Tony Jones takes a look at the top teams across the state of Illinois heading into week four. Did your team make the cut?
3A Boys Week Four Rankings
1. Elmhurst (York)
2. Hinsdale Central
3. O’Fallon
4. Arlington Heights (Hersey)
5. Downers Grove North
6. Buffalo Grove
7. New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central)
8. Chicago Lane Tech
9. Naperville (Neuqua Valley)
10. Orland Park (Sandburg)
11. Winnetka (New Trier)
12. Chicago (St. Ignatius)
13. Wilmette (Loyola Academy)
14. Wheaton-Warrenville South
15. Palatine
16. LaGrange (Lyons Twp.)
17. Naperville North
18. Roselle (Lake Park)
19. St. Charles East
20. Barrington
21. Plainfield South
22. Highland Park
23. Hoffman Estates
24. Batavia
25. Lake Zurich
3A Boys Week Three Recap
1) O'Fallon- The top ranked Panthers fall to then #2 York at the Richard Spring Peoria Notre Dame Invitational finishing with 147 pts. Superstar senior Patrick Perrier won easily in 14:24 and junior Dorrian Gordon finished in 15th to lead their team attack; next meet is 10/8 at St. Clair County meet.
2) Elmhurst (York)- The Dukes of York opened their season in convincing style over a very strong field that included then top ranked O’Fallon. York put three runners in the top 10- senior Alex Bashqawi (4th), senior Nathan Mroz (5th), and junior Matt Plowman (9th) to score 82 points; next up is Palatine Invitational on 9/28.
3) Hinsdale Central- The Red Devils defeated Lyons Twp 20-37 in a WSC Silver dual meet. Senior Billy Magnesen and fast freshman Blake Evertsen go 1-2 running 15:20 and 15:30 respectively; next is triangular meet at Glenbard West vs. GW & Oak Park-River Forest on 9/26.
4) Arlington Heights (Hersey)- The Huskies opened their invitational season with a solid 3rd place finish in the Peoria Notre Dame Invite scoring 165 pts. Junior David Rodriguez paced his mates in third place running 14:40. The team produced a good 44 second scoring split; next up is the Palatine Invitational on 9/28.
5) Winnetka (New Trier)- The Trevians placed 7th at PND tallying 255 pts without key runner Connor Trapp (Sr.) who was out taking the ACT. Junior Charlie Pearlman was on the sidelines with a hip injury. Top man Peter Cotsirlos (Sr.) took the 21st position in 15:07. Coach Dave Wisner felt his team should have competed better regardless. “It wasn’t a great day [as] we were expecting top three. We had a good enough team running to accomplish that goal. We have some things to work out but we should be fine by regionals,” he said; next up is the Palatine Invitational on 9/28.
6) Downers Grove North-The Trojans won the Minooka Flight Invitational scoring 14 pts. Zach Smith (Sr.) put up a great fight against Hoffman Estate Conant junior Zach Dale to score second in the championship flight running 14:57. Ryan Clevenger (Jr.) won flight two in 15:04; next up is triangular meet vs. York and Lyons Twp on 9/26.
7) Buffalo Grove- IDLE from invitational competition this past week; next up is the Oak Park-River Forest Invitational on 9/28.
8) New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central)- The Knights cruised to victory at the Edwardsville Invitational scoring 34 pts on 1,4,5,9,15 finishes. Senior Chris Kaminski took the individual title in 15:59 for 5k; next is Bartlett Flyin’ Hawk Invitational on 9/28.
9) Palatine-The Pirates ran a respectable 45-second scoring split but the desired results did not match as they finished 8th in the team standings at PND with 289 pts. Junior Graham Brown led his crew in 21st place. Emil Kozakiewicz (Sr.) and Argeni Bailon (Sr.) added 25th and 31st finishes to aid the team cause; hosting Palatine Invitational on 9/28.
10) Chicago Lane Tech-The Indians placed 4th in the PND Invite logging 208 pts. It would be a banner day led by senior Jon Vara in 22nd place (15:07). His teammate junior Pavlo Hutsalyuk checked in one second later. Overall, the Indians produced a good 36-second scoring split despite last week’s low point man senior David Schmieg finishing as the fifth runner in 80th place; next competition is 10/13 at the NIKE Northside-Southside Marathon Challenge.
11) Chicago (St. Ignatius)- The Wolfpack placed second in their Connelly/Polka Invitational to Chicago Jones Prep 43-41. St. Iggy was a little undermanned with two scorers out taking the ACT. Sophomore Daniel Santino won in 15:23; next up is the Palatine Invitational on 9/28.
12) Naperville (Neuqua Valley)- IDLE during the past week; next meet is the Locktober Festival on 10/5.
13) Roselle (Lake Park)- The Lancers competed in the PND Invite and placed 10th with 354 pts. The team held out #1 runner senior Jeremy Lozano; next up is the Midwest Cross Country Classic in Janesville, WI on 9/28.
14) Wheaton-Warrenville South-The Tigers continued to strut out one of the state’s top trio in Luke Schroer (Sr.), Nolan Mckenna (Sr.), and Kyle Cepeda (Jr.). The young men placed 6th, 7th, and 12th place overall. However, the team could only muster 7th in the standings with 259 pts; next invitational is the St. Charles North Invite on 10/5.
15) Orland Park (Sandburg)- The Eagles stepped up big time despite some major team injuries. The team rolled into Peoria and placed a very sound 5th place at the PND Invite with 235 pts. Junior Greg Burzinski led the way in 22nd place running a fine time of 15:07; next meet is the Peoria Central Invitational on 10/5.
16) LaGrange (Lyons Twp.)- [9/19]-lost to then #3 Hinsdale Central 37-20 in WSC Silver action. Junior Henry Hostettler led the way for the Lions in third (15:41); next up is tri-meet vs. Downers Grove North and York on 9/26; @ Culver Academy Invitational on 9/28.
17) Barrington-The Broncos took 14th place at the Peoria Notre Dame Invite scoring 507 pts. Senior Jake Herb finished 12th in 14:53; next up is the Palatine Invite on 9/28.
18) Naperville North- IDLE this past week; next is dual vs. Naperville Central on 9/25; @ Lockport Invite on 10/5.
19) Wilmette (Loyola Academy)- The Ramblers produced at great showing in their first big invitational at the Richard Spring Invitational when they placed sixth with 243 points. The key to the 20 second scoring split was the front running exploits of junior Christian Swenson’s 35th place effort; next up is the Palatine Invite on 9/28.
20) Park Ridge (Maine South)-The Hawks appeared to be a little short-handed in scoring 612 pts in a 19th place effort at Peoria Notre Dame Invite. Senior Jack Carpenter was the team’s lone highlight in 18th place; next up is Palatine Invite on 9/28.
21) St. Charles East-The Saints placed 13th at the PND Invite tallying 491 pts; next up is the Aurora Central Charger Classic on 9/28.
22) Highland Park-The Giants placed 15th at the PND Invite scoring 542 pts. Angel Estrada (Sr.) and Ben Casey’s (Jr.) 11th and 17th placings were big eye openers; next up is the Niles West Invitational on 10/5.
23) Batavia-The Bulldogs competed at the Downers Grove South Mustang run; next up is the Aurora Central Catholic on 9/28.
24) Hoffman Estates-The Hawks competed at the Libertyville; next up is the Aurora Central Charger Classic on 9/28.
25) Plainfield South- The Cougars looked strong in placing 12th at the PND Invite with 451 pts on the strength of senior Dan Lathrop’s second place finish in 14:35; next up is the Lockport Invitational on 10/5.
3A Girls Week Four Rankings
1. Naperville North
2. Palatine
3. Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West)
4. Winnetka (New Trier)
5. Hinsdale Central
6. O’Fallon
7. Naperville Central
8. Oak Park-River Forest
9. Downers Grove South
10. St. Charles North
11. Wheaton-Warrenville South
12. Hoffman Estates
13. LaGrange (Lyons Twp.)
14. Minooka
15. Schaumburg
16. Barrington
17. Downers Grove North
18. Naperville (Neuqua Valley)
19. Lockport
20. St. Charles East
21. Geneva
22. Orland Park (Sandburg)
23. Park Ridge (Maine South)
24. Algonquin (Jacobs)
25. Elmhurst (York)
3A Girls Week Three Recap
1) Naperville North- IDLE during the past week; next up is Roy Griak Invitational at the University of Minnesota on 9/28.
2) Glen Ellyn Glenbard West- The Hilltoppers ran into a buzzsaw at the Peoria Notre Dame Richard Spring Invitational. Glenbard West had two runners in the top 10 on the strength of Lindsay Graham (So.) and Lisa Luczak (Jr.) second and sixth place finishes. However, the team piled up 159 points to place third behind Palatine and New Trier; next up is a big WSC Silver triangular meet vs. then #5 Hinsdale Central and #19 Oak Park-River Forest on 9/26.
3) Palatine- Coach Joe Parks squad took a page from the top ranked Naperville North playbook to win the Peoria Notre Dame Invite scoring a lowly 94 pts on 15,16,18,19,26 scoring ledger. The team 1-5 split was an amazing starting with Liz Cox (Sr.) at 18:02 and ending with Jessica Lincoln (Sr.) at 18:09. Even more impressive for Palatine and bad for their future foes is the sixth girl Sabina Yosif (So.) losing one of her shoes moments after the race got underway and still running 18:13! So, the team 1-6 split was 11-seconds and the 1-10 split (PND allows 10 runners) was an incredible 1:14 and better than nine out of the top 10 scoring teams regular split! Next up for Palatine is the hosting of the Palatine Invite on 9/28.
4) Winnetka New Trier- The Trevians ran well placing third at PND scoring 140 pts. Mimi Smith (Jr.) ran a sensational race taking third place in regular season best 17:04. New Trier used a tight pack from its 2-5 to get the job done. Kaitlin Frei, Kelli, and Molly Schmidt placed 30th through 32nd to seal the win; next up is the Oak Park-River Forest Invitational on 9/28.
5) Hinsdale Central- varsity was IDLE during the past week; dual with the #2 Glenbard West and #19 OPRF; 9/28- at Whitney Young “Zi” Invitational.
6) O'Fallon-The Panthers passed the test as one of the best teams in the state after placing a strong fourth place scoring 224 pts. Senior Sam Lapp led the team in 21st place to start a 30-second scoring split; next up is the St. Clair County Meet on 10/8.
7) Naperville Central- IDLE from competition this past week; next up is Naperville Invitational on 9/27.
8) Downers Grove South-The Mustangs breezed to the title of their own Kevin Keogh Mustang Run scoring 29 pts. Senior Haley Albers won easily over Aurora (Metea Valley’s) Kendall Cast (Sr.) 17:35-17:55; next up is the Naperville Invitational on 9/27.
9) Hoffman Estates-The Hawks were runner-up’s to Wheaton-Warrenville South at the Minooka Flight Invitational. Senior Solome Haile placed second in the championship flight to led her team that earned second and first in two other flight races; next up is the Oak Park-River Forest Invitational on 9/28.
10) St. Charles North- The North Stars used a fine eight place finish by senior Ashley England to fuel a seventh place team log scoring 316 points; next up is the Bartlett Invite on 9/28.
11) LaGrange (Lyons Twp.)- The Lions JV team took care of business in winning the Argo Invite at tough Bullfrog Lake scoring 26 points; next on the schedule is the Palatine Invite on 9/28.
12) Minooka- The Indians placed third in their Minooka Flight Invite; next at St. Charles North Invite on 10/5.
13) Schaumburg-The Saxons took 10th place at PND scoring with 361 points. Junior Ali Gutt led the way in 28th place; next at Bartlett Invite on 9/28.
14) Orland Park Sandburg- The shorthanded Eagles placed 13th (453 pts) without star Carly Krull (Sr.). The team’s #2 runner Grace Foley (So.) led the way in 39th place; next up is the Naperville Invite on 9/27.
15) Lockport-The Lady Porters cruised to the Libertyville Invitational to title over Prospect with 23 points. Freshman Morgan Bollinger won the individual title in 18:52; next is the Naperville Invitational on 9/27.
16) Barrington- IDLE from major competition this past week; next up is the Palatine Invite on 9/28.
17) Wheaton-Warrenville South-The upstart Tigers won the Minooka Flight Invitation scoring 17 points. In the process the team netted three winning flight tallies; next up is the Palatine Invite on 9/28.
18) St. Charles East-Junior Torree Scull placed eighth in the Richard Spring Invite in leading her team to a 11th place effort; next up is the Naperville Invitational on 9/27.
19) Oak Park-River Forest-Freshman standout Mary Blankenmeier continues to impress as well as her team with double 5th place finishes at the PND Invite; next on the agenda is the Oak Park River Forest on 9/28.
20) Downers Grove North-The Trojans continue their resurgent year with a very strong 8th place finish in the PND Invite tallying 324 points. Coach Tim McDonald’s charge was led by sophomores Grace Maletich and Kaitlyn Bonfield in 10th and 24th placements; next on the docket is the Palatine Invite on 9/28.
21) Naperville (Neuqua Valley)- The surprise team of the year to date has to be the Wildcats based on their ninth place finish at PND. The Wildcats scored 344 points using a 11th place finish by Claire Costelloe (Sr.); next up is the Naperville Invitational on 9/27.
22) Park Ridge Maine South- Senior Emily Leonard led her team’s 12th place finish by scoring 23rd in the individual place; next on the team’s schedule is the Palatine Invite on 9/28.
23) Algonquin Jacobs- Junior Lauren VanVlierbergen was idle in her team’s performance at the Kaneland Invite; next up is the Bartlett Invite on 9/28.
24) Geneva-The Vikings rebounded with a convincing win over highly 2A rated Crystal Lake Central at the Kaneland Invite 64-79; next up is the Sterling Rock River Run on 9/28.
25) Elmhurst (York)-The Lady Dukes keep treading water with a 14th place finish at PND. Junior Dayle Murphy placed a solid 37th overall; next up at Hinsdale Central on 10/5.
2A Boys Week Four Rankings
1. Lansing (Illiana Christian)
2. Mahomet-Seymour
3. Yorkville
4. Chicago Jones Prep
5. Crystal Lake Central
6. Normal (University)
7. Vernon Hills
8. Dixon
9. Metamora
10. Glen Ellyn (Glenbard South)
11. Rock Island (Alleman)
12. Lisle (Benet Academy)
13. Springfield
14. Chatham-Glenwood
15. Sycamore
16. West Chicago (Wheaton Academy)
17. Waterloo
18. Champaign Central
19. Belvidere North
20. Mt. Vernon
2A Girls Week Four Rankings
1. Yorkville
2. Glen Ellyn (Glenbard South)
3. Normal (University)
4. Lombard (Montini)
5. Crystal Lake Central
6. Woodstock
7. Vernon Hill
8. Peoria (Notre Dame)
9. Springfield
10. Mattoon
11. Highland
12. Maple Park (Kaneland)
13. Lemont
14. Lake Forest
15. Belvidere North
16. Marengo
17. Dunlap
18. Metamora
19. Crystal Lake (Prairie Ridge)
20. Chatham-Glenwood
1A Boys Week Four Rankings
1. Monticello
2. Winnebago
3. St. Thomas More
4. Rockford (Christian)
5. Rochester
6. Unity
7. Urbana (University)
8. St. Joseph (Ogden)
9. Shelbyville
10. Mt. Zion
11. Elmwood
12. Tremont
13. Freeburg
14. Sterling (Newman Catholic)
15. Stanford (Olympia)
16. Pleasant Plains
17. Paxton Buckley Loda
18. Chicago (Latin)
19. El-Paso Gridley
20. Liberty
1A Boys Week Three Recap
1) Monticello- The Sages once again thumped the competition at the Tuscola Classic with 37 points using a 15:56-16:31 split as Matt Norvell (Jr.) placed second. Monticello had been keeping it consistent since their First to Finish Invite breakthrough race; next up is the SJO Spartan Classic on 9/28.
2) Winnebago-DNR last week; the Indians will host the Roger Schmidt Invitational on 9/28.
3) Champaign (St. Thomas More)-The Sabers placed 27th at the Richard Spring Invite- the top performance for a 1A school. The top three are exactly where they’re supposed to be, especially Nick Hess (Sr.) with his 14:46 showing. The substantial gap between their third and fourth runner will need to improve if they expect to earn a [team] trophy at state; next on the schedule is the East Peoria Invite on 9/28.
4) Rockford (Christian)- The Eagles finished third behind Sterling and 2A Rock Island (Alleman) without Nick Monkemeyer (So.). The squad ran in a dense 17:21-17:34 scoring pack on a course that is slower than Detweiller; next up is run 9/28 at the ACC Charger Classic.
5) Rochester-DNR this week; the Rockets will run at the Springfield Invite 9/28.
6) Shelbyville-A solid fourth place showing at the Tuscola Classic was in the cards for the Rams. They ran without one of their vital front runners which led to a bigger than normal scoring gap; the SJO Spartan Classic on 9/28 is next.
7) St. Joseph (Ogden)-The Spartans placed 37th at the Richard Spring Invite. The Spartans ran a lot of their squad in the freshman and sophomore race where they placed 14th; they will host their own Spartan Classic on 9/28.
8) Tolono (Unity)-The Rockets finished second at the Tuscola Classic. It was not an amazing race from Andrew Warnes (So.) but their second and third stepped up along with their sixth and seventh who are running right with their 5th; next up is the SJO Spartan Classic on 9/28.
9) Mt. Zion-The Braves finished third at the Macarthur Invite behind only 2A Danville and Champaign Central; next up is the Mattoon Invite on 9/26.
10) Urbana (University)-The Illiniweks took third at the Tuscola Classic despite less prominent front runner performances than we’ve seen before; next running is the SJO Spartan Classic on 9/28.
11) Elmwood-Brimfield-The Trojans finished fifth at the Bureau Valley Invite and second in the frosh/soph race. It appeared that this was not a race the Trojans were trying too hard at. So, it’s hard to determine how good this team is; IDLE for the upcoming week.
12) Tremont-DNR last week; next running is the St. Joe Spartan Classic on 9/28.
13) Sterling (Newman Catholic)- The Comets placed second over Rock Island Alleman at the Bureau Valley Invite. A solid first four, but their fifth man was over a minute behind in this race; next is the Winnebago Invite on 9/28.
14) Freeburg-The Midgets finished 6th at the Edwardsville Invite scoring 195 pts. behind 2A and 3A competition using a whopping 18-second scoring split; next is hosting their Freeburg Invite on 9/25.
15) Stanford (Olympia)- The Spartans ran at the Richard Spring Invite but didn’t run enough runners to field a full team in the varsity race. They committed the horses in the frosh-soph level that placed 28th; Idle this week.
16) Pleasant Plains-The Cardinal’s scoring split went 16:13-17:27 for a 46th place showing at the Richard Springs Invite; next up is the Springfield Invite on 9/28.
17) Paxton-Buckley-Loda-The Panthers easily won their Quad meet at Clinton last week; next running at the SJO Spartan Classic on 9/28.
18) El Paso-Gridley- The Titans competed in the Bureau Valley Invite, but did not run enough runners to score in varsity. However, the team posted a strong showing in the frosh/soph division that resulted in a victory; next up is the St. Joe-Ogden Classic on 9/28.
19) Liberty-The Eagles produced a 59-second scoring split for a 49th place showing at the Richard Spring Invite. This team has a nice pack to keep an eye on; next up is the Springfield Invite on 9/28.
20) Sparta-The Bulldogs placed 8th at the Edwardsville invite scoring 270 pts; next up is the Springfield Invite on 9/28.
1A Girls Week Four Rankings
1. Monticello
2. Decatur (St. Teresa)
3. Rochester
4. St. Joseph- Ogden
5. Eureka HS
6. Chicago (Latin)
7. Tolono (Unity)
8. Liberty
9. Litchfield HS
10. Monmouth (Monmouth-Roseville)
11. Freeburg
12. Byron
13. Carlinville
14. Mt. Zion
15. Petersberg (Porta)
16. Winnebago
17. Urbana (University)
18. Effingham (St. Anthony)
19. Downs (Tri-Valley)
20. Kankakee (Mcnamara)
1A Girls Week Three Recap
1) Monticello-The Sages straight dominated the field at the Tuscola Classic with their entire varsity five in the top 10 going 18:47-19:38; next up is the SJO Spartan Classic on 9/28.
2) Decatur (St. Teresa)-The Bulldogs completed a solid win at the Macarthur Invite with 26 points; next up is the Bulldogs SJO Spartan Classic on 9/28.
3) Rochester- DNR this week; the Rockets will run at the Springfield Invite on 9/28.
4) St. Joseph-Ogden-The Spartans finished 32nd at the Richard Spring Invite; next is the hosting of the Spartan Classic on 9/28.
5) Eureka-The Hornets placed second in the Bureau Valley Invite scoring 136 points; next up is the East Peoria Invitational on 9/28.
6) Tolono (Unity)-The Rockets placed second behind Monticello at the Tuscola Classic; next up is the SJO Spartan Classic on 9/28.
7) Liberty-The Eagles didn’t run a scoring roster in the Richard Spring Invite varsity race. However, they earned a 16th place effort in the frosh/soph race; next up is the Springfield Invite on 9/28.
8) Monmouth-Roseville-The Titans finished fourth at the Dunlap Invite, losing only to 2A teams; next up is the hosting of the Monmouth Invite on 9/28.
9) Litchfield-The Purple Panthers placed 5th at the Edwardsville Invite. Their 1-5 packed it up 21:05-21:35 on a very tough course.
10) Freeburg-The Lady Midgets finished sixth place at the Edwardsville Invite. Currently, the lady midgets have some strong front runners but are hurt by some gap trouble; hosting their own Freeburg Invite on 9/25.
11) Byron-The Indians ran in a seven team meet they hosted; next meet is the Roger Schmidt Invite on 9/28.
12) Carlinville-The Cavaliers placed fifth at the Bureau Valley Invite but was hindered by some gap trouble after Lea Viano and Colleen Madden; next up is the Carlinville Invite on 9/28.
13) Mt. Zion-The Braves finished fourth at the Macarthur Invite again without their front runner, McKayler Harder; next is the Mattoon Invite on 9/26.
14) Petersburg (Porta)-The Lady Jays finished 40th at the Richard Spring Invite. The Brauer twins did not disappoint as they both placed in the top fifteen, but gaps have yet to be filled; next is the Springfield Invite on 9/28.
15) Winnebago- DNR last week; The Indians will host their Roger Schmidt Invite on 9/28.
16) Downs (Tri-Valley)-Finished fifth at the Tuscola Classic due to a little gap trouble—despite being a noteworthy team—in tough competition; next is the SJO Spartan Classic on 9/28.
17) Effingham (St. Anthony)-The Bulldogs finished fourth at the Tuscola Classic on the strength of freshman wonder kid Anna Sophia Keller’s killer performance. She blazed the field by a minute in a half running 17:08; next up is the SJO Spartan Classic on 9/28.
18) Marquette Academy-Ran at the Gardner South-Wilmington Invite; hosting a home meet 9/24.
19) Kankakee (Mcnamara)-Placed 2nd at the Illiana Christian Invite, narrowly losing to 2A Illiana Christian; next up is the Herscher Invite on 9/28.
20) Elmwood-Brimfield-The Trojans ran to a 11th place effort at the Bureau Valley Invite. The Trojans are only getting ready for later races; Idle this week.
Tony Jones takes a look at the top teams across the state of Illinois heading into week four. Did your team make the cut?
3A Boys Week Four Rankings