Boys cross country: Scouting Cook and Lake County
COOK COUNTY
Barrington The Broncos placed fifth in the MSL, second at regionals, fifth at sectionals, and ninth in Class 3A. Elite runner Joe Bregenzer (third, Wisconsin) will really be missed at the front of the pack. Barrington's top four runners graduated along with a fifth senior in its top seven. Juniors William Schneider (157th) and Ryan Scott (171st) were the fifth and sixth runners at the state meet.
Buffalo Grove: The Bison placed sixth in the MSL, fourth at regionals, and 12th at sectionals before Riley Wold placed 52nd in Class 3A as a junior. Wold is ready to move up the rankings this fall along with senior teammates Nate Lipani, Will Capito, Grant Preusker, and Alex Hernandez. Sophomores Luke Hilgeman and Patrick Romanski hope to make an impact. Freshman Arcangel Trujillo placed third at the IESA Class 4A state meet in Normal.
Conant: The Cougars placed seventh in the MSL, fifth at regionals, and 16th at the Class 3A Hoffman Estates sectional. Conant did not have a single senior running at sectionals. Current senior Charlie Calderone (11th at sectionals) advanced to state as an individual where he placed 100th. The Cougars' young squad also got a 45th-place finish from senior Henry Dombrowski at sectionals.
Elk Grove: The Grenadiers placed 12th in the MSL and eighth at their own Class 3A regional. Junior Charlie Brondsema was a sectional qualifier, but sectional qualifier Evan Miles graduated. Junior A.J. Colon, senior Josiah Naumann, and junior Kevin Fernandez were the Grens' 3-5 finishers at the regional meet.
Fremd: The Vikings took second in the MSL, first at regionals, sixth at sectionals, and 11th in Class 3A. All-stater Rory Gaan (seventh, Dartmouth) and three other state-meet runners graduated. Junior Jack Jennings (73rd) was Fremd's No. 3 runner at state followed by senior Trent Odachowski (140th), and junior David Moore (167th). Juniors Bryden Li and Nihal Kalsi are expected to make a big impact. Seniors Jack Kelly and Daniel Bounpaseuth hope to help the team earn a top-10 finish at state.
Hersey: The Huskies took third in the MSL, third at regionals, and eighth at sectionals by two points behind Libertyville. Seniors Nathan Marotta (79th), and Mateus Salomao (104th) return from state. Elliot Baik, Luke Carlson, Gabe Gronski, Aidan Korb, and Brandon Rugg are key varsity runners. Max Sternburgh will be in the mix while sophomore Kass Kurzynski is back from an injury that held him out of the outdoor track season and into June. Hersey is very motivated to qualify for the state meet on Nov. 8.
Hoffman Estates: The Hawks placed 11th in the MSL and 11th at the Class 3A Palatine regional. The team will miss state qualifier Brady Faulkner (45th, SIU) leading their pack. Sophomores Liam Brown and Trajan Mohammed were the 2-3 runners at regionals. Senior newcomer Leo Jimenez will be a leader with seniors Alex Brzoza and Jibran Kahn. Juniors Jayden Dumar and Oliver Wilson will provide added depth as the team hopes to build on last year's progress.
Leyden: The Eagles placed sixth in the WSC Gold and 10th at the Class 3A Elk Grove regional. Seniors Josh Sandi and Josh Armedilla will provide leadership for the team. Sophomore David Ferrer and junior Elijah Scheidler will be key runners. Senior Eric Ferrer, junior Daniel Perez, and sophomore Athan Chiapetta hope to help the team finish in the top three at conference and qualify for sectionals.
Maine East: The Blue Demons will be an inexperienced team, but coach Chris Peters is hoping that junior Lyric Henry can be an all-conference runner and a sectional qualifier. Seniors Eddie Corba and Juan Mocttezuma bring experience to the squad along with junior Noel Franklin. Sophomores Muaaz Hamad and Ethan Nartatez will gain valuable experience on varsity. Luis Mendoza is now running at Williams College in Massachusetts while Jonathan Garcia Hernandez is competing at Illinois Institute of Technology.
Maine South: The Hawks placed fifth in the CSL South, third at regionals, and ninth at the Class 3A Lake Park sectional. Graduated senior Owynn Garrelts (25th) earned the final place on the all-state team in Peoria. No. 2 runner Owen Tremblay also graduated while juniors Collin Frye and Alex Czerwionka were the 3-4 runners at the sectional meet.
Maine West: The Warriors' young squad was rebuilding last year, but their top runners are coming off breakthrough track seasons last spring. Senior captain Mozart Ontiveros and senior Jakub Urban provide leadership at the front of the pack. The sophomore foursome of Will Mortensen, Toby Jurgielewicz, Jayden Kuffel, and Harrison Nutley are ready for varsity after putting in a strong summer of running.
Palatine: The Pirates won the MSL title, they took second at regionals, third at sectionals, and eighth in Class 3A. Current senior Alex Krieg took eighth in the state, but No. 2 runner Carter Hayes (35th) was one of three seniors to graduate. Seniors James O'Sullivan (43rd) and Chris Quick (98th) were the 3-4 runners at state. Palatine has the most (top 25) state medalists in MSL history with 34 medalists.
Prospect: The Knights took fourth in the MSL, second at regionals, fourth at sectionals, and 10th in Class 3A. Prospect has six of its top seven runners back from state, including seniors Collin Ryan (15:01) and Luke Robinson (15:01). Sophomore Bobby Wintermute ran a 15:09 at state followed by Quinn Davis (15:19), Landon Samp (15:20), and Brody Cushing (15:28). Pierce Baker and James Hanna are contending for the seventh varsity spot. Coach Jay Renaud is optimistic and hopeful for his squad. The Knights took second in the state in 1994.
Rolling Meadows: The Mustangs placed 10th in the MSL and ninth at the Class 3A Palatine regional. Top runner Luke Randolph and two other key seniors graduated. But the team has seniors Dawid Opiola, Alan Hernandez, Erick Olson, and Joseph Gabriel back to provide leadership. The sophomore trio of Michael Podejo, Jakob Samuels, and Edgar Pagnotto hope to make great strides this season.
Schaumburg: The Saxons placed ninth in the MSL and eighth at the Class 3A Palatine regional. Junior Aarav Patel qualified for sectionals as an individual. Senior Sebastian Welc and junior Radhwan Alhamedi finished 2-3 close together at regionals. Schaumburg has the second most state medalists (top 25) in MSL history with 29.
St. Viator: The Lions' team is in a rebuilding cycle according to coach Bill Stanczak, but junior Owen Gottfred competed in the Class 2A state meet as a sophomore. Matthew Doland (Loyola University, New Orleans) is one of five seniors who graduated. Junior Declan McLeod has experience while Matthew Brents impressed in summer camp. Rian Martinez is coming off of a good track season while sophomore J.J. Maas and Aidan Lopez are looking to show great improvement.
Wheeling: The Wildcats placed eighth in the MSL and seventh at the Class 3A Palatine regional. Sectional qualifier Wilbur Behena and No. 2 runner Jesus Campos both graduated to leave the team looking for some new leaders. Aramis Alcantar, Jason Aivazian, and Ryan Warner were among five sophomores that ran in the regional meet.
LAKE COUNTY
Antioch: The Sequoits took fifth at regionals and 15th at the Class 2A Kaneland sectional. Current senior Carson Lanners missed going downstate by one place. Four key seniors graduated, but the new lineup will include Lanners, Chris Selph, Kaeden Jurcak, Gus Vega, Alex LaCerba, Salazar Villalpando, Logan Babin, and Blake Watson. Hayley Miller is the new head coach in place of long-time coach Chris Bailey. Lanners should make the state meet this year, and he has hopes to run for Marquette in the future.
Carmel Catholic: The Corsairs placed third in the ESCC, second at regionals, and 13th at the Class 2A Kaneland sectional. Junior Evan Hursthouse has a great chance place in the top 30 in the state according to coach Jim Halford. Senior Joey Lodowski and junior Quinn Emmons have the potential to run under 16:00. Senior Marcos Monroe is Carmel's fourth runner. Other potential top-five runners are junior Ben Stegemann, senior Tim Metz, freshman Cam Everett, and junior Jack Webb.
Grayslake Central: The Rams took fifth place in the NLCC, third in their own regional, and 14th at the Class 2A Kaneland sectional. Two key seniors, including No. 2 runner Daniel Varblow, graduated. But the team still has senior No. 1 runner Adan Cordova for leadership. Juniors Justin Mottola and Nolan Lara were the 3-4 runners at sectionals while Mottola was the No. 2 runner for the Rams at the Detweiller at Dark meet in late July.
Grayslake North: The Knights took seventh place in the NLCC and ninth in the Lakes regional. They had one runner qualify for the Class 2A Kaneland sectional. New coach Matt Petersen will turn to senior Oliver Davies and Roberto Huerta Rodriguez for leadership. "Last year was a young team and track saw them make huge gains," said Petersen. "There is a group of 10 that are looking to earn the seven spots. This density will likely create some great training and performances."
Grant: The Bulldogs took second in the NLCC, fifth at the Warren regional, and 15th at the Class 3A Hoffman Estates sectional. Senior Maxx Haas (27th at sectionals) just missed a berth to state. Graduated Niko Dayment (UW-Stout) finished near Haas at sectionals. Senior Logan Terryberry was the No. 3 runner at sectionals followed by junior Nathan Kempf, senior Landon Terryberry, and sophomore Tyler Wahls. Other key runners are Garrett Fries, Eric Ramirez, and Chatham Gehring.
Lakes: The Eagles won NLCC title, placed second at their own regional, third at sectionals, and ninth in Class 2A. New coach Christine Zucker's team will miss all-stater Jackson Summy (seventh, Grand Valley State) and three other key seniors. Junior Cooper Summy (72nd in state) will be a team leader while junior Aidan Hauca also ran downstate. Sophomore Nathan Bloom and teammate Drake Callear will be also be counted on heavily during the 2025 campaign.
Lake Zurich: The Bears were only 16 points out of third place in Class 3A. Key runner Edwin Galarza (St. Norbert College) graduated. But sophomore all-stater Karanveer Patil (21st), junior Luke Marshall (53rd), and senior Gordy Libby (62nd) are back. The trio of Sushant Kesavan, Nishanth Mandavilli, and Carson Porter all gained state-meet experience. Other runners to watch are Philip Adams, Merrick Barth, Luke Firkin, Jacob Hinojosa, Owen Holzhauer, Marc MacCormac, Esau Mesa, Camden Niemiec, and Nick Smith. Lake Zurich won NSC and regional crowns before placing second at sectionals.
Libertyville: The Wildcats took third at regionals and seventh at sectionals to qualify for the state meet (22nd in Class 3A) for the first time since 1992. Two seniors graduated, but the squad has their top two runners back in junior Filip Vojvodic (96th), and sophomore Taylor Rihm (108th). Also returning from state are junior Thomas Chudy (152nd), junior Jack Steffe (165th), and senior Peter Rappa (198th). The team has a good chance to make back to back trips to Detweiller Park in November.
Mundelein: The Mustangs took third place in the NSC and seventh at the Class 3A Warren regional. Senior Elijah Mendoza placed second in the NSC, 12th at regionals, and 26th at sectionals to just miss a berth downstate. Seniors Nathan McCreight and Andrew Weaver will provide added leadership. Sophomores Aidan Sweet and Erick Cordova are coming off of solid freshmen seasons. Juniors Izic Miller and Mason McMurray give Mundelein good depth as it hopes to qualify for sectionals as a team.
Round Lake: The Panthers captured sixth place in the NLCC before placing 11th at the Class 3A Warren regional. The team will miss graduated top runner Jackson Young and two other key seniors. Sophomores Alexander Castro-Gomez and Edwin Morales has strong freshman campaigns last year.
Stevenson: The Patriots placed fifth in the NSC and eighth at the Class 3A Glenbrook South regional. The Pats lost sectional qualifier Gurshaan Sohi to graduation, but current senior Caleb Holloway competed at sectionals. Junior Spencer Manning was Stevenson's No. 3 runner at regionals, but No. 4 runner Eshan Patel graduated.
Vernon Hills: The Cougars placed second in the CSL North, fourth at regionals, and 11th at the Class 3A Hoffman Estates sectional. Now moving back down to Class 2A, junior Bryant Lester should be the team leader supported by seniors Konstantin Koychev, Trevor Todd, and Aarav Sheth. Junior Will Gagamov is expected to be a big factor while Jacob Sultan, Noah Diaz, and Cole Betz are back. The team hopes to challenge for the CSL North crown and qualify for state.
Warren: The Blue Devils finished fourth in the NSC, sixth at their own regional, and 17th at sectionals. The team lost its top three runners to graduation in Jacob Rasmussen, Ethan Parent, and Ethan Ball. Sophomore Brody Wiley was Warren's fourth runner at sectionals while junior Kellan Trukov rounded out the top five scorers in that meet.
Wauconda: The Bulldogs took fourth place in the NLCC, and seventh at the Class 2A Lakes regional. Wauconda had two individual sectional qualifiers last year in current senior Levi Coburn, and junior Akhillez Sosa. Sophomores Liam Pierce and Brogen Finley were the Bulldogs' 3-4 scorers at the regional meet last season.