Lake Zurich: All warmed up for an NSC repeat?

With one of the hottest summers on record almost behind them, area boys cross country runners may feel like the off-season training regimen was the toughest part of the 2010 season.

After one of the most difficult summers to prepare for an upcoming cross country season due to extreme heat and humidity, area teams and individuals have returned to the grueling 3-mile courses to begin the quest for a berth to Peoria's Detweiller Park and a trip to the state meet.

The North Suburban Conference will once again be the focal point for Lake County area squads. Lake Zurich is considered one of the teams to beat after winning the NSC, tying for fifth in the Schaumburg Class 3A sectional, and placing 16th in the state last year.

And while the Bears did lose their top two runners to graduation, they have an abundance of depth and talent back. Seniors Victor Delatorre, Alex Brend, and Ryan Moncrieff all have state meet experience as does junior teammate Jon Smith.

As for training in the brutal heat and humidity this summer? Lake Zurich coach J.B. Hanson said that his runners usually ran early in the morning or later in the night during relatively cooler conditions.

"It wasn't easy, but you do the best with what you have and everybody else has to deal with it too," said Hanson. "I think we had a great summer as a group in general and we're going to form a tight pack. We have the potential to have the best team we've ever had, but we have a tough sectional and it should be a good year for the MSL."

Lake Forest finished second to the Bears at conference in 2009, and Stevenson was not too far behind the Scouts in third place.

The Patriots do have the luxury of having their top runner back in senior Kevin Wood (fourth in NSC), but they did lose two of their top three runners to graduation.

Junior Konner Cruse returns as a key all-conference runner for the Pats while sophomore teammate Thomas Russell could be a real wild card factor this fall.

"I think this will be a little bit of a rebuilding year because we have a lot of young kids," said Stevenson coach Scott Somers. "Lake Zurich lost a couple of guys to graduation, but it just seems like they're deep every year."

The NSC's Lake Division is really loaded again with Libertyville, Warren, and Mundelein expected to all field very competitive teams.

After placing fourth in the NSC last year, the Wildcats did lose their top runner in Mitch Neubauer to graduation.

But Libertyville does have a solid young leader in sophomore Nick Korhumel, who placed 11th in the NSC as a freshman. Senior Mike Schmitz will team with juniors Dan Ryan and Kevin Pfeil to give the Wildcats a strong nucleus.

Warren is in a similar situation as Libertyville as the Blue Devils have four experienced varsity runners in seniors Matt Message, Kevin Vollrath, Matt Frank, and sophomore Martin Martinez.

"We have a solid four in our returning runners," said Warren coach Bill Dawson. "We need someone to step up and join them. Fortunately, we have a lot of people who are very talented, working very hard, and improving."

With a trip to sectionals last year under its belts, Mundelein hopes to really suprise some people and move up the NSC standings this fall.

The Mustangs are led by senior Martin Mena, junior Nitesh Kumar, and senior Alfonso Arroyo wih some new faces from the track team hoping to make an instant impact.

Defending champion Lakes looks like the team everybody will be trying to catch again in the Prairie Division as sophomore Ryan Prais (eighth in NSC) has become a young leader after placing 16th in the state in Class 2A as a freshman.

Senior Blake Franson reached the state meet his sophomore year and the Eagles will also be led by teammates Danny McGrath and Josh Camp.

Grant senior Ryan Mamerow was 10th in the NSC last year and the Bulldogs return six of their top seven runners from a team that just missed qualifying for the Class 2A sectional.

Round Lake's young team may be hard-pressed to make a big impact in the rugged NSC, but senior Juan Carrera is the top returning runner after placing third in 2009. Carrera also made a trip to the state meet as an at-large qualifier after placing 10th in the powerful Class 3A Schaumburg sectional.

In the Fox Valley Conference, Grayslake Central and Grayslake North will have trouble tracking down the likes of Dundee-Crown, Crystal Lake South, McHenry, and Jacobs in the final season of the current 13-team FVC.

Junior Matt Kendzior is a good No. 1-runner for the Knights while senior teammate Tyler Vincent has a lot of experience.

The Rams are paced by senior captain Kyle Rehberg, junior Brett Seaholm, and junior Will Brewster, who is coming back from injury.

In the East Suburban Catholic Conference, Carmel hopes to improve on its fourth-place finish behind junior standout K.J. Matuszak.

The Corsairs have a great pack to carry the scoring with Matuszak, Alex Warkenthien, Pat Gray, and Chase Rieger, all with the potential to be all-conference.