Nick Hartz- Class A editor
2009 Illinois Class A Boys Cross Country Preview
It will be interesting to see how the changing of the guard plays out. It appears that Winnebago will slip from the ranks of top dog. Westmont is the new king on the block.
Team Rankings
1. Westmont – Westmont returns 6 of their top 7 from their 2nd place finish at last year’s state meet. They are very confident and they look like they should be a lock for the championship.
2. Sterling Newman Central Catholic – Sterling Newman has their entire team back from last year’s 7th place finish. They dealt with injuries from their top runner, Jake Trancoso, and they should use this as motivation to get a top three performance.
3. Carlinville – Carlinville finished in 5th place last year and has 5 of their top 6 returning from last year’s team. With the inclusion of some talented younger runners to mix with this experienced group, they look like a team that could challenge for the championship.
4. Elmwood-Brimfield – Elmwood-Brimfield has two very talented returnees to go along with their other veteran runners. They also have some talented freshmen coming in which should make them a very dangerous team.
5. Beecher – Beecher has six of their top seven returning from last year’s 12th place finish. They also have some talented runners coming in that will make them even better. They will be a team to watch.
6. Winnebago – No team made a bigger impression last year than Winnebago and their third place finish. Great coaching and talented runners are synonymous with Winnebago. You can never count out this team.
7. Bureau Valley – Bureau Valley has five of their top seven back from last year’s team. They dealt with injuries to their top runner, which kept him out most of the year. Depending on how their runners return to form, they could be a team to challenge for last year’s sixth place finish again.
8. Stanford Olympia – Stanford Olympia returns 5 of their top seven from last year’s 13th place finish and they also have some strong incoming runners this year to help them fight for a top ten finish.
9. Urbana U-High – Urbana U-High lost two very talented runners in Malcolm Taylor and Albert Anastacio but they still return a lot of runners from last year’s 4th place finish. If they can built on last year’s team with their large amount of returning runners, they could do some damage by the end of the year.
10. Canton – Canton has four of their top six returning from last year’s 11th place team. If they can get some new runners to mix with their returning runners, they could challenge for a top ten finish.
11. Rock Island Alleman – Rock Island Alleman returns to Class A this year and has some definite talent returning. They will be a dark horse team this year at the state meet.
12. Paxton-Buckley-Loda – PBL has the top returning individual finisher from last year’s state meet and a lot of talent that just missed making it to state last year. With Pacey lea ding the charge, they should make a run at a top fifteen finish or better.
13. Robinson – Robinson returns five of their top seven from last year’s 15th place finish. Robinson has a long history of having very talented runners and great coaching. This year should lead to another quality group of runners.
14. Rochester – Rochester has five of its top seven returning from last year’s 16th place finish. They will need some help from some incoming runners but they should be a nice team as the year goes on.
15. Sparta – Sparta returns their entire team from last year’s 18th place finish. With another year of experience under their belt, they should only get better.
Other teams to watch (Alphabetically): Bloomington Central Catholic, Farmington, Lawrenceville, St. Joseph-Ogden, Tremont
Individual Rankings
1. Tom Pacey (Sr.) – Paxton-Buckley-Loda – Tom Pacey is the highest returning finisher from last year’s state meet with a 6th place finish. He always has been a strong runner and will definitely be a strong favorite for the championship.
2. Jake Trancoso (Jr.) – Sterling Newman Central Catholic – Jake Trancoso dealt with some injuries and illnesses last year before the state meet and never seemed to get back into form in time for the meet. He will look to get back into the form that made him one of the top runners in the state.
3. Dylan Reyes (Jr.) – Sterling Newman Central Catholic – Dylan Reyes is the second highest returnee from last year’s state meet with an 8th place finish. With the competition from his teammate, they will push each other to fight for the top spot in the state.
4. Jared Summers (Sr.) – Teutopolis – Jared reminds me of Graham Morris of Lawrenceville from last year. He is the type of kid that will put in the effort this summer and get himself into the top five at the state meet.
5. Ryan Bybee (Jr.) – Elmwood-Brimfield – Ryan has always been a talented runner even in junior high. As he has progressed through high school, he has really stepped up when it mattered. Last year’s 11th place finish should use it to push him even harder this season.
6. Griffen Nykaza (Jr.) – Beecher – Griffen had a great season last year to finish 12th overall last year at the state meet. With some added training, he could surprise some people and break into the top 5.
7. Bo Muzikowski (Sr.) – Chicago Hope Academy – Bo had a surprising finish to the end of his state meet last year with a top 15 finish. With the help of his little brother, they should push themselves into the top ten and possibly higher.
8. Tony Young (Sr.) – Elmwood-Brimfield – Tony has always been a great runner for Elmwood-Brimfield and will continue to push his teammates to go even farther this year. He should easily be in the top ten this year.
9. Ryan Brown (Jr.) – Shelbyville – Ryan was another surprise runner from last year’s state meet with his 18th place finish. With more experience and a strong summer, he could easily finish in the top ten this year.
10. Chase Coffey (Jr.) – Farmington – Chase built on a great freshman year and used the experience last year to finish all-state. As a junior, he should only continue to improve this year.
11. Will Cross (Jr.) – Delavan – Will enjoyed his return to the Class A ranks with an All-State finish. With some help from his teammates, he could lead his team back to state again.
12. Scott Janusick (Jr.) –Spring Valley Hall – Scott built on a strong freshman campaign and had a great sophomore year to make All-State. After having a great track season, he should continue that trend into this year’s cross country season.
13. Justin Rehfeldt (Jr.) – Rockford Christian – Justin has always been a talented runner and with the help of his brother, he has built himself into a great runner. If he can put together a good race, he is on par with some of the best in the state. He is definitely one to watch this year.
14. Ike Muzikowski (Jr.) – Chicago Hope Academy – Ike, along with his brother, Bo, put together a great state meet. He will definitely benefit from this experience last year and it should push him to prove that he is an All-State performer.
15. Danny Delaney (Sr.) – Carlinville – Danny was the top runner on Carlinville’s team last year at state and just missed out on making All-State. If he puts in the work this summer, he will definitely meet that goal and help lead Carlinville to a trophy.
16. Kevin Barnacle (Sr.) – Westmont – Kevin was the top runner from Westmont last year at the state meet. He will continue to try and lead his team to a State Championship.
17. Henry Arndt (Jr.) – Westmont – Henry finished just behind teammate Kevin Barnacle last year at state. He will be trying to improve his performance at the state meet and help lead his team to a state title.
18. Austin Viano (Sr.) – Carlinville – Austin spend most of the year as the top runner on Carlinville’s squad but finished second for his team at the state meet. He will use this to help motivate him to better his performance and help lead his team to a trophy.
19. Doug Vrchota (Jr.) – Elmwood-Brimfield – Doug had a few injury issues last year which kept him from running at his best. With a strong summer and hopefully injury free season, he should help pace Elmwood-Brimfield to a return to the state championship.
20. Nate DeVenney (Jr.) – Bureau Valley – Nate is another runner who dealt with injuries thoughout last year and looks to be back in prime form to improve on his state performance. Bureau Valley will need a strong performance from him if they hope to reach a trophy this year.
The team profiles and individual profiles were created using all information that I gathered and received before the season. If you have valid information that would help me with the rankings, you can send it to ilclassaxc@yahoo.com just like last year, and I will use it to make the rankings better. Thanks and looking forward to a great cross country year. |
