The battle for supremacy will be on this fall for the Grand-daddy classification as several key alias return to do some serious damage to area parks and golf courses throughout the fall.  Patrick Perrier will look to pick up where superstar Jack Keelan of Chicago St. Ignatius left  There will be major team implications for much of the season for many of the state’s top runners. However, the majority of Illinois’ courses are flat and fast.  So expect fast times from beginning to the end of the season.

Madeline Perez is going to be mad serious about leading a super class of girls who are destined to be even faster than last year’s record breaking year in which 87 runners broke 18:00 in the state championship! In addition to the deep field returning is the prospect of team aspirations for some of the top returning girls. Still, talent breeds fast times and that undoubtedly is going to be what’s on the menu.

What a difference a year makes… Skyler Bollinger was sort of a mysterious bespectacled freshman who glided her way through a challenging high school schedule.  The end result was a top five finish and her Yorkville team won the state title. For the first time in classification history there is a possibility of three state champions competing at once in November. Two years ago it was Sami Staples of Crystal Lake Central winning it all. Last year, Victoria Clinton (Maple Park Kaneland) surprised the field at Detweiller Park for the title. So, will it be Bollinger this time around?

You better take notice! Do not sleep on the 2A Boys cross country scene this fall. If you dare to blink and turn your head on the middle classification, you are sure to miss something special this fall. There will be significant number of top 50 returners despite graduation and classification defections. Glen Ellyn Glenbard South’s John Wold returns as the defending champion and will have a lot to say how fast the league is this season.

The initial thing one might notice about these cross country rankings is that off the spot, all of the finishing top 10 at the 1A state finals from last year are all graduating seniors, except for one, Nick Hess, who is the obvious favorite. Furthermore, of the top 25 finishers last year, only nine come back. So there is a lot of room for unnoticeable names to sneak themselves up into the all-state scene this year. It will therefore be not that easy to rank this year’s top 25 individuals because it’s hard to know what to expect out of a lot of the group.

With a bevy of incoming talent, this talented group of 17 out of the top 25 returning could be one of the best in classification history.  There was a significant amount of fast girls who did not even make it into the all-state scene last year, so it’s going to be very interesting to say the least.  The top five IHSA all-state veterans were no more than eight seconds apart in time difference, but two of the top five ranked talent are IESA record-breaking freshman. Here are the projected top 25:

Last year’s state championship saw the battle of two powerful small school empires. The first is St. Thomas Moore, a non-bordered catholic school in Champaign notorious for attracting the area talent in Champaign County. The second is Elmwood, a school whose team Coop’s with Brimfield. In an area passionate about distance running, Elmwood athletes train at a young age, typically part of either the Elmwood or Brimfield middle school team before transitioning on to high school.

The summer is really like spring for cross country enthusiasts who had to wait all winter and spring for their time of the year to talk up their sport.  All over the Midwest coaches, athletes, parents, and fans get excited about the prospects of the coming fall and what to expect.  In Illinois, cross country is huge and the expectations of storied programs never change.  Elmhurst York is the flagship program and everyone knows to follow in step.  However, there are several teams in line to bolster themselves to the forefront.  One team in particular is O’Fallon.  The Panthers have been the penultimate type team for several years now.  The St. Louis area team has been patient for quite for some time. That time may be finally arriving.  As well, there will be 25 teams at the end of the day on the course at the fabled Detweiller Park with the same vision as O’Fallon and York.

We've cracked the top ten. Did your team make the list?

Our preview continues with the likes of Naperville Central, Lane Tech, and Buffalo Grove.

Our countdown of the top 25 3A boys teams continues with #20-#16.

The summer is really like spring for cross country enthusiasts who had to wait all winter and spring for their time of the year to talk up their sport.  All over the Midwest coaches, athletes, parents, and fans get excited about the prospects of the coming fall and what to expect.  In Illinois, cross country is huge and the expectations of storied programs never change.  We start our countdown of the top 3A boys teams with #25 Lincoln-Way Central.

2012 was the deepest year on record for the girls at the state championship that saw an amazing 87 girls break 18:00 for three-miles. As well there two home land teams that qualified for the Nike Cross Nationals in Winnetka New Trier (11th) and Naperville North (15th)- a fantastic year on the girls' side for both for individuals and for teams to say the least. This season should see more of the same. Let’s take a peek into the pre-season outlook:

We've cracked the top ten. Did your team make the list?

Our preview continues with the likes of Hoffman Estates, Maine South, and Downers Grove North.

Our countdown of the top 25 3A girls teams continues with #20-#16.

2012 was the deepest year on record for the girls at the state championship that saw an amazing 87 girls break 18:00 for three-miles.  As well there two home land teams that qualified for the Nike Cross Nationals in Winnetka New Trier (11th) and Naperville North (15th)- a fantastic year on the girls' side for both for individuals and for teams to say the least.  This season should see more of the same.  Let’s take a peek into the pre-season outlook:

Chicago Jones lose a bevy of talent anchored by the Public League’s best ever distance runner Jamison Dale (now at Loyola University).  However, Coach Andrew Adelmann will return a ton of talented youngsters to fill spots.  Can the likes of Illiana Christian and Glenbard South move up and take hold of the mantle?

Our preview continues with the likes of Belvidere North, Mahomet-Seymour, and East Moline (United).

We continue our countdown of top 2A boy's squads with another five boys teams. If you missed this morning’s article, here are our #20-#16 ranked teams. 

Chicago Jones lose a bevy of talent anchored by the Public League’s best ever distance runner Jamison Dale (now at Loyola University).  However, Coach Andrew Adelmann will return a ton of talented youngsters to fill spots. Can the likes of Illiana Christian and Glenbard South move up and take hold of the mantle? We begin our preview the 2A Boys Team Race.  Keep checking back as we count down #20 through #1 in the next two days. 

It will be a very interesting year in the middle-class division after a solid last fall followed by an even better track and field season led by two-time defending state champion Yorkville. Coach Chris Muth’s team will be back to defend their title with extreme force.  As well, there will be plenty of teams and individuals ready to challenge for state supremacy.  

Our preview continues with the likes of Springfield, Peoria Notre Dame, and Kaneland. 

We continue our countdown of top 2A girl’s squads with another five girls teams. If you missed this morning’s article, here are our #20-#16 ranked teams. 

It will be a very interesting year in the middle-class division after a solid last fall followed by an even better track and field season led by two-time defending state champion Yorkville. Coach Chris Muth’s team will be back to defend their title with extreme force.  As well, there will be plenty of teams and individuals ready to challenge for state supremacy.  

We begin our preview the 2A Girls Team Race.  Keep checking back as we count down #20 through #1 in the next two days. 

Three-time defending state champion Decatur (St. Teresa) was four points away from seeking a fifth straight title if one considers their 2009 second finish to Winnebago 127-123 as evidence.  In that race, St. Teresa had an opportunity to win but the Indians closed out the final half-mile out in fine fashion to complete their five-peat.  So the big question to ask: “will Decatur win again?”  On paper it looks like their dynasty could come to an end as other teams have finally stocked their rosters and now appear ready to battle.

The 2013 cross country season is right around the corner. We kick off our preseason coverage by ranking the top returners in each class. Nick Hess of St. Thomas More finished third as a junior at the state meet and comes into the 2013 season with the fastest time in 1A. Only Hess returns out of the top eleven finishers from 2012. He will be a key part of the puzzle if St. Thomas More is to win yet another state championship.

The 2013 cross country season is right around the corner. We kick off our preseason coverage by ranking the top returners in each class. Kaneland's Victoria Clinton claimed her first cross country crown last year as a freshman and comes in with 2A's fastest time of 16:56.00.

The 2013 cross country season is right around the corner.We kick off our preseason coverage by ranking the top returners in each class. Glenbard South senior John Wold is coming off a state championships in 2012. His time of 14:16.00 was five seconds faster than runner-up Alex Baker. Wold is the favorite in 2A and will perform a lethal 1-2 punch with fellow senior teammate Joe Singleton. Stay tuned for more rankings, team scouting reports, feature stories, and the announcement of our cross country bloggers for the year.