The summer is really like spring for cross country enthusiasts who had to wait all winter and spring for their time of the year to talk up their sport. All over the Midwest coaches, athletes, parents, and fans get excited about the prospects of the coming fall and what to expect. In Illinois, cross country is huge and the expectations of storied programs never change. Elmhurst York is the flagship program and everyone knows to follow in step. However, there are several teams in line to bolster themselves to the forefront. One team in particular is O’Fallon. The Panthers have been the penultimate type team for several years now. The St. Louis area team has been patient for quite for some time. That time may be finally arriving. As well, there will be 25 teams at the end of the day on the course at the fabled Detweiller Park with the same vision as O’Fallon and York.
Good luck to you all this season!
5) Arlington Heights (Hersey)-
Head Coach: Jay Renaud
Last year’s final season finish: state- 19th (435 pts.)
Key returners: David Rodriguez (Jr.)- 35th, Andy Philipose (Sr.)- 70th, Jack O’Neil (Sr.)- 144th, Grant von der Lippe (Jr.)- 161st, Matt Stadnicki (Sr.)- 198th, Matt Dini (Sr.)
Projected top 7: Rodriguez, Philipose, O’Neil, Von der Lippe, Stadnicki, Dini, Eric DeLoera, or Kevin Ziegenhorn (Jr.), Josh Plischke (Jr.), Brendan Cunningham (Sr.). The seventh man position is wide open.
Newcomers: DeLoera (played soccer last fall), Nick Wagner (So),
Coach Renaud’s team outlook: “Our summer training has gone as expected. We’ve had anywhere from 10-14 guys putting in 70-75 miles/week. We spent five days in Estes Park, Colorado in late June with our top 12 athletes getting in some excellent training at altitude. We have a really deep squad where we could have a lot of guys step in if someone isn’t running well.”
“The goals for the season are to win the MSL Conference title and put ourselves in contention to win a state trophy. I think we have the team to compete with just about anyone so we will see how the season progresses.”
“Outlook for the team is to have two all-state guys (David Rodriguez and Andy Philipose) contending for top 10 spots. In addition, I believe Eric DeLoera could contend for a top 20-30 spot after putting in an incredible summer. We will look to Jack O’Neil and Grant Von der Lippe to be right around the 15:00 minute mark. I’d also watch out for Matt Dini who has progressed well beyond what I expected. The team has about an extra 5-7 guys that can and will compete for our 6/7 spots. Very few of our projected Top seven guys have a spot protected as there are plenty of excellent athletes that could fill voids.”
4) Head Coach: John Sipple
Last year’s final season finish: 11th place- Marist Sectional
Key returners: Zach Smith (Sr.), Ryan Clevenger (Jr.), Tony Zea (Sr.), Jeremy Craven (Sr.), Jered Spilkey (Sr.), Marc Mathey (Sr.), Zac Christensen (Jr.).
Newcomers: Alec Danner (Fr.), Drew Pyburn (Fr.), and Tristan Jahn (Fr.)
Season outlook: Zach Smith and Ryan Clevenger will lead a deep team that will be aiming to reach Peoria after a disappointing 11th place finish at Marist Sectional. This time around things should be different with a more mature team. Smith placed eighth in last year’s state meet with a swift 14:33. He followed up a fine harrier campaign with a monster track season that saw him produce 9:12/4:13 times respectively. It is obvious that he will be a top threat for the individual crown in November. Clevenger was solid as well on the oval clocking 4:20. He still has to prove his abilities on grass. That shouldn’t be much of a problem after logging in a ton of summer miles with Smith. Watch for athletes such as Jered Spilky, Jeremy Craven, and a few others to provide some top-notch support in the 3-5 spots.
3) Head Coach: Dave Wisner
Last Year’s Finish season finish: state- 14th (354pts)
Key Returners: Chase Silverman (Sr.)- 92nd, Austin Santacruz (Jr.)- 96th, Om Kanwar (Jr.)- 104th, Connor Trapp (Sr.)- 108th, Peter Cotsirilos (Sr.), Charlie Pearlman (Jr.), Jack Litow (So.), Ted Oh (So.).
Projected Top 7: Silverman, Santacruz, Kanwar, Trapp, Cotsirlos, Litowitz, Oh.
Newcomers: Peter DeWeirdt (Sr.), Barr Iserloth (Sr.), Tarek Afifi (Jr.), Luc Duros (Jr.), Charlie Pearlman (Jr.), Josh Rosenkranz (Jr.), Josh Derrick (So.).
Season outlook according to Coach Wisner: “The New Trier Boys cross country team had their best summer since 2010 and this group should be in the mix for a top five state finish (minimum if everyone can stay healthy). We have four athletes that competed in the 2012 state meet which is the most returnees we have ever had. If Peter Cotsirilos can run this season then that gives us five athletes with significant state meet experience. While our top five will most likely be comprised of these individuals, there will be at least eight to ten other runners with a legitimate shot of making our Top seven by November.”
“We will continue to emphasize pack running, but unlike last year there could be smaller groups forming after the first mile. Hopefully, we can keep our 1-5 [scoring] split under 45 seconds with a team state meet average that’s 20 seconds or more faster than last season. Both Cotsirilos and Chase Silverman are realistic all-state contenders and while Chase doesn’t get the headlines, he did some special things in workouts and team time trials last track season. He also ran 9:30 for 3200m at our sectional track meet on a warm breezy day, so he is poised for a breakout cross country season. Right behind these two should be Connor Trapp, Om Kanwar, and Austin Santacruz. All three of these athletes are well ahead of where they were last year. They should be very good, but it’s simply too early to determine how special they can be.”
Special note: How is Cotsirlos’ health?
“In terms of Peter’s health everything has gone very well so far. He is only running five days a week and his mileage is probably much lower than most other all-state contenders. We are supplementing his training with time on the bike and focusing on quality over quantity. He is a special athlete and a fierce competitor, and even though he has missed two entire cross country seasons, he still might surprise some people come November.”
2) Head Coach/coach: Joe Newton/Jim Hedman
Last season’s final season finish: State Champions; Nike Cross Nationals- 8th
Top returners: Kyle Mattes (Sr.)-23rd, Alex Bashqawi (Sr.)- 27th, Matt Plowman (Jr.)- 146th, Nathan Dale (Jr.), Connor York (Jr.), John May (So.), Nathan Mroz (Sr.)
Season outlook: The Dukesters graduated four of their top seven runners… it doesn’t seem to matter who the Dukes lose because there is always someone on the horizon waiting for their time to shine in the storied program. If Mr. Joe Newton had to tell it, he would probably say this may not be the best Dukes team on paper, but it will be very good of course no matter who lines up on the starting line. The old saying goes ‘winning breeds winning’ and York does it better than anyone else. Despite the graduation of some fleet talent like Scott Milling, Alex Mimlitz, and Scott May, the Dukesters will continue to be a state championship and national threat. Kyle Mattes is slated to be the team’s top returner this season. He placed 23rd last year but missed virtually the entire track season due to injury. If he can return in a similar position this fall then tremendous heat will be put on O’Fallon and other threats. Nathan Mroz enjoyed a solid track season (9:22 in limited action) as did the emerging Alex Bashqawi in the middle-distance department. They both will be easy top 25 candidates. The supporting cast will need to follow the ‘Long Green Line’ way to reach another state title and beyond.
1) O’Fallon
Head Coach: Jon Burnett
2012 Final season finish: State- runner up (117pts)
Key returners: Patrick Perrier (Sr.)- 4th, Dorrian Gordon (Jr.)- 42nd, Steve Chroma (Sr.)- 55th, Evan Wesslund (Sr.)- 65th, Brennan Koester (Sr.)- 88th.
Newcomer: Adam Becker (Sr.).
Season Outlook: This formable team has been knocking at the door for the top spot for several years, and it appears they may finally have what it takes to finally reach the mountain top in November and beyond. The Panthers lose two cogs of their top seven in Alex Riba (off to Texas A&M) and Dustan Davidson (transferred to St. Louis U HS) but they are poised to keep it moving. The deftly talented Patrick Perrier will lead the five seasoned starters from last year’s state runner-up squad who were able keep their scoring split under one-minute despite having two monster front runners. Perrier ran 9:03/4:12/1:54 last season. Coach Jon Burnett’s solid support system is really simple. He will deploy Perrier as the go-getter and use key runners Dorrian Gordon, Steve Chorma, Evan Westlund, and Brennan Koester to maintain an air tight pack. Keep an eye out for Adam Becker. He produced 9:46/4:39 marks during last spring’s track season. There is no doubt he will add depth and replace the departed Davidson. These will be the keys to winning the school’s first state championship.
Coach Burnett’s team outlook: “The team has had a great summer of training. The guys are a close-knit group. The seniors have become solid leaders and the junior class is the deepest we have had at OTHS. The guys have set goals to win the SWC, Regional, and Sectional. They have also set a goal of winning a state trophy. The guys are looking good to achieve their goals; however, a lot of miles will have to be run between now and the postseason. If everything goes the way we want, we hope to be in the mix at state.”