So after all the wait, state is just a couple days away, and things still haven't fallen into place. Obviously York is the favorite team-wise and McNamera is the favorite individual-wise, and barring a complete and utter debcal, both of these things will hold true. After that the race is wide open.
Team Race:
All season it looked as though Palatine would be as untouchable to everybody else as York was to Palatine, but that changed last week after they narrowly defeated a good, but not spectacular Hersey team in their sectional meet. They are still the favorite, but no longer are they the run away pick that they have looked to be before. Granted that if Palatine doesn't trophy (top 3), it will go down as a huge choke. The running for the third spot is a huge mess. As many as 7 teams look like they could possibly sneak in and snatch the final trophy. Here's the list of teams in the running: Hersey, GBS, DGN, Naperville North, Wabonsie Valley, Stevenson, LT. As of right now, I would give the slight edge to LT, who came in 2nd in the state's hardest sectional to York and has the best 1-2 bunch in Maier and Kuphall (maybe McNamera-Dettman is better) which is a huge advantage in such a huge field. Hersey also has some momentum after nearly pulling off a huge upset last week and has two stud top guys in Havel and Fulton. DGN has potential, but has yet to come up big in a major meet this season, if all the guys rn like they can, then I think they would be the favorite. Stevenson has a solid pack, but it may be a little too far back to match up with other schools that have front runners. They are notorious for they're big state performances. Wabonsie returns there whole team from last year, but they need a huge race from Durrell Williams and their 5 man need to step up. NN has been hot since they gave Palatine a scare at Crete, and need a big race from their top dog Deberge in order to snag a top 3 spot. GBS is also a strong contender, but they went down to LT and barely squeeked by DGN at sectionals. They need a big race from Rose who was their 6 man at Niles.
Individual Race:
One and two should go McNamera, Luciano unless something major happens. After that Kuphall, the Dettmans, Maier, and Glen Morris should all contend for the remaining top 5 spots. I would give the edge to the Detts and Kuphall because of their experience. These guys are the obvious picks, but there is one dark horse that is nearly impossible to predct...Evan Jager of Jacobs. I would compare him to someone like McCann from last year. Has had some big races, but has been relatively quiet all year. He wasn't very impressive at Palatine, but has come on huge the last half of the season. I'd also watch out for Jared Richarson from Harlem who has had a decent year, but hasn't done anything spectacular, yet. Bruce MacTaggert, Ryan Craven, and Alex Sutphen should be close to the top 10. Anybody from York will compete for all-state (Arnold, Kuzwara, Montgomery, Billhardt, Marchese, Jones) depending on who runs. DGN's three-headed monster of Barron, Zychinski, and Ryan should definitley produce at least one top 25, and probably two. Two returners who have had quiet years, Bloomington's Andy Kubiak and WV's Durrell Williams, will look to build off huge races last year and make top 15 finishes. EMU's Kyle Cameron, and Carl Sandburg's Kevin Adamowski won their sectionals and are safe bets for all-state, especially Adamoski. A couple guys who have suffered injuries this year are very hard to predict. Jeremy Wheeler won his sectional in an unimpressive 16:01. Jon Popejoy has had an injury-plagues season and didn't even run last week, but has the ability to be a force. Matt Fulton from Hersey came up huge last week and has asserted himself as well as his team, as a contender at State. A couple other guys to watch at state: Dan Klatt (a very safe pick for top 25) Tim Pierie of LWE and Jake Bruene of TF South are guys who can challenge for spots as high as the 10-15 range if everything comes together. Palatine's Steve Finley and James Macatangay are legit contenders, and at least one will be top 25. Tom Deberge and Pat Greene, busted out on the state course earlier this year and make this race that much harder to predict. Kevin Havel, a freshman has been a stud all year and as a great shot at all state. Ryan Fuhs, Thomas Tate, Ryan Weber, Garret Weaver, Christian Escareno, Mark Martinez, and Brendan Christian are just another handful of the guys who proven themselves all year, and have been building towards a strong meet
Individuals
1. McNamera - York (14:12)
2. Luciano - Willowbrook
3. M Dettman - York
4. E Dettman - York
5. Kuphall - LT
6. Morris - Palatine
7. Jager - Jacobs
8. Maier - LT
9. Sutphen - Hoffman Estates
10. MacTaggert - GBS
11. Craven - Prospect
12. Adamowski - Carl Sandburg
13. Klatt - Willowbrook
14. Fulton - Hersey
15. Macatangay - Palatine
16. Havel - Hersey
17. Bruene - TF South
18. Kuczwara - York
19. Pierie - LWE
20. Kubiak - Bloomington
21. Richardson - Harlem
22. Williams - Waubonsie
23. Zychinski - DGN
24. Tate - Galesburg
25. Deberge - NN (14:56)
26. Montgomery - York
27. Barron - DGN
28. Christianson - St Ignatius
29. Greene - Plainfield South
30. Cameron - EMU
31. Arnold - York
32. Ryan - DGN
33. Hurford - Edwardsville
34. Fuhs - CLC
35. Escareno - Rolling Meadows
36. Popejoy - WWS
37. Billhardt - York
38. Veselik - Benet
39. Finley - Palatine
40. Jager - Jacobs
41. Jacobs - Hononegah
42. Weaver - St Charles East
43. Weber - Cary Grove
44. Wheeler - Lanphier
45. Koetter - Pekin
46. Richardson - Buffalo Grove
47. Grange - Marmion
48. A. Mohammed - Bartlett
49. M. Mohammed - Bartlett
50. Carius - Waubonsie Valley (15:22)
Teams
1. York
2. Palatine
3. DGN
4. GBS
5. John Hersey
6. LT
7. Waubonsie
8. Naperville N
9. Stevenson
10. Prospect
11. Wheaton N
12. Carl Sandburg
13. Lincoln Way E
14. Highland Park
15. St Charles North
16. Bartlett
17. Nequa Valley
18. Plainfield S
19. WWS
20. Willowbrook
21. Bloomington
22. Benet
23. EMU
24. Guilford
25. O'Fallon
26. Edwardsville
27. Belvidere
28. Champaign Centennial
29. Chatham Glenwood
30. Metamora
31. Moline
32. Triad
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