The stream of new faces onto the 2A scene will be evident this season (Steve Bugarin photo)
19. Springfield (H.S.)
2015 Finish: 6th - State
Coach: Dan Devlin
Key returners:
Jackson Esela (Sr.) 15:27
Peyton Fine (Sr.) 16:11
Reece Koke (Sr.) 16:54
Barrett Kurmann (Jr.) 15:53
Shaul Latif (Jr.) 17:14
Zack Kinison (So.) 17:22
Ray's Take: Springfield was hit hard by graduation and has rebuilding to do after losing 8 of their top 12 runners from last year. Only Jackson Esela and Barrett Kurmann return from the state qualifying team, one that performed well by finishing 6th. If Springfield wants to defend its Central State 8 conference title, it will have to get some help from Peyton Fine and Reece Koke, along with any number of other runners without varsity experience. This could be a tough year for the Senators, but we know of this program's strength, so do not discount improvement for this team.
18. Carbondale (H.S.)
2015 Finish: 22nd - State
Coach: Greg Storm
Key returners:
Atlantis Green (Sr.) 15:20
Colton Nelson (Jr.) 16:30
Peter Aaflaq (Sr.) 16:53
Shawn Veras (Jr.) 16:54
Shawn McKitrick (Jr.) 16:42
Adam Russell (So.) 17:42
Zeyad Moustafa (Jr.) 18:00
Ray's Take: Carbondale lost a little firepower after graduating Micah Cherry but returns All-State contender Atlantis Green along with most of the 22nd place state team from 2015. Colton Nelson, Peter Aaflaq, Shawn Veras, and Shawn McKitrick return with PRs within just 25 seconds of each other. If the pack catches up to Green, this can be a dark horse team to make some noise at Detweiller in November.
17. Maple Park (Kaneland)
2015 Finish: 17th at 2A State
Coach: Chad Clarey
Key returners:
Matthew Richtman (Jr.) 15:03
Noah Duffey (Sr.) 16:17
Andrew Kantola (Sr.) 16:22
Sam Webster (Jr.) 16:26
Peyton Heiser (Jr.) 17:58
Henry Nosek (Jr.) 17:00
Jacob Wielgos (So.) 17:12
Ray's Take: Matthew Richtman's all-state performance was one of the highlights for Kaneland in 2015, and the possible 2017 state favorite now leads the Knights in pinstripes who lose four of their seven runners from last year's 17th place team. Kaneland has an uphill battle against the ever-stronger northern Illinois 2A sectional. The rest of the pack, particularly Noah Duffey, Andrew Kantola, and Sam Webster, have a lot of room to make up behind Richtman and will be the key for the Knights to return to Peoria in 2016.
16. Rockford (R.
Christian)
2015 Finish: 18th - State
Coach: Randy Moore
Key returners:
Riley Wells (So.) 15:48
Josiah Vogel (Jr.) 15:54
Jack Kurtz (Sr.) 16:13
Noah Wells (Sr.) 16:13
Will Mecklenburg (Sr.) 17:44
Nicolas Capriola (So.) 17:51
Cal Granite (So.) 17:42
Ray's Take: The defending Big Northern Conference champions encountered a unique bit of adversity last cross country season when they were notified that their classification had switched from 1A to 2A... after the season began. They are joined by several schools from 1A this year as well, and coach Randy Moore knows it: " 2A has a new landscape with several schools moving up a class. We are only in our second year of the 2A division and hope to continue to transition, learn, and improve."
His Royal Lions team is led by the ultra-talented Riley Wells, whose breakout freshman track season was punctuated by a strong anchor leg for the state champion 4x800 team. Not far behind wells are Josiah Bogel, Jack Kurtz, and Noah Wells, upperclassmen who all scored at state for Rockford Christian. These four, if joined by a reliable fifth runner, can make an impact as a top-10 team in 2A or even better. Not bad for a squad thrust into a higher division within the past year.