Boys cross country: York, WW South setting their sights on Peoria

The die has been cast.

Wheaton Warrenville South returns five starters from its first Class 3A boys cross country championship.

But the most prolific team state champion - regardless of sport or gender - in history has been anointed as the team to beat when the state finals commence the second weekend in November at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

"York, on paper, looks ridiculously good," said Glenbard West coach Kyle Nugent.

The Dukes enter the season in search of a 29th state championship in the sport. WW South, however, is not about to surrender its title willingly.

"We don't stress individual goals," WW South coach Chris Kuntz said. "Our strength is to run as a team."

It is only appropriate the schools house the top two returning performers from the area.

Will Hauenstein, a WW South senior, edged the Dukes' Ethan Kern by a spot in placing eighth overall in leading two other teammates to all-state honors last fall.

Jacob Kluckhohn, another senior for the Tigers, is the other returning all-state athlete among local Class 3A schools.

"We have had a great summer," Kuntz said.

In addition, the state finals are seemingly a galaxy away for WW South, which has to contend with third-ranked St. Charles East in its league.

"Our first goal is winning our (DuKane) conference meet," Kuntz said.

At the state level WW South also has Jared Peaslee and Ethan Seng back for more glory. York will not only counter with Kern but also Colin Hill, Daniel Klysh and Brian Pratt.

"I think York will put four guys ahead of Wheaton South's third guy," Downers North coach John Sipple said. "Ultimately, I think it will come down to the fifth guy."

Paul Vandersteen, the only coach in the two-decade-plus history of Neuqua Valley, is in an unaccustomed position.

"I don't have the seniors I have had in the past," said Vandersteen, who returns only Nicolas Dovalovsky from his latest trophy squad. "It's a very small senior class."

Vandersteen will try to remain competitive behind Aidan Stone, Ryan Horn, Stephen Smilie and Vasant Song.

"People have said to me, 'Oh, you say that every year; you just reload,'" Vandersteen said. "(My current team) doesn't have the firepower we have had in the past."

The two Downers Grove high schools and West Suburban Silver members Hinsdale Central and Glenbard West have differing dynamics when the season begins in earnest after the Labor Day weekend.

"The Silver is going to be pretty stout again," Sipple said.

The Trojans, two years removed from a state championship, will rely on Evan Cummings, Karan Sketty and Phillip Tipton. John Heneghan, with able backing support from state returnees Canyon Stage and John Norris, provides the backbone for the Downers South program.

Glenbard West lost the nucleus of its state team to graduation.

Wheaton North has state aspirations behind Josh Gorup and Will Roth.

Waubonsie Valley is ranked in the preseason as returning state qualifier Wes Beitler leads the Warriors this fall.

"I think we're going to progress and make it harder for people to beat us," Waubonsie Valley coach Kevin Rafferty said.

In the Upstate Eight, Glenbard East is a program expecting to reach the next level.

Glenbard South was once a state champion earlier this century during the two-class period.

The Raiders are hungry after missing the Class 2A sectional the last two seasons.

"We have a bigger team," Glenbard South coach Doug Gorski said. "There's more talent to draw from. We can make it out of the regional and who knows from there."

West Chicago coach Dave Sayner believes leader Peter Osielski is poised to "have a great senior season."

Benet is the chief storyline for the area Class 2A programs.

Behind state participants Sean Donnelly, Ben Grundman, Jack Robinson and Jack Tams, Benet enters the season ranked behind only Kaneland in the ilxctf.com rankings.

"We finished seventh last year," Benet coach Kevin Renicker said. "We ran well but not great. We knew we could be somewhere in the top five (in the rankings). I feel like (our athletes) are a really tight family who care for each other."

The Redwings are also on a mission to extend their consecutive streak of East Suburban Catholic Conference titles to 20.

Top teams: Wheaton Warrenville South, York, Neuqua Valley, Benet, Downers Grove North, Downers Grove South, Hinsdale Central, Naperville Central, Waubonsie Valley, Glenbard West.

Top athletes: Vinny Adamo, Naperville Central, sr.; Jake Allen, Naperville North, sr.; Ryan Allspach, Glenbard South, jr.; Jayden Arquines, Hinsdale South, sr.; Josh Baron, Hinsdale South, sr.; Wes Beitler, Waubonsie Valley, sr.; Zac Benzinger, Waubonsie Valley, jr.; Jackson Bukala, Waubonsie Valley, sr.; Chase Burrell, Naperville North, jr.; Andrew Bylsma, Glenbard East, sr.; Chris Corone, St. Francis, so.; Pierce Cousins, Glenbard West, jr.; Evan Cummins, Downers North, jr.; Sean Donnelly, Benet, jr.; Nicolos Dovalovsky, Neuqua Valley, jr.; Sam Elizondo, Fenton, sr.; Nick Fisch, Montini, jr.; Josh Gorup, Wheaton North, sr.; Arthur Graham, Naperville Central, jr.; Cole Greaves, Addison Trail, jr.; Ben Grundman, Benet, sr.; Luis Guzman, West Chicago, sr.; Will Hauenstein, WW South, sr.; John Heneghan, Downers South, sr.; Brandon Heselton, Willowbrook, sr.; Colin Hess, Glenbard West, jr.; Colin Hill, York, jr.; William Hohe, Glenbard West, jr.; Ryan Horn, Neuqua Valley, jr.; Adam Ihms, Glenbard East, sr.; Alex Kapala, Glenbard East, jr.; Nicolas Keeling, Naperville Central, so.; Ethan Kern, York, sr.; Sam King, St. Francis, jr.; Jacob Kluckhohn, WW South, sr.; Daniel Klysh, York, sr.; Julian Lara, Addison Trail, sr.; Nick Leo, Willowbrook, jr.; John Logan, Wheaton North, sr.; Austin MacClure, Glenbard South, sr.; Andrew Malak, Glenbard West, sr.; Alex Martinez, Addison Trail, so.; Tommy May, Montini, so.; Carter McCarroll, Hinsdale Central, jr.; Piyush Mekla, Hinsdale Central, jr.; Dylan Moran, Addison Trail, jr.; Nigel Neibel, Glenbard East, sr.; Tim Neumann, Downers South, so.; John Norris, Downers South, sr.; Luke Orwig, St. Francis, jr.; Peter Osielski, West Chicago, sr.; Tommy Paltzer, Naperville North, jr.; Joe Parker, Wheaton North, sr.; Jared Peaslee, WW South, sr.; Brian Pratt, York, jr.; Nathan Ramachandran, Naperville Central, sr.; John Ramos, Addison Trail, sr.; Colby Revord, Hinsdale Central, so.; Jack Robinson, Benet, jr.; Will Roth, Wheaton North, jr.; Ethan Seng, WW South, sr.; Karan Sketty, Downers North, so.; Stephen Smilie, Neuqua Valley, jr.; Canyon Stage, Downers South, sr.; Aidan Stone, Neuqua Valley, jr.; Robert Szivak, Waubonsie Valley, sr.; Jack Tams, Benet, jr.; Phillip Tipton, Downers North, jr.; Julian Watson, Hinsdale South, jr.; Dan Weizeorick, St. Francis, sr.; Ethan Wood, Glenbard South, so.; Mauricio Xochitecatl, Wheaton North, sr.