Scouting Northwest suburban boys cross country
Barrington: The Broncos return six of their top seven runners from a team that missed qualifying for state by 1 point. Coach Ty Gorman will miss Chris Cogswell, who started last season as the Broncos No. 1 runner, but will welcome back junior state qualifier Erik Peterson (57th). Seniors Kyle Dockery, Andrew Foley and Karl Eiring and junior Nolan Wojtowicz provide plenty of support for a team that took third in the MSL last season and has its eyes fixed on a state berth.
Buffalo Grove: Coach Jamie Klotz is excited about the return of Jereme Atchison. The junior qualified for state last season and is one of the top returning runners in the MSL. The young Bison will also count heavily on junior Taras Didenko, who finished 23rd in helping BG to seventh in the MSL. Klotz is hoping for a quick growth spurt from a young team.
Conant: Coach John Powers welcomes back four returning runners for a Cougar team that finished eighth in the MSL. Alex Miller, Nikhil Byanna, Troy Cunningham, and Tyler Schneider are hoping to elevate the Cougars attack.
Elk Grove: Coach David Dompke will depend on Alex Mertes and Jeong Yoon to lead a young team. Last year the Grens finished 11th in the MSL. Newcomers Joey Kramer, Mike Frinter, and Zach Pindras are also looking to make an impact.
Hersey: Optimism is on the rise for the proud Huskies program. Coach Tim Phillips welcomes back five returning runners, including senior Ryan O'Donnell, who took 11th in helping the Huskies finish sixth in the MSL. Seniors Steve Tubergen, Brian Havel and Nick McKee give the Huskies plenty of experience depth. Keep an eye out for senior Nate Knautz, who is coming off a strong track season. The Huskies should easily crack the top five in the MSL, and will be hoping for a return to state.
Fremd: Coach Mike Bruce and the Vikings are riding high after qualifying for state for the first time since 1995, but they have some holes to fill. The Vikings lost six seniors to graduation including frontrunners Aaron Ferst and Spiros Angelakos. But top returners Andy Mack, Matt Smaga and Jake Winter will be looking to lead a young Viking squad that should get better as the season progresses.
Hoffman Estates: Coach Matthew Dowd welcomes back senior Kevin Lang and juniors Mike Goers, Jake Jacobsen, and Brian Gonzales for a team that took 10th in the MSL. The Hawks are still in a rebuilding stage, but Adam Long and Connor Dressler add depth.
Leyden: Coach Richard Mason lost top runner Herald Alvarez to graduation, and seniors Nik Stasinopoulos and Roberto Gonzalez are the only returning runners with experience, so patience will be key. But Mason is optimistic about his new runners and feels the Eagles have plenty of potential to compete in the West Suburban Gold.
Maine West: Coach Andrew Trotter's squad lost three all-conference runners to graduation, but Warriors return seniors Tim Bugajsky, Ryan Magnoni, Haider Sheikh and Ken Alferes. Junior Nathan Schiavone and sophomore Alex Gasca will add depth to a Warrior team that is looking be competitive.
Palatine: Coach Chris Quick is excited about the potential of a very strong squad, despite losing four runners to graduation, including Alec Bollman (Iowa State) and Chano Bernardo (Harper). But senior A.J. Laskowske and juniors Anthony Gregorio and Marcus Garcia seem primed to pace the Pirates attack. Tim Johnson, Tim Meincke, Ryan McGough and Zach Gates will add depth. Palatine will be seeking its eighth consecutive MSL title and top 10 finish at state. The Pirates also will be seeking their ninth straight MSL West title. The Pirates are once again the MSL favorite and should be counted among the state favorites, also.
Prospect: The Knights took a big hit to graduation, losing five of their top seven runners, including Chris Spudic (fifth Class 3A), Albert Ciolek and Kenny Halloran. But Coach Mike Stokes still has plenty of ammunition from a team that took second in the MSL and fourth in 3A. Senior Kellen Strobel (42nd in 3A) is the top returning state runner in the MSL and will be a threat all season. Senior Matt Ashton and senior Greg Netols will help the Knights attack. Junior Josh Campos and senior Rob Koertgen add depth. Look for the Knights to reload quickly and be in the MSL hunt.
Rolling Meadows: Coach Frank Schweda will miss the contributions of twin brothers and state qualifiers Photis and Angelos Karkalis. But Andrew Letoourneau, Brendan Thielsen, Eric Ure, Joe Smith, and Alex Duman are hoping to lay a solid foundation for success. Last year Meadows finished ninth in the MSL.
Schaumburg: The Saxons will definitely miss Pat Lesiewicz (North Central), but Jim Macnider welcomes back eight of his top 10 runners from 2009. Seniors Travis Morrison and Connor Prizy stand out, but senior Pat O'Connell, juniors Tyler Anderson, Pat Sweich, Brian Flight and Greg Kulasik and sophomores Evan Prizy and Juan Saldana give the Saxons plenty of depth. Schaumburg will definitely challenge Palatine for the MSL title and look for a high finish for the Saxons at state.
St. Viator: Coach Wayne Edelman's Lions lost a handful of seniors from last year's team that finished second to Benet in the East Suburban Catholic Conference by 1 point. But Edelman welcomes back a strong senior class led by Nick Fiore, Eric Loy, Kevin Schrieber and Peter Cleary. Kevin Casino will add depth to a team determined to make up that point this season.
Wheeling: Coach Tom Polak welcomes back his top five runners from last season and is hoping his Wildcats can make a bit of noise. That will depend on the performance of Jordi Arriag, Nick Modlin, Jon Kirby and Jose Ortiz. Another good sign for the Wildcats is their numbers have increased.