2005 AA Boys Preview

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expect another banner year of cross country in the land of Lincoln in terms of excitement and anticipation for the boys. There are nearly ten schools that are expected to have a legitimate shot at one of the three trophies when state championship concludes November 5 at Peoria’s Detweiller Park. In fact, the top three teams from last year are ranked among the best in the Midwest according to Marc Bloom of Nike Team Nationals (#1York,#3 Palatine, and #6 Naperville North).  The state in general lost very little firepower and should be stronger. Others such as Glenbard South, St. Charles North, Prospect, Stevenson, Sandburg, and Hersey will vie for a team plaque. Naperville North Head Coach Dave Racey feels York is the overwhelming favorite to repeat again.  “I don’t think anyone can get them… they have too many weapons.” In principle as well as reality the Dukes do possess many weapons. Their championship experience as well as the Dettman twins says it all.

 

Team capsules-

 

 

#1 Elmhurst York- The Dukes are the big dogs these days on the national scene, but they still put a premium on the state championship. This will prove bad news for their foes. The defending state and Nike Team National champion appears stronger than ever despite the loss of mega star Sean McNamara and two starters.  The juggernaut seems unstoppable behind the leadership of legendary and ITCCCA hall of fame coach Joe Newton. Mr. Newton is back for his 45th season in Elmhurst and even at his ripe ole age of (shh…) he feels young as a kitten. Mr. Newton will also have the world’s greatest assistant coach and future head coach in the making: Charles “Charlie” Kern by his side.  Coach Kern, who is a quality road racer in his 30’s, will make sure the boys work hard each day by sometimes pacing workouts with them.

In defending the titles it appears the Dukes will feature an all-star line up. For starters: Matt Dettman (sr) (’04 xc runner up; 9:17, 4:13, 1:54), Eric Dettman (sr) (3rd in xc; 9:07, 4:14, 1:54), Brian Marchese (sr) (9:20, 4:18- after missing most of ’04 due to injury), Nick Kuczwara (jr) (1:56r), David Montgomery (sr) (103rd; 4:25r), Justin Jones (sr), and Tim Jung (so) (4:35 as freshman). The reason York is so dangerous is because of depth and the ability to strike from just about any position. The top three will not be matched by any team but if there is a spot it’s at #5. Still, that should not be a concern in the scheme of things. The Dukes always seem to close out races better than anyone else despite the growing trend of teams copycatting their training methods. The recipe of success will be the pack and getting the all important 1-5 split low as possible. The Dukes would simply have to have their worst performance ever to be dethroned and denied a 26th champion-           

ship.  Don’t count out the other top times but not likely.

 

#2 Palatine- the reigning two-time runner-up will be solid once more. The dynamic coaching duo of Miller and Chris Quick has developed a formula similar to the great Schaumburg teams of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s.  This formula includes solid pack running/racing and peaking at the right time. They will need to maintain a nice 1-5 split as well as have the upper-tier runners in the mix. Can the Pirates craft something extra in dethroning York? It’s not impossible because York could be had at the lower end of their pack. However, it’s easier said than done. The Pirates are ranked #3 in the NTN pre-season regional poll. This respect factor should help some but they will need career bests from all returnees. Glenn Morris (sr) is the team’s best runner and was on his way to becoming a super star before being sideline with a serious injury. In fact, Morris was shut down for the entire ’05 track seasons due to Achilles heal surgery.  The eager Morris was on strict orders to lay low but has been running since May 1 and topped out at 60-70 mpw. However, the Pirates coaching staff does not expect him to be at full strength until October.  This means Steve Finley (sr) (19th; 9:13, 4:16) will have to step it up another notch. Finley proved this past spring that he can compete with the state’s best distance runners. Additional depth will be come from Sager Patel (jr) (9:36), Esmeralda Gonzalez (jr) (4:39, 10:15 on reserve team), and Matt Smoody (so) (1:55, 4:37, 10:12); Danny Holbach (138th) will add depth along with junior Daniel Rakaric  ( younger brother of former great Pirate ace Tony- now at U of Iowa).  It is doubtful that the Pirates will be able to match up with York but they could possibly close the margin of victory a bit.  They look to be the slight favorite at holding down the second notch based on experience and savvy running.

 

#3 Naperville North- in assessing the Huskies prospects for the upcoming campaign, Coach Dave Racey likes how his team looks.  He returns five starters from last year’s ultra successful season. Coach Racey will be the first one to admit that he doesn’t have a bona-fide point man who can score extremely low, but that doesn’t matter. What he does have is tremendous depth. The goal is to have 12-13 young men to challenge for varsity spots. The feeling is that NN could repeat their exploits from last and even possibly overtake Palatine if goals are met. NN don’t have a Glenn Morris or Steve Finley but they have Jacob Kolacz (sr) and he finished 21st in last year’s state meet. The Huskies will also rely on a pair of juniors Kyle Sleik (a swimmer during track season) and John Sadlik (62nd) for upper pack running and all-state candidacy. Factor in Eric Pedersen (sr) (114th) and Paul Boyer (Fr) (111th); they will be much improved over last year.  Also, sophomore John Newman (4:37 -1600) will be in the mix.

            NN is rated as one of the top teams in the Midwest and should receive a NTN bid if all goes well at the conclusion of the regular system.

      

 

#4 Glenbard South- Coach Andy Preuss could stick out his chest and take provide in the fact that many coaches fear his squad. Perhaps the reason for itself could lie with the coach himself. Coach Preuss has enjoyed some tremendous success during recent years by garnering several team plaques. The Raiders return five scorers from last year’s team that finished sixth with mostly underclassmen. The youngsters proved success isn’t a fluke with them as they enjoyed fruitful track seasons. The young Raiders finished 7th in the 4x8r at states. Bruce MacTaggart (sr) has followed in the foot steps of his older brother Eric, who was tremendous runner just two seasons ago. “BMac” has fine credentials of his own: 4:16-3200; 17th xc- expect to see a big improvement over last year because of an excellent training system. In fact the majority of the team met quite frequently during the summer for “BMac” ran workouts. Most importantly, though, the focus will be centered on team concepts and improving on last year’s 6th place finish and 1-5 split of :35.  Brian Billie (so) (9:35 as freshman) will be added to that philosophy. Include Dan Kuhlman (Jr) (65th), Tim Honig (Jr) (83rd), and Brian Wurtz (sr) for good measure.  The key to GBS placing well at state or placing so-so will be how well the pack can stay together and move together late in the race.

 

#5 Prospect- The Knights welcome back ace Ryan Craven (sr) (4th; 9:09). Craven is obviously an individual title threat but probably is more concerned with helping the team improve on last year’s 9th place finish at state. The contingent from the Northwest Chicago suburb will need improvements from Mike Murray (sr) (59th; 4:18) and Dave Anczyk (81st). This trio is capable of scoring 30-50 team points- a necessary factor in getting the magic number of 150 or slightly lower. The key is where and who will be the #4 and #5 guys. Who will replace graduated Jay Renaud? Unless Coach Mike Stokes has some incredibly talented freshman coming in or vastly improved JV runner from last year, he is going to have to rely on Arthur Baptiste (Jr) (188th) and Nick Addante (sr).  As all good programs do, they reload. It is very possible that the Knights are playing possum for now to bide time to strengthen slots 4-7.

 

 

#6 St. Charles North- STN will more than likely make their case as one of the top teams as they return all seven runners from a squad that placed a very respectable 11th place despite ace Matt Desilva way back in 103rd in team scoring. The Stars could have easily placed in the top 5. For example, drop 80 places near #1 scorer Chris Rosso (sr) placed and STN scores 233 raw points instead of the actual 312. The overall scoring could have changed even more drastically because the other runners ahead of Desilva would have moved back. Desilva did aid his team this past spring at the state track meet with a brave hearted effort. Desilva ran on his team’s 4x8r that won its preliminary heat to advance to the final. The next day Desilva came back to run in the final and helped his teammates garner all-state honors. Then 45 minutes later Desilva ran in the fast section of the 3200m. It’s very conceivable that the Stars gained additional motivation and experience from last year as a whole from the spring. Look for Rosso (31st in ’04) to improve along with Mike McDonnell (sr) (77th), Zack Johnson (Jr) (86th), and Steve Wittanen (sr) (95th).  Aside from the sub-par Desilva effort, the pack split of :43 must improve in order to have a chance for a trophy.  If this can be achieved then placing in the top five is realistic.

 

 

#7 Sandburg- for some reason junior Kevin Adamowski (4:20, 2:00; 85th) is not getting enough respect. He has proven himself to be one of the top runners over two years (not just underclassmen). He led a group of 15 year olds (ala “super sophs”) to state last year and a nice 19th place finish. In perhaps one of the most impressive accomplishments in IHSA tournament history, a frosh/soph unit qualified for state. Still, even after running 4:20 this past season, the accolades and prospects are not flowing. Expect Mr. Adamowski to make a strong statement this season as well as his teammates. Well, cross-country is a team sport and Adamowski will be joined by Brad LaRocque (Jr), Justin Smith (Jr) (119th), Anthony Girton (Jr) (187th), and Mike Young (Jr).  There is speculation that last season’s talented freshman Myles Scott-Stirn has transferred to Lincoln-Way East. If true, this could put a damper on the Eagles chances of a top five. Regardless, the Eagles pack will be solid enough to at least finish in the top ten at state.

 

#8 Stevenson- a team that always stays under the radar until the end of the season when it matters most.  Just three years ago the Patriots made history by finishing second in state in its first ever trip. Some thought the voyage was a one-hit voyage but the Patriots seem to be building a program that will last for some time. The Patriots return a solid four runners in Tim Entwistle (sr) (56th), Robbie Eckardt (Jr) (94th), Eric Traphagen (sr) (115th), and Ben Silver (sr) (124th).  The question mark begins with the 5th man. As of now several individuals may fit the bill: Barrett Wood (so) has had a solid summer of training according to sources very familiar with the team. Wood has an older brother (Conner) who runs track but plays soccer. Conner put in 50 mpw to prepare for soccer season. Persuading Conner to ditch soccer for XC has not worked so incoming accomplished freshmen Oliver Rose and Evihn Vasily may get the opportunity to compete on the varsity level.  Rose has put in 50+ mpw through out the summer and Vasily ran the 27 mile Lakefront Marathon (in April) in 3:36.  This is an amazing feat for a 14 year old.  If all else fails the Patriots could deploy last year’s 8th man James Embree (sr) into action. Once the 5th man situation gets sorted out the Patriots should enjoy another run at the top 10 or even possibly top 5.

 

#9 Barrington- this team comes from the top heavy and distance rich Mid Suburban League. With that being said some may understand and some may question why a team that didn’t qualify for state should be ranked this high or ranked at all. The evidence supporting Barrington’s return is four of the five teams that qualified for state out of the Schaumburg sectional placed in the top ten at state. The fifth team, Highland Park, was a “lowly 15th.” In addition, Barrington had several individual qualifiers in Nick Farina (sr) (46th) and Mike Laugal (sr) (58th). Also, Farina placed 14th in this past spring’s state track meet and senior Josh Tomek checked in 19th overall in the section one heat. It is evident that the Broncos were both unlucky and inexperienced. Hopefully the young talent will catch up with the experienced veterans. If so, count another MSL team placing amongst the top dogs.

 

#10 Hersey- There is bad news and good news. The bad news is the Huskies lost quite a bit of talent as in four seniors. This is huge and often times overlooked. This means the team leadership is going to have to fall on several underclassmen. Well, that’s the good news. If there has to be young leaders then it might as well be super-sophs Kevin Havel and Billy Wisser. Havel is a well-spoken lad who lived up to the hype coming out of junior high (ala Jorge Torres).  He exploited the XC and track scene with awesome performances: fifth in XC [14:56] - finally on a true and accurate state meet course.  Havel proved that he had stamina for the duration of a long distance school year by placing 5th in the 3200 at state. He clocked a mind blowing 9:15 earlier in the year at Prospect Invite. In addition, he blazed the track with a sub 4:20 clocking in minimal attempts. Wisser has fine credentials of his own.  He has run in the 4:40’s prior to high school. Wisser has produced times that are above what a freshman should run, but he hasn’t shown the same type of greatness as teammate Havel. In fairness, though, the injury bug has played a big part of that. Hopefully the two super-sophs can continue to elevate their game along with Coach Tim Phillips working some magic. Two runners can make a huge difference for a team but depth is needed in order to elevate their status into the top ten. As it looks now, it appears the Huskies will rely on Havel and Wisser and some unknown talent.

 

Other teams to watch:

 

E. Moline- returns five runners from last year’s squad that finished 16th.  The 4x8 squad that finished third in this past spring at state (7:53) were cross country runners.

 

Lyons Twp- Coach Kuharic enters his last year of coaching and will find a way for his team to compete despite losing some strong talent in Ryan Kuphall and Tim Maier.

 

Neuqua Valley- Several veterans will be head up the team’s chances of making state.

 

Wheaton-Warrenville South- the Tigers success will depend on Jon Popejoy (sr) and Kyle Brady (sr).

 

Lincoln-Way East- four starters return and possibly a transfer from Sandburg in Myles Scott-Stirn.

 

Benet Academy- could surprise or even upset the balance of season with five starters on the return.

 

Downers Grove North- It’s not certain how good the Mustangs will be but Luke Ryan (so) will lead the charge for the team that enjoyed back to back years in the top 10. Despite losing some talent, look for Ryan, Sergio Borjon (sr)- who put in 750 miles this summer, Mike Gilmartin (sr) 1:55r, and surprise runner Aaron Silver (so)- played baseball last spring but was among the top 7 this summer.  Add in Josh Blondell (Jr)- brother of solid runner Jessica Blondell- for good measure.

 

-Individual preview/Super 25 picks-

 

The individual talent level is really strong but it may not show at Detweiller Park this season. You see, the Detweiller course appears to gone another change. In 2002, it was lengthen from 2.97 miles to 3.0m. Surprisingly the course went into another change but this with notification. For the first in the “three mile era” under at least fair conditions that less than 20 runners did not break 15 minutes. The course is definitely legal if not more. More of the same will continue come November.

 

1)      Eric Dettman (sr) (York)- It is really a pick ‘em over twin brother Matt.  E.D. shouldn’t have wonder whether or not he is the best harrier in Illinois. In fact, that issue plays out in practice and home everyday. These credentials speak for themselves: xc- 2-time all state (14:54), Footlocker finalist, NTN All-American; track- 3200- 9:07, 1600- 4:13.

 

2)      Matt Dettman (sr) (York) - Is equally as talented (xc- 3rd, NTN finalist; 4:13, 9:17) as twin brother Matt- literally a spitting image!  Read above comments.

 

3)      Kevin Havel (so) (Hersey)- The young lad took the Illinois distance scene by storm and lived up to all the hype and more.  Has the potential to upset the Dettman duo if runs the right race. No doubt the best runner outside of them and very mature for his running age. One of the top underclassmen in the USA and will be a force in years to come. Has run 9:15 and 4:20 during introductory track season.

 

4)      Jesse Luciano (sr) (Willowbrook)- it would not be a surprise if Lucky takes the cake.  Injury issues have sidelined him the past year and may have delayed his chances of being the top runner in Illinois.

 

5)      Evan Jager (Jr) (Jacobs)- made huge strides over the ’04-’05 school year.  Now the expectations will grow after running 9:19 and 4:20 as well as placing 3rd in 3200 state meet. Top five is very realistic in a strong field. In some years, Jager might be considered a favorite to win.

 

6)      Ryan Craven (sr) (Prospect)- had a breakout season running 9:09 and putting heat on the best runners throughout the year.  Craven will continue to do that and more this fall.

 

7)      Brian Marchese (sr) (York)- running 9:25 and 4:18 but not getting a chance to compete is not fair.  The positive spin out of it though is it creates a better appreciation for opportunities when they are presented. Expect Marchese to take full advantage of opportunities.

 

8)      Bruce MacTaggart (sr) (Glenbard South)- many consider this kid one of the best all around distance runners in the state.  Will be there amongst the top runners at state.

 

9)      Jon Popejoy (sr) (Wheaton-Warrenville South)- has been inconsistent for some time now but still is a tremendous talent.  Hopefully, Popejoy can put it all together one last time.

 

10)  Ryan Jacobs (Jr) (Hononegah)- like Jaeger, this young man put it all together last season and should do more of the same this season.  Jacobs ran 9:23 last year as well as garnered all state status.

 

11)  Steve Finley (sr) (Palatine)- ran well last season and should be much improved this fall.  The returning all state runner went 9:13 in the 3200 and was all state in the 4x8r.

 

12)  Glenn Morris (sr) (Palatine)- it is uncertain whether or not missing so much time due to surgery will hamper his running. The former all state runner will be working all season to regain form.  If Morris is at least 80% of what he once was being a top 15 competitor is justified.

 

13)  Ahmed Mohammed (sr) (Bartlett)- was a surprise all-state runner last season.  Should be able to move up some places this fall.

 

14)  Luke Ryan (Jr) (Downers Grove North)- one of the more colorful runners in the state but has yet matched his potential despite running under 9:30 and 4:18.  Hopefully Ryan will have the last laugh in November.

 

15)  Dustin Davis (sr) (Edwardsville)- one of the most improving runners in the state; comes from a program that maximizes talent.

 

16)  Jakub Kolacz (sr) (Naperville North)- placed 19th last year and is the leader of a very deep team.  Will have less pressure to pack run and should be able to go out and run a fast race.

 

17)  Kevin Adamowski (Jr) (Sandburg)- a tremendous talent that sometimes is overlooked despite running some great times.  Adamowski will show what he is all about this fall.

 

18)  Christian Escareno (sr) (Rolling Meadows)- has as much talent as any runner in Illinois but has had trouble putting together a complete race in the clutch.  Some observers have noted that Escareno needs to be more race savvy late in races. Expect some changes for the better this fall.

 

19)  Matt DeSilva (sr) (St. Charles North)- the leader of a very solid team.  Should be in the mix when November arrives.

 

20)  Nick Farina (sr) (Barrington)- qualified as an individual in both XC and track last season.  Should be even better after a solid summer of training.

 

21)  Josh Wakeman (sr) (Mt. Zion)- probably the best runner in central Illinois since Decatur MacArthur’s William McCann.  Wakeman made a huge statement this past season by winning section 1 of the 3200 at state track meet.

 

22)  David Grange (Jr) (Marmion Academy)- qualified in the state final 1600 but opted out.  One of the most talented underclassmen on the scene the past few years.

 

23)  Chas Gillespie (sr) (New Trier)- coming off a solid track season that produced all-state honors.  The confidence level has to be soaring these days.

 

24)  Mike Murray (sr) (Prospect) - a solid runner who is known more for the track but can run cross-country as well.

 

25)  Billy Wisser (so) (Hersey) - is worth his salt and working out with teammate Havel on a daily basis is a definite plus.  There is no way there are 25 other runners better than this kid in the state of Illinois.