This highlight reel reveals that last year's championship was one of the best in a long time.
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This year, there may be a new champion as everyone's favorite, Tuscola, held on to defeat Benton 97-104. The Warriors graduated nearly their entire team, while other returning top-finishing squads will be better. The journey to Peoria will be fun to follow all season long!
10. Pinckneyville
Head Coach: Ryun Bruns
Last year's finish: State Championship- 10th place
Key returners: Landen Boman (Jr), Christian Queen (Jr), Landen Carter (Sr), Brendan Conway (Sr), Jesse Winter (So), Zach Teel (So)
Outlook: Gone is the mainstay, Isaac Teel, who was the state runner-up. He leaves behind a bevy of solid teammates ready to duplicate their feats of a year ago. Landen Boman is the projected top returner, who ran 15:50 and placed in last year's top 50. Without a true low-stick runner, the Panthers must rely on tight-pack running and getting the scoring split under 45 seconds in a major competition.
Head Coach: Julian Murphy
Last year's finish: State Championship- 4th place
Key returners: James Barder (Sr), Peter Kipp (Jr), John Masaka (So), Tommy Hansen (Jr), Ryan Roller (Jr), Blake Quinley (So)
Outlook: Brady Kataoka and John Kipp's graduation has removed some major firepower from the Knights' war chest. But... there are six runners back who are aiming to pick up the slack led by James Barder and Peter Kipp, who were both top 50 finishers at the state meet. The scoring split was under 1:00 at the state meet, which can be duplicated with a few added pieces.
Head Coach: Randy Moore
Last year's finish: State Championship- 8th place
Key returners: Andrew Kurien (Sr), Evan White (Jr), Blake Lindberg (So), Joel White (Jr), Sam Walsh (Jr)
Key newcomer: Mason Brock
Outlook: "The boys have done the work over the summer together," veteran coach Randy Moore says of his team. "We like to focus on the journey and surrender the results." The journey toward top results will be on the back of all-state performer Andrew Kurien who placed 14th last year. He and his mates took runner-up honors this past spring in the 4x800 relay, and that undoubtedly will be some confidence heading into the fall. If one improvement must be fixed, it will be the gap between 1-5. It projects to be well over 1:00, which could be an issue for a team capable of a top-five finish at the end of the season.
Head Coach: Dan Schreck
Last year's finish: State Championship- 16th place
Key returners: Marco Cruz (Jr), John Brauner (Sr), Andrew Gross (Jr), Daniel Sullivan (Sr), Marcel LeFevre (Sr)
Outcome: Georgetown is a tiny private school with just a few sports (no football or soccer), so it's an opportunity to make a name for itself this fall. The top five runners are back and part of a sound-pack running crew. Marco Cruz and John Brauner are a solid 1-2 punch. The Lions achieved a 55-second scoring split in last year's state meet. That will need to happen early and often this season, along with securing upfront racing if they desire a spot among the elite teams.
Head Coach/assistant coaches: Jason Retz/Lindsey Ideus-Ehler, Jim Acklin, Stephanie Farney
Last year's finish: State Championship- 6th place
Key returners: Jack Fisher (Sr), Lance Retz (Jr), Mason Guido (Sr), Colin Burnett (So), Nate Farney (So), Joe Griebat (Sr)
Outlook: The Maroons depart with their top two runners, all-stater Carson Maroon and Aden Armstrong. However, a slew of experienced players are back and ready to show their worth. Jack Fisher and Lance Retz assume the duo threat role and will lead the charge. Coach Retz adds: "Our team's success will revolve around our guys' consistency this season. If we take care of each day, we'll continue to grow as a team."
5. Herscher
Head Coach: Rob Grosso
Last year's finish: State Championship- 17th place
Key returners: Jackson Kruse (So), Jeremy Szepelak (Jr), Brayden Shepard (Sr), Matthew Benoit (Sr), Joshua Thorson (Sr),
Newcomers: Ben Cloonen (Fr)
Outlook: Last season was a banner year for the Tigers, who won five invites and took home a regional title. The stakes will be high, with a solid top seven returning this season. "They all had significant personal bests at Detweiller [Park], which has propelled their summer training heading into this season," said coach Grosso.
"The real competition will be for spots 5-7," according to Grosso. "Returners Brycen Steffen, Zeke Houberg, and Owen Damptz are having great summers, along with newcomer Ben Cloonen making a push. This could be one of the most competitive races for the last spots we have seen in some time."
4. Elmwood
Head Coach/assistant coaches: Gregg Meyers, Cooper Hoffmann, Kyle Anderson, Tom Gorham, Mike Sullivan
Last year's finish: State Championship- 3rd place
Key returners: Reed Florey (Sr), Mika Nelson (Sr), Aiden Faulkner (Jr), Darwin Herman (Jr), Kam Stevenson (Jr), Garrett Webster (Jr).
Newcomers: Logan Siegel, Cooper Brown, Oliver Funk, Kai Nelson, Danny Sharp
Outlook: The long-stay Isaiah Hill has graduated, which means the Trojans are going to need another low-stick performer. Coach Meyers has some things in mind. "Our upperclassmen had a good track season. They continued with a very good summer, building a very good base," he stated. "The guys have done everything they needed up to this point. Our final success will depend on our ability to work together as a team, complete our hard practices, and continue to develop a good race mentality. If we do those things, I think we can be very successful."
Head Coach: Dan Gray/Elyse Dell, Tyler Franciscovich, Geoff Girsch, Michael Kouri, Kate Socha, Julie Feeny
Last year's finish: State Championship- 7th place
Key returners: Dax Duffy (Jr), Bo Nosalik (Sr), Max Kirby (So), Jake Heberer (Sr), Ben Yontz (So), Joshua Stedwill (So), Augie Crank (So), Freddie Couri (So), John Baker (So), Adam Ehrhart (Jr), Julian Sturm (Jr)
Newcomers: Luke Fady (Fr)
Outlook: Do you know what happens when you have a deep and talented returning cast coupled by a very talented newcomer who fits in with a crew that produces excellent summer attendance? The Irish are a team that's destined to become a trophy contender.
"We have a good core, with four returning runners from our 1A state top seven from '23, including all-stater Max Kirby, Dax Duffy, and captains Jake Heberer and Bo Nosalik," said Coach Gray.
Coach Gray is smart enough not to look past teams in his area when pursuing seasonal goals. "Once again, we need to focus on competing with the Elmwoods, Eurekas, and others in our part of the state," adds Gray.
2. Winnebago
Head Coach: Joe Erb/Jan Erb
Last year's finish: State Championship- 12th place
Key returners: Nicolai Martino (Sr), Joseph Erb (Jr), Daniel Hodgdon (Jr), Aiden Vazquez (Jr), Blake Linder (Jr), Hudson Pope (Jr).
Outlook: The Indians return six of their top seven runners led by all-stater Nicolai Martino. A mostly deep cast of juniors means high expectations. "Over the course of the past couple of years, we have matured mentally and physically, and we have developed our willingness to put in the work needed to be successful," said coach Erb. "I'm excited and proud of these young men's progress. They have set big goals and are pursuing them with the work they are putting in." The key goal for the Indians is making a run for a state trophy in November.