Check out the opening credits of the largest classification in Illinois- 3A boys- where competition is often very fierce.
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Frankfort (Lincoln-Way East)
Head Coach/Coaches: Ross Widinski/Paul Babcock
Key Returners: Nolan Rogers (Jr.), Nolan Enright (Sr.), Gerry Cushing (So.), Justin Falejczyk (So.)
Projected Top 7: Rogers, Enright, Cushing, Falejczyk, Jack Roberts (So.), Adam Drumheller (Jr.), Rohan Chaudhary (Sr.)
New Additions: None that we are aware
Coach Widinski's Outlook: Our season goals are to finish in the top four in our very competitive conference (with Sandburg, Lockport, LWC, etc.); finish in the top three at regionals.
Plainfield Central
Head Coach/Coaches: Jeff Purdom / Emily Brodko
Key Returners: Aaron Wyckoff (Jr.), Tommy Adelmann (Sr.), Daniel Hale (Sr.)
Projected Top 7: Wyckoff, Adelmann, Hale, Paul De Avila (Jr.), Mike Forbear (Jr.), Cam Mulyk (Jr.), Alex Rojo (Jr.)
New Additions: Not that I know of at this point. We have a few solid freshmen, but only time will tell if they will be making an impact on the varsity level this year.
Unexpected Losses: None
Coach Purdom's Outlook: This has been a challenging time for all areas of life, but it seems as though the guys on the team have really relied on each other to have a goal of getting better as a group this summer. They have been diligent about holding each other accountable for the goals that they want to accomplish. We are a very junior heavy team that brings back a lot of varsity experience as sophomores, that experience will hopefully help us to find success this fall.
McHenry
Head Coach/Assistant Coaches: Kevin Horst/ Beth Czubik
Key Returners: Carlos Montes (Sr.), Caleb Schopen (Sr.), Enrique Robles (Jr.), Jackson Albanese (So.)
Projected Top 7: Montes, Schopen, Robles, Albanese, Rayaan Ahmed (So.), Matthew Sikora (Jr.), Nate Puls (Sr.)
New Additions: Jamicko Hernandez leads a respectable crew of freshmen.
Unexpected Losses: Our presumptive 5th runner for 2020, Diego Montes (10), will be attending IMSA this year.
Coach Horst's Outlook: I am impressed with the dedication of our varsity runners. Our returning squad from last year's state team (Montes, Schopen, Robles, and Albanese) have very clear, ambitious goals that they have set for themselves. We have strong leadership from the seniors who have started to thrive with a team-centered mindset. Team goals include defending our FVC title and improving on our 20th place finish at state, though depth at #5-7 will be a hurdle to overcome if we really want to make a mark in 2020.
Huntley
Head Coach/Assistant Coaches: Matt Kaplan /Jason Monson
Key Returners: Ryan Besch (Sr.), Charlie Kucz (Jr.), Thomas Patel (Sr.), Owen Cravens (Sr.), Hudson Fisher (So.), Rishi Vedpathak (Jr.)
Projected Top 7: Kucz, Besch, Patel, Cravens, Luke Grubbs (Fr.), Jaden Gutierrez (Fr.), Adonai Yoops (Fr.)
New Additions: We are looking forward to having this group of incoming freshmen join the program this fall. Luke Grubbs, Jaden Gutierrez, Adonai Yopps, Zach Zuzzio.
Unexpected Losses: There are no unexpected losses I'm aware of at this point. We expect all to be back.
Coach Kaplan's Outlook: This season will be interesting for sure. The fact that we have the core of last year's team returning is a plus. We are expecting a talented group of freshmen to join the team and there is potentially some of them will make an impact at the varsity level by season's end. Besch, Kucz, Patel, and Cravens will be looked to for leading this group. They learned a lot from their experience last year and helped our team continue to have another successful season. Our team always has a goal of performing best at the conference meet going into the postseason.
Algonquin (Jacobs High School)
Head Coach/Assistant Coaches: Kevin Christian / Matt Smith, Chris Keller, Kala Penev
Key Returners: Andrew Doetsch (Jr.), Connor Maloney (Sr.), Kyle Horn (Sr.), Daniel Sanders (Sr.)
Projected Top 7: Doetsch, Maloney, Horn, Sanders, Alec Melendez (So), Mitchell Ruffin (Jr), Zach Osmanski (Jr), Aidan DeMuth (So), Adam Lakeman (So)
New Additions: Alec Melendez just moved to Jacobs High School after running 17:00 as a freshman last year. He might be the difference-maker we needed as 5th man and can't wait to get him going in races.
Unexpected Losses: None
Coach's Outlook On The Team: Andrew Doetsch is hitting big mileage and is in better shape at this point of the season than ever before, now that his focus is only cross country. He went 15:23 as a freshman, was injured last year, and is far ahead of his past two years at this time. Expecting him to contend for the FVC title. Connor Maloney and Kyle Horn are big mileage guys and could be huge for us with some low numbers, and after that, we have a big group that will be trying to break 16 or run close to it, if they do, we could be a really solid team.
Mt. Prospect (Prospect)
Head Coach/Assistant Coaches: Jay Renaud/Erik Hodges, Matt Withrow
Last year's finish:
Key Returners: Jack Dechoudens (Sr), TJ Garland (Jr), Nic Squillacioti (Sr)
Projected Top 7: Jack Dechoudens, TJ Garland, Nic Squillacioti, Luka Kuzmanovic, Sean Kura, JT Bautista, Andrew Katsogianos
New Additions: Hope to get some! Hard to tell with summer camps just starting.
Unexpected Losses: None
Coach Renaud's outlook on the team: I think our team is solid from 1-7 and beyond. At this point, we don't have anyone who will be a very low stick at a big invite, but I believe our 1-5 split will be minimal. It will be all about the pack! TJ Garland appears to be our clear #1 and could surprise some people this season.
Glenview (Glenbrook South)
Head Coach/Assistant Coaches: Kurt Hasenstein/Tim Monahan
Key Returners: Brian Hiltebrand (Jr), Mrugesh Thakor (Sr), Matt Finkel (Sr), Jayson Stamm (Jr), Elie Nassif (Jr), Cody Slutzky (Sr), James Scott (Sr), Harrison Wollney (Sr), Ryan Schaeffer (So)
Projected Top 7: Hiltebrand, Thakor, Finkel, and Stamm all ran in our top seven at one point last year on a team that finished 17th in the state. Any of the other guys listed could pop in there at any time. Wollney was in our top seven two years ago but was injured most of last year... seems pretty healthy at this point in the summer.
New Additions: None
Unexpected Losses: None
Coach Hasenstein's Outlook On The Team: As always our goal is to finish in the top 3 of our conference (battling New Trier and Maine South). I feel that we can do that again this year with the talent we have and work ethic the guys have shown during the shutdown... what will be interesting is to see how the regionals/sectionals get realigned and where we end up. Regardless of where we are assigned advancing through is always a challenge...that's part of the excitement of the sport! Our seniors are ready to step into the leadership role and I feel that we will be a team that has a lot of success and hopefully surprise some people down the road!
Plainfield North
Head Coach/Assistant Coaches: Andy Derks / Sam Barranco
Key Returners: Ryan Maseman (Sr), Oliver Burns (So), Andrew Radulovich (Sr), Ian Morrison (Sr), Cooper Shelton (Jr), Ryan Tracey (So), Suchir Sumant (Jr), Nick Simpson (Jr), Josh Bedford, Ryan Casey (Sr)
Projected Top 7:Maseman, Radulovich, Burns, Tracey, Morrison, Shelton, Sumant
New Additions: Not sure we have any new guys that will factor into varsity lineup, but we have potentially our largest incoming freshman class ever with 19 guys running throughout the summer. Many of them were strong middle school runners, so we have a lot to be excited about at the FS level this year and in the future of PNXC.
Unexpected Losses: NA
Coach Derk's Outlook On The Team: I am really excited about this team. We have Sophs through Seniors who will contribute at the varsity level and potentially our biggest freshman class ever. I don't place any limits on what this team can do or accomplish. We have some of the fiercest competitors I have ever coached on this year's squad. These guys are extremely detail-oriented and hard-working. They are learning how to train smart and understand what they need to do individually to keep improving.
We will go into the season looking to mix it up with any team in the SPC and whichever Regional/Sectional we end up being in. If the format of the season changes, we will adapt to whatever happens and be ready to race and compete whenever we get the chance. We are grateful for the chance to simply run together with teammates for right now, and to be able to prepare to compete against such quality teams at the 3A level in Illinois- some of the best programs in the country.
Park Ridge (Maine South)
Head Coach/coaches: Greg Nordahl/Dave Fermanich, Tom d'Ambrosio
Key Returners: Matt Cull (Sr.), Matt Coyle (Sr.), Eamon Brady (Sr.)
Projected Top 7: Cull, Coyle, Brady, Luke Pravecek (So.), William Huddleston (So.), Luca Arcuri (So.) Dominick Parillo (So.)
New Additions: None
Unexpected Losses: None
Coach Nordahl's Outlook On The Team: We have three good seniors. Matt Cull was set to have a breakout track season before the stay-at-home order took place. Cull along with Matt Coyle and Eamon Brady have been continuously working very hard since March. Running some impressive workouts over the summer that indicate where they should end the season.
Brady has made great progress since transferring from soccer as a junior. He has the same work ethic as his older brother.
Coyle is a steady distance runner. He has been working on stride rate and this improvement has increased his efficiency. The sophomore class is very impressive they have been running continuously since March. Led by CSL freshman champion Luke Prevacek. The sophomores will have logged about 800 miles in the summer alone. They are a great group and have a ton of talent. Huddleston has tremendous upside and will likely be our number five runner. Arcuri is a runner to look out for as he matures. He has the drive to succeed and the work ethic to go with that. He will be battling Huddleston for the fifth spot. Parillo, Karlesky, and Wille are solid athletes that are dedicated and developing. They are great sophomores to round out the sophomore class. They will likely be in the low 16:00s by season's end.