Scouting Fox Valley area boys cross country teams
Bartlett Hawks
Coach: Eric Brechtel (second season)
2009 finish: 6th place Upstate Eight Conference
Top returning runners: Senior Adrian Perez, junior Joey Salatino, sophomore Connor Rachford.
Key newcomers: Junior Mike Cotton, freshman Anthony Peters
Outlook: Perez was a sectional qualifier last season for the Hawks. "I think we have a lot of depth," said Brechtel. "We should be poised for one of our best seasons in a long time. The team's goal is to qualify for sectionals as a team. I think this is a very realistic goal. They also want to get five or more guys under 16 minutes for 3 miles." Brechtel said predicting finishes in the new UEC divisional alignment is tough. He noted Neuqua Valley is probably the favorite followed closely by Lake Park. "Then it is a tossup," he said. "I am guessing we can play anywhere between third and fifth."
Burlington Central Rockets
Coach: Vince Neil (second season)
2009 finish: 2nd place Big Northern Conference
Top returning runners: Clint Kliem, Joe Gannon, Mason Creal, Mike Gulik, Will Evans, Dan Morgan, Jon Perko
Key newcomers: Clint Creal, Tyler Panariello, Chris Mull
Outlook: Kliem finished 25th in Class AA last year, while Central as a team was the BNC runner-up, took fifth at the regional level and 13th at the sectional level. "Last season was a major learning curve," said Neil. "We were very inexperienced and young, but also talented. This year the boys are hungry for success and are maturing into the training. We have a solid group of boys returning and a very talented class of newcomers who will eventually make an impact as the season progresses. It should be an exciting year because the boys have put a ton of hard work in this summer, which I believe will translate into a special year in 2010." Neil would like to see his team compete for that top tier of the BNC. "Winnebago and Richmond-Burton have always maintained quality programs and we expect that trend will continue in 2010," said Neil. "But this season we bring in a very talented group of boys who are ready to compete. The Big Northern should be an extremely exciting race with three to four teams all in the mix for the conference title."
Cary-Grove Trojans
Coach: Layne Holter (12th season)
2009 finish: Fox Valley Conference champions
Top returning runners: Senior Tyler Peterson, juniors Max Anderson, Matt Seliger, sophomore Daniel Sikora
Key newcomers: Sophomores Dustin Throw, Preston Fox, freshman Griffin Dempsey
Outlook: Anderson is the only runner returning from the squad's top 7 of a year ago.
"These guys are working as a team and believe they will have a great year," said Holter. "Max Anderson and Tyler Peterson are doing a great job of leading the team and creating a sense of team. Our top 7 this year are young and hungry. What we lack in varsity experience will be made up for in enthusiasm and dedication. With only one returning in the top 7 and only one other guy with varsity experience, a lot of questions remain. Once the young guys get a few varsity races under their belt, we'll have a better idea how we match up." Holter has seen this current group improve since they were underclassmen. "They have worked too hard and believe in our program and themselves too strongly," complimented the coach. "We'll make some noise in the FVC this fall. How much remains to be seen."
Crystal Lake South Gators
Coach: Rich Eschman (17th season)
2009 finish: 6th place Fox Valley Conference
Top runners: Seniors Ryan Masey, Alex Ortega, John Sullivan, Andrew Hubbard, juniors Brian Roesslein, Ryan Wolf, Ian Meador, Nick Pieczonka, sophomore Duncan Henderson
Outlook: South has 32 runners in the program this season. "We have some good numbers," said Eschman. "We could have a tight pack. Our top 7 guys are putting in some very good mileage." Eschman would like to see Roesslein establish himself among the conference's elite 5-7 runners. He's still recovering from mono at the end of the track season. "Brian, Ryan (Masey), Andrew (Hubbard), Nick (Pieczonka), Ryan (Wolf) and Alex (Ortega) all put in some very good mileage this summer," noted Eschman. Eschman feels Dundee-Crown, with a healthy Anthony Manfrin, is the favorite. "With a healthy Anthony Manfrin, I think D-C is the team to beat," he said. "The FVC will be very tough again this year. A top 5 finish for the Gators would be good."
Dundee-Crown Chargers
Coach: Tom Smith
2009 finish: 2nd place Fox Valley Conference
Top runners: Seniors Anthony Manfrin, Jon Keable, Ryan Smith, Robert Medina, Andrew Knapik, Mike Rice, Ryan Saylor
Outlook: The Chargers, who also took second at the regional and sixth at the sectional last year, have no shortage of returning experienced talent this year. "We're senior dominated," said Smith. "The whole varsity is pretty much seniors." The talented Manfrin is working his way back after missing the 2010 track season with a leg injury. He finished sixth in the state in Class 3A last fall. "We want Anthony healthy for the full cross country and track seasons. Each week he's been adding mileage," said Smith. "We'll phase him into certain meets and we'll take it as it goes and hopefully he can make a big difference for us down the stretch." Smith likes the way Manfrin has been handling his return to running. "He's working smart," said Smith. "He's always worked hard. He's learned to not overdue it and not go too hard, too soon. He has a real smart approach." Smith feels the FVC will be a free-for-all once again with many talented teams and runners dotting courses. "The conference is up for grabs-that type of thing," said Smith. "We have the senior experience and the depth and a nice pack. We'll see how it plays out. It will be typical us, getting better as the season goes. Can we get better each week? We'll be competitive without Anthony. With him, we become a whole different team. We're not there yet. We've still got work to do as a group."
Elgin Academy Hilltoppers
Coach: Adrian Ayala (second season)
Top returning runner: Senior Ifran Uraizee
Key newcomers: Sophomores Martin DeLeon, freshman Matt Gould
Outlook: Ayala has been pleased with the squad's willingness to learn. "The team as a whole is eager to learn," said Ayala. "They are full of questions. If I am not quick to explain the reason behind a certain drill or workout format, they are sure to ask. This leads me to believe that they do not just wish to participate in a few seasons of a sport, but rather to learn skills for a lifetime." The Hilltoppers return all five athletes from last year. "There will be plenty of leadership to go around for the four new athletes," said Ayala. "I expect the team to keep building off the foundation that was set last year." Numbers are up this year for the Hilltoppers. "With a larger team, I look forward to being able to compete more on a team level," said Ayala. "Last season saw all but one meet go by with only four competing runners, when it takes five for a scoring team. With a great work ethic and performances form a couple of the seniors, accompanied by a few new talents, I expect this team to make a name for itself come conference (Independent School League)."
Elgin Maroons
Coach: John Devine (16th season)
2009 finish: 7th place Upstate Eight Conference
Top returning runners: Seniors Matt Eck, Rafael Soto, sophomore Chris Porras
Key newcomers: Seniors Andrew Lehnert, Nate Anderson, sophomore Tanner Bednar, freshmen Richard Childs, Emilio Mancha
Outlook: Elgin is coming off a 2009 campaign where it qualified for sectionals as a team. "The varsity team is working hard to replace our top runners from last year," said Devine. Elgin's veteran coach is pleased with the talent the program has at the lower levels. Our freshman-sophomore team will be competitive with a solid pack of runners (includes Porras, Childs, Mancha, Nathan Hasken and Bednar)," said Devine. "The frosh-soph team will be competitive when we leave them as a squad. We will almost certainly bring several of these runners up into the varsity squad as the season progresses." Senior leadership is also prevalent. "We have good senior leadership and the team dynamics will make this an enjoyable season," said Devine. Elgin will host the UEC River Division meet on Oct. 16 at Lords Park.
Hampshire Whip-Purs
Coach: Dennis Wozniak (third season)
2009 finish: 8th place Big Northern Conference
Top returning runners: Ross Seaton, Alex Pagan
Key newcomers: Kyle Moseley, Dylan Keeling, Travis Keeling
Outlook: Wozniak would like to see his group move up in the final BNC rankings. "We would like to crack the top 6 in the Big Northern Conference," he said. One big key for the Whip-Purs will be gaining race experience as the season wears on. "We lack depth, especially in terms of experienced varsity runners," said Wozniak. Hampshire should perform well at the lower levels. "We do expect to place well in the frosh-soph races where I keep the freshmen and sophomores together and do not pull anyone up," said Wozniak.
Huntley Red Raiders
Coach: Matt Kaplan (third season)
2009 conference finish: 10th place Fox Valley Conference
Top returning runners: Senior Aaron Bengston, Cody Covganka, Dan Helm, sophomore Sam Marcuccelli
Key newcomers: Sophomore Ricky Lopez, freshman Nick Meyer
Outlook: Bengston, Covganka and Helm were all members of the team's top 7 a year ago, while Marcuccelli was an all-FVC frosh-soph selection last year. "This year's team has a lot of youth and experience," said Kaplan. "We have great senior leadership on the varsity level. Also this year, we have sophomores moving up on the varsity level, which will give our team a core group of runners for the following years. Our runners do a great job of motivating each other, which has created great team chemistry." Huntley qualified for the sectional as a team last year. "Our whole team has worked extremely hard since last year," said Kaplan. "We are looking to have a strong showing in the conference meet and we are looking to get back to a sectional and improve our finish at that meet. Marcuccelli, Lopez and fellow sophomore Trevor Obecny will be counted on for varsity contributions. "I expect to see strong performances from them this season," said Kaplan. The coach noted the FVC will give his team constant opportunity to run against good competition. "There are many strong teams in our conference," said Kaplan. "We are going to take it one race at a time and learn from each race and hopefully finish our season the best we can. We are excited for this year's season."
Jacobs Golden Eagles
Coach: Kevin Christian (fourth season)
2009 finish: 8th place Fox Valley Conference
Top returning runners: Seniors Nick Ellingson, Alex Johnson, Jon Brenner, Greg Rodig, junior William Hennessy
Key newcomers: Senior Joey Cieniewicz, sophomores Tyler Estell, Ryan Ross, Pat Nerja
Outlook: Christian likes how the front part of his lineup is shaping up. "This team will be extremely strong upfront," he said. "Nick Ellingson is looking to be one of the top runners in conference after putting in a great summer after a track season in which his 2-mile time dropped significantly. William Hennessy is a returning all-conference runner who had a strong track season after qualifying for the 800 run. Alex Johnson is going to be an extremely strong third runner and after that we just need a couple of the next guys to step up."
Larkin Royals
Coach: Steven Lauridsen (first season)
Top returning runners: Dan Runzel, Peter Lennard, Brandt Johnson, Ernesto Garcia, Jason Bauer
Key newcomer: Cameron Powers
Outlook: Lauridsen, who previously coached the Elgin-Larkin co-op girls cross country team, takes over the Larkin boys program. "These guys are extremely coachable and are experienced, yet young enough to still grow and develop," said Lauridsen. "We're working on strength and a very regular weekly cycle of pace-specific training."
St. Edward Green Wave
Coach: Kerry O'Brien (first season)
Top runners: Seniors Andy Louis, Dan Miller, freshman John Danner
Outlook: O'Brien is in her first season coaching the boys and girls cross country teams at St. Edward. She'll be assisted by David Greer (former college cross country runner) and Mike Olenek (previously coached track and field at St. Edward). Danner is a move-in from Lisle (his sister, Audrey, runs on the girls team). "John is a freshman who has run at a high pace all summer," said O'Brien. "He and his sister recently moved from Lisle where they both ran competitively." Louis and Miller are back from last year's squad. Miller is a wrestler, while Louis has run track. "They are solid competitors and enjoy the sport," said O'Brien. "They have both run their personal bests in (an early season) competition. We have a solid team that has set reachable goals for themselves. Our hope is to attract he attention of other athletes in our school and fill out a full team in both girls and boys cross country."
South Elgin Storm
Coach: Kari Turcan (sixth season)
2009 finish: 10th place Upstate Eight Conference
Top returning runners: Seniors Nick Natalizio, Joe Cortese, Rick Vient, Matt Swanson, junior Francisco Gonzalez, sophomore Nick LaMore
Key newcomers: Freshmen Jose Gonzalez, Jimmy Hegarty, Jack Zaley, Matt McClure
Outlook: Gonzalez was a sectional qualifier for the Storm in 2009. "We have nine seniors this year, four of which have been on the team for the past four years," said Itman. "Their leadership will be instrumental to our program. We also have nine freshmen, which will be the future of our team." Itman has been impressed with the team's commitment. "More than half of our team participated in our summer camp this year, helping them to build strength for the season," she said. "Our team is very tight-knit. Everyone gets along well with everyone else." Itman would like to see additional runners and even the entire team qualify for the sectional. She would also like to see Gonzalez become the school's first state qualifier in cross country.
Streamwood Sabres
Coach: Weert Goldenstein (sixth season)
2009 finish: 9th place Upstate Eight Conference
Top returning runners: Seniors Joel Pinto, Cesar Lopez, Nick Ortiz, junior Jhoan Lino
Key newcomers: Junior Jimmy Gabioud, freshmen Ryan Ashenhurst, Collin Crumlet
Outlook: Goldenstein lauded the leadership of senior Pinto and junior Lino. Pinto was 30th in the conference last year and placed 29th at the regional and qualified for sectionals. Depth will be a bit of an issue for the Sabres this year. "With low numbers, we're lacking some depth, which will make competing with some of the larger schools more difficult," he said. "The team has been working hard and hopefully we'll have guys step up to help compensate for our size."
Westminster Christian Warriors
Coach: Larry Cochran (first season)
Top runner: Senior Greg Benson
Key newcomer: Freshman Isaac Benson
Outlook: Cochran, also the school's track and field coach, believes this group could enjoy success in 2010. "We are new and rebuilding, but we are a family and have a strong commitment to success," he said. "If we hit the numbers, we will make a state appearance this year for the first time as a team." Cochran is also optimistic about the team's chances in the Northeastern Athletic Conference. "We look to fair very well in the conference," said Cochran.