By Michael Newman

DyeStat Illinois Editor

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You would think that the IHSA would try to even out the Belvidere, Wheaton Academy, and Fenton Sectional in regards to equality among ranked teams. Belvidere’s sectional is loaded with nine boys and girls ranked teams. On the other hand, the Fenton Sectional does not have any ranked Boys teams and three ranked Girls squads. Wheaton Academy is somewhere in the middle. You have to remember when the IHSA draws up the maps, they are not concerned about getting the top teams to Detweiller Park. They are only concerned with regional representation. In the Belvidere Sectional, you know that you will have to work hard to advance to next Saturday. It just makes the runners in that region just that better.

Belvidere is the top sectional to watch in this classification out of the five that will be taking place on Saturday. Black Partridge Park for the Metamora Sectional would be a good place to go also to see the top two ranked Boys teams in 2A.

Here is a look at each of the sectional meets that will take place on Saturday.

Belvidere Sectional

Belvidere HS XC Course

Girls

Ranked Teams - #1 Belvidere North, #3 Vernon Hills, #4 Crystal Lake Central, #5 Lakes, #9 Grayslake Central, #12 Dixon, #16 Kaneland, #17 Woodstock, #19 Marian Central Catholic

This is a tough sectional with nine ranked teams in this race. It makes it a little tougher when you have three of the top four 2A teams toeing the line. I believe that Belvidere North, Vernon Hills, and Crystal Lake Central are pretty much locks to make it to Peoria. Those three teams are better than the rest of the field. Belvidere North stayed as a pack last week as they easily won at Sterling. Jenna Lutzow will be one of the favorites and should have freshman Gianna Sagona in the top ten. It would not surprise me if all of their scorers finish in the top 24. Vernon Hills does have the talent to surprise the Blue Thunder. Lauren Katz and Payton Makowskyj have the talent to finish in the top ten. Their pack could be the key if they can get four runners in before Belvidere North’s third as well as keeping the five runner split under 45 seconds. Crystal Lake Central has the power to challenge both of these teams through four runners. However, their average from four to five has been 30 seconds which could cause a few problems. Janine Orvis could be in the top ten. The Lady Tigers need to keep their split under sixty seconds to challenge these two teams.

No surprises after this. Any of the seven other ranked teams in this race could advance to Peoria. Lakes has been a surprise team this season led by Freshman Olivia Schmidt. The freshman should be among the top ten runners in this race. The key is keeping the split between Schmidt and the pack under 60 seconds. Their pack is good as only fifteen seconds separate those four runners. Five in the first fifty could get them to Peoria. Dixon did not run their best race last week at Sterling but still finished second. Nicquelette Fazekas could be close to the top ten. The pack behind Fazekas needs to stay within 20 seconds of each other as well as a five runner split under 60 seconds. The Duchesses could advance if that happens. Grayslake Central should have Megan Girmschied and Elizabeth Aho near the top twenty. Just like Dixon and Lakes, a split under 60 seconds will go a long way in getting this team to Peoria. Kaneland has a chance to make it to Peoria but will need to have a few things happen. Rachel Richtman is capable of finishing in the top ten. Their pack is within 48 seconds of each other but needs to stay within 55 seconds of Richtman. That could get them close to the top five. Rockford Boylan, Woodstock, and Marian Central Catholic will have runners in the top fifteen in this race. The splits on the top five will have trouble especially with the quality in this field.

Delaney Appino (Boylan Catholic HS, Rockford) ran 17:08 last week at Sterling. She will have company this week. Jenna Lutzow stayed with her teammates last week and let Appino go. I don’t think we will see the same thing this week. It should be a good dual between the two. Grace McLaughlin is coming on strong and should be close to her teammate Appino. Megan Safranski (Burlington Central HS), Kayla Schiera (Sandwich HS), Olivia Schmidt, and Lauren Katz should be among the others towards the front.

Boys

Ranked Teams - #3 Grayslake Central, #5 Crystal Lake Central, #6 Sterling, #10 Sycamore, #12 Lakes, #13 Hampshire, #20 Belvidere North, #22 Dixon, #23 Prairie Ridge

This could be closer than people think in the team race especially between the top three teams. There could only be ten points separating Crystal Lake Central, Grayslake Central, and Sterling. The advantage that Grayslake Central will have is that Jack and Matt Aho will be in front in this race. They will also need to have their third runner Eli Minsky in the top ten with an overall split near 110 seconds for the Rams to win. Crystal Lake Central could have Cole Barkocy in the top ten as well as Weston Sterchi and Brandon Tomasello in the first fifteen. Their key is making sure that their five runner split is under 70 seconds with five runners in the first forty. Sterling has been running hot of late and could be the surprise of these three teams. Jacob Gebhardt and Jonathan Landis should be in the top ten. Bryce Tessman, who moved to Sterling from South Carolina last summer, has stepped up as their third runner and could be in the top twenty. Sterling could win but will need to get all of their scorers in before 44^th place.

Lakes is a sneaky good team that could advance to Peoria. Jeremy Wallace should be in the top ten and Kael Moran among the top twenty. They will need to keep their top five in the first fifty with a 65 second or faster split to place in the top five. Sycamore finished second last week at Burlington Central behind Crystal Lake Central. The NIB-12 champs have a heavy hitter up front with Stephen Poorten. The pack behind Poorten needs to stay within 22 seconds of each other and under 68 seconds on their top five in order to secure a top five finish. Dixon could be a surprise in this race after finishing third at Sterling last week. The Dukes will have to rely on a tight pack of 35 seconds or faster on their top five. Sean Masterson or Jonah Fulton will need to need to finish in the top twenty. Hampshire, Belvidere North, and Vernon Hills all have the talent to get into the top five.

The individual will not be close. Jack Aho has run under 14:20 twice this season and should be the big favorite in this race. Jacob Gebhardt and Matt Aho will be the next runners behind Jack. Filip Pajak (Prairie Ridge HS, Crystal Lake) Jacob Oury (Hampshire HS), Matthew Richtman (Kaneland HS, Maple Park), and Stephen Poorten should be the next in the pack. An incredibly deep individual field.

Decatur MacArthur Sectional

Hickory Point GC, Decatur 

Girls

Ranked Teams - #10 Chatham-Glenwood, #20 Urbana, #22 Mascoutah, #24 Waterloo

This could be a wild and close team race with no teams coring less than 120 points. Chatham-Glenwood could have Ali Wynn or Katie Curry finish in the top fifteen but will need a split of 75 seconds on their top five to come away with the win. Urbana has been the surprise of 2A this fall with the addition of six freshmen in their top seven. It is possible that they have Olivia Rosenstein, Chian Scott, and Libby Cultra in the top ten. The gap on their fourth to the fifth runner has been close to two minutes most of the year. That will need to come down if Urbana wants to add to their regional title that they won last Saturday. Mascoutah and Waterloo were only separated by two points at Triad last week and it could be that close between the two teams again this week. Waterloo could have the edge this week. Jenna Schwartz will be one of the individual favorites on Saturday. Ella King could be among the top fifteen. The key for them is getting their split at 60 seconds between King and their fifth runner. Mascoutah will need to keep a five runner pack of 55 seconds or better off of #1 runner Melanie Cozzi or Mackenzie Dixon. If one of those runners can finish in the top twenty, it would be a bonus for Mascoutah. Springfield has come on strong in October led by freshmen Shay Doty, Ella Kurmann, and Varsha Iyer. If one of the freshmen finish in the top twenty with a split under 50 seconds, the Senators could qualify for state. Keep an eye on Mattoon. They do not have the runner that will be in the top ten but the green Wave could put five between 25^th and 50^th with a 40 second split. Urbana University should have three in the first fifteen. The two minute gap between their third and fourth runner could hurt their chances to be in the top five.

It should be a good individual race with Jenna Schwartz and Katherine Petty (Rochester HS) challenging for the win. Urbana University’s Arielle Summitt and Annemarie Michael will also be challenging for the top spot. Kate Bushue (Mt. Vernon HS), Shanice Garbutt (Danville HS), Anna Lowry (Taylorville HS) along with Urbana’s Olivia Rosenstein and Chian Scott should also be in the front pack.

Boys

Ranked Teams - #7 Danville, #8 Chatham-Glenwood, #9 Marion, #14 Mascoutah, #16 Taylorville, #17 Springfield, #21 Waterloo

Danville is the top ranked team in this race. The Vikings have a great pack that could end up winning. Their #1 runner Phillip Hall has had some problems the last two races. He fought through some breathing difficulties at his conference meet to be the team’s sixth runner. He was knocked down last week in his regional race and could not finish. Danville is deep and was able to have William Powell move to the top position and Brandon Barfel into the fifth spot. They still won ending up with only a 34 second split. If Hall is healthy, Danville still might not have a runner in the top fifteen. They could still have a split near 22 to 24 seconds and still win this regional. Chatham-Glenwood has Chris Durr who should be among the top five in this race. Their key is getting second through four runners Dathan and Drey Maton along with Cooper Peterson in the top 30 as well as having a five runner split under 62 seconds. That could get them a sectional win.

Marion keeps getting better in every race and could also be a threat for the sectional championship. Zach Young and John Bruce could both be in the top five. Their third through fifth pack is getting closer together and close to the front duo. The split on the group was down to 20 seconds last week with a 79 second split on the top five. If the group can get to 45 seconds of Bruce, Marion could be in contention for the team win. Springfield did not have all of their top five in last week at the Jacksonville Regional but still finished third. Remember, this team had the same point total as Chatham-Glenwood two weeks ago at the Central State Eight Conference meet finishing second. Jackson Esela and Kyle Boughter could finish in the top ten. The Senators just need to place three in the top twenty five as well as five in the first fifty to get among the top five teams to advance.

Taylorville was a big surprise finishing second last week at Jacksonville. They will need to repeat that effort in this week’s race having their top four again close together within fifteen seconds of each other starting with a runner in the top 25. If the Tornadoes can keep their split on five under forty seconds, this team could be racing another week. Mascoutah is another team to watch. Ethan Price could lead three runners in the first thirty. They will also need a 65 second split on their scorers in order to advance to Peoria. Waterloo has a strong front runner with Jake Schwartz having the ability of finishing in the top five. It will be their pack that will need to stay within twenty seconds of each other and within 40 seconds of Schwartz if the team wants to get to Peoria.

Ben Flowers (Jersey HS, Jerseyville) showed that he was ready to go after missing his conference meet running 14:34 on the Jacksonville 2.9 mile course. He did run 14:45 at Detweiller at the beginning of the month. He should be the favorite in this race. Marion’s Zach Young and John Bruce should be in the front pack along with Chris Durr, Jake Schwartz, Atlantis Green (Carbondale HS), Jackson Esela, and Mitchell Kremer (Mattoon HS).

Fenton Sectional

Fenton HS XC Course, Bensenville

Girls

Ranked Teams - #6 Chicago Northside Prep, #23 Latin School, #25 Chicago Payton Prep

Northside Prep has stepped up to be one of the top teams in 2A this year. This meet will be another example of this. Sara McCoy and Fiona Casey could take the top two spots in this race. The Mustangs should be able to place their top five within the first twenty places and should score under fifty points. Latin School will need to rely on a tighter pack to get to Peoria. Laura Katunas should be among the top fifteen in this race. The split on their five needs to stay within 65 seconds of each other to place in the top five. Payton Prep has been up and down this season but have the talent to make it to state. Alana Chandler and Molly Crotteau could finish in the top ten. They could also place four in the first twenty. What to watch is if the gap between their fourth and fifth runners needs to stay under 45 seconds for this team to make it to Peoria.

St. Ignatius Prep is peaking at the right time and should be among the top five teams. Rhiannon O’Keefe and Lucy Brumfield have the talent to finish among the top ten. The Wolfpack need to have a 40 second or better split on their top five to punch their ticket to Peoria. Trinity also has the talent to make it to Peoria if they can get Bridget O’Bryan and Hailey Hansen in the top ten. They could surprise in the top three if their five scorers are in the top 27 with a split of 66 seconds or faster. Mather has a chance to get to Peoria but needs to get Yarley Robledo into the top ten and then get a split of eighty seconds on their scorers that have to be in the top forty.

Sara McCoy and Fiona Casey should be at least 10 to 15 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. There will be a close pack after them with Gabi Sazdo (Elmwood Park HS), Bridget O’Bryan, Rhiannon O’Keefe, and Alanda Chandler leaders in the front of that group.

Boys

Ranked Teams – None

There are no big heavy hitter teams in this race as no ranked teams are in this race. It could come down to host Fenton and St. Viator going after the sectional title. Fenton did not run their best race last week at regionals as they finished fourth at Melas Park. What the Bison will have is Cristian Sanchez in front of the pack. Fenton could get three runners in the first ten having a split under 55 seconds. That could give them the sectional win. St. Viator could have Sam Brey and Kevin Goss among the top five individually. The Lions need to have their scorers in the top 25 with a split under 50 seconds to be close to Fenton. Elmwood Park is a good bet to make it to Peoria. The Tigers should have Amadeus Lopez in the top five. Elmwood Park could be close to the top two if they can get their top five among the top 26. Watch to see if they can get their top three in the first thirteen.

Northside Prep finished third last week at St Viator and could be in the top five. Kyle Friedler and Alex Ortiz should be in the top fifteen. Five runners in the first thirty-five would be something to watch if this team has hopes of making it to Peoria. Mather could have Jeremy Bekkouche and Audiel Perez in the top ten. Their split of over two minutes could be trouble and needs to come down in order to finish in the top five. Payton Prep will have Alejandro Vargas in the top five. Their top five split is big near two minutes. Just like Mather’s, it needs to come down in order to finish in the top five. Chicago University and St. Patrick also could challenge for a top five spot. Fenton, St. Viator, and Elmwood Park are almost locks to Peoria. There could be only fifteen points separating the next five teams.

Fenton’s Christian Sanchez will be the favorite especially on his home course. Jeremy Bekkouche, Alejandro Vargas, and Sam Brey should be among the leaders.

Metamora Sectional

Black Partridge Park, Metamora

Girls

Ranked Teams - #2 Dunlap, #7 Metamora, #8 Washington, #11 Mahomet-Seymour, #13 Peoria Notre Dame, #14 Normal University

Dunlap has the advantage in this race with Franny Verville, Abby Johnson, and Ayah Aldadah all possibly finishing in the top five. The Eagles could score under thirty points in this meet if they can place five runners in the first ten with the split on that group under forty seconds. Metamora could have the edge for the next spot. They will be on their home course but also could have Kari Lalumandier leading three Metamora runners in the first twelve. The Redbirds will need to have five runners in the first thirty to make it to Detweiller Park next weekend. Washington ran a good race last week finishing second at U-High. The Lady Panthers could make it to state with a solid pack. They won’t have any runners in the top ten but should get Kara Jacobs or Kassidy Dexheimer in the top twenty. Their split should be tight most likely under 35 seconds. The pack should be good enough to make it to Peoria.

Mahomet-Seymour finished behind Washington last week but could finish ahead especially with more runners in the race. Megan Churm and Brisa McGrath lead the Bulldogs possibly finishing in the top fifteen. Five runners in the top forty is a possibility. They will just need to keep their split under 65 seconds in order to qualify for state. Normal University has freshman Katy Clausen that will be among the top five individually. The Pioneers’ pack behind Clausen needs to be within forty seconds of each other starting with a runner in that pack around 20^th place. That could get them to the state meet. Peoria Notre Dame looked strong in finishing second behind Dunlap at Galesburg last week.  Grace Breitbach will lead the Irish possibly finishing among the first seven runners. Their pack behind Breitbach could be their downfall. The split last week on the four was close to two minutes. That needs to come down in order to advance to the state meet.

It should be a close race with Dunlap’s Franny Verville and Abby Johnson challenging Kari Lalumandier for the individual title. Katy Clausen, Ayah Aldadah, Grace Breitbach, and Meagan Moreno (Morton HS) will be close behind in this race.

Boys

Ranked Teams - #1 Mahomet-Seymour, #2 Normal University, #4 Metamora, #15 Peoria Notre Dame, #18 LaSalle-Peru, #19 Dunlap

Even though Mahomet-Seymour only won the regional last week 39=53 over Normal University, the Bulldogs remain the big favorites in this race. Watch for their lineup in this meet. Last year, they rested some of their top seven in both the regional and sectional races. They kept some of their runners out last week. Maybe the same thing is in store for this week. If their top seven is running, we could see seven of their runners in the first eleven. That is how strong this team is. Normal University is extremely good but compared to Mahomet they should finish second. Jack Franklin and Jared Schuckman both finish in the top five. It would not surprise me to see them place their scorers in the first twenty.

Metamora will be on their home course and should advance to the state meet behind one of the race favorites Jake Gillum. Freshman Adam Gilbreath-Glaub leads the pack behind Gillum with the potential to finish in the top twelve. If the Redbirds finish with a split under sixty seconds with all five scorers in the first 35, this team would be a lock to be in the top five.

It is a toss-up for the final two qualifying spots. Notre Dame could have Patrick Bruch to the top ten. The Irish has to have a split under 90 seconds to make the top five. LaSalle-Peru has been a surprise this year and could find their way to the state meet. They have no front runners but could run a 65 second off of leaders Brendon Sebastian and Ryan Porter that could finish in the top 25. Dunlap finished just three points behind Notre Dame last week at Galesburg. They have a pack similar to Notre Dame. They will need to have a split under 80 seconds with Drew Fick leading the way in the top fifteen. East Peoria finished fourth last week at Normal University and could be a surprise. They just need to have Michael Church in the top ten with their top five split under 80 seconds to advance to state. Rock Island Alleman and Morton did not have their best races last week but have the talent to find their way into the top five.

Jack Franklin bounced back after a sub-par race at conference to win last week at Maxwell Park. Gabe Pommier, Riley Fortune, and Andrew Walmer have been in the front for Mahomet-Seymour all year. If they are in this race, expect them to be towards the front. Jake Gillum will be on his home course and should also be in the front.

Wheaton Academy Sectional
Kress Creek Farms, West Chicago

Girls

Ranked Teams - #15 Lemont, #18 Rosary

Lemont won last week at Hinsdale South with Rosary finishing only six points behind. It should be close between the two squads again this weekend. Lemont has the great pack most likely having five runners within 40 seconds of each other. It would be great if Beata Drozda and Julianne McClatchu finish in the top ten. That could solidify their top spot. Rosary will have Claire Hengesbaugh most likely in the top five individually. Their pack on the next four needs to have a split under 40 seconds on the group to keep close to Lemont.

Riverside-Brookfield has not been in the spotlight most of this year but does have the talent to make it to Peoria. The Bulldogs could put three in the first twenty with Tara Janney and Hailey Jurgens finishing in the top ten. Their key is keeping their five runner split around seventy seconds to place in the top five. Glenbard South was ahead of Wheaton Academy last week at Hinsdale South by seventeen points. The margin could be closer between the two especially with a larger field. Abby Schlenker of Glenbard South and Julia Robleski of Wheaton Academy should both finish in the top five. Ava Childs helps Glenbard South with her being in the top ten. They can afford a larger split (near 90 seconds) and still make it to state. Wheaton Academy needs to put all their scorers in the first 35 to advance to Detweiller Park. Montini Catholic should have a split under a minute. They will need to have Jenna Wiedacher and Mary O’Brien in the top 25 with that split in order to be close to the five qualifying spots.

Abby Fioresi (Aurora Central Catholic HS) is the only runner in this sectional to run under 18 minutes this season as she ran 17:55 on this course at the beginning of the month. She could win by more than fifteen seconds ahead of a pack led by Gillian Fiene (Illiana Christian HS, Lansing), Claire Hengesbaugh, Abby Schlenker, and Julia Robleski.

Boys

Ranked Teams - #11 Riverside-Brookfield, #24 Brother Rice, #25 Hinsdale South

Riverside-Brookfield is the best team in this field and should show it in this sectional race. The Bulldogs could have four runners in the first fifteen led by Mateo Nunez finishing in the top five. They could have a split near seventy seconds on their top five. It could be good enough to win the sectional team title. Brother Rice did not jump into the spotlight until their regional race when they edged Hinsdale South by three points. Joe Sweeney leads this squad possibly finishing in the top ten. The pack behind Sweeney will be the key. The Crusaders need to have a thirty second split in that group with at least the first runner in that pack between 18^th place and 20^th place.  Hinsdale South should have Brett Haffner and Chris Joseph finish in the top ten. If the Hornets keep their split under 75 seconds on their top five, they could be making a return trip to Peoria.

Illinois Math and Science Academy does not run in any of the big Peoria races so they really don’t get noticed during the season. They do have the talent to make it to Peoria for their first team state appearance. Daniel Chen should be among the front runners in this race. The Titans could have three in the first twenty but needs to keep their split on their scorers at 90 seconds in order to finish in the top five. St. Francis has Nick Brouch and Alex Hernandez that should finish in the top ten. Their split on five is big hovering close to two minutes. It needs to come down at least twenty seconds in order to finish among the top five teams. Montini Catholic is in the same boat with a big split on their top five. The Broncos will need Jacob Mondschean and Jayden Gersten in the top fifteen with the split lowered to get into the top five. Bremen could also be in the mix with great pack running. Five runners between 25^th and 50^th place could be just enough to get the Braves to Peoria.

Ten seconds could separate the top six runners in the individual race. Nick Brouch could be the slight favorite with Daniel Chen, Jesus Palmerin (Kennedy HS, Chicago), Mateo Nunez, and Jonah Jones (Wheaton Academy HS, West Chicago) close behind.