Expect a great overall team championship that includes #1 Elgin Harvest (Tracy Burmester photo)
The qualifying teams: #1 Elgin (Harvest Christian Academy), #2 Elmwood, #3 Athens, #4 Deer Creek Makinaw (DeeMack), #5 Rockford Christian, #6 St. Joseph-Ogden, #7 Freeburg, #8 Urbana (University), #9 Monticello, #10 Robinson, #11 Chillicothe (Illinois Valley Central), #12 Carlinville, #13 Sterling (Newman Catholic), #14 Seneca, #15 Clifton Central, #16 Lawrenceville, #17 Paxton-Buckley-Loda, #19 Marengo, #21 El Paso-Gridley; Pinckneyville, Herscher, Elmhurst (Timothy Christian), Columbia, Benton, Breese (Mater Dei)
Opening thoughts: It is rather hard to say who is the favorite going into Saturday. St. Joe-Ogden was the pre-season #1 team then Elmwood had a turn in the top position, and now defending champion Harvest Christian Academy is in the pole position. You can even throw in Athens if their pack can rise up behind star senior Wyatt McIntyre. But more than anything it appears as though the individual race that is going to upstage the team battle. McIntyre and Logan Hall are two of the best runners in the state of Illinois and they are going to have first crack on the course at 10am. It all will depend on the weather and whether or not things turn into a slugfest or chess match.
Let meet the teams (match ups by sectionals)
Benton Sectional-
Freeburg
Head Coach: Carl Florczyk
2016 state meet finish: State runner-up
Pre-season rank: #7
Final regular season rank: #7
Probable starting line up:
| Charlie Parrish (Sr.) | 3 | 14:32 |
| Carson Smith (Jr.) | 14 | 15:49 |
| Blake Hatter (Jr.) | 17 | 15:52 |
| McKallen Smith (So.) | 28 | 16:08 |
| Cade Smith (Fr.) | 30 | 16:09 |
| Evan Wilkerson (Fr.) | 50 | 16:30 |
| Ben Fiedler (Sr.) | 106 | 17:53 |
-This is a team is that finished second last year in Peoria. They are not the same team despite returning top runner Charlie Parrish and having another solid pack behind him. One reason is a relatively young cast mixed in that includes two freshmen in the lineup. Freeburg could move into the top 5 if they can hit on all cylinders.
Pinckneyville
Head Coach: Ryan Bruns
2016 state meet finish: 15th
Pre-season rank: #15
Final regular season rank: N/A
Probable starting line up:
| Garrett Johnson (Sr.) | 5 | 15:09 |
| Grant Batteau (Sr.) | 7 | 15:25 |
| Liam Oliver (Jr.) | 21 | 15:55 |
| Dustin Bartnicki (Sr.) | 46 | 16:27 |
| Grant Jausel (Sr.) | 48 | 16:27 |
| Noah Conner (Jr.) | 81 | 17:14 |
| Daniel Garavaglia (Fr.) | 95 | 17:31 |
-Back on track after falling out of FLO 50 team rankings. This team slid past Columbia for second place at the Benton Sectional. The goal is still to finish in the top 15. Individually, Garrett Johnson and Grant Batteau will aid their team's cause on the low stick scoring.
Columbia
Head Coach: Laura Homan
2016 state meet finish: Did not compete
Pre-season rank: None
Final regular season rank: None
Probable starting line up:
| Eli King (Sr.) | 18 | 15:53 |
| Ethan Sturm (So.) | 19 | 15:54 |
| Joshua Foster (Sr.) | 20 | 15:55 |
| Tristan Oestreich (So.) | 34 | 16:15 |
| Curtis Crossley (So.) | 38 | 16:22 |
| Ryan Groszek (Jr.) | 56 | 16:42 |
| Caleb Bahr (So.) | 102 | 17:42 |
-Not much is known about this team which took 3rd at the New Athens Regional and third again at Benton Sectional. Eli King is the #1 runner whose pack has been racing well producing a scoring split under 1:00 this post season. The Eagles will shoot for a top 20 spot on Saturday.
Benton
Head Coach: Brent McLain
2016 state meet finish: None
Pre-season rank: None
Final regular season rank: None
Probable starting line up:
| Kyle Sneed (Sr.) | 16 | 15:51 |
| Avery Potter (Jr.) | 24 | 15:58 |
| Joey Sample (So.) | 31 | 16:12 |
| Brady Gischer (So.) | 32 | 16:12 |
| Ethan Krieger (Jr.) | 35 | 16:17 |
| Parker Sieveking (Fr.) | 55 | 16:42 |
| Kaden Beadle (Fr.) | 78 | 17:10 |
-First state championship qualifier for this team who is coach by former state champion Brent McClain. It will be a great experience for the entire team but especially for the six guys who will return next year.
Breese (Mater Dei)
Head Coach: Marv Eversgerd
2016 state meet finish: 23rd
Pre-season rank: #22
Final regular season rank: None
Probable starting line up:
| Luke Goebel (Sr.) | 1 | 14:24 |
| Alex Detmer (Jr.) | 10 | 15:38 |
| Kevin Medlin (Sr.) | 11 | 15:39 |
| Steve Hirte (Fr.) | 60 | 16:50 |
| Andrew Stevenson (So.) | 67 | 16:56 |
| Ryan Clancy (So.) | 72 | 17:05 |
| Nick Wolden (Jr.) | 87 | 17:23 |
-The Knights look to improve on a solid experience from a year ago. This year's team will look to get inside of the top 20. The biggest improvement is top runner Luke Goebel who has run 14:55 at Detweiller.
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Carlinville Sectional-
St.Joseph-Ogden
Head Coach: Jason Retz
2016 state meet finish: 8th
Pre-season rank: #1
Final regular season rank: #6
Probable starting line up:
| Braden Pridemore (Sr.) | 2 | 15:36 |
| Wyatt Wolfersberger (Sr.) | 3 | 15:37 |
| Isiah McCune (Jr.) | 17 | 16:07 |
| Riley Baker (Sr.) | 30 | 16:25 |
| Kaleb Harshbarger (Jr.) | 47 | 16:56 |
| Brandon Mattsey (Fr.) | 53 | 17:05 |
| Cailer Kellenberger (Fr.) | 76 | 17:28 |
-The Spartans have endured a heavy target on their backs all season after coming into the season as the #1 team. Despite a few stumbles the goal is to still win a state title. With an easy sectional win against a deep field, Coach Retz's crew can breathe a little easier. But the key has to be better pack running behind Wyatt Wolfersberger and Braden Pridemore. At this point it appears as though bettering Harvest Academy and Elmwood is out of reach. But earning a top 5 spot is not.
Robinson
Head Coach: Tony Cork
2016 state meet finish: 7th
Pre-season rank: #19
Final regular season rank: #10
Probable starting line up:
| Lukas Baird (Sr.) | 10 | 15:52 |
| Wyatt Bonnell (Jr.) | 13 | 16:05 |
| Maverick Wright (So.) | 27 | 16:23 |
| Kobe Lorance (Sr.) | 38 | 16:42 |
| Koty Amdahl (So.) | 49 | 17:00 |
| Zach Buttolph (So.) | 70 | 17:23 |
| Parker Middleton (Fr.) | 74 | 17:26 |
-The Maroons are a tricky team in that they have been steady but not great. They did not have a lights out schedule but when it counted they stepped up such as a 4th place finish at the Peoria Patriot Invitational. They finished second at sectionals to St. Joe-Ogden. Lukas Baird stepped up to lead the team at sectionals, but Wyatt Bonnell and Maverick Wright have taken turns leading the charge. They will once again need to bring their best effort on Saturday.
Urbana (University)
Head Coach: Doug Mynatt
2016 state meet finish: None
Pre-season rank: None
Final regular season rank: #8
Probable starting line up:
| Aryan Lalwani (Fr.) | 15 | 16:06 |
| Nicolas Ramkumar (So.) | 21 | 16:17 |
| Henry Kraatz (So.) | 25 | 16:21 |
| Alex Dolcos (Fr.) | 31 | 16:27 |
| Matty Tang (So.) | 50 | 17:00 |
| Ethan Ashbrook (So.) | 77 | 17:29 |
| Vicente Aldunate (Sr.) | 85 | 17:34 |
-The girls team moved up to 2A because of the success factor. Not to be out done though is a team built on team play. The Illineks came up from the bottom and worked their way into the top 10. The strength of the team is clearly a pack running affair. The success on the strength 1-4 going 15 seconds has been normal and 50 seconds over five has been a good thing for the team.
Carlinville
Head Coach: Charles Helton
2016 state meet finish: 18th
Pre-season rank: #13
Final regular season rank: #12
Probable starting line up:
| Jason Landon (Sr.) | 7 | 15:46 |
| Charles Helton IV (Sr.) | 19 | 16:10 |
| Briley Roper (So.) | 40 | 16:46 |
| Bailey Lippold (Jr.) | 41 | 16:48 |
| Grayson Armour (Sr.) | 44 | 16:54 |
| Cale Williams (So.) | 48 | 16:57 |
| Samuel Mock (Sr.) | 55 | 17:06 |
-A good team led by another Landon brother. This time Jason leads the way. The Cavaliers 4th place finish finish at sectionals is a little deceptive because of the overall team depth. Landon is an all-state candidate and his team will need to run under 45 secs 2-5 in order to get their desired results.
Lawrenceville
Head Coach: John Christy
2016 state meet finish: 16th
Pre-season rank: #9
Final regular season rank: #16
Probable starting line up:
| Max Smigiel (Sr.) | 11 | 15:54 |
| Cole Sumner (Jr.) | 24 | 16:20 |
| Blaine Hesler (Jr.) | 39 | 16:42 |
| Conner McKinney (Jr.) | 46 | 16:56 |
| Gavin Rucker (Sr.) | 63 | 17:15 |
| James Burk (So.) | 103 | 17:58 |
| Colin Benson (So.) | 106 | 18:03 |
-The Indians started off the season performing at smaller invites and built their way up as the season progressed. The end result was getting battle tested against some real good teams. One of those teams they took several losses to was rival Robinson. Max Smigiel will lead the Indians into battle.
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Elmwood Sectional-
Elmwood
Head Coach: Gregg Meyers
2016 state meet finish: 5th
Pre-season rank: #3
Final regular season rank: #2
Probable starting line up:
| Trevor Dunkel (Sr.) | 3 | 15:24 |
| Cooper Hoffmann (Sr.) | 6 | 15:44 |
| Luke Hoffmann (Fr.) | 26 | 16:26 |
| Alex Hermann (Sr.) | 29 | 16:38 |
| Logan Whitney (Jr.) | 32 | 16:42 |
| Jacob Brown (Jr.) | 41 | 16:54 |
| Eli Stevenson (Fr.) | 50 | 17:09 |
-If you consider finishing 5th disappointing then you don't know success. Elmwood is used to winning trophies and they will be going for their 4th one on Saturday. Seniors Trevor Dunkel and Cooper Hoffmann are ready for the premier plate. The Trojans could probably be #1 but they don't view success in the first half of the season to be that important. In past seasons the team has been known to wear trainers in meets. They will be spiked up and ready to run their best race of the season.
Mackinaw (Deer Creek)
Head Coach: Sam Ingram
2016 state meet finish: 10th
Pre-season rank: #6
Final regular season rank: #4
Probable starting line up:
| Gary Cates (Sr.) | 9 | 15:52 |
| John Carnicle (Jr.) | 18 | 16:14 |
| John Blumeyer (Fr.) | 20 | 16:21 |
| Colby Johnson (So.) | 24 | 16:24 |
| Neal Scheuermann (Sr.) | 27 | 16:33 |
| Dalton Myers (Sr.) | 57 | 17:15 |
| Jacob Henderson (Jr.) | 59 | 17:22 |
-One of the better pack running times in Class A. If the Chiefs had a true low stick they would have beat Elmwood at sectionals. Instead their scoring pack was just a little bit behind. Gary Cates is a top 20 candidate. The scoring pack looks good and they should disrupt some of the top 5 candidate teams.
Monticello
Head Coach: Dave Remmert
2016 state meet finish: None
Pre-season rank: #17
Final regular season rank: #9
Probable starting line up:
| Alex Helmuth (Sr.) | 2 | 15:17 |
| Garrett Dixon (Jr.) | 5 | 15:32 |
| Luke Sokolowski (Fr.) | 22 | 16:22 |
| Morgan Dixon (Fr.) | 33 | 16:44 |
| Josiah Ratts (Jr.) | 38 | 16:53 |
| Ethan Bright (Jr.) | 47 | 17:04 |
| Eric Tate (Sr.) | 76 | 17:53 |
-Not even to make a run for a trophy despite two of the classification's best runners in Alex Helmuth and Garrett Dixon. Helmuth is a top 10 if not top 5 runner for sure. Dixon is a top 15 or better runner. The rest of the scorers are going to need a career type effort if the Sages want a shot inside the top 5.
Athens
Head Coach: Kerry Trueblood
2016 state meet finish: 12th
Pre-season rank: #4
Final regular season rank: #3
Probable starting line up:
| Wyatt McIntyre (Sr.) | 1 | 14:40 |
| Noah McIntyre (So.) | 8 | 15:51 |
| Ryan Nordsiek (Jr.) | 28 | 16:34 |
| Joseph Goodenow (So.) | 36 | 16:50 |
| Will Hill (So.) | 43 | 16:58 |
| James Goodenow (So.) | 46 | 17:04 |
| Kyle Sholtis (So.) | 61 | 17:23 |
-This is the year that Wyatt McIntyre is expected to lead his team to an individual title and a team trophy. So far things are headed in the right direction. Wyatt is one of the state's best runners and he will a low stick for sure. His brother Noah will be fighting for a state medal in his own right. The team overall is young and built for the future. After looking at sectional results and wondering why the team finished 4th, it was quickly pointed out two guys shoes fell off during the race. Also, there was supposedly an error in the results that may have misrepresented the Warriors. Well the team made it Peoria safely. Now, once there make sure the shoes are double knotted if not taped.
El Paso-Gridley
Head Coach: Mike Melick
2016 state meet finish: 9th
Pre-season rank: #11
Final regular season rank: #21
Probable starting line up:
| Noah Smith (Jr.) | 12 | 15:54 |
| Bo Halvorsen (Jr.) | 14 | 16:02 |
| Mason Ringger (Fr.) | 35 | 16:47 |
| Matt Ingalsbe (So.) | 39 | 16:53 |
| Nathan DeMarb (Fr.) | 42 | 16:54 |
| Will Bushert (Jr.) | 49 | 17:07 |
| Sebastian Meyer (Fr.) | 84 | 18:07 |
-The Titans have not run quite as well as they probably want right now. Yes, they have finished behind good teams like DeeMac and Monticello at sectionals, but several of the top brass havent stepped like they should. The scoring split was a bit high late in the season. Bo Halvorsen and Noah Smith will continue to lead the way.
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Lisle Sectional-
Elgin (Harvest Christian Academy)
Head Coach: Steven Bland
2016 state meet finish: State Champions
Pre-season rank: #8
Final regular season rank: #1
Probable starting line up:
| Andrew Dobrescu (Sr.) | 2 | 15:49 |
| Mark Davila (Sr.) | 4 | 16:10 |
| Matthew Olech (Fr.) | 7 | 16:21 |
| Connor Seals (Sr.) | 10 | 16:25 |
| Kyler Young (Sr.) | 14 | 16:51 |
| Chris Dobrescu (Jr.) | 28 | 17:28 |
| Hayden Colclasure (Fr.) | 40 | 17:55 |
-It was a mistake ranking the Lions too low at the start of the season. They were an emerging program last year despite winning the state title. Coach Bland was a little disappointed at the start of the season because some key members did not come in as fit as they should have. He said this at the time: "We were hoping for another strong year, maybe a podium spot in Peoria. However, we are probably behind in our development if we were hoping to defend. Perhaps some of our returning runners were thinking since we won last year, we should be stronger this year." The hard work since August has transformed this team into a powerhouse. No Detweiller indicators and no big invites to gauge how good the squad is other than a dominating performance at sectionals. Andrew Dobrescu led the team in the runner up spot. The overall split was a real solid 1:01. The Lions will be hard to beat.
Clifton (Central)
Head Coach: David Ladehoff
2016 state meet finish: None
Pre-season rank: #18
Final regular season rank: #15
Probable starting line up:
| Isaiah Ditta (So.) | 3 | 16:05 |
| Jeremy Snejberg (Jr.) | 13 | 16:36 |
| Trevor Swanson (So.) | 22 | 17:09 |
| Blake Stua (So.) | 23 | 17:10 |
| Jerod Snejberg (So.) | 43 | 17:58 |
| Caden Chamness (So.) | 58 | 18:16 |
| Caleb Kent (Jr.) | 66 | 18:37 |
-Jeremy Snejberg was the team's lone wolf last year at the state meet placing 58th. This year he will have his team and will have an opportunity to do well collectively. Isaiah Ditta has run as the squad's top runner most of the season. Getting inside the top 15 is a goal that is in reach if the pack runs up to its ability.
Paxton-Buckley-Loda
Head Coach: Dustin Franckey
2016 state meet finish: None
Pre-season rank: None
Final regular season rank: #17
Probable starting line up:
| Kody Harrison (Sr.) | 8 | 16:23 |
| Alec St. Julien (Jr.) | 25 | 17:20 |
| Erik Reck (Jr.) | 29 | 17:32 |
| Nikolas Schnabel (So.) | 30 | 17:33 |
| Jordan Giese (Jr.) | 34 | 17:41 |
| Trevor Morse (So.) | 41 | 17:56 |
| Brady Barfield (Sr.) | 69 | 18:39 |
-The Panthers did not run in the state series last year. They emerged midway through the season and are running well. Their coach is none other than Dustin Franckey, the 1999 state champion from the best team in Class A history Eureka. Franckey is in his third stanza and will build the best program that he can in Paxton. Kody Harrison will have the green light and everyone will be able to go and run to the best of their ability.
Herscher
Head Coach: Rick Livesey
2016 state meet finish: Do not compete
Pre-season rank: None
Final regular season rank: None
Probable starting line up:
| Tyler Howard (So.) | 5 | 16:13 |
| Chris Borschnack (Sr.) | 16 | 16:57 |
| Kamden Lockwood (Fr.) | 31 | 17:34 |
| Trevor Stutz (Fr.) | 39 | 17:55 |
| Nick Bushey (Jr.) | 60 | 18:18 |
| Joe Buckley (Sr.) | 67 | 18:38 |
| Connor Joffe (Fr.) | 79 | 19:00 |
-This will be a great experience for a team that did not run in the state series last year. Tyler Howard is the team's main man and he should be fighting for a top 40 spot. Herscher was in the rankings for a brief period, meaning they were a legitimate top 25 team. They will obviously finish in the top 25 but where in the top 25 is another quest.
Elmhurst (Timothy Christian)
Head Coach: Dick Zylstra
2016 state meet finish: 24th
Pre-season rank: None
Final regular season rank: None
Probable starting line up:
| Clint Fincher (Jr.) | 11 | 16:26 |
| William Terpstra (Sr.) | 12 | 16:32 |
| Caleb Mitchell (So.) | 27 | 17:24 |
| Alex Oldenburger (Jr.) | 51 | 18:07 |
| Noah Bezanson (Jr.) | 74 | 18:48 |
| Simon Detmer (Sr.) | 82 | 19:08 |
| Tristan Iwema (So.) | 104 | 20:13 |
-One of the teams that finished near the bottom of the standings back to improve from their 24th place finish. The overall numbers are not impressive, but this is a veteran team that will not finish in the anchor spot.
Oregon Sectional-
Rockford (Christian)
Head Coach: Randy Moore
2016 state meet finish: 4th
Pre-season rank: #5
Final regular season rank: #5
Probable starting line up:
| Riley Wells (Jr.) | 1 | 15:52 |
| Brent Brunner (Jr.) | 2 | 16:31 |
| Josiah Vogel (Sr.) | 3 | 16:41 |
| Carter Fryer (So.) | 4 | 17:25 |
| D' Artagnon Beaver (Fr.) | 5 | 17:28 |
| Cal Granite (Jr.) | 6 | 17:54 |
| Josh Honkamp (Jr.) | 7 | 17:57 |
-A top 5 team all season who is lead by 800 star Riley Wells. The Royal Lions will be a state title threat in 2018, but for the mean time it is imperative that the pack stays together and not get fractured during the intense battle of the second and third mile.
Chillicothe (Illinois Valley Central)
Head Coach: Dennis Fraikes
2016 state meet finish: 13th
Pre-season rank: #14
Final regular season rank: #11
Probable starting line up:
| Owen Habeger (Sr.) | 1 | 15:59 |
| Jordan Gerberding (Sr.) | 2 | 16:46 |
| Elias Bergman (So.) | 3 | 16:49 |
| Collin Eisenbarth (Fr.) | 4 | 17:59 |
| Jacob Quinn (So.) | 5 | 18:24 |
| Arthur Harris (Jr.) | 6 | 19:01 |
| Patrick Stanley (Jr.) | 7 | 19:44 |
-Top 15 is written all over this team with leader Owen Habeger as the ace runner. 1-4 was has been good much of the season, but the #5 spot was an issue at sectionals and could be on Saturday if it does not get corrected.
Sterling (Newman Central Catholic)
Head Coach: Patrick Warkins
2016 state meet finish: 6th
Pre-season rank: #5
Final regular season rank: #13
Probable starting line up:
| Spencer Mauch (Jr.) | 1 | 16:20 |
| Shay Hafner (Jr.) | 2 | 16:43 |
| Matt Hodge (Sr.) | 3 | 17:36 |
| Ben Sheats (So.) | 4 | 17:52 |
| Quentin Larson (Sr.) | 5 | 18:37 |
| Noah Welty (Fr.) | 6 | 18:44 |
| Lucas Velasquez (Sr.) | 7 | 19:55 |
Seneca
Head Coach: Kim Foster
2016 state meet finish: None
Pre-season rank: None
Final regular season rank: #14
Probable starting line up:
| Christopher Collet (Jr.) | 1 | 15:55 |
| Ben Krause (So.) | 2 | 16:43 |
| Wyatt Baldauf (Jr.) | 3 | 17:40 |
| Billy Glasscock (Fr.) | 4 | 18:01 |
| Brendan Stroud (Fr.) | 5 | 18:32 |
| Noah Petty (Fr.) | 6 | 18:53 |
| Joey Thomas (Jr.) | 7 | 19:16 |
-One of the best kept secrets this season in Seneca. They were not on the radar during the pre-season and early portion of the season. Now they have an opportunity to be in the top 15 and close to 10. Chris Collet will lead the way for his squad and possible top 30 spot.
Marengo
Head Coach: Kenny Johnson
2016 state meet finish: None
Pre-season rank: None
Final regular season rank: #19
Probable starting line up:
| Alex Leonard (Sr.) | 1 | 17:10 |
| Luke Chaffin (Fr.) | 2 | 17:33 |
| Zachary Secor (Fr.) | 3 | 17:48 |
| Aaron Moehrlin (Fr.) | 4 | 18:08 |
| Jadon Kozin (Sr.) | 5 | 18:19 |
| CJ Arevalo (Jr.) | 6 | 19:00 |
| Brant Lesher (Fr.) | 7 | 20:18 |
-A late season surge for the Indians has made this team a strong candidate for the top 20. It can happen of course if the scoring pack can move up 10-15 seconds collectively