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Four races will be run, beginning Saturday morning, on the
3,200-meter course at Maxwell Park. The awards ceremonies will be in
the gymnasium at Parkside Junior High School. The course winds its
way behind and around the school. The schedule of races will be as
follows: Class A girls at 10 a.m., Class A boys at 10:45 a.m., Class
AA girls at 11:45 a.m. and Class AA boys at 12:30 p.m. The awards
ceremony for Class A is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and the Class
AA ceremony at 2:30. The top 25 individuals in each race earn a
medallion. Members of the top four teams in each race earn
medallions. The top four schools receive a trophy.
In Girls Class A, 102 schools entered the state series, and 178
runners from 52 schools qualified for the state meet. In Girls Class
AA, 97 schools entered the series and 182 runners from 45 schools
qualified for the state meet. In Boys Class A, 99 schools entered
the state series, and 189 runners from 55 schools qualified for
Saturday's race. In Boys Class AA, 96 schools entered the state
series, and 181 runners from 49 schools will compete Saturday.
A total of 11 fifth-graders are competing in the four races, 103
sixth-graders, 261 seventh-graders and 355 eighth-graders. By race,
the breakdown is:
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Class A girls --
three fifth-graders, 28 sixth-graders, 67 seventh-graders and 80
eighth--graders.
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Class A boys -- five
fifth-graders, 28 sixth-graders, 54 seventh-graders and 102
eighth-graders.
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Class AA girls --
three fifth-graders, 32 sixth-graders, 69 seventh-graders and 78
eighth-graders.
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Class AA boys -- no
fifth-graders, 15 sixth-graders, 71 seventh-graders and 95
eighth-graders.
The complete roster of runners in each of the four races is
available at
www.iesa.org. Results of the meet will be posted online by the
IESA on Saturday evening.
Here is a breakdown of each race:
Class A girls, 10 a.m.
Two-time defending team champion Elmwood did not qualify its team
this year. The new champion could easily come from Tremont (last
year's runner-up), Springfield St. Agnes, (third in the team chase
last year) or perennial Class A powerhouse Petersburg Porta Junior
High School. Tremont is led by Jamee Holmes and Hannah Booker, who
placed ninth and 21st individually in 2005 as seventh-graders.
Holmes ran a 12:17 and Booker ran 12:38. Springfield St. Agnes'
lineup this year features all eighth-graders. Petersburg Porta was
state champion in 2001-02-03
Tremont's lineup includes four eighth-graders: Hannah Booker,
Jamee Holmes, Katie Imig and Hope Thompson. They are joined by
seventh-graders Shealyn Ashby and Hannah Finnegan, plus sixth-grader
Savannah Diekhoff. The St. Agnes crew of eighth-graders is Madie
Alexander, Emily Delvo, Kristin Grimsley, Kayla Kolis, Maris Lowis,
Madeleine Negro and Mackenzie Wortley.
Brimfield's Sarah Maher and Molly Dahlquist of Peoria St. Mark
are the leading returning individuals. Maher was fourth in the
individual race in a time of 12:02. Dahlquist finished seventh in
12:14. Lexington's Mary Frances Leake was 11th a year ago in 12:25.
Dahlquist ran 11:59 in winning the Sectional C individual race.
Schools with a Girls Class A team in this year's field are
Delavan, Tremont, Central, Easton Illini, Beecher, Buffalo Grove St.
Mary's, Champaign St. Matthew, Chrisman Scottland, Decatur Our Lady
of Lourdes, Fox River Grove, Manhattan, Metamora Germantown Hills,
Normal Epiphany, Paxton-Buckley-Loda, Peoria St. Philomena,
Petersburg Porta, Pleasant Plains, Shelbyville Moulton, Springfield
Lincoln, Springfield, St. Agnes, St. Joseph (champions in 1998-99)
and Wadsworth Millburn.
Class A boys, 10:45 a.m.
The top three teams from last year are expected to battle it out
again in 2006. Metamora Grade School stormed to the team title in
2005 with 29 points. Toledo Cumberland was runner-up with 118. Third
place was perennial power Elmwood at 153.
Six of the seven runners for Metamora were eighth-graders last
year. The only returnee is Kevin Kamm, who placed 12th individually
last year in a time of 11:17. Kamm won the Sectional C race with a
time of 11:05. New to the crew for this year's race are
eighth-graders Brock Bursott, Ian Cummings, Michael Dawson and Deon
Zoss, along with seventh-graders Adam Parr and Jordan Rauh.
Toledo Cumberland returns Zach Hutchison, 18th in the individual
race last year in a time of 11:29, and Dylan Scott, who placed 32nd
in a time of 11:43. Other eighth-graders on this year's team are
Ethan Marti and Nick Powers. They are joined by seventh-graders Levi
Schrock and Steven Wolke and sixth-grader Morgan James. Elmwood's
lineup has eighth-graders Nick Almasi, Ryan Bybee and Tyler Tannock,
seventh-graders Nathan Ingersoll and Isaac Ramsay, sixth-grader
Tucker Harlan, and fifth-grader Nick Groeper.
A sleeper could be Shelbyville Moulton or Chrisman Scottland. Led
by eighth-grader Clayton Baker, last year's fifth-place individual
finisher in 10:59, and eighth-grader Nick Selby, who placed 22nd in
a time of 11:32, Moulton's lineup is young but promising. Joining
those two are seventh-graders Jason Bitzer, Jonathan Eloe and Zach
England, plus sixth-graders Myles Foor and Zach Keown.
[to top of second column] |
Schools with full teams in the Boys Class A meet are Beecher,
Bloomington Holy Trinity, Champaign St. Matthew, Chrisman Scotland,
Easton Illini Central, Elmwood, Fox River Grove, Franklin, Liberty,
Manhattan, Marengo, Metamora Grade School, Mount Prospect St. Emily,
Paxton-Buckley-Loda, Petersburg Porta, Pleasant Plains, Shelbyville
Moulton, Springfield Lincoln, Springfield St. Agnes, St. Joseph,
Toledo Cumberland and Tremont.
The individual race should be a battle among Moulton's Baker and
Selby, Metamora Grade School's Kamm, Elmwood's Ryan Bybee (17th in
2005), and Cumberland's Hutchison (18th in 11:29). Baker went 11:11
to win the Sectional G race.
Class AA girls, 11:45 a.m.
It may be another calvary charge in Girls Class AA as six of the
top seven teams from last year return.
Defending champion Buffalo Grove Cooper nipped Oak Park Julian by
five points (70-75) for the 2005 team title. Buffalo Grove Cooper is
led by seventh-grader Olivia Jones (sixth individually last year in
a time of 12:09) and eighth-grader Katie Donnewald (17th in 12:25).
Joining that talented twosome are eighth-graders Lindsay Clark and
Emily Lueck, seventh-graders Kami Hutchings and Kelsey Meyer, and
sixth-grader Madelein Wieland.
Oak Park Julian has reloaded this year, and its lineup has only
one eighth-grader, Mariah Sappington. The rest of the crew consists
of seventh-graders Carolina Cotton, Joy Dennis, Kelly Hobin, Abby
Nevins, Elizabeth Reyes and Nina Rossiello. East Peoria Central is a
sleeper with a lineup that includes eighth-graders Mia Bowman,
Charlotte McBrayer, Ashley Schmitt and Alexis Thompson, along with
seventh-graders Autumn Andrews and Emily Nixon, and sixth-grader
Jessie Graham.
Schools sending Girls Class AA teams are Algonquin Heineman,
Arlington Heights Thomas, Barrington Station, Buffalo Grove Cooper,
Champaign Edison, Chatham Glenwood, East Peoria Central,
Edwardsville Liberty, Edwardsville Lincoln, Freeport, Homer Glen
Homer, Lake Zurich North, Mount Prospect Lincoln, Mount Prospect
River Trails, Mount Zion, New Lenox Martino, Normal Chiddix, Normal
Parkside, Oak Park Julian, Shorewood Troy and Urbana Middle School.
Caroline Carley of Barrington Station leads the field of
contenders for the Girls Class AA individual title. Last year, as a
sixth-grader, she finished fourth overall in a time of 12:04.
Buffalo Grove Cooper's Olivia Jones finished only five seconds
behind her. Mahomet-Seymour's Brittany Bohn is also a contender. She
took the Section F individual race in a sizzling 12:02. Jones took
the Section B race in 12:50. Top sectional time was 11:46 by Carly
Pederson of Normal Chiddix in the Sectional E race.
Class AA boys, 12:30 p.m.
Defending team champion Mount Prospect Lincoln and runner-up
Buffalo Grove Cooper return this year, along with 2005 third-place
Oak Park Julian and fourth-place Arlington Heights South. Lincoln
beat Cooper by seven points (44-51) last year. Julian and South
finished far behind the leaders. How will things unfold this year?
Only time will tell.
Mount Prospect Lincoln has two returnees from last year's title
team. Leading the way is eighth-grader Kellan Strobel, who placed
fifth individually in a time of 10:59. Also back is eighth-grader
Matt Ashton. Joining them are eighth-graders Ryan Konieczka, Greg
Netols, Matt Russell and Alec Wolfe. Seventh-grader Johnathan
Pederson rounds out the lineup.
Buffalo Grove Cooper returns a pair of veterans too. They are
eighth-grader Michael McGrath and seventh-grader Jereme Atchison.
Rounding out the lineup are eighth-grader Jake Marthaler,
seventh-graders Matt Bloom, Ryan Degelmann and Taras Didenko and
sixth-grader Paul Burke.
Normal Parkside, running on its home course, looms as the dark
horse in the race. Parkside is unbeaten in all its meets this year
and took the Sectional E team title with 20 points. The Parkside
lineup has only two eighth-graders, Matt Barnet and Drew Kerschieter.
Seventh-grade runners are Logan Abeling, Logan Degroot, Eric Gordon
and Caleb Wiebenga, plus sixth-grader Peyton Scheuermann.
Kerschieter won the sectional race in 10:42.
Schools competing for the Boys Class AA title are Arlington
Heights South, Belvidere Central, Bloomington Junior High School,
Buffalo Grove Cooper, Champaign Franklin, Champaign Jefferson,
Chatham Glenwood, Edwardsville Lincoln, Homer Glen Homer, Johnsburg
Junior High School, Lemont Old Quarry, Mahomet-Seymour, McHenry,
Mount Prospect Lincoln, New Lenox Liberty, New Lenox Martino, Normal
Kingsley, Normal Parkside, Oak Park Julian and Springfield Franklin.
While the experience Kellan Strobel of Mount Prospect Lincoln
gained in taking fifth in last year's race should be a big factor in
the outcome of this year's race, Mahomet-Seymour's John Prillaman
could challenge him, along with Normal Parkside's Kreschieter and
Carl Rapp of Belvidere Central. Rapp wan the Sectional A race with
the best sectional time of 10:42.
[IESA
news release]
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