2024 Northwest Herald boys cross country team preview capsules

FOX VALLEY CONFERENCE

Burlington Central

Coach: Vince Neil (20th season)

Last year’s finish: Sixth in FVC Meet

Top returning runners: Jayden Beecroft, sr.; Andres Quesada, sr.; Danny Burke, so.; Brandon Pflug, so.; Connor Polz, sr.; Gio Episcopo, sr.; Jason Davis, so.

Key newcomers: Dane Walikonis, fr.; Rahil Patel, fr.; Venkata Anantha, fr.; Aadi Sheth, jr.; Julian Onayemi, sr.; Marcin Placzek, fr.; Mateusz Placzek, sr.

Worth noting: The Rockets will need to replace some experience from last season’s team. Neil is confident Central will find success if it comes together this fall. “We need to race together as a team and keep our pack tight,” Neil said. “If we can do that this team can have some great success.” … Neil expects Beecroft to be the Rockets’ lead runner, while Pflug and Burke will impact the lineup with their ability to score points. … Neil is excited to watch Quesada, Sheth and Onayemi progress this season.

Cary-Grove

Coach: Mark Anderson (first season)

Last year’s finish: 10th in FVC Meet

Top returning runners: Jameson Tenopir, jr.; Ethan Waddell, sr.; Grant Bond, sr.; Sam Vogt, sr.; Brendan Bachmann, sr.

Key newcomers: Nathan Kephart, so.; Lucas Kephart, so.; Aaron Milewski, fr.; Dexter Starr, so.

Worth noting: Tenopir returns after an impressive sophomore season when he earned Northwest Herald All-Area second-team honors. He finished fourth at the FVC Meet, second in the Class 3A Grant Regional, 12th at the Hoffman Estates Sectional and 86th at the state meet. ... Anderson takes over the Trojans’ boys program on top of being the head coach of the girls program. … Anderson is looking forward to building their way up to the top of the FVC. “We want to be competitive in meets and aim to finish in the top half of the FVC,” Anderson said. “Jameson is an outstanding front runner for us, and we are looking to add a solid pack of scoring runners behind him.”

Crystal Lake Central

Coach: Bill Eschman (31st season)

Last year’s finish: Fourth in FVC Meet

Top returning runners: Jackson Hopkins, sr.; Jackie Clark, sr.; Mason Alvarez, sr.; Amana O’Male, jr.; Oliver Lavaty, so.

Key newcomers: Reed Mihelich, jr.; Chase Teresi, so.; Adam Kyrouac, sr.; Eli Irwin, sr.

Worth noting: Hopkins comes back after a strong junior season when he earned All-Area honorable mention. He took 16th at the FVC Meet, 15th at the Class 2A Woodstock North Regional and 35th at the Woodstock Sectional. Hopkins earned All-FVC for his track season this past spring. … Eschman is excited to see the Tigers blend youth with experience. “Our top runners are all seniors with sophomores and juniors rounding out the middle of our lineup,” Eschman said. “It will be fun to see how these seniors lead and how well the sophomores and juniors follow.” … Alvarez is looking to stay healthy this season after dealing with stress fractures during his cross country and track seasons.

Crystal Lake South

Coach: Nick Willhoit (fifth season)

Last year’s finish: Ninth in FVC Meet

Top returning runners: Adam Strombom, sr.; Joey Gonzalez, jr.; Chad Wehby, jr.

Key newcomers: Tyler Brooks, fr.; Richardo Briones, fr.

Worth noting: Willhoit is excited for his top runners’ ability to compete in the FVC this season. He’ll look for them to lead the young Gators in the lineup. “Our top three runners have put themselves in a position to compete well with the rest of the conference,” Willhoit said. “I am excited to see the other runners continue to develop.” … Gonzalez comes back after a strong sophomore season. He finished 10th at the FVC Meet, fifth at the Class 2A Woodstock North Regional, 16th at the Woodstock Sectional and 78th at the state meet.

Dundee-Crown

Coach: Matt Michalski (second season)

Last year’s finish: Seventh in FVC Meet

Top returning runners: Joe Hillyer, sr.; Josh Michalski, so.; Eddie Leon, sr.; Logan Grey, so.; Frank Moskalik, so.

Key newcomers: Maximos Katsanakis, fr.; Ben Grugle, so.; Kyle Charneia, fr.

Worth noting: The Chargers are looking for consistent improvement after a strong summer. “We are really proud of the commitment from our athletes so far this season, and they will all show huge improvements this season,” Chargers assistant coach Zach Albrecht said. … Hillyer returns after finishing 19th at the Class 3A Palatine Regional. He placed 57th at the Hoffman Estates Sectional.

Hampshire

Coach: Ryan Hollister (sixth season)

Last year’s finish: Eighth in FVC Meet

Top returning runners: Jack Sheets, sr.; Nolan Sheets, sr.; Sam Beamon, sr.; Cody Dobush, sr.; Lucas Bailye, so.; Nigel Gay, so.; Marcus Davis, jr.

Key newcomers: Logan Legge, fr.; Hudson Cuplin, fr.; Chase Bowers, fr.; Gavin Weston, fr.; Gavin Holmer, fr.

Worth noting: Jack Sheets comes back after taking sixth at the Class 3A Hampshire Regional, and Nolan Sheets placed 11th. They went on to take 50th and 65th, respectively, at the Lake Park Sectional. … The Whip-Purs return all of their starters from last season. Hollister is looking forward to watching their growth. “Last year, I really had to emphasize with the team to stay patient because we were the youngest varsity squad at just about every meet,” Hollister said. “I’m incredibly excited to see these athletes compete at the varsity level now that we have such a big senior class.” … Hollister believes it’ll be tough to make the starting lineup, with 20 runners competing for the top seven spots.

Huntley

Coach: Matt Kaplan (17th season)

Last year’s finish: Third in FVC Meet

Top returning runners: Tommy Nitz, sr.; Nathan Sauber, jr.; Andrew Raistrick, jr.; Brandon Thompson, so.; Derek Spaid, sr.; Logan Barreto, jr.

Key newcomers: Mark Omoniyi, fr.; Anthony Madison, fr.

Worth noting: Nitz comes back and will try to end a decorated career in style. He was named the Northwest Herald Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year for a second straight season after earning all-state status at the Class 3A state meet. He repeated as the FVC champion, won the Hampshire Regional, took eighth in the Lake Park Sectional and finished 21st at the state meet. “He’ll look to finish his career with another successful run in the postseason,” Kaplan said. … Kaplan is excited to watch his returners reach another level and compete for the top of the FVC. … Kaplan believes Omoniyi and Madison can make an impact toward the end of the season.

Jacobs

Coach: Kevin Christian (18th season)

Last year’s finish: Second in FVC Meet

Top returning runners: Max Sudrzynski, sr.; Isaac Pepin, sr.; Austin Stevenson, jr.; Michael Moore, sr.; Vince Robles, sr.

Key newcomers: Gavin Glosson, fr.; Alex Taskov, fr.; Zac Anderson, fr.; Doyle Watson, fr.; Finn Benoit, fr.

Worth noting: Sudrzynski will be a top leader for Jacobs after a strong junior campaign. He finished third at the FVC Meet and third at the Class 3A Palatine Regional before failing to qualify for state. Christian has big expectations for his senior year. “After struggling at the sectional meet last year, Sudrzynski doesn’t just look to qualify for state this year, but do some damage when he gets there,” Christian said. … Christian is excited to see what Pepin and Stevenson can add to the mix. … With a large freshman group, Christian expects three or four of them could make the top seven. “This is the best freshman group we have had, so it’ll be interesting to see how they do when we move them up to varsity and see if they can be all-conference or if they are a year or two away,” Christian said.

McHenry

Coach: Kevin Horst (ninth season)

Last year’s finish: Fifth in FVC Meet

Top returning runners: Nate Martin, jr.; Myles Wagner, jr.; Jaxon Berry, so.; Caleb Caldwell, sr.

Key newcomers: Trustin Law, so.; Nate Miller, so.; Logan Grieve, fr.; Nick Craft, so.

Worth noting: With a majority of the Warriors being juniors and sophomores, Horst is looking forward to building a foundation for not only this season but beyond. “We’re in Year 1 of a two-year plan,” Horst said. “Look for the Warriors to be solid in 2024 and even stronger in 2025.” … Horst has been encouraged by the commitment he’s seen from his sophomore class. “A number of these boys went ‘all in’ on running this summer, and it will be exciting to see how much they’ve improved,” Horst said.

Prairie Ridge

Coach: Judd Shutt (20th season)

Last year’s finish: First in FVC Meet

Top returning runners: Steven Randles, so.; Kieran Gilleland, jr.; Thomas Henry, so.; Liam Bailey, sr.; Bodhi Lee, jr.

Key newcomers: Kye Gunter, fr.; Tymen Robinson, fr.

Worth noting: The Wolves will have plenty of talent to replace from last season’s FVC champion team. PR replaces three-time all-state runner Will Gelon along with five regular starters. Shutt’s eager to see what his young runners can do. “I am excited to watch this team develop throughout the entire season,” Shutt said. “I believe we have a solid number of runners who have only scratched the surface of their competitive potential.” ... The underclassmen won the freshman/sophomore FVC title as well, which has Shutt interested in how that’ll help the varsity squad once the FVC meet comes up. “It will be interesting to see where this time fits by the time conference rolls around,” Shutt said.

KISHWAUKEE RIVER CONFERENCE

Harvard

Coach: Armando Valdes (second season)

Last year’s finish: Harvard did not have a full team to compete in the KRC Meet

Key newcomer: Jose Gonzalez, jr.

Worth noting: With no runners returning from last season, the Hornets are focusing on improving and gaining experience to rebuild its team.

Johnsburg

Coach: Chris Setzler (29th season)

Last year’s finish: Johnsburg did not have a full team to compete in the KRC Meet

Top returning runner: Micah Klos, so.

Key newcomers: Grady Smith, fr.; Cayden Moran, fr.; Micah Klos, fr.

Worth noting: Johnsburg will field a team for the first time in a few years. Setzler looks forward to building a foundation that will last for the next few years. “We are young, but we will make big personal improvements this year setting the stage for future seasons,” Setzler said. … Smith won the Class 3A Illinois Elementary School Association state championship as an eighth grader and has a goal of being an all-state runner his freshman year.

Marengo

Coach: Kim Hoffmeister (sixth season)

Last year’s finish: Fourth in KRC Meet

Top returning runners: Jackson Knake, so.; Josh Woodcock, so.; Gavin Prudlick, sr.

Key newcomers: Jaden Ortega, so.; Oliver Stack, fr.; Axel Bown, fr.

Worth noting: Marengo will have a young team with only one senior and no juniors. Despite the youth, Hoffmeister is encouraged by her runners. “Our young guys are tough …” Hoffmeister said. “Although we may look small, the boys I have are dedicated.” … The program will need to replace sectional qualifier Marcus Ray. … Ortega joined the program after transferring over from Antioch. … Hoffmeister expects Woodcock to have a breakthrough sophomore season.

Richmond-Burton

Coach: Taylor Conroy (second season)

Last year’s finish: Second in KRC Meet

Top returning runners: Gavin McInnis, so.; Ryan McClellan, jr.; Cade Garrison, jr.

Key newcomers: Tristen Miller, sr.; Andrew Preston, fr.; Vincent Buselli, fr.; Grayson Wyss, fr.; Ty Fischer, fr.

Worth noting: McInnis comes back after falling one spot shy of qualifying for the state meet as a freshman. He took 10th at the KRC Meet, 10th at the Class 1A Winnebago Regional and 37th at the Oregon Sectional. … The Rockets will try to compete for a shot at the KRC title and more postseason success. “The boys team is looking forward to scoring well at conference again, and they want to qualify for sectionals as a team,” Conroy said.

Woodstock

Coach: Jay Fuller (11th season)

Last year’s finish: KRC champion, Class 2A regional champions

Top returning runners: Ellery Shutt, jr.; Milo McLeer, sr.

Key newcomers: Elijah Hedges, so.; Josh Roth, so.; Will Kashmier, jr.; Jason Trojann, jr.; Adam Bailey, so.

Worth noting: The Blue Streaks won the KRC once again by a commanding margin with 16 points. Woodstock took seven of the top eight spots at last season’s meet. The program also won the Class 2A Woodstock North Regional and had a strong performance at the state meet with three top-100 times. … Shutt comes back after a strong sophomore campaign. He took fourth at the KRC Meet, seventh at the regional, 28th at the sectional and 82nd at the state meet. … Fuller will rely on Shutt’s and McLeer’s leadership to lead the new runners. “Shutt and McLeer are doing a great job of getting the new runners to see their potential and to work every day to reach it,” Fuller said. “They are prepared to defend the KRC title and make a run at the state meet.”

Woodstock North

Coach: Cas Creighton (12th season)

Last year’s finish: Third in KRC Meet

Top returning runners: John Hugger, jr.; Parker Hayes, sr.; Ryan Nolan, sr.; Cooper Brown, jr.

Key newcomers: Geo Kopulos, fr.; Brayden Sobczak, fr.

Worth noting: Creighton is looking forward to growth and what the upperclassmen can teach the new runners this season. “I’m looking forward to new leadership from our new upperclassmen,” Creighton said. “I am hoping they get out there and not only lead our team on the course but show us what they are capable of.” … Hugger comes back after taking 15th at the KRC Meet and 35th at the Class 2A Woodstock North Regional. … Creighton is excited for what Kopulos and Sobczak can each add to the lineup as freshmen for the Thunder.

CHICAGOLAND CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE

Marian Central

Coach: Bill Stoll (first season)

Last year’s finish: Did not have full team

Key newcomers: Dylan Levato, fr.; Oliver Ebel, fr.; Sean Kelly, so.

Worth noting: Marian will have three runners this season after not having a team last season. “We look forward to rebuilding a team of dedicated student-athletes who support one another in becoming better runners and improving as a team,” Stoll said.