Scouting boys track and field in Lake County

The Warren boys track team isn't hurting in the experience and talent departments this spring - that's for sure.

The 2021 North Suburban Conference co-champions graduated only one senior who scored points in the NSC meet a year ago.

Back for the Blue Devils are returning state qualifiers Luke Wiley (1,600, 3,200), 3,200 relay members Max Zeisler, Ryan Moats and Nathan Garcia, as well as Jailen Duffie in the 200 along with 400 relay members Duffie, Cassius Callahan, Jaden Turner and Aaron Ayobami. Wiley was the state runner-up in the 3,200 and took sixth in the 1,600 last year.

Duffie won NSC titles in the 200 dash and 800 relay, Wiley in the 1,600 and 3,200, and Ayobami, Zeisler and Daniel Patronik as part of the 1,600 relay.

"I believe our greatest strength will be with our depth across all events," Warren coach Josh Williams said. "There is no doubt we have one of the deepest groups of distance runners we have ever had, but we also have a very strong junior class of sprinters that burst onto the scene as sophomores. Our junior sprinters mix very well with our senior class. We really like our team in these areas and feel we have also improved from last year in our field events, especially our throwers."

Williams also likes the progress junior Joell Belonga (400, 1,600 relay), senior David Lara (distance, all-state cross country in the fall) and junior Caleb Levy (800, 1,600 relay) have made.

•Stevenson, which shared the conference title with Warren, has state qualifiers Mark Helwig (high jump), Jimmy Davis (400 and 800 relays), Zach Goldman (400 and 800 relays) and Marcus Casselberry (400 and 800 relays) back. Keegan Latiluppe will also help. Stevenson coach Andy Farrissey feels Warren and Lake Zurich will be teams to keep an eye on in the NSC.

•Lake Zurich also figures to be in the NSC mix despite losing three state qualifiers to graduation, including 1,600 state champion Jake Myers. Sophomore Brayden Veil (hurdles), freshman Owen Peshek (sprints), senior Michael Mac Cormac (shot put), senior Kevin Loftus (distance) and junior Dylan Myers (distance) will lead the Bears. Veil took sixth at sectionals as a freshman, while Peshek will be a top sprinter and lead the Lake Zurich sprint relays, coach Randal Dunbar said. Jaydon Taboada won a JV conference title last year. "Our strength for the last 10 years is no secret. It's our distance crew," Dunbar said. "We will even have some lead our 4-by-4 relay. We believe we are contenders again this year for conference. Stevenson and Warren are also back with some great athletes, so it will be a great meet. Should be fun to see who scores where and where the points fall."

•Libertyville, fourth in the NSC a year ago, returns state qualifiers Andrew Brooks, Peyton Erdal and Ali Faiz. Those three also were part of the 3,200 relay team that won an NSC title. Help also has arrived in the form of Jack Barry (400), Cole Matulenko (shot put) and the 1,600 relay team of Jack Zunker, Scott Johnson, Casey Richter and Oliver Allen - all NSC under-level champions a year ago.

•Mundelein welcomes back senior Sohan Karuturi (hurdles, jumps) and juniors Marcel Siepko (sprints), Reece Cruz (sprints), Tyler Miller (hurdles) and Danny Shannon (hurdles), along with sophomore Julian Eagar (400, jumps). Junior foreign transfer student Ignacio Lopez-Torrente Sanz is excelling in the sprints. "Our strength this year will be in the hurdles and sprints," Mustangs coach Kurt Rutz said. "Our hurdles will be fairly deep."

NLCC

Defending Northern Lake County Conference champion Grayslake Central has returning state qualifiers in sophomore John Vagnoni (3,200 relay), sophomore Trey Sato (3,200 relay), Bryan Vale (3,200 relay), Kaiden Miller (triple jump) and Brannon Duffin (100, 200, 400 wheelchair) back. Vale won the 3,200 NLCC title, while Miller was the conference triple jump champion and Duffin won the 100, 200 and 400 wheelchair events. Sophomore Will Welty, junior Caleb Hines and Camden Heavelyn also will help the Rams.

"We will be the strongest in the distance events and in the long jump and triple jump," said Rams coach Brent Pitt, whose team recently won the NLCC indoor title.

•Grayslake North returns seniors Connor Johnson (hurdles), Tristan Ramsey (200, long jump relays) and juniors Zach Weitgenant (200, 400), Xavier Camper (200, 400) and Owen Davies (400, 800). These five played key roles in the Knights' success at the recent Northern Lake County indoor meet (second as a team; 2 individual titles, 2 relay titles). Johnson also qualified for the Illinois Top Times indoor meet.

•Grant took third in the NLCC with senior Charlie Hamann returning after being a key member of the 3,200 relay team that qualified for state for the first time in school history. Sophomore Memphis Roman was an alternate on that relay and ended up running in the state meet. Seniors Logan Blancett (throws), Jonathan Scimeca (400) and junior Angel Morales-Cobain (200). Morales-Cobain was the indoor conference runner-up in the 200 recently, while Roman was second in the 3,200. "This season we have a very good mix of senior leadership with underclassmen potential," Bulldogs coach Nick Nenni said. "We are optimistic our team will get stronger as the year progresses."

•Lakes' sophomore Paul Migas, coach Travis Shepherd noted, is currently the No. 3-ranked sophomore in the country in the pole vault. He holds the Eagles' school record indoors and is the overall frosh-soph school record holder in that event. Senior Nick Raffone (high jump, sprint relays), sophomore Payton Whitehead (distance), senior Mark Hunter (sprints) and senior Casey Heraty (throws) also will help the Eagles. Whitehead won the NLCC 800 indoor title, while Hunter won the 60 dash indoor conference title.

•Wauconda sophomore Kosta Zagrafos is back after finishing 14th in the state in the high jump as a freshman. The Bulldogs also return seniors Ethan Molzahn (conference runner-up in long jump), Ryan Rininger (3,200) and Garrison Carter (throws). Zografos won the NLCC indoor title in the high jump, while Molzahn was second in the long jump. Vaughn Baureis will help the Bulldogs in the long jump as well.

Round Lake returns triple jump state qualifier Tyler McManus (also will do long jump), along with seniors Jamariel Brown (200 and 400) and Alex Kopec, who was all-NLCC in the discus and shot put. Alfredo Acosta (jumps) and Adrian Montelango (throws) further solidifies the Panthers' field events.

Carmel junior Luke Cerwin is back after qualifying for state in the 400 last season. Other key contributors for the Corsairs (fourth in the East Suburban Catholic in 2021) include senior Luke Zalewajk (discus), senior Preston Pierce (400), sophomore PJ Biegel (3,200) and sophomore Benedictus Mensah.

Vernon Hills is coming off a runner-up Central Suburban North finish. Senior Ryan Kuczynski (400, 200), who was part of the Cougars' 1,600 relay team that qualified for state, is back along with seniors David Mun (throws), Kamrin Martin (100, 200, sprint relays), Sam Gothelf (throws) and Glen McGowean (hurdles). Mun broke the school indoor record in the shot recently.