Neuqua Valley is the defending champion (#2012) and Danny Kilrea (#1959) is the top returner
The qualifying teams: #1 Downers Grove North, #2 Naperville (Neuqua Valley), #3 Wheaton-Warrenville South, #4 LaGrange (Lyons Township), #5 Hinsdale Central, #6 Arlington Heights (Hersey), #8 Huntley, #9 Mundelein, #10 Downers Grove South, #12 Edwardsville, #13 St. Charles East, #14 Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West), #15 Naperville Central, #18 Elmhurst (York), #19 Winnetka (New Trier), #20 Lake Zurich, #21 O'Fallon, #23 Carpentersville (Dundee-Crown), #24 Barrington, Batavia, Chicago Whitney Young, Geneva, Lockport, New Lenox (Lincoln-Way Central), Yorkville
Opening thoughts: This is the state meet that we all have been waiting with top ranked Downers Grove North vs. Neuqua Valley. The challenger vs. the defending state champion. But there are other teams in the field ready to fight for what's theirs. Don't take your eye off the prize for one second... it's going to be a great one!
Let's meet the select teams (sectional breakdown)
West Aurora Sectional-
Naperville (Neuqua Valley)
Head Coach: Paul Vandersteen
2016 state meet finish: State Champions
Pre-season rank: #2
Final regular season rank: #2
Probable starting line up:
| Ryan Kennedy (Sr.) | 1 | 15:36 |
| Chris Keeley (Jr.) | 2 | 15:43 |
| Alex Johnson (Sr.) | 3 | 15:53 |
| Tyler Bombacino (Sr.) | 4 | 15:54 |
| Michael O'Connor (Jr.) | 5 | 15:54 |
| Danny Winek (Sr.) | 6 | 16:00 |
| Zach Kinne (Jr.) | - | DNR |
-Play chess not checkers. This is what the Wildcats did by resting top man Zach Kinne last weekend at sectionals. Coach Vandersteen figured that he would have a stronger team with his ace rested. Kinne agreed. He has placed in the top 5 of every race this season, and if they want to get an angle on Downers North they will need him at his best. In the lone match against the Trojans it was a 1 point setback at the Naperville Twilight Invite. Neuqua Valley came out of that affair feeling good about themselves. We are finally here and we will see who has the best final mile. That is going to decide the state title.
Let's see if Naperville Central can keep pace with the top 15 teams. They will aim to be ahead of St. Charles East, Geneva, and Batavia.
--------------------------------------------------
Granite City Sectional-
Yorkville
Head Coach: Brian Long
2016 state meet finish: 24th
Pre-season rank: #20
Final regular season rank: None
Probable starting line up:
| Ben Summers (Sr.) | 8 | 15:20 |
| Ivan Wescott (Fr.) | 10 | 15:24 |
| Matt Cox (Sr.) | 12 | 15:24 |
| Patrick Black (Sr.) | 23 | 15:38 |
| Zack Price (Sr.) | 31 | 15:48 |
| Ben Tholen (Jr.) | 32 | 15:51 |
| Eric Naumann (Sr.) | 37 | 15:58 |
-The Foxes actually had a favorable pre-season ranking of #20 and then fell on some hard times throughout the season. But they were able to catch fire at the right time and win a decently match sectional. 58 seconds on seven guys is pretty good. If they can match this one more time then we may see this squad get into the top 15... overall the sectional was solid with O'Fallon and Edwardsville advancing. Lockport has run well of late and Lincoln-Way Central earned their cross country wings to state.
-------------------------------------------------
Hinsdale Central Sectional-
Downers Grove North
Head Coach: John Sipple
2016 state meet finish: State Runner Up
Pre-season rank: #1
Final regular season rank: #1
Probable starting line up:
| Jacob Ridderhoff (Sr.) | 3 | 15:19 |
| Sam McCool (Sr.) | 7 | 15:24 |
| Jack Roberts (Jr.) | 8 | 15:28 |
| Nick Chudzik (Sr.) | 10 | 15:29 |
| Ryan Birkmeier (Sr.) | 13 | 15:35 |
| Miles Christensen (Sr.) | 14 | 15:37 |
| Brendan Lockerby (Sr.) | 47 | 16:22 |
-A great team all season long even with the loss of potential #1 runner Matt Moravec. The key to greatness has been accountability from top to bottom from every man, even the ones not competing. The Trojans have not faced much adversity on the course even with a 1 point win over Neuqua Valley at Naperville Twilight Invitational. In that race, it was the timely racing in the final mile that did the trick. There is nothing that needs to be changed on Saturday- just let the captain steer the wheel to victory. This team has the best 1-5, 1-6 punch in the state easily. That needs to be remembered on race day.
LaGrange (Lyons Township) will fight for a top 5 spot of course with Danny Kilrea leading the way... Hinsdale Central has done well at the state meet in the last decade or so. The Red Devils will be heard from. They have a strong pack and a top team for sure... Downers Grove South has improved well over the past two years.
------------------------------------------------
Hoffman Estates Sectional-
Arlington Heights (Hersey)
Head Coach: Kevin Young
2016 state meet finish: 17th
Pre-season rank: #5
Final regular season rank: #6
Probable starting line up:
| Josh Methner (So.) | 2 | 15:14 |
| Ryan Theisen (Sr.) | 3 | 15:25 |
| Ryan Buch (Jr.) | 5 | 15:33 |
| Max Svienty (So.) | 8 | 15:39 |
| Nate Mayo (Sr.) | 11 | 15:50 |
| Quinn Cunningham (Sr.) | 15 | 15:57 |
| Thomas McCarthy (Jr.) | 20 | 16:07 |
-Who would have thought that this team would be where it is despite a lofty pre-season ranking? The Huskies lost their coach to Prospect and no one outside of their camp did not know what to expect. Plus, top runner Josh Methner had some question marks surrounding him. Well things have worked out well and just like other top squads, pack running cannot be emphasized enough. Methner can be an all state runner easily, but if his mates can stay up with the other great ones, a chance at a trophy will be a reality. Lake Zurich has made a strong push as had Barrington in the late going.
------------------------------------------------
Roselle (Lake Park) Sectional-
Glen Ellyn (Glenbard West)
Head Coach: Kyle Nugent
2016 state meet finish: None
Pre-season rank: #17
Final regular season rank: #14
Probable starting line up:
| Rory Cavan (Jr.) | 3 | 14:51 |
| Stephen Moody (Jr.) | 4 | 14:53 |
| Will O'Brien (Jr.) | 12 | 15:07 |
| Ian Repking (Jr.) | 19 | 15:16 |
| Cameron Benes (Sr.) | 20 | 15:18 |
| Teddy Borkowski (Sr.) | 37 | 15:41 |
| Luke Malek (Sr.) | 58 | 16:07 |
-It appeared to be a surprise upset on paper but the Hilltoppers have ran as well as any team in the top 5 at times. They are a veteran team who realized they better get it going now. They stunned Wheaton South with a better finish in the final mile. Can they do it again?
Wheaton-Warrenville South
Head Coach: Chris Kuntz
2016 state meet finish: 8th
Pre-season rank: #4
Final regular season rank: #3
Probable starting line up:
| Sean Maison (Jr.) | 5 | 14:55 |
| William Hauenstein (So.) | 7 | 14:56 |
| Scott Maison (Jr.) | 14 | 15:12 |
| Jacob Kluckhohn (So.) | 15 | 15:13 |
| David Zeller (So.) | 26 | 15:28 |
| John Keys (Sr.) | 30 | 15:30 |
| Jared Peaslee (So.) | 55 | 16:03 |
-The look on the team's face after finishing second was not pleasant. But it was one that most coach's will endure because it says the guys care about wins and losses. Wheaton South lost the sectional championship because they did not execute in the last mile. If they want to bring home a title they are going to need to do that. It's that simple. Youth is not an excuse. Look for Sean Maison and the guys to step it up one more time... Elmhurst (York), Whitney Young, and New Trier are ready to battle