Cross country state preview: Consider Crystal Lake South girls a 2A contender

Crystal Lake South girls cross country coach Ken Greenfield just wants his team to run another solid race, the way it has through three weeks of postseason competition.

If the Gators do that, they will be happy with whatever happens at the IHSA Cross Country State Meet on Saturday at Peoria’s Detweiller Park.

And, if they do that, South likely will be a contender for the state team title in the Class 2A girls race, which takes off at 11 a.m.

The Class 1A girls race starts the day at 9 a.m., followed by Class 1A boys (10), Class 2A girls (11), Class 2A boys (noon), Class 3A girls (1 p.m.) and Class 3A boys (2 p.m.). The top three teams in each class receive trophies and the top 25 individuals earn All-State honors.

South’s girls won the Fox Valley Conference title Oct. 16, then won the Woodstock Regional and the Woodstock North Sectional, their second sectional title in a row.

“The girls have bought into our message of we’re going to run our race, do the best job we can, control things we can control,” Greenfield said. “There’s so many good teams here (at sectional) and at the state meet. I’m glad we got another week to run. I love this team, they’re run to work with.

“My hope and message will be the same, ‘Keep doing what you’ve been doing all year. Keep building on the week before.’ So far they’ve met every challenge we’ve thrown at them. I certainly wouldn’t bet against this group.”

Two running websites, il.milesplit.com and ilxctf.runnerspace.com have South ranked as the No. 1 Class 2A girls team. Roland Hopkins’ Speed Ratings, another site, has the Gators No. 2 behind Dunlap.

The Class 2A sectional in the northern suburbs traditionally has some of the best teams. South, Grayslake Central, Vernon Hills and Crystal Lake Central, all highly rated teams, came from the Woodstock North Sectional. Dunlap, Glenwood and Chicago Latin are other contenders.

“If we do what we’ve been doing, we can get up there,” Gators’ top runner Bella Gonzalez said. “It’s exciting stuff.”

Gonzalez, Abby Machesky, Addie Frisch, Gianna Pinta and Colette Bacidore have given the Gators a consistently strong top five runners.

Gonzalez was an All-Stater on a sixth-place team as a freshman. Crystal Lake Central and Prairie Ridge [which won back-to-back third-place trophies in 2018 and 2019] are the other two competing teams in Class 2A. Jacobs and Huntley’s girls teams will run in the Class 3A race.

Hampshire qualified as a team in the Class 3A boys race, while Crystal Lake Central and Woodstock will compete in the Class 2A race.

Burlington Central’s Yusuf Baig should be one of the contenders in the Class 2A boys race, along with Carbondale’s Alex Partlow, Limestone’s Wilson Georges and St. Viator’s Mikey Schumacher. Schumacher beat Baig by 4 seconds at Woodstock North last week.

Baig started in cross country as a sophomore and was 178th in state that year, advancing with his team.

“I feel really good,” Baig said after winning the FVC Meet. “I’m progressing very well coming into the state series. I’m feeling a lot more confident. The goal for the rest of the season is to win every race.”

Baig and Schumacher were glad to have a strong competitive race last week leading into the state meet.

Crystal Lake Central freshman Hadley Ferrero was second in the sectional to Chicago Northside’s Elia Non-That, only the second race Ferrero has not won this season. The other was the Palatine Invitational, which draws many of the state’s top Class 3A teams.

Ferrero, Gonzalez, Prairie Ridge’s Rachel Soukup, Machesky and Cary-Grove’s Jocelyn Onstot could all have shots at All-State status. In Class 3A, Huntley’s Breanna Burak, who was fourth in the FVC Meet and eighth at the Lake Park Sectional, will be shooting for a top-25 finish.

In the Class 2A boys race, Prairie Ridge’s Will Gelon and Cary-Grove’s Ian Barnes could be in line for All-State honors.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

Local state qualifiers

Class 1A

Individuals: Anthony Carney (Marian Central).

Class 2A

Teams

Crystal Lake Central: Karson Hollander, Danny Hamill, Jackson Hopkins, Aiden Shulfer, Nate Peyer, Brady Sterzik, Will Foster.

Woodstock: Ishtan Patel, Alex Wickersheim, Aryan Patel, Cohen Shutt, Jakob Crown, Thomas Sieck, Aidan Greenlee.

Individuals: Yusuf Baig (Burlington Central), Ryan Kries (Burlington Central), Ian Barnes (Cary-Grove), Will Gelon (Prairie Ridge).

Class 3A

Teams

Hampshire: Aidan Gonzalez, Owen Cuplin, Henry Nangle, Mitchell Dalby, Sebastian Abreu, Jason Schmidt, Brayden Garland.

Individuals: Tommy Nitz (Huntley).

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

Class 1A

Individuals: Alexia Spatz (Richmond-Burton).

Class 2A

Teams

Crystal Lake Central: Hadley Ferrero, Brynn Matthei, Annie Ferrero, Emma Macke, Gwen Brickey, Addison Bechler, Hope Ferrero.

Crystal Lake South: Bella Gonzalez, Abby Machesky, Addie Frisch, Gianna Pinta, Colette Bacidore, Elise Gorman, Anna McDermott.

Prairie Ridge: Rachel Soukup, Olivia McPherson, Sophie Robinson, Bridget Jewell, Nella Robinson, Lydia Jensen, Addison Taege,

Individuals: Jocelyn Onstot (Cary-Grove).

Class 3A

Teams

Jacobs: Kelly Carpenter, Bailey Schwartz, Elisabeth Kania, Ella Tamburrino, Natalia Maciorowski, Natali Varela, Avery Mason.

Huntley: Breanna Burak, Brittney Burak, Molly Allen, Ava Allison, Delaney Cairns, Geneveieve Collatz, Madison Grubbs.

Individuals: Danielle Jensen (McHenry).