3A-
Boys field: #2 Plainfield South, #3 Downers Grove North, #4 Naperville (Neuqua Valley), #8 Winnetka (New Trier), #10 Naperville Central, #11 Plainfield North, #15 LaGrange (Lyons), #19 Park Ridge (Maine South), #23 Batavia, #24 Chicago (St. Ignatius); 1A- #10 St. Joseph (Ogden)
Girls field: #3 Minooka, #4 Naperville North, #5 Yorkville, #7 Lagrange (Lyons), #10 Naperville Central, #12 Barrington, #19 Batavia, #22 Rockton (Hononegah), #24 Wheaton-Warrenville South, #25 Winnetka (New Trier)
Boys to watch:
Riley Newport (Sr., Dekalb)- The state's top-rated runner is 2-0 on the season but has not faced much resistance. Newport is ready to drop his season best from 15:07 to something real serious. The competition should be ripe for it. Last year's winner Daniel Watcke (Sr., Hinsdale Central) will compete at the upcoming Richard Spring Invitational. Look for Riley to go after the state's top overall time which sits at 14:34.
Camyn Viger (Jr., Plainfield South)- This rugged and aggressive runner appears to be back on track with two victories in as many competitions. Viger has been training well as his 14:58 season best proves. However, he is very capable of going for the jugular and taking home the gold medal.
Zac Close (Jr., Naperville Neuqua Valley)- In his most recent race, Close took third at the Hornet-Devil Invitational in 15:02. The Katherine Legge Park course was not kind to many of the runners last weekend, so actually competing on the race track like Detweiller layout could prove to be very fruitful.
Oliver Burns (Sr., Plainfield North)- Burns will make his season debut after overcoming a few setbacks so he may be rounding into form. Last year he took fourth in 14:57. In other words, don't be surprised to see him up front.
Zachary Balzer (Sr., Minooka)- Three top five placements with a season-best 14:58 entering the weekend. Balzer obviously hasn't hit his stride yet so this meet might be where he stands out.
Nate Wehner (Jr., Highland Park)- Placed right behind Balzer in the deep HRD Invite last weekend. Wehner placed ninth here in 15:19. He will be looking to run much faster this time out.
-Five of the top ten teams in the state are entered here. Last year's winner was New Trier but they will have a tough time placing among the top three due to heavy graduation losses. Still, the Trevians will add value to the deep field. However, the team to watch will be #2 Plainfield South who placed seventh in the state in their last competition at Detweiller. The Cougars have been impressive in their most recent contest- the Plainfield City Meet. In that affair, they rallied around a 43-second split (15:21/avg) without several regulars. The Cougars will be locked and loaded on Saturday.
#3 Downers Grove North have won both of their season affairs with ease and this will be the first real test of the season. Lead man Topher Ferris (Sr) was ahead of a 2-6 finish at the Leavy Invitational that spanned 41 seconds. Neuqua Valley is another school that will fight for a top three spot due to strong pack running.
Girls to watch:
Kate Tueting (Jr., Naperville Central)- It was a second-place finish at the HRD that pushed Tueting into the spotlight. The returning field appears to be one that she can handle
Carissa Hamilton (Sr., Neuqua Valley)- Two top five placements including a fourth place at HRD sets her up for a great showing. This will be Hamilton's first appearance at the FTTF.
Gabriella McCollom (Sr., Minooka)-Two wins and a 10th place finish (HRD) during the seasons early going is a good sign that a top five offering is in the cards.
Nicole Poglitsch (So., Wheaton-Warrenville South)- Back for year two and an opportunity to stand out amongst a solid field. Poglitsch has competed in one invite thus far, it was an 8th place tally at HRD.
-Just like the boys field, there are five top 10 teams that will fight over three trophies. Minooka returns a strong unit back led by McCollom and Gabby Kics (Sr) who led the Indians to a second place at Hinsdale last weekend.
We will see if Naperville North is back and ready to challenge for another state trophy. Yes, it's only three weeks into the competition part of the season, but the Huskies won a big meet in Pleasant Valley IA last weekend. They have retooled with a group of youngsters. Check back after 12 noon to see what the deal is.
Yorkville, Lyons, and Naperville Central in particular will be looking to bounce back and gain some respect.