Boys-
Neuqua Valley will kick off the season at top of the class (Colin Boyle photo)
Key teams: #1 Naperville (Neuqua Valley), #4 Hinsdale Central, #17 Winnetka (New Trier), #19 Minooka; 2A- #6 Darien (Hinsdale South)
The outlook: Last year Neuqua Valley was a surprise easy winner throttling host Hinsdale Central 33-61. The Wildcats put five scorers in the top 10 along with a scant 10 second split. What will this team assemble? "Danny Winek is out for at least 5 weeks with a double sacral stress fracture," said head coach Paul Vandersteen of his wounded soldier. He adds: "Matt Milostan out of town. Scott Anderson starting to run but not ready to race yet." So it appears as though the state's pre-season is a little short handed. But don't fret because Neuqua Valley is incredibly deep with as many as 10 runners capable of running varsity seven on any team in the state. The senior class will be led by a healthy Jake McEneaney. McEneaney is ready for a big year according to Vandersteen. McEneaney placed fifth here last year. One of the emerging Wildcats to watch out for is sophomore Zach Kinne. Kinne was one of the top freshmen in the state last year. He ran the varsity race last September and took 15th overall. The Wildcats will need his presence at the top of the field if they hope to repeat as champions.
Hinsdale Central will lead with defending champion Blake Evertsen who is finally a senior. The former child prodigy leads a strong team. The Red Devils love stacking their team in their home meet this early set a tone for the season. The ultimate goal of course is a date in Peoria on November 5. Coach Jim Westphal knows that an experienced group along with a strong pack wins championships. Ethan Planson, Ryan Doorhy, Sam Fathizadeh and Sean O'Connell are key factors in pursuing a team trophy.
Other teams to watch for are Minooka, New Trier, Hinsdale South, and Palatine.
Individually, Evertsen will have a fleet of runners challenging him, but the biggest threat will be Soren Knudsen. The Minooka senior has improved tremendously since last year. He is coming off of a monster track season in which he ran 4:08 for 1600m. Knudsen finished 16th a year ago at KLM.