Boys cross country: Scouting Cook and Lake County
COOK COUNTY
Barrington The Broncos won the MSL title, placed second at regionals, third at sectionals, and 13th in Class 3A with only two seniors on the team. Seniors Joe Bregenzer (MSL champion), Ethan Scott (31st in state), Mark McGinn (eighth in MSL), and Haru Nagaoka will play big roles as will Avery Erickson, who was injured last year. Sophomores Will Schneider and Ryan Scott will join the experienced top-seven pack, and Barrington has some lofty goals for the end of the season according to coach Tom Root.
Buffalo Grove The Bison took eighth in the MSL and seventh at regionals as junior Riley Wold advanced to sectionals as an individual. Buffalo Grove will try to reach sectionals for the first time since the 2015 season when it took sixth in state. Juniors Will Capito, Grant Preusker, and Alex Hernandez are expected to be at the front of the Bison's pack. The rest of the pack will be rounded out by Spencer Flershem, Luke Hilgeman, Nate Lipani, and Patrick Romanski with a goal of finishing in the top half of the MSL.
Conant The Cougars placed sixth in the MSL, fifth at regionals, and 11th at sectionals. Conant juniors C harlie Calderone, David Shu, Henry Dombrowski (state qualifier in 4x800), Justin Czepiel (s tate qualifier in 4x800), and Joe Basile give the team solid depth to build around after a strong track season. Senior Andrew Yamaguchi (58th in MSL) brings a lot of leadership to the table as coach John Powers expects his squad to gain valuable varsity experience and keep getting better as the season goes on.
Elk Grove The Grenadiers placed ninth in the MSL and ninth at regionals as Kyle Gibson takes over the helm as their new head coach this season. Senior Evan Miles will be Elk Grove's top runner after turning in a great track season. Sophomore Charlie Brondsema and junior Josiah Naumann have also made great strides since the track season. Senior Johan Daniel is another key runner supported by sophomores A.J. Colon and Kevin Fernandez as the Grens will try to make a push for sectionals.
Fremd The Vikings placed 12th in Class 3A, fifth at sectionals, and third in the MSL as elite senior Rory Gaan placed ninth at the state meet. Sophomore Jack Jennings is coming off a 41st-place finish at the state meet. Seniors Arjun Shah, Cooper Hewson, and junior Trent Odachowski also ran at the state meet. Senior Tom Johnston and sophomore David Moore look to fill the spots for last year's graduates while the Vikings' squad will lean on their experience from the last few years.
Hersey After placing eighth at state, second at sectionals, and second in the MSL, the Huskies lost five of their top seven runners to graduation. New coach Mike Glosson takes over for Kevin Young this fall. Hersey's strong junior class includes Matues Salomao, Aidan Korb, Elliot Bak, Nathan Marrota, and Brandon Rugg. Senior Jonathan Choi has varsity experience while sophomores Gabe Gronksi, Jonah Morrison, and James Homoly looki to contribute. Freshmen Dylan Altmayer, Luke Carlson, and Kass Kurzynski hope to help the Huskies reach state for the 20th time in school history.
Hoffman Estates The Hawks were really hit hard by graduation as they lost seven of their top eight runners after last season. Senior captain Brady Faulkner had a wonderful season going last year until he was sidelined by injury. After turning in a fantastic track season last spring, Faulkner is primed for a great cross country season. Hoffman Estates' other top returning runners are Jason Gabler, Oliver Wilson, Jayden Dumar and Jibran Kahn. The Hawks have 25 new runners with a large freshmen and sophomore class looking to step up and fill some varsity spots.
Leyden The Eagles placed fourth in the WSC Gold Division last year, but they did not advance out of regionals as a team. Seniors Daniel Gumper, and Hector Cortes will be among Leyden's top runners along with juniors Josh Sandi, Ernesto Sanchez, David Soto, Ivan Saucedo, and Erick Ferrer. Sophomore Elijah Scheidler is ready to compete at the varsity level. The Eagles' goals this season are to build their team chemistry, work on their pack running, score higher in conference, and qualify for sectionals.
Maine East Senior Luis Mendoza was an all-conference sectional qualifier for the Blue Demons while senior Jonathan Garcia Hernandez will be a key runner again. Junior Saul De La Rosa will also be in the top five along with sophomore Lyric Henry. Senior Rizwan Khaja is a newcomer this season who is expected to push the other guys in the top five, including junior Eddie Corba. The Blue Demons (11th at regionals) should be more competitive this year after a great summer of training.
Maine South The Hawks have the senior duo of Owynn Garrelts (47th in Class 3A) and Owen Tremblay ready to lead their pack after taking fourth in the CSL South, sixth at regionals, and eighth at sectionals. Sophomores Colin Frye, Lucas Runtz, Alex Czerwionka, and Gabe Szfranco should be key runners. Seniors Jake Eckhart, Gino Arcuri, and junior Tony Murphy will compete for top-seven positions. Coach Greg Nordahl said that the hard-working Garrelts should be an all-state (top 25) contender while Maine South is pushing to be a top 10 team.
Maine West The Warriors' young squad struggled with no sectional qualifiers last year. But Maine West has a strong trio of seniors back in Frank Ferriaolo, Gerardo Perez, and Joey Bruno ready to lead its pack. Juniors Mozart Ontiveros and Shane Washington are other key varsity runners, and the Warriors have had an excellent summer of building their mileage base according to coach Nate Hassman. "I'm truly excited to see their progress in action once we begin racing in September," said Hassman.
Palatine The Pirates placed fourth in the MSL, third at regionals, and eighth at sectionals as junior Alex Krieg placed 63rd in Class 3A despite falling hard at the 1-mile mark. Senior Carter Hayes placed ninth in the state at 800 meters. Juniors James O'Sullivan and Chris Quick are a blossoming trio with senior Keaton Fletcher. Seniors Ethan Trujillo, Kevin Lopez, Kyle O'Keefe, and Keith Solberg bring a lot of experience to the pack. After top-10 finishes in 2021 and 2022, Palatine is looking forward to returning to state.
Prospect The Knights placed fourth in the MSL, seventh at sectionals, and 23rd at state and they have high hopes heading into the new campaign. Sophomore Landon Samp and junior Quinn Davis should be front-runners for Prospect along with junior Quinn Davis, senior Finley Moss, and junior Luke Robinson. The trio of Brody Cushing, Boris Dimitrov, and Ben Wilkin should also have a big impact. The Knights hope to win the MSL East, finish at the top of the MSL, qualify for a school-record fourth straight trip to state, and finish in the top 10 in Peoria.
Rolling Meadows With only one senior on the varsity team, the Mustangs placed 10th at the powerful Palatine regional last year. Seniors Simon Ludolph and Luke Randolph will help lead what should be a much-improved Rolling Meadows squad in 2024. The junior foursome of Dawid Opiola, Erick Olson, Alan Hernandez, and Lukas Samuels also bring a lot more experience back to the team. The Mustangs' top runners have turned in an outstanding summer of training in preparation for the upcoming season.
Schaumburg The Saxons placed ninth at the regional meet as junior Sebastian Welc qualified for the Class 3A Hoffman Estates sectional as an individual. Senior Liam Mayer was Schaumburg's No. 2 runner last year at regionals while sophomore Aarav Patel was its No. 3 runner in that meet. The Saxons lost two key seniors to graduation, but senior Brandon Kiene returns to the varsity squad with postseason experience under his belt.
St. Viator It looks like the Lions will be in rebuilding mode this season after placing seventh at the Class 2A Lakes regional last year behind top runner Owen Gottfred. St. Viator has many promising incoming freshmen entering the program this year, but it lost four of its top five runners to graduation. St. Viator coach Bill Stanczak's squad has also been hit with the injury bug this summer during training so it is probably going to be an uphill struggle for the Lions to get back to 100 percent strength any time soon.
Wheeling The Wildcats will turn to seniors Jesus Campos (4x800 state qualifier) and Wilbur Bahena to lead a squad that placed seventh in the MSL and seventh at regionals last fall. The five-sophomore pack of Jon Lenert, Aramis Alcantar, Ryan Warner, Jason Aivazian, and Aaron Varughese fill out the rest of Wheeling's very young team. Campos and Bahena are capable of running sub-16 minute times this season as Campos has the potential of being in the hunt for a berth to the state meet on Nov. 9.
LAKE COUNTY
Antioch The Sequoits placed fourth in the NLCC, fifth at regionals and 14th at the Class 2A Woodstock sectional. Antioch has all-conference junior Carson Lanners and all-conference senior Griffin Freeman back as leaders. Seniors Tony Sculuca, Brady Kobb, Ademide Adegboyega, and AJ Ripper give the Sequoits great experience. Juniors Chris Selph and Zolan Schieler will be keys. Coach Chris Bailey's team will look to their veterans to guide their success this season after they put in a strong summer of running.
Carmel Catholic The Corsairs finished third in the ESCC, fourth at regionals, and 13th at sectionals. Sophomore Evan Hursthouse and senior Cole Bonham (two-time state qualifier) both ran downstate for Carmel last year while senior Kyle Paras was a state qualifier in track. The Corsairs' pack will also feature Joey Lodowsky, Quinn Emmons, Ryan Krietsch, Marcos Monroe, and Charlie Cowart. If Bonham can return from injury, the team has the potential to qualify for the state meet according to coach Jim Halford.
Grayslake Central The Rams placed third at regionals, fourth at sectionals, and 13th in Class 2A as elite runner Trey Sato (14:21.49) took runner-up honors before being lost to graduation. Junior Adan Cordova was Grayslake Central's No. 2 runner at the state meet in 38th place, but its No. 3 through No. 6 runners from state all graduated. The Rams still have senior Daniel Varblow returning with state meet experience, but they will have to replace numerous runners at the varsity level this fall
Grayslake North The Knights will be aiming to improve on their seventh-place finish in the NLCC last year while trying to move up in their Class 2A regional standings. Grayslake North still has a young squad back in junior Oliver Davies, junior Ryan Larrivee, and sophomore Joey Clark who all turned in solid performances last year at the NLCC meet. Sophomore Roberto Huerta Rodriguez is new to cross country while freshmen Bobby White, Gabe Hart, and Kieran McMorrow hope to make an impact at the varsity level.
Grant After winning the NLCC championship, taking fifth at regionals, and 15th at sectionals, the Bulldogs graduated four of their top seven runners. Senior Niko Dayment returns as Grant's No. 1 runner followed by junior Maxx Haas, and sophomore Nathan Kempf. Juniors Eric Ramirez, Landon Terryberry, and Logan Terryberry should be key contributors along with senior Jacob Kaufman. Russell Holm, Garrett Fries, and Jared Lopez are runners to keep an eye on as is freshman newcomer Tyler Wahls.
Lakes The Eagles took second in the NLCC, second at regionals, seventh at sectionals, and 16th in Class 2A. Seniors Jackson Summy and Blake Salbilla were all-conference as was sophomore Cooper Summy. Seniors Brady Mock and Matthew Powley will be key runners along with sophomores R eese Mock, Lawson Caruth, Aiden Hauca, and senior Rheese Rieb. Lakes' main focus will be winning the NLCC, punching its ticket to Detweiller Park, and finishing much higher than it did last year in Peoria.
Lake Zurich The perennial power Bears won the NSC title once again after placing sixth at regionals and 13th at sectionals. Sophomore Luke Marshall placed 114 th in Class 3A while freshman Karanveer Patil was the middle school state champion. Senior Edwin Galarza will be a big factor along with juniors Gordy Libby, Marc MacCormac, Owen Holzhauer, Sushant Kesevan, and Nishanth Mandavilli. Lake Zurich will push to defend its NSC crown and qualify for state where it hopes to run its best race of the season.
Libertyville The Wildcats took third in the NSC, fourth at regionals, and 12th at sectionals as senior Michael Chudy placed 25th at sectionals. Sophomore Thomas Chudy should be a major factor at the varsity level along with senior James O'Keefe. The sophomore trio of Jack Steffe, Filip Vojvodic, and Marcello Prinz will make their impact felt with great support from freshman Taylor Rihm. With a lot of depth returning, Libertyville hopes to be a trophy-contender in every big meet it runs in this season.
Mundelein The Mustangs tied for first in the NSC in the regular season before placing fourth in the conference meet and eighth at regionals. Sophomore Izic Miller and junior Elijah Mendoza were all-conference for Mundelein last year while junior teammates Nathan McCreight and Andrew Weaver will be keys on the varsity. The rest of the lineup is up for grabs at this time as the Mustangs will be aiming to improve on their NSC finish from last season while trying to make a push for the sectional meet.
Round Lake The Panthers placed fifth in the NLCC and ninth at regionals as top runner Daniel Campos graduated. Senior Jackson Young should be a strong front-runner for Round Lake with excellent support from freshmen teammates Edwin Morales and Alex Castro. Senior Steven Ocampo is another senior the Panthers will turn to for leadership. He will be bolstered by freshman Angel Rivas, sophomore Erik Garcia, and senior Diego Cruz as the team works on building a strong foundation for the program.
Stevenson After placing second in the NSC last year and 14th at sectionals, the Patriots lost three of their top five runners to graduation. But the team has a lot of senior leadership back in Gurshaan Sohi, Taha Elmedhi, Eshan Patel, and Alex Kaufman. Junior Caleb Holloway is another key runner to watch along with sophomore Owen Moran. "Knowing our varsity will look mostly different, we are looking for some athletes to step up and rise to the occasion," said coach Scott Sommers. "We have a great group of hard working athletes, and this year we will look to gain some experience and surprise some other teams by the end of October."
Vernon Hills The Cougars finished second in the CSL North before taking third at regionals and 10th at sectionals as they moved up to Class 3A competition last year in the postseason. Sophomore Bryant Lester and senior Jeremy Gitzinger give Vernon Hills a solid 1-2 punch followed by the junior pack of Trevor Todd, Konstantin Koychev, Aarav Sheth, and Brady Koetz. Senior Zach Shoemaker will be counted on as the Cougars' main goal is to improve on last year's finish in both the conference and sectional meets.
Warren The Blue Devils placed 10th at the Class 3A Grant regional as they lost No. 1 runner Kyle Newton to graduation. But other than Newton, Warren's inexperienced team did not have any other seniors among its top seven runners in the postseason. The junior duo of Jacob Rasmussen and Lucas Jablonski were the Blue Devils' second and third finishing runners at regionals, and the squad should be much more experienced this season.
Wauconda The Bulldogs took sixth place in the NLCC and 10th at regionals last fall as junior Levi Coburn is expected to be a pack leader this season. Seniors Nic Ganek and Brody Bendler will be key cogs to Wauconda's troops along with sophomores Parker Koch and Akhillez Sosa. Freshmen Brogen Finley and Austin Olsen will be runners to watch. The Bulldogs are hoping to leverage strong leadership and character from their upperclassmen with young talent to improve their conference and regional finishes.