Boys
Who's Running: Aden Bandukwala (Jr.), Jesse Gamboa (Sr.), Nikita Kamenev (So.), Max Lowe (Sr.), Grant Miller (Sr.), Michael Skora (Sr.), Dan Watcke (Sr.)
Season Summary: Hindsight is 20-20 for critics of the Red Devils' schedule plan this season. After Oregon commit Watcke led Central to a home invite win at Hornet Red Devil, Central went basically dormant for the rest of the month. This was a surprise because it included pulling varsity out of the Palatine Invite, a field that included emergent Plainfield South. The Red Devils ran a solid team race at Nike Twilight on October 1st, but their eighth-place finish seemed distant compared to Plainfield South's 3rd and behind four other Midwest teams including Midwest #1 Carmel IN. Hinsdale opted for another absence from Naperville Twilight four days later, and suddenly were entering the postseason with more varsity contributors only with two races under their belts.
Hinsdale Central won the WSC-Silver Conference meet and their home regional before finishing runner-up to Downers Grove North in the Waubonsie Valley sectional. Central was rounding out a little bit but still had fifth-runner concerns. Watcke and Bandukwala developed into the most dependable two-some for Central throughout the postseason. Central entered state firmly in trophy contention.
The state meet was where the season really turned for Central. Bandukwala held off OPRF's Liam Newhart by the slimmest of margins to become the school's first-ever individual XC champion, and only the second junior to win at the 3A level in 12 years. Watcke strode behind in third, and massive races especially from Gamboa and Lowe gave Hinsdale an unforgettable one-point loss to Plainfield South. Central clearly had planned properly to run best at the right time, and followed-up one of the greatest runner-up performances in state history by running the Midwest Team Regional the next Sunday 123-145 over Plainfield South. Gamboa was definitely the story of the race for Central, breaking his all-time three-mile PR in a full 5,000-meter race, running 15:20 for 25th in one of the deepest fields ever.
Outlook for Nationals: Hinsdale Central is firmly a top 10 contender and their ceiling is a top five spot. Watcke and Bandukwala's consistency should be lauded, particularly Watcke who has run with a great deal of pressure all year long. Both athletes have similar profiles as incredibly fast middle-distance track athletes who have captured the ability to translate that footspeed to aerobic strength. If both are on their game, top-30 finishers are not out of the question for both which would be a massive advantage for Central. The usual #3 for the Red Devils has been Michael Skora, who was a member of the state record 4x800 with the first two, and Colby Revord. Skora just barely missed an all-state position before finishing back in 87th as Central's #5 at Midwest but represents one spot for Central to improve upon for nationals. Institutionally, Central does have experience at this meet, finishing 22nd in 2013 with just six finishers. Can Gamboa and Lowe replicate their massive improvements as shown throughout the year?
Who's Running: Gavin Borger (Jr.), Dylan Maloney (So.), Owen O'Shea (Sr.), Ethan Reynoso (Sr.), BJ Sorg (Sr.), Camyn Viger (Jr.), Jack Wright (Sr.)
Season Summary: While Hinsdale Central stayed on the sidelines much of the regular season, Plainfield South had the opposite approach, hammering a number of large invites with authority and coming away with some eye-popping performances. Their race strategy was always simple: let Viger take the win, and have the other six finish in a tight pack not far behind him. South's blitzkrieg of Illinois began in earnest at First to the Finish, winning with just 48 points. Viger dropped 14:22.8 for three miles, which ended as the IL #2 time for the entire season. Then, the Cougars outdid themselves at Palatine by scoring just 35 points. Viger won again, Maloney, Reynoso, and Sorg were only 15 seconds behind them, and O'Shea came in seven seconds later. This was the peak of South's competitive season and certainly looked like prohibitive State favorites over an idle Hinsdale team. This status was validated at Nike Twilight the next weekend. The Cougars did not quite run well enough to match Carmel or the historically strong New Orleans Jesuit squad, but 3rd in 128 points ahead of Hinsdale Central was certainly good enough.
Plainfield South then stayed undefeated against Illinois competition through the state meet, where the Cougars eeked out a single-point state victory. Despite all four of Viger, Sorg, Maloney, and Reynoso earning all-state honors, their pack had work to do offsetting the 1-3 Hinsdale Central punch with no top-10 runners. The results shifted for an agonizing fifteen minutes after the races, and most iterations of those results put the Red Devils ahead. The roller coaster finally ended as the scores settled into 88-89 in favor of Plainfield South for their first-ever state title. Their performance wasn't the perfect race but it was the race they needed on that day.
Team Midwest was much of the same for Plainfield South. Viger dropped a little farther back than the frontrunner spots he held throughout the regular season, and the pack was a little more porous than at Palatine. But their race got the job done, scoring 145 points with a 15:33 average 5k time and a 1-5 split of only 14 seconds. The dreams of this self-defined 'blue collar' team of the last two years were finally realized.
Outlook for Nationals: Let's face it, South's season was more demanding than Hinsdale Central's, and their strength waned a bit in the postseason. However, this team's baseline was so high that even less-than-perfect races are outstanding. The three-week break can go two ways for teams and this is especially true for South: three weeks of resting and healing up or three weeks of extending an already long season.
Like Hinsdale Central, Plainfield South has been a top 10 team all year and this doesn't change now. Dreams of a podium finish are still intact for South. The first question to answer is to what degree will Viger provide the low-stick? And of course, the second question to answer is how many of the other six runners will be on their usual game of tight pack running? South's 6-7 of Wright and Borger were farther back at Team Midwest than any other race but got the usual solid races from O'Shea, Reynoso, Maloney, and especially Sorg. The Cougar pack's ability to move through the course efficiently together will be the biggest determinant in whether they can ascend to a top five or top three team spot.
Who's Running: Leo Gartlan (Sr.), Asa Gaspar (Sr.), Caden Weber (Jr.), Grant Schroder (So.), Topher Ferris (Sr.), Ryan Eddington (Jr.), Zach Bender (Jr.)
Season Summary: With the performances of Hinsdale Central and Plainfield South throughout the season, it is no wonder how DGN flew so far under the radar during this season, but the Trojans ran closer to these two teams than to the pack all year long, and amassed a number of impressive showings and win to be deserving of the at-large bid they received just a few days ago.
First, DGN flexed their summer-running muscles with a 20-point win finishing 2-6 at Leavey. Only Tommy Nitz beat their pack. DGN then finished an impressive second to Plainfield South at First to the Finish Invite, crushed the field at Larry Eddington, and then picked up an impressive win at Naperville Twilight on October 5th 75-86 over OPRF. The top five to this point had consistently emerged as being led by Caden Weber and Topher Ferris, followed by Eddington and sophomore Schroder. Gaspar, Gartlan, ad Jonathan Hogg form the second pack.
At the WSC Silver Championship, OPRF got the better of DGN, but both teams finished behind now full-strength Hinsdale Central, so DGN's 3rd place was their lowest team finish of the year thus far. DGN enacted their revenge two weeks later, putting five in the top 23 at a loaded Waubonsie Valley sectional to beat Hinsdale Central by three points. This win was highly consequential, as it developed to be an in-season win against an eventual Team Midwest champion, a major resume piece for DGN's at-large case. DGN did not replicate this performance at state but still came home with a trophy and three all-staters (Weber, Eddington, Ferris). 150 team points put DGN 61 behind Hinsdale Central and 65 ahead of upstart Plainfield North, illustrating the previous point that DGN is closer to the front than the pack.
DGN's performance at Team Midwest, however, showed that perhaps the group was always preparing for the national schedule. Led by Eddington and Weber once again, and enjoying big races from Gaspar and Gartlan, DGN finished 3rd with 178 points, ahead of major Midwest powers like Rock Bridge MO, Carmel IN, and Center Grove, IN. In a 28-team field (the same size as the IHSA state), DGN cut its gap behind HC from 61 to 55 points and behind Plainfield South from 62 to 33 points.
Outlook for Nationals: Downers Grove North has absolutely slept on the national stage. As an at-large, they may be viewed as a fringe top-15 team, but fans of Midwest XC know better than this. Downers Grove North should be viewed as a serious contender for a top 10 position. Throughout the season, DGN's pack complexion has looked much like Plainfield South's without a runner like Viger. DGN's strength may be in their options, especially with the upperclassmen in the pack running so well at the end of the season (four runners will be returning for next year). If Team Midwest is an indication, Eddington or Weber may be primed to snag a high enough position to make DGN relevant in the single digits.
Do not forget that in 2017, DGN finished fourth at Nationals only 24 points behind the top three trophy spots. This team does compare favorably to that team, so to not underestimate the benefits that the institutional experience could pay for the Trojans.