Boys cross country / Scouting sectionals, Northwest
Boys cross country
Schaumburg sectional preview
Where: Busse Woods
When: 11:30 a.m. Saturday
Host: Schaumburg
What to know: The top five teams and top seven runners from non-qualifying teams advance to Class 3A state meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria on Nov. 5.
Quick look: Top ranked Palatine seems to be a team of destiny. The Pirates are rolling and it will be hard to stop them on Saturday. Barrington senior Erik Peterson nipped Buffalo Grove senior Jereme Atchison for the Mid-Suburban League title two weeks ago, and with Lake Zurich senior Pat Juras joining the chase it has the makings of a tremendous race.
Teams to watch: Top-ranked Palatine is in rare form. The Pirates have rolled to two consecutive victories the past two weekends in winning the MSL and regional titles. Senior Anthony Gregorio and senior Peter Tomkiewicz have powered the Pirates up front, with senior Marcus Garcia closing the gap. If the Pirates continue to run at this level they will not be defeated. Things get a bit interesting after the top spot. No. 7 Buffalo Grove, No. 9 Prospect, No. 11 Schaumburg, No. 12 Lake Zurich, and No. 14 Barrington are all potential state qualifiers, and unfortunately one of these terrific teams will not qualify for state. Atchison and Taras Didenko power a BG squad that finished second in the MSL. Junior Michael Leet has been having a strong postseason and helped Prospect to the Hoffman regional title. Juras has combined with Jon Smith to power a fast-rising Lake Zurich squad that took second at the Palatine regional. Junior Evan Prizy and senior Tyler Anderson finished 3-4 in leading a consistent Schaumburg attack to second at the Hoffman Regional. Peterson and junior Ryan Burgoon will set the pace for Barrington.
Key runners
Erik Peterson, Barrington: The Broncos senior finished second at the Palatine regional, but spent over half the race pacing the Bronco pack. Things will be different Saturday when the two-time defending MSL champion is turned loose on the Busse Course.
Jereme Atchison, Buffalo Grove: Atchison will get a second crack at Peterson on Saturday, and if the first race was any indication you don’t want to miss this one. Big question is how will Atchison deal with Peterson closing speed.
Pat Juras, Lake Zurich: Juras started the season coming back from a knee injury, but the Bear senior showed he has fully recovered by capturing the Palatine regional title. Juras likes to charge late, but will the gap be too big with Peterson and Atchison setting the pace on Saturday.
Anthony Gregorio/Peter Tomkiewicz, Palatine: If you see one during the race, the other Pirate senior will not be too far behind. Gregorio and Tomkiewicz have consistently finished in the top five all season.
Michael Leet, Prospect: The Knights junior was slowed by an Achilles injury at the MSL meet, but the he responded in a big way by taking second at the Hoffman regional and leading Prospect to the title.
Other sectionals
Niles West: Maine West and Leyden advanced to the Niles West sectional with the boys race starting at 11 a.m. Keep an eye on Leyden senior Fabian Cabrera, who finished second at the St. Ignatius regional.
Fenton: St. Viator will be looking to qualify to their first state cross country meet on Saturday at Fenton starting at 11 a.m. Junior Kevin Schreiber took fourth at the Mather regional, powering the Lions to a third-place finish.