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2021 IHSA State Cross Country Championships - Class 3A Boys PreviewPublished by
2021 IHSA State Cross Country Championships - Class 3A Boys
By Michael Newman [email protected]
This is has been clearly an unusual year for Class 3A teams and runners where it seems parody has taken over. The 3A Boys’ race is the final race of the day at Detweiller Park on Saturday is hard to predict in both the individual and team races. The individual race could provide some fast times. All of the top runners have raced each other at least some time this season. The tactics that are used in this race should be amazing. Nick Falk of New Trier finished second behind Luke Wiley of Warren last week at Hoffman Estates. The order was changed a month earlier as Falk won at Peoria ahead of Wiley, Ryan Watts of Edwardsville, and Marcellus Mines of Joliet West. Mines and Watts finished behind Plainfield South’s Camyn Viger of Plainfield South on a muddy course at Quincy. Micah Wilson of St, Charles East pulled away from Riley Newport of DeKalb in the final kilometer to win at Lake Park. The most exciting finish was at Hinsdale Central when Daniel Watcke won on his home course with a devastating kick to win ahead of Tim Neumann of Downers Grove South and Roy Lewellyn of Downers Grove North. Pick your scenario, Pick your tactics. See which one works the best for you. The one thing is to be away from Watcke entering the final 300-meters in this race. Watcke has used his 48-second 400-meters speed to his advantage at the end of races this fall. Sandburg has been dominant in wins at Detweiller Park this fall making them the team to beat. They only won by 15 points at Hinsdale Central last Saturday. It has opened the door that possibly six teams have chances to win a state championship. Sandburg will be tough to beat with their presence in the front. Downers Grove North, Hinsdale Central, and Oswego are gaining steam with good races in that Hinsdale Sectional. New Trier only won by six points at Hoffman Estates ahead of Barrington, but still have the talent to win. York is back with momentum on their side after strong races n their regional and sectional meets. There are 28 teams that made it from the four sectionals. Here is a detailed look at each of those teams. READ THE OTHER STATE MEET PREVEWS HERE | LIVE RESULTS LINK FOR THE IHSA STATE MEET
Orland Park (Sandburg)
Notes – The Eagles have a storied history in this meet having qualified for a state race since 2003. Saturday is their 29th State Meet appearance. They have won the Class 3A State title in 2015 and have finished in the top three twice. Sandburg enters this race Saturday afternoon as the team to beat especially with a resume of strong races in winning the Richard Spring Invitational and Peoria Invitational by large amounts. Declan Tunney has been the team’s top runner throughout the season and could be among the top 10 runners in this race. Brock Rice could finish in the top 20 while teammates Grant Giblin and Sean Marquardt are top 25 candidates. Trent Anderson finished 12 seconds behind Marquardt last week. He needs to move up by three seconds to him in a good position as the team’s fifth runner. Sandburg had a 38 second split on their top five at Richard Spring. It was 45 seconds last week at Hinsdale. Their top five split cannot increase anymore. It could go lower which we could see in Saturday’s race. Hinsdale (Central)
Notes – The first of four WSC-Silver teams to make this meet. The Red Devils have won Class 3A State championships in 2013 and 2014. This is Central’s 17th time in the IHSA State Meet. The Red Devils are coming ff three high stakes races where they won the WSC-Silver title while finishing second in their regional and third last week in their sectional. Daniel Watcke has won his last three races and should be in contention for a state championship on Saturday. Colby Revord has emerged as a strong second runner behind Watcke finishing only nine seconds behind Watcke at regionals but 20 seconds in the sectional race. Hinsdale Central only had a five second split on their third through fifth runners. The Red-Devils are in contention for a state championship but will need to get Revord closer to Watcke and the pack closer to Revord to complete that state meet task. Downers Grove (North)
Notes – This is the 23rd time at the IHSA State Meet for the Trojans. Downers Grove North won the 3A State Championship in 2017. The one team on the rise that could win on Saturday might be the Trojans. Finishing ahead of Hinsdale Central the past two weeks and getting within 15 points of Sandburg could have their confidence sky-high in this race. Roy Lewellyn has oved into the conversation for a state title in his last three races. The Trojans ran their best split of the year running within 45 seconds of each other last week led by Topher Ferris. The second through fifth split was only 13 seconds in that race. Kyle McNally just returned to their lineup for North and was the team’s fifth runner last week. He could give this team a boost in Saturday’s race. Oswego
Notes - The Panthers make it to the State Meet for the first time since the 1994 State Meet when they finished eighth in the Class AA race. This is the 10th State Meet appearance for Oswego. The Panthers have been exhibiting some tight pack running all season. They did so last week at Hinsdale finishing fourth but just two points behind Hinsdale Central. That might not have been their best race of the season with a 45 second split when they have run near 30 seconds on five for most of the season. Ethan Forsell, Benjamin Huey, and Balin Doud moved up from the middle of the pack to finish in the top 15. Brady Nelson finished 13 seconds behind Doud. Michael Smart finished another 12 seconds behind Nelson. Forsell could finish in the top 20 in this race. Their split needs to stay under 34 seconds for this team to be in contention for one of the three state trophies. Winnetka (New Trier)
Notes – The Trevians make it to the IHSA State Meet for the 35th time after winning the Hoffman Estates Sectional last Saturday. The last time that New Trier missed a state championship was in 2008. It was not their best race for the Trevians last week, but they still won their sectional race by six points ahead of Barrington at Busse Woods. Nick Falk is the team’s top runner contending for a state title. The Trevians had a 70 second split on their top five. Second runner George Cahill finished 37 seconds behind Falk. Their second through five runners was 33 seconds. That split might narrow down. The split from Falk to Cahill needs to narrow by 10 seconds for this team to contend for a state trophy. Elmhurst (York)
Notes – This is the 58th state meet appearance in a row for the Dukes This is their 60th IHSA State Meet appearance.. York has run in every state meet held at Detweiller Park including winning 28 state team championships. The Dukes have won 46 State Meet trophies. York starts Saturday in Box 2 going after their 29 state championships. The Dukes were lost for dead after an abysmal race at the WSC-Silver finishing a distant fourth. York got their confidence wins at regionals and then last week at Lake Park without their #1 runner Ethan Summer who is expected back on Saturday. York had a 29 second split on their top four runners led by Garrett Schwan and did not include Summer who would have been in that pack. York needs that kind of ace in Peoria with that kind of split and the pack starting with one runner in the top 25. LaGrange (Lyons Township)
Notes – The Lions make the IHSA State Meet for the 33rd time winning 10 state trophies in the process. The Lions did not have their best race last week but still finished fifth at Hinsdale Central. Charlie McLawhorn suffered a minor injury during the race but should be ready to go. Finn Gallagher finished within four seconds of his teammate and could be a plus with another great race. The Lions only had a 33 second split on their top five without one of their top five runners Nicholas Strayer who had an off race as the team’s seventh runner. This team should bounce back this week with hopes of being in contention for one of the three state trophies. Plainfield (South)
Notes – This is just the fifth time in the State Meet for the Cougars. Plainfield South last qualified for the State Meet in 2012. The Cougars have looked strong in the past few weeks after finishing third at the Southwest Prairie Conference Meet. South rebounded by finishing second at East Moline and then winning last week at Quincy. Camyn Viger won the sectional title and could be in the hunt for a top 15 finish in Saturday’s race. South had a 57 second split on their top five in the sectional race. That split has been that way for most of the season, Their two to five split off second runner Dylan Maloney was only 14 seconds. The Cougars could challenge for a top five finish but will need to get their pack within 30 seconds of Viger to accomplish that. Barrington
Notes – The Broncos make their 14th State Meet appearance having made it to Detweiller Park the past three times. Barrington is making another run at a trophy like they did at the end of last season. Joey Furlong stepped up as the team’s top runner al season and could be in the top 25 individually. The Broncos had a 53 second split on their top five when they finished second only six points behind New Trier. A race similar to that one could have Barrington in the top 10 on Saturday. Lake Zurich
Notes – This will be the 13th time at Detweiller Park and the State Meet for the Bears having qualifying for every State Meet since 2008. Lake Zurich finished third at Hoffman Estates only a point behind second-place Barrington. Dylan Myers and Danny Burns were only separated by four seconds at Busse Woods. Both runners could finish near or in the top 25. Lake Zurich’s top five split was 73 seconds in that sectional race. That split needs to come down for Lake Zurich to challenge for a top 10 finish. Palatine
Notes – The Pirates qualify for their 30 State Meet winning a State Championship in Class 3A in 2011 and seven state meet trophies overall. Palatine did not have their top race last week at Busse Woods. They will make the trip to Peoria after finishing fourth with a 77 second split in their top five. The split was only 29 seconds at the regional race the week before. Mason Krieg ended up as the team’s top runner finishing 17 seconds ahead of teammate Jack Casaccio. Their split should come down for the state meet. It could mean finishing eighth or higher in Saturday’s race. Minooka
Notes – Minooka makes their 11th State Meet appearance at Detweiller Park after finishing third in last week’s sectional at Quincy. Zachary Balzer and Daniel Schalk were the team’s top runner finishing within three seconds of each other. Minooka’s split jumped up to 75 seconds in this week after having their past two races with splits in the 50’s. Balzer could finish in the top 25 in this race. Schalk’s race was the closest to Balzer all season. That gap may grow a little at state with Schalk a possibility of finishing 40th or better. St. Charles (East)
Notes – This is the 21st time at the State Meet for the Saints including the last six times in a row that the IHSA Meet has been held. Micah Wilson has his eyes on a state championship and leads this team. Mitch Garcia and Joey Xotla are solid 2-3 runners that compliment Wilson. They could be in the top 40 in this race. The team had a 106 second split off Wilson. Their two through five split in that race was 52 seconds. That time needs to come down for East to finish among the top 10 teams. Naperville (Neuqua Valley)
Notes – The Wildcats qualified for the State Meet 18 years in a row missing qualifying in 2019. Neuqua Valley has won IHSA State Championships in 2007, 2009, and 2016. The Wildcats just made it out of the Hinsdale Central Sectional finishing seventh. Noah Schalliol was the team’s top runner and could possibly finish in the top 25. Their top five split was 54 seconds. Their split from second runner Ryan Palmer to fifth runner Charlie Rook was 31 seconds. The overall split needs to come down or the Wildcats to finish in the top 10. Edwardsville
Notes – This is the 32 time at the IHSA State Meet for the Tigers. Edwardsville had some injury woes early in the season but look ready to go for this weekend. The Tigers finished fourth last week at Quincy. Ryan Watts is among the pack of runners that could win the state individual title. Ryan Luitjohan and Geordan Patrylak should be in the top 40 with hopes of getting close to the top 25 individuals. Plainfield (North)
Notes – The Tigers qualify for the State Meet for the second time. Their first appearance came in 2015. Oliver Burns is the team’s top runner. He helped the Tigers finish second at the Quincy Sectional. Burns should be one of the runners you should see finish in the top 25. North ran an average race in this meet with a 60 second split. The splits in their previous two races were at 59 and 58 seconds. Downers Grove (South)
Notes – The Mustangs make their sixth State Meet appearance. Their first appearance was in 1982. South has been on the rise with possibly their best race of the season finishing sixth at the Hinsdale Central Sectional. Tim Neumann has come on strong and could finish in the top five in this meet. South had a 72 second split off Neumann. Their split on the two through five pack was only 24 seconds. Arlington Heights (Hersey)
Notes – Hersey qualifies for their 17th State Meet after finishing fifth at the Hoffman Estates Sectional. Sean Safford and Connor Oiler were the team’s top two runners finishing four seconds of each other. The Huskies had a 73 second split on their first five runners. That split should decrease in Saturday’s race with either Safford or Oiler finishing in the top 25. Mt. Prospect (Prospect)
Notes – The Knights also make their 17 State Meet showing. They finished seventh in their last appearance in the 2016 3A State race. Prospect makes it back to state after finishing seventh at Hoffman Estates. TJ Garland and Luka Kuzmanovic were the Knights top runners finishing within three seconds of each other. Wheaton (North)
Notes – This is the 14th time at Detweiller Park for Wheaton North. Their last two State Meet appearances happened in 2015 and 2019. The Falcons make it to the state meet after finishing third at Lake Park. Wheaton North missed the state meet series last year due to COVID-19 and a quarantine on their team. Ryan Schreiner and Ryan Zydek have traded off as the team’s top runner throughout this season. This week it was Zydek that led the team 18 seconds ahead of Schreiner. The team had a 54 second split in their sectional race. Gurnee (Warren Township)
Notes – This is the first time at Detweiller Park at the State Meet for the Blue Devils. They finished sixth at the Hoffman Estates Sectional. Luke Wiley will be one of the runners to watch up front in the individual race. David Lara leads the pack that had a 49 second split on their second through fifth runners in last week’s race. Wheaton-Warrenville South
Notes – This will be the 14th time at the State Meet for the Tigers having won the 3A title in 2018 and finishing second in 2019. Michael Adkins led the team to a fourth-place finish in the Lake Park Sectional. Adkins should finish in the top 20 in the individual race. O'Fallon
Notes – This is the 19th time at the State Meet for the Panthers. O’Fallon missed qualifying for state in 2019. The Panthers were led by freshman Zach Thoman was the team’s top runner as they finished sixth at the Quincy Sectional. The team’s top five split was 69 seconds in that race. Plainfield (Central)
Notes – This is the first time qualifying for the State Meet for Plainfield Central. They finished fifth at the Quincy Sectional to punch their ticket to Peoria. Two seconds separated Paul DeAvila and Michael Forbear as the team’s top runners. Their top five split was only 8 seconds in that Quincy race. Frankfort (Lincoln-Way East)
Notes – This will be the seventh time at the State Meet for the Griffins. East makes it to state finishing seventh at the Quincy Sectional. Nolan Rogers was the team’s top runner finishing 57 seconds ahead of sophomore Kevin Chomiak. DeKalb
Notes – This is the 12 time at the IHSA State Meet for the Barbs. They last ran in the IHSA State Meet in the 1977 Class AA race. Riley Newport led the Barbs to a fifth-place team finish at Lake Park finishing second overall individually. Newport could finish among the first 15 in Saturday’s race. The team had a 50 second split from their second to fifth runners. Hampshire
Notes – This is the second time at Detweiller Park for Hampshire and their first in Class 3A. They finished 11 in 2017 at the IHSA Class 2A State race. Hampshire makes the trip to the state meet after finishing seventh at the Lake Park Sectional. The team only had a 71 second split on their top five ff their top finisher Aidan Gonzalez. Park Ridge (Maine South)
Notes – This is the ninth time at the State Meet for the Hawks. Injuries and illnesses hit this team hard throughout the season. Maine South still will race at Detweiller Park on Saturday after finishing sixth at Lake Park. Luca Arcuri was the team’s top runner in their sectional. The top five split off Arcuri was 70 seconds in the sectional race. More news |