far as he wants, I think," Lamb said. "It just depends on how much he wants to work, what he wants to do." Barring injury - a knee injury leveled McGhee in his DVC indoor warmup jumps - a dreadfully poor sectional or plain bad luck the Big 3 should again qualify to state and possibly score, leaving Lamb to try to comprise winning relays helped by supporting members like Phillips and Hawkins. Headed by downstate hopefuls like Ellison (the DVC indoor shot put champ) and Souvannasing the Blackhawks will score in most if not all field events at any meet. That leaves distance, where Loran looks ready to progress from a solid sophomore season. Muth and Bartell had cups of coffee at the varsity level last season, but they went 2-3 in the DVC indoor 800 and could provide relay help. A nice touch down the road is the fact that the Blackhawks host their own 3A sectional. The front-liners on this squad have proven to be state-caliber; for West Aurora to approach last year's high-water mark in Charleston it depends on support staff and relay strength. "We have a shot to have some people place down there," Lamb said. "Fourth would be awfully tough to repeat."