The Knights Of Kaneland Are Boys 2A Pre-Season #1

Look for things to get hectic at the top of the food chain this season

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Head Coach/Coaches: Dan Gray/Jenny Every, Tyler Franciscovich, Michael Kouri, Geoff Girsch, Elyse Dell, Maria Wnowrowski
Last Year's Finish: 16th- State Championship
Key Returners: Brett Dickerson (Jr.), Kellar Groff (Sr.), David Robison (Sr.)
Projected Top 7: Dickerson, Groff, Robison, Luke Sander (Sr.), Patrick Couri (Jr.), Logan Keene (Jr.), Owen Lynch (Jr.)
Key Additions: None
Unexpected Losses: None
Coach Gray's Outlook: This is a very deep team for us that has a strong mindset and work ethic that should be able to overcome the loss of Chris Gilbert by packing several runners sub-16:00. We have similar ability levels and race times in the past that should see us feeding off each other. It will be fun to see as we chase the top guns of our area, Region and Sectional as we push to return to State in 2019!


Head Coach/Coaches: Paul McLeland / Father Paul Weberg, Christian Surtz
Last Year's Finish: 10th- 3A Waubonsie Valley Sectional
Projected Top 7: Zangler, Carlson, Charlie Schultz (Jr.), Nick Coffman (Jr.), Clementi, Niraj Abraham (So.), Jack Schokora (So.)
Key Additions: None
Unexpected Losses: None
Coach McLeland's Outlook: Athletes that have come this summer have worked hard. Unfortunately, it hasn't been all of the top 10. Best summer guys have been Zangler, Carlson, Schultz, and Abraham. Zangler should be aiming to break 15 and Carlson is aiming to stick close to him. Schultz has put in the most miles and should drop lots of time from his 16:47 best.

Most of the season will be spent finding out who we are. Losing 5 out of the top 7, who weren't only the best runners but great leaders are difficult. We have some great teams in Loyola and St. Ignatius in the conference but we'd like to win that again. We would like to qualify for State but there are many tough 2A teams. If we are a better team (team time) and our top guys are upfront, we should do it. Despite moving to a different class, I want this team to do better, each guy improving and running for each other.


Head Coach/Coaches: Greg Storm, Stephen Arvanis
Last Year's Finish: 17th- State Championship
Key Returners: Alex Partlow (So.), Tucker Poshard (Jr.), Jackson Watts (Jr.), Ethan Stevens (Jr.), Jackson Beaupre (Jr.)
Projected Top 7: Partlow, Poshard, Watts, Stevens, Beaupre, Connor Twenhafel (Fr.), Ajay Altman (Fr.)
Key Additions: Connor Twenhafel (Fr.), Ajay Altman (Fr.) Unexpected Losses: Rawley Beck (Fr.)
Coach Storm's Outlook:
I feel that we will have a solid Top 4-5 and will be searching for that 6th-7th man. We return 5 out of our Top 7 which will be a huge boost to our experience level even though we currently do not have any seniors in our Top 7. We hope to add some depth and stay healthy.

If Alex Partlow can stay healthy we expect to see big things from him coming off his 10th place showing in the 3200m during track season as well as Tucker Poshard coming from his breakout season in XC last year. We do believe that Jackson Watts and Ethan Stevens has the ability to dip under the 16:00 mark and can stay within 20 seconds of our Top 2. Staying healthy will be our most important factor in the season. When we went to the state meet last year we were not completely healthy and hope to be when the postseason starts this year.


Head Coach/Coaches: Kyle Blanchard, Katrina Johnson
Last Year's Finish: 15th- State Championship
Key Returners: Brooks Harlan (Jr.), Cory Fleeman (Jr.), Matt Speidel (Sr.), Jared Brothers (Sr.), Alec Cross (So.)
Projected Top 7: Harlan, Fleeman, Speidel, Brothers, Cross, Carson True (Jr.), Adam Moulder (Sr.)
Key Additions: None
Unexpected Losses: None
Milesplit's Outlook: The Orphans (yes that is their actual mascot) are coming off an excellent track season that saw the emergence of Brooks Harlan as one of the top runners in the 2A classification. Starting off by winning the 2A Top Times 1600m Championship he continued his great streak into the outdoor season claiming an all-state honor. Harlan looks to be the top runner for the orphans this year possibly running around the 15:10 range. Following him should be teammates Cory Fleeman and Matt Speidel around the 15:30-15:40 range. With a solid 4th runner in Jared Brothers who should just be under 16:00, the only question that remains is who will be their 5th runner? Right now it looks to be Alec Cross who should be around 17:20. If they can get a 5th guy around at least 16:30 then the orphans can really turn some heads this year.

Head Coach: Ed Ernst
Last Year's Finish: 11th- 3A Niles West Sectional
Key Returners: Jacob Flynn (Sr.), Liam Linnen (Jr.), Michael Lesak (Sr.)
Projected Top 7: Flynn, Linnen, Lesak, Colin Linnen (Jr.), Harry Lesak (Sr.), Al Kaleshi (Sr.), Carlin Kyhl (Jr.) Key Additions: None
Unexpected Losses: None
Coach Ernst's Outlook: We will compete in 2019 for the first time at the 2A level, and this will have some influence on the shape of our season. Because we have multiplied ourselves while competing at the 3A level, we have never competed at 2A. This will not be one of our strongest teams in 2019, but we hope this group will rise to the occasion of having a chance to compete at the 2A level.

In the past we have looked at the 3A sectional meet as the biggest meet of our season, requiring the best performance. Just making it out of a 3A sectional as a team--or even as an individual--was a challenge. Accomplishing those things was a major season accomplishment for us. Our 2A landscape for 2019 will be different. We have pretty strong expectations that we can make it to the state meet. We even have hopes to compete for a sectional title. We have hopes to aim for a high finish at the state meet.


Head Coach: John Szabo
Last Year's Finish: 3rd- State Championship
Key Returners: Bradyn Olmstead (Sr.), Evan Turnbull (Sr.), Drew Gibson (Sr.), Bryce Reed (Jr.)
Projected Top 7: Olmstead, Turnbull, Gibson, Reed, Zach Reynolds (Sr.), Dayton Hammond (Jr.), Suraj Aireddy (Sr.)
Key Returners: None
Unexpected Losses: None
Coach Sbazo's Outlook: With our four returning state meet runners, the team is excited to get back to Detweiller in November and feel they can be successful again. The key will be how many of the others can step up to replace the 3 seniors we lost to graduation and how close the pack can be to our top runners. We have a group of runners that have the ability to be very good if they continue to demonstrate the work ethic and desire as our 2018 team. We are looking forward to the opportunity to compete in the 2019 season!


4. Dixon
Head Coach: Evan Thorpe
Last Year's Finish: 5th- State Championship
Key Returners: Brock Drengenberg (Jr.), Christian Seagren (Sr.), Cadyn Grafton (Jr.), Logan Griswold (Sr.), Aidan Johnson (Sr.)
Projected Top 7: Drengenberg, Seagren, Grafton, Griswold, Johnson, Thomas Sittler (Sr.), Dominic Lazano (Jr.)
Key Additions: Unknown
Unexpected Losses: Unknown
Milesplit's Outlook: The Dukes had a little issue with some of our 4x800m preseason previews this past track season when we didn't include them in the teams to watch section. They proved us wrong by winning the title in May. They return one of their top runners in Brock Drengenberg who was part of that state championship 4x800m as well as an all-stater on the grass. Christian Seagren and Cadyn Grafton look to follow their star teammate around the 15:40 range. Then the Dukes look to round out their scorers with Logan Griswold and Aidan Johnson possibly around the 16:10 range. All the Dukes seemed to have excellent track campaigns and may just move up the rankings if that translates to the grass.


Head Coach/Coaches: Andy Brendel, Brian Weiss
Last Year's Finish: 7th- Decatur MacArthur Sectional
Key Returners: Ben Walter (Sr.), Jarod Willis (Sr.), Drake Bleier (Jr.), Ethan Dudley (So.), Caleb Bagwell (Jr.), Ross Bushur (Jr.), Luke Perry (Jr.)
Projected Top 7: Walter, Willis, Bleier, Dudley, Bagwell, Bushur, Perry
Key Additions: Andrew Wildhaber (Jr.), Spencer James (Sr.), Tray Barker (Fr.), Ben Winslow (Fr.), Dillion Henderson (Fr.)
Unexpected Losses: None
Coach Brendel's Outlook: We will have a lot of depth and the strongest pack we've seen in years. We will need someone to become a front runner in order to be a post-season threat.
Milesplit's Outlook: The Knights might have one of the best runners in 2A if he can bounce back after a rough sophomore year in Ross Bushur. Bushur was a huge pickup for them after his transfer to the down south school last summer, but struggled to break 16:00 consistently. If he can find his rhythm then maybe no one will be able to beat the Knights.

Head Coach: Kevin Renicker
Last Year's Finish: 7th- State Championship
Key Returners: Ben Grundman (Sr.), Sean Donnelly (Jr.), Jack Robinson (Jr.), Dominic Adams (Sr.), Jack Tams (Jr.)
Projected Top 7: Grundman, Donnelly, Robinson, Adams, Tams, Braden Heckman (So.), Connor Grumbles (Sr.)
Key Additions: Unknown
Unexpected Losses: Unknown
Milesplit's Outlook: This seems to be the situation that the Redwings were looking to have when they moved down a classification this past season. They will have a strong squad with Ben Grundman, Sean Donnelly, and Jack Robinson all going sub 16:00 last fall. The track seasons that Dominic Adams had running a 10:07.62 shows he can run at least a 15:40 for the three-mile to make a very solid 4th runner and finally Jack Tams who will look to break 16:10 this year to round out the redwings' scorers. We will have to see if they got what it takes to defeat Kaneland.