Class 2A-
Jacksonville girls running through warm ups in last year's FTTF Invitational (Steve Bugarin photo)
It wasn't mentioned in the 3A snapshot but there will be a new state champion. The five time winning Yorkville Foxes are now in 3A. It may Belvidere North's time after falling short of the top mantle the last several years. The Blue Steaks will see six of their top seven girls back this fall. They will be on a vengeance this fall to finish off the job. The team we all would think is a threat to Belvidere North would be Vernon Hills who earned a third place trophy last year. The Cougars will return five of their top seven. One of the girls will not be top runner and now graduate Vivian Overbeck.
Two time champion Maryjeanne Gilbert (Peoria Notre Dame) is now at Notre Dame. Jenna Lutzow of Belvidere North was the only girl in the classification to break 17:00. The state runner up in the 800m has some serious wheels but ironically she has never run a race above the mile in high school. Somehow that may not hurt her when the season is underway.
Boys-
The stampede of a cross country race in September always makes sense (Steven Bugarin photo)
Jack Aho is a marked man after winning the state meet last season. For this efforts, Aho earned a national record. He is ranked #22 in the Saucony Flo 50 pre-season rankings. No one is touching Aho should he remain healthy. The fact that he is back in 2A will make matters even more easy. Aho will be shooting for All-American honors this season. Filip Pajak (Prairie Ridge) returns as the second best harrier. He was all state in 4th place.
The team time was a surprise for Grayslake Central who return a fleet of runners for this season. Yorkville has moved up, Hinsdale South suffered major losses, Mahomet-Seymour is a questionable team. Can Springfield return strong once more? We all see what happens.