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Girls teams to watch: Chatham Glenwood, Edwardsville, Mascoutah, Waterloo, Troy (Triad), O'Fallon, Belleville Althoff Catholic, Highland, Quincy, Freeburg
Team Preview: We expect to see a great matchup at the front of this race between Chatham Glenwood and 3A #9 Edwardsville. The top-ranked 2A Titans from Glenwood won this race last season and are anxious to open up this season. The Tigers are also returning a stellar group after finishing in the top 10 last season. Watch for the underdog O'Fallon to push these two teams with some firepower up front.
Girls Individuals:
The battle upfront will be spectacular in this meet with Ali Londrigan (Jr., Chatham-Glenwood), Ellie Bush (Sr., O'Fallon), Peyton Kuhl (So., Quincy), Madison Popelar (Sr., Edwardsville), and Kylie Simpson (Sr., Hononegah) battling for the title. Also watch for freshman Lydia Huffman from Waterloo to make her debut in this stacked field. Last year, Londrigan finished 3rd at this meet, and I am sure she is itching to open up on the grass following a great track season. Popelar will be in her first meet since last year's state meet. She did not run track due to injury. This is a blazing-fast course, and with temperatures looking to be really comfortable for the 8:30 am start, we should see some great performances.
Boys teams to watch: St. Louis University, 3A #25 Edwardsville, 2A #9 Mt. Vernon, 2A #10 Marion, O'Fallon, 2A #14 Bethalto
(Civic Memorial), Quincy, 2A #18 Highland, 2A #21 Chatham-Glenwood, Springfield HS, Edwardsville (Metro-East Lutheran), 2A #24 Waterloo
Team Preview: Last year, one of Missouri's top overall teams, St. Louis University High School, came in and took down a great field. They look to repeat that feat and bring in a very strong squad once again. After the Billikens, there is a large group of squads that can fight for a trophy finish.
This will be a good battle, as key 2A-ranked foes Mt. Vernon, Marion, and Bethalto (Civic Memorial) have had a solid start to their season and look to compete for those second and third spots. Edwardsville and O'Fallon have not raced yet this season, but are expected to compete at the front of this field as usual. Quincy is also an excellent team that could sneak into a top-five spot. It will be interesting to see how some teams insert their lineups at this meet. It is a meet known for its athletes running at the freshman/sophomore levels in this early-season event.
Boys Individuals: Jackson Miller (Jr., SLUH), Max Weber (Sr., Civic Memorial), Raphael Greer (Jr., Marion), Gabriel Greer (Jr., Marion), Landon Harris (Jr., Granite City), and Brayden Kloeppel (Sr., O'Fallon) are the names to watch in this race. This group is the top returners from last year and will be an exciting battle up front with a big pack. Be as it may, Miller appears to be the favorite. He took the runner-up spot, running 14:21. After him, watch for Kloeppel, who opens his season after a stellar junior campaign. Weber opened his season last week with some fire at the twilight meet. The Greer twins and Landon Harris should also compete up front.