Boys track team-by-team previews

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Aurora Central Catholic

The Chargers finished second in the SCC last year, picked up fourth at the Glenbard South 2A Sectional and then qualified for the IHSA State Finals for the 18th consecutive year.

ACC returns numerous state qualifiers including senior Jimmy Spencer and sophomore Matt Meyers off its SCC champion 3,200 relay. Junior Alex Duncan will get a chance to push the varsity after winning the conference’s 1,600 at the frosh-soph level.

Sophomore Joe Fese was the SCC champion in the 100, 200 and 800 relay, while senior Mike Reuland won the 110 hurdles and twin brother Joe was the runner-up in the 110 and 300 hurdles. Sophomore Zach Flint returns along with Duncan as part of the 800 relay team. Throw in several other conference medalists and there are the makings of another highly-competitive team.

“Fese is one of the top sprinters in 2A,” Chargers coach Troy Kerber said. “I think you can also look for Spencer, Meyers, Flint and the Reulands to have breakout seasons. … If we stay healthy and injury free we could have a great season this year.”

Aurora Christian

The Eagles had a young team last year, but the boys were able to qualify for state in the 1,600 relay.

ACS will have to make up for the losses of graduates steepleweb McNamara, Kyle Kayzar and Sean Culp as they ran on both the 3,200 and 1,600 relay teams.

The addition of athletic freshman Johnathan Harrell, who moved up to varsity by the end of the basketball season, combined with several other newcomers will establish more depth and more events for the Eagles. Harrell and fellow basketball teammate C.J. Schutt will help in the triple jump, while Billy Howorth solidifies the pole vault to go along with strong relay teams.

“Many of our athletes play other sports like football and basketball and we did very well in both this year,” ACS coach Jeff Schutt said. “These athletes know that things don’t just come easily and you need to work hard to make success happen.”

East Aurora

Last year, the Tomcats’ 40-person team displayed an all-conference long jumper and 1,600 relay team. The relay missed qualifying for state by .14 seconds and three of the four runners graduated.

However, East still has Paco Garcia, Charles Pool and Gerardo Paleo to provide leadership to the young additions like Ricky Barajas and Isaac Soriano among others, which will ideally push the Tomcats up in the Upstate Eight Conference along with qualifying in multiple events for the state meet again. Paleo seems to have the best chance to be special as a two-time all-conference cross country runner, who also ran on the 1,600 relay.

“He looks to be in tremendous shape,” East coach Shane Gillespie said, having already seen Paleo take second in the mile at the Aurora City Indoor meet a few weeks ago. “I am excited about his final season, especially considering he is ranked No. 1 in this year’s senior class and he is narrowing down on his college choice.”

Geneva

The Vikings had an amazing 2010 year capped by taking their third straight Western Sun title and claiming a Class 3A Sectional championship. State qualifier Frank Boenzi is gone after a stellar four-year career in football and track.

So now Geneva moves over to the crowded 12-team Upstate Eight Conference, which boasts defending state champion Lake Park and third-place state finisher Neuqua Valley.

Peter Archibald and Connor Bartel should be strong distance runners for the Vikings, while hurdlers Ryan Ahern and Tom Frederick and sprinter Russell Acton give hope that Geneva can be a presence in the quality conference.

Billy Koskiewicz (distance) and Jake Stocker (sprints) will be nice additions for a team that also must contend with Batavia and St. Charles East in the River Division.

If indoor is any indication, which it usually isn’t, Geneva has much work to do after a seventh place finish. They will need to have a great outdoor season and improve a lot to contend for the outdoor River Division title. The distance group is probably the strongest on the team, but it will take a complete group effort to wreak some havoc.

“Our team is excited about the challenge of a new conference,” Geneva head coach Gale Gross said. “We got some great experience during the indoor conference meet and we will take this and build on it for the outdoor season. As long as we work harder and smarter, we will be where we need to be by the end of the outdoor season. But it is a process; a learning process and a team-building process.”

Hinckley-Big Rock

Head coach Greg Burks is in his 10th year at the helm and is going to have to work some magic this season for the Royals to be any kind of threat.

Junior Dillon Ford and sophomore Joe Scheller will hold down distance, sophomore Mike Bayler and Bill Weissinger will compete in the jumps and 400, and sophomore Mack Carls will attack the throws.

But those returners are young and will have to team up with freshman Joe Catalanotto, Erik Dunteman, T.J. Gavin and Jake Henry to score points. Bayler (triple jump) and Weissinger (high jump) are at least returning as sectional medalists for their respective event.

“Our depth on both teams is an issue again,” Burks said. “We have some individual talent, but will have a tough time filling each event.”

Kaneland

Champions live in Maple Park. The Knights are fresh off a second-place 2A state finish to go with a sectional title, several invite wins and a second-place finish in the Western Sun Conference.

Kaneland will miss the presence of seven state medal winners, but three others return in Taylor Andrews, Tommy Whitaker and Trevor Holm.

The good news is speedy wide receiver Quinn Buschbacher has joined up as has football teammate Blake Serpa, who missed most of last season with a hamstring injury.

Sprints and hurdles are the strengths of the Knights, which return their entire 400 and 800 state qualifying relay teams.

“We lost an amazing group of seniors, but this team will fill in those holes by graduation very quickly,” Kaneland coach Eric Baron said. “We will be a very strong team by May after we gain some experience.”

Marmion Academy

Head coach Dan Thorpe created a powerhouse in his first five years at Marmion, winning Suburban Christian Conference titles each season. Last year, the Cadets were undefeated in conference duels (7-0) and return a number of state qualifiers as they go for a Bulls-like six in a row.

Senior Eddy Grahovec got there in the 300 hurdles, but this year will be moved around more — high jump, hurdles, relays, distance — to score points in the big meets.

Senior T.J. Lally reached the state meet in the shot put and will be a staple in that event. And Bennett Marsh, one of the best distance runners in 2A following an eighth place finish in the 3,200 at state, will anchor a deep group that will score a fair amount of points each meet.

Finally, Matt Choice and Brady Hunt are back off the state-qualifying 3,200 relay team and Pete Stefanski has shown promise in the high jump, already hitting 6’3” this year. While Thorpe thinks Aurora Central has a stronger team this year, the goal is always to win the conference title and until someone else claims it, it’s hard to count out the Cadets.

“We just do not have much speed,” Thorpe said. “Not scoring near the top in the 100, 200 and sprint relays will really hurt us. We will have to be very creative to be in the top three in conference. … We will have to be very creative with placing our very few but excellent athletes. We need to have a perfect night to win conference.”

Metea Valley

It’s the track team’s turn to do what the other athletic programs have learned so far: being a first-year varsity program can have some ups, but dealing with the downs is paramount to sustained success.

The good news is the Mustangs finished third in the Upstate Eight last year at the fresh/soph level, and with that comes no losses to replace. Despite having no seniors, Metea has 80 athletes to spread among various events.

The top returners are juniors Joe and Matt Stewart and Mike Henessey in the distance events, and juniors Alan Williams and lightning-quick Tresean Mackey in sprints.Several others like sophomores Jake Murawski and Jake Pajakowski have a chance to add points in field events.

“The response by the athletes is my biggest surprise so far,” Metea coach Aaron Lewis said. “With having so many athletes, one would think that some are just there to be ‘part of the group.’ But most, if not all, are there to become better athletes, whether it is for track and field or another sport they play. The dedication and work ethic is very high and it will be the job of the coaching staff to keep that spirit of enthusiasm up and help the kids be successful, in more ways than one.”

Plano

The boys track team for the Reapers is coming off a 2010 season where they finished fourth in the Interstate Eight Conference and took fourth in their sectional.

They will have to replace J.J. Cannon in the long jump, but have enough quality returners in three-time state qualifier Joseph Jones (110 hurdles) and Jason Contreras (sprints, pole vault), Anthony Ortiz, Leo Ocon and Ryan Smith to make up for the loss.

Freshman Javon Montgomery and junior brother Rodney are newcomers to the Reapers and will be big components to the sprints and relays on a team coach Andy Shaw calls the most well-rounded team he has coached.

“This will be by far the fastest boys team I have ever had and I am now at a point where I will be able to field two very fast 400 and 800 relay teams, being confident that they will be top place finishers, if not champions, at our conference meet,” Shaw said. “In order for this outdoor season to go well, they need to believe they are talented enough to win the conference meet, something that has not happened in Plano for 30 years.”

Sandwich

The Indians are coming off a second place finish in the Interstate Eight last season and an eighth place result in their sectional. Good news is they have many familiar faces including three all-conference athletes.

Depth also seems to be a strength this year, which means stretching athletes into more events and contending with possible injuries that pop up.

Senior Joe Worley looks to repeat his success in the 200 and high jump, while senior Sam Hill (pole vault) and junior Joe Gaesser (3200 relay) figure to be strong again in their respective all-conference events. Look for seniors Mike Gaydos to make strides in distance and Brad Hoffman to hold down jumps and relays.

“We have great numbers this year so we’re very optimistic about getting some guys into events as much as possible and seeing what they can do, especially our first couple of dual meets,” Indians coach Andy Heilemeier said. “It’s exciting because we definitely have some guys that will continue track, running after high school.”

Somonauk

Bobcats head coach Brian Davis is turning to athletes in sports other than track and field to add depth and speed to a group that looks to be one of the fastest to go through Somonauk.

Mitch Fox, a former baseball player and the top cross country runner for the Bobcats, will run the 3,200 and other distance events, while Tyler Garrey, another former baseball player, will add plenty of speed and also a high jump presence.

Junior Alex Zaeske will likely break the school’s 400 record early in the season, while junior Joe Tuburan is right on Zaeske’s heels and has been having great workouts.

Senior Art Connolley is the leader and captain for a group, which looks up to him see know how to train.

Since no one in the Little Ten Conference has a track, the Bobcats will be on their own to progress through the season at a variety of meets. In general, their middle distance teams are pretty strong and the distance relays have a great shot at state.

“Speedwise this is the fastest we have ever been and that is going to help our relays a bunch,” Davis said. “But we are going to struggle scoring points in the sprint events. While our distance and mid-distance team is pretty strong, our sprint speed still is something to be desired.”

Waubonsie Valley

The outdoor season is a bunch of unknowns for the Warriors, according head coach Kevin Rafferty.

After finishing second in the UEC outdoor last season, while taking second at the sectional and eighth at the state meet, expectations are high at Waubonsie, but the reality is the Warriors lost a lot.

The Warriors lose a state champion in James Davenport (high jump), plus state qualifiers Rickie Walls, Andrew Szott and Alex Kampf, and they are still unsure who they have now that will place in the state meet, unlike the last few years.

State qualifiers Owen Saldana (shot put, discus), Amare Green (triple jump), Danny Tucker (100, 200) and three parts of the 3,200 relay are back, which will definitely score points in a deep and strong UEC. All-state cross country runner David Groeber will also play a huge part in distance events.

One big X-factor might be that of football and basketball star Jakobi Johnson, who will make his first go at the sport, but has the athleticism to contribute in the hurdles, sprints and several field events.

“Saldana, Groeber and Tucker will score in every meet they compete in,” Rafferty said. “We have to build and sharpen up the pieces around them throughout the season and we’ll be a solid team.”

West Aurora

After qualifying for eight events at the state meet and finishing first at the DuPage Valley Conference indoor meet, the Blackhawks are primed to make a run again. And hopefully this time they won’t have a prom conflict on their schedule, which caused them to place seventh at the DVC outdoor meet.

West will have to make up for the loss of sprinter Leon Spears, who was a four-time state medalist. Aviance King and Tonly Ellison will also be missed, but the current version of the Blackhawks is a balanced team, able to score in every event.

While they don’t have a true star like they’ve had in the past, the depth is much better. West has probably the best distance squad it has ever had, led by Ryan Bartell and Matt Muth, which will score a lot of points for them. By season’s end, the Blackhawks should be in the running for county and conference titles, as well as send a good number of athletes to the state meet.

Yorkville

The Foxes qualified all four relays for the state meet last season, plus three individuals. While three graduated off the sprint relays, everyone else returns.

The relays are again strong for Yorkville and will lead the way all season. There is some top-end sprint talent with young depth behind them.

Sophomore Mike Malinowski figures to be a factor in the 400, relays and long jump. Senior Kevin Cox will be in the middle of the 100 and 200, while Scott King, Jake Callahan, Eric Baker, and Shawn O’Malley are just a contingent of depth in distance.

“We are just so deep throughout the running events,” Foxes coach Ben Draper said. “It’s a good problem to have when you are trying to put together a meet roster and you have to choose between a bunch of hard-working, talented athletes.”

Compiled by Brian Miller

(Editor’s Note: Oswego, Oswego East, Batavia, IMSA and Mooseheart did not submit season preview information to The Beacon-News.)