Illinois Weekend Preview: Premier Edition

Anna Sophia Keller in the blue singlet will look to streak away to victory in her first race of the season (Colin Boyle photo)

The first weekend of the Illinois High School cross country season is here. Although the palate is not very large in terms of numbers, there are a few meets that aim to catch the fans attention.

Let's take a look at what's going on Saturday:

The First To The Finish Kick Off Meet-

The first major invitational of the year will kick off way down south at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, the former Metro East Lutheran Debut Invitational has been named "The First To The Finish Kickoff" sponsored by The First To The Finish running sports company.

[Girls]

  • Anna Sophia Keller (Jr., Effingham St. Anthony) made her high school debut here two years amid a semi-media following. She won in a meet record 18:08 that had everyone buzzing because of the toughness of the rugged SIU-E course. The indicators turned out to be true as Keller went on set a fast state winning time of 16:35. This weekend's edition should be just as thrilling with Keller debuting her 2015 season. Keller indicated that she is ready to roll after a slow start to her summer training. Apparently her sore hip lingered on from the track season. The faithful will see if she is fit for another great performance.
  • Team wise: watch for Decatur (St. Teresa) to perform at a high level in their first competition as a 2A school. The Bulldogs won last year's meet easily scoring 57 points. They should be the favorites again with Rochester chasing behind.

[Boys]

The boys ledger should be an even match competition with Rochester, Salem, and Freeburg doing battle. Last year's race saw only a 36-point spread among the three squads in a 34 team field.

Normal West Wildcat Invitational-

  • Normal West coach Steve Destri is excited about the first meet of the year for his team and area foes. The small stature meet will also feature some big time quality on the girls side. "Maryjeanne Gilbert [of Peoria Notre Dame] will be looking to lower her Maxwell Park course record of 17:10 Saturday," he said. "The meet records are 17:59 by Emily Brelsfoard (Normal West) and 14:58 by Michael Clevenger (Decatur MacArthur). The girl's team race will be outstanding between Minooka, Dunlap & Notre Dame. The boy's team and individual titles are up for grabs."

Aurora City Invitational-

  • The battle for Aurora will take place very early as it always does. Karina Liz (Auroral Central Catholic) and Madison Ronzone (Rosary) will duel for top honors in the girls race. Both young ladies had outstanding track seasons. Boys middle distance star Connor McCue of West Aurora should be the boys favorite.