Above Photo: Top ranked Urbana University starts their quest for the 1A Girls state championship at Saturday’s tough Paxton-Buckley-Loda Regional (Photo Credit: Urbana University High School)

 

By Michael Newman

[email protected]

 

Weather will play a big part in each of the 15 1A meets that will take place this weekend. There should not be many surprises in team qualifiers this weekend as 7 teams advance. If you are on the eastern side of the state, head to the Paxton-Buckley-Loda Regional where 3 of the top 4 teams in the state will face off against each other in both the Girls and Boys races. 2 time state champion Jon Davis will start his defense of his state title in this race. If you are on the western side of the state, check out the Liberty Regional where #4 Liberty will face 2 other ranked teams in the Girls race.

 

Here is a brief look at each of the meets that will take place. The top 6 teams in each regional will qualify for one of five sectional meets that will take place next weekend. The top five individuals not on a qualifying team will also make it to the following weekend.

 

Good luck to all athletes competing this weekend, their coaches & parents, along with the fans that will be cheering for them!

 

Decatur St. Teresa Sectional

 

Paxton-Buckley-Loda Regional

 

Girls – 10:00 AM

In the toughest 1A sectional in the state, this could be the toughest regional. 3 of the top 4 1A teams in the state are in this race. #1 Urbana University did not compete last week. With Arielle Summit and Annemarie Michael up front along with a good pack behind them, this squad could be a tough team to beat. #2 Tolono Unity is hoping to have top five runner Taylor Renfroe back after missing the past few meets. #4 St. Joseph-Ogden rested Faith Houston last week at Peoria. These three schools could be separated by as much as 15 points to decide the regional champion. It could be that close. #15 Monticello leads the next group of teams with St.Thomas More and Paxton-Buckley-Loda close behind. Arielle Summit and Annemarie Michael will be up front along with Tolono Unity’s Jordan Harmon and Faith Houston in the individual race.

 

Boys – 11:00 AM

Jon Davis (Oakwood HS, Fithian) has not raced in almost a month but will be on the line Saturday to start his journey to what he describes “as something special”. Andrew Warnes (Tolono Unity HS) ran 14:44 last week at Detweiller and should be the top runner close to Davis in this race. #1 Tolono Unity is undefeated this season and that should stay that way in this regional meet. #3 St. Joseph-Ogden and #4 Monticello will be the top teams to challenge the Rockets. #12 Paxton-Buckley-Loda and #18 Urbana University will also advance out of this regional with Chrisman, St. Thomas More, and Tuscola fighting for the final spots.

 

Robinson Regional

Nuttall Middle School, Robinson

 

Girls – 10:00 AM

Anna Sophia Keller (St. Anthony HS, Effingham) has run under 17 minutes twice this year including her 16:43 run in Effingham last week. She will be the individual favorite in this race. #19 Effingham St. Anthony will be the team favorite in this meet followed by Paris and Lawrenceville.

 

Boys – Immediately following Girls Race

#6 Robinson will tune up for next week’s sectional race in what should be an easy race for the only ranked team in this meet. Marshall and Toledo Cumberland should battle for the next spot. Robinson’s Noah Tennison will be the individual favorite.

 

Shelbyville Regional

Forest Park, Shelbyville

 

Girls – 10:00 AM

#6 Carlinville edged #9 Litchfield 32-35 the last time they met last week at the Carlinville Invitational. It should be just as close between these two teams in this meet. #16 Shelbyville is the other ranked team in this meet. Carlinville’s Colleen Madden should be the runner to watch in the individual race.

 

Boys – 10:45 AM

This should be a good matchup between #2 Shelbyville and #8 Carlinville. One thing to watch is if Carlinville can tighten up their pack in order to surpass Shelbyville’s front pack of Marcus Skinner, Tyler Pasley, and Ryan Skowronski. #24 Mt. Zion along with Sullivan and Decatur St. Teresa will be the next teams in the standings. It should be a good individual race with Marcus Skinner going up against Carlinville’s Cory Landon for the regional individual championship.

 

Edwardsville Metro-East Lutheran Sectional

 

Chester Regional

Randolph County Conservation Area

 

Girls – 10:30 AM

Carterville, Okawville, DuQuoin, and Nashville will be the top teams to watch in this race. Keri Burmester (Red Bud HS), Sophie Keith (Pinckneyville HS), and Reese Herrin (Carterville HS) should be the individual favorites in this race.

 

Boys – 11:30 AM

Pinckneyville edged Nashville 40-43 last week at the SIRR-Mississippi Division Meet. The two teams will be the favorites in this meet pushed by Steelville, Red Bud, and Okawville. Harrison Thomas (Carterville HS) ran 15:06 to win his conference meet last week making him the favorite in this race.

 

Harrisburg Regional

Southeastern Illinois College

 

Girls – 10:00 AM

#14 Herrin has the firepower up front making them the big favorite in this regional. Hamilton County and West Frankfort should be the next two teams in this race. Kara Martin (Herrin HS) along with teammate Maura Farrell should be the individual favorite. The next individual runner (Herrin’s Kaelan Hall) is another 45 seconds behind the front two. Leslie Drone (Hamilton County HS, McLeansboro) could also be in the top three in this race.

 

Boys – 11:00 AM

Hamilton County, Herrin, Benton, and Fairfield will be the squads to watch in what could be a close regional team race. Benton’s Gavin Hartley is among the runners to watch in the individual race.

 

New Athens Regional

 

Girls

#13 Freeburg and #18 Breese Mater Dei will be the teams to watch in this close regional race. Freeburg easily won the Cahokia Conference Meet behind top 2 runners Ashley Gilmore and Kristen Collier. Freeburg ran an 85 second split in that meet. Breese Mater Dei is coming on strong as evidenced by the 5^th place finish in the tough Carlinville Invitational a week ago Tuesday followed by a win at Effingham. Mater Dei ran a 60 second split at the Effingham meet. Roxana and Belleville Althoff will challenge for 3^rd in this meet. It could be Freeburg’s Ashley Gilmore and Kristen Collier the individual runners up front.

 

Boys

#11 Freeburg is the only ranked team in this race and favored to leave New Athens with the regional title. Breese Mater Dei, who finished 3^rd to Freeburg’s 2^nd at the Carlinville Invitational could be the chief competition for Freeburg in this race. East Alton-Wood-River and Roxana will challenge for third in this meet. Freeburg’s Charlie Parrish should be the individual favorite in this regional.

 

Elmwood-Brimfield Sectional

 

Aledo Mercer County Regional

Hawthorn Ridge Country Club

 

Girls – 10:00 AM

#17 Knoxville will be the favorite for the team regional title followed by Mercer County and Macomb close behind. Maya Novall (Macomb HS) ran 18:16 to finish 4^th last week at Peoria. She should be pushed by Ryan Block (Knoxville HS) and Carly Garnett (Illini West HS, Carthage) for the individual race title.

 

Boys – 10:45 AM

Host #16 Mercer County will be the favorite in the team race with Macomb and Rushville-Industry the closest teams near them. Havana’s David Snider should be one of the runners to watch up front in this race.

 

Eureka Regional

Lake Eureka, Eureka

 

Girls

#7 Eureka could be rude hosts in this meet as they will be the favorite to take the regional title. #23 Stanford Olympia and #24 Deer Creek-Mackinaw are the other ranked teams in this meet. Bloomington Central Catholic and Heyworth are other teams to watch in this race. Shelby Siltman (Olympia HS, Stanford) will be the individual to watch along with Eureka’s Mercer Mack.

 

Boys

The top 3 teams in this sectional face each other in what could be a preview of next week’s sectional race. #5 Elmwood-Brimfield is sneaky good (once again) and should be the team to watch in this race. #7 El Paso-Gridley las a good front 3 led by Hunter Cobbley. They will look to tighten their 1-5 split in this race. #9 Eureka placed a good 3^rd behind 2A powers Mahomet-Seymour and Normal University in their conference meet last week. They will be up for the challenge of Elmwood and El Paso especially on their home course. #19 Bloomington Central Catholic is also ranked and could be a surprise in this meet.  This could be an interesting individual race. Hunter Cobbley is the slight favorite in this race and will be pushed by Elmwood’s Matt Osmulski and Derek McCoy. Peoria Christian freshman Jonah Coyle ran 15:23 last week at Detweiller and could be a factor in this race.

 

Franklin Regional

Franklin Outing Club

 

Girls – 10:00 AM

If the PBL Regional meet has the best Girls competition in 1A, this meet could be a very close second. 3 ranked teams in the top 10 will make this meet one to watch. #4 Liberty has been one of the top 1A teams in the state throughout the year. They finished 4^th last week at the Patriot Invitational without their #1 runner Katelyn Robbins. They did get a good race from Jacki Graham (6^th) and also welcomed the return of Katelyn Obert. She has missed most of the season with an injury. A healthy Obert could be trouble for most of the 1A teams in 2 weeks. #8 Petersburg PORTA is getting healthy at the right time as it showed when they won the Amboy Invitational more than a week ago. Sisters Maria and Adrienne Brauer give the Bluejays a presence up front that most teams cannot match. #10 Springfield Lutheran proved they could be a threat in big meets after they finished 4^th at Carlinville and 6^th at Peoria last week. They have a strong front four with their 5 runner split narrowing down over the past few weeks. #25 Quincy Notre Dame placed 10^th at Peoria last week and should advance to Sectionals. Williamsville and Auburn should also advance. The individual race should be lights out with Liberty’s Robbins and Graham facing PORTA’s Brauer sisters for the individual crown.

 

Boys – 11:00 AM

The boys’ race does not have the fire power that the race before it has. It still should still be a good one with ranked teams #13 Pleasant Plains and #23 Liberty in this field. Auburn and Athens will be close for third. Pleasant Plains’ Tyler Johnson ran 14:52 last week at Peoria and should be the favorite. Wyatt McIntyre (Athens HS) could be the closest runner to Johnson in this race.

 

Lisle Sectional

 

Aurora Christian Regional

Oakhurst Forest Preserve, Aurora

 

Girls – 10:00 AM

#17 Westmont is the team to beat on the fast Oakhurst Forest Preserve course. Timothy Christian should be the closest team to the Sentinels. Westmont sophomore Halle Nash finished third last week in her conference meet and could be the favorite in this race.

 

Boys – 11:00 AM

Walther Christian should be the slight favorite for the team championship with Timothy Christian and Westmont close behind. Tanner Chada (Aurora Christian HS) looked good winning the Amboy Invitational almost 2 weeks ago. Keep an eye on his winning time on this fast course.

 

Chicago Luther North Regional

LaBagh Woods Forest Preserve, Chicago

 

Girls – 1:30 PM

Willows Academy and DePaul Prep will be the teams to watch in this meet. Kailee Carro (DePaul Prep, Chicago) should be among the front runners in this meet.

 

Boys – 2:15 PM

#25 Northridge Prep will be the team to watch after their 2^nd place finish at their conference meet. DePaul Prep and North Shore Country Day could be Northridge’s chief competition. Northridge’s Peter Conroy along with teammate Sebastian Fuentes-Branas will be challenged by NSCD’s Tommy McHugh for the regional individual title.

 

Kankakee McNamara Regional

Kankakee Community College

 

Girls – 10:00 AM

The toughest regional of the 3 in this sectional especially shows in this race as 6 of the top 10 teams are scheduled to compete. MSC-East champion #12 Chicago Christian will be the team to beat in this meet. Clifton Central along with Prairie Central, Beecher, and Herscher could also push for second. Daly Galloway (Gardner-South Wilmington HS) is the big favorite. This will be one of her tune up races for state. She ran 17:21 to win at Peoria last weekend.

 

Boys – 11:00 AM

#20 Kankakee McNamara continues to improve as they finished 14^th last week at Peoria. They will be the team favorite but could be pushed by Prairie Central and Beecher. Michael Mankowski (Gardner-South Wilmington HS) and Joshua Behmer (Beecher HS) will be the runners to watch up front in this race.

 

Oregon Sectional

 

Manlius Bureau Valley Regional

Walnut Grade School

 

Girls – 10:00 AM

 

It could be a closer than expected in the team competition for #3 Annawan-Wethersfield. Coach Creston Fenn confirmed that he will rest #1 runner Kirstie Ramsey for this meet. The junior has missed most of last season due to patellar tendinitis in her left knee.  Wetherfield will still be the favorite to watch in this race as they will be led by Olivia Draminski. #21 Amboy could be the closest team to Wethersfield in this meet. Sterling Newman and Bureau Valley will be the teams chasing Amboy. Wetherfield’s Olivia Draminski will be one of the favorites in this meet pushed by Amboy’s Megan Grady.

 

Boys – 10:45 AM

#14 Rock Falls, #15 Sterling Newman, and #17 Galva Mid-County will challenge for the team title in this regional. It could be a 1-2 finish by Rock Falls’ Brayden Hamblen and Seth Williams in this race. Roland Aguilar (Kewanee HS) will challenge the two Rock Falls’ runners for the win.

 

Seneca Regional

Seneca High School Agricultural Land Lab Farm, Seneca

 

Girls – 10:00 AM

#11 Seneca is the only ranked team in the field and the team to beat. Henry Senachwine, Illinois Valley Central, and Ottawa Marquette will challenge for second. Seneca’s Eva Bruno is the individual favorite.

 

Boys – 11:00 AM

The team race is up for grabs with #21 Henry-Senachwine, #22 Illinois Valley Central, and Minonk Fieldcrest challenging for regional team title. Thomas Lechtenberg (Marquette Academy, Ottawa) should be challenged by Trevor Wiley (Henry-Senachwine HS) for the top spot in the individual race.

 

Winnebago Regional

Fuller Forest Preserve, Winnebago

 

Girls – 10:00 AM

It will be close in this race with #20 Rockford Christian the only ranked team in this race but pushed by Winnebago and Byron for the team championship. Jordan Peterson (Harvard HS) should be the individual favorite with Madison Franseen and Hannah Insko (Winnebago HS) close behind.

 

Boys – 11:00 AM

#10 Johnsburg is the big favorite in this race. They are the only ranked team in this Boys regional. Harvest Christian Academy has been flying under the radar and could surprise Johnsburg. Also watch for North Boone and Winnebago in this race. Matt Stelmasek (Johnsburg HS) will be challenged by Skyler Yunk (North Boone HS, Poplar Grove) for the regional individual title.