Chicago Public League Sports Blog

2009 Boys Class AA Pre-Season Rankings

(left to right) Omar Tall (jr), Joseph Laseter (jr), and Yusef Hood (so) lead #1 ranked class AA Kenwood.

1. Kenwood (2008 results: 3rd sophomore boys at city; 9th at sectionals)

Kenwood is traditionally more of a track power. But last year, Kenwood broke out in the cross country world by finishig 3rd at the sophomore level ahead of traditional cross country powers Lane Tech and Northside Prep. Kenwood, then finished 9th at setionals - only 4 places away from qualifying to state as a team. Kenwood also returns it's entire top 7 from last year led by cross country state qualifier Omar Tall. If the places fall right and their runners develop Kenwood may have a legitamate chance of becoming the first ever CPS class AA boys team to qualify down state.

 

Luis Hernandez of Lake View will be part of senior laden Lake view team.

2. Lake View (2008 results: 8th boys varsity at city; 12th at sectionals)

Lake View will be a senior laden team this year as 5 of it's top 7 from last year's sectional team will be seniors. Those seniors have an opportunity to help Lake View improve on last year's 8th place city finish at the varsity level and give Lake View an outside shot at qualifying for state. Two of those seniors Michael Tran and Luis Hernandez ran on Lake View's 4th place city 4x800 meter relay team in track last spring. Lake View may have found some more depth in sophomore Eduardo Chavez and senior Sergio Navas. The pair ran on Lake View's state qualifying 4x800 meter relay team that ran a season best 8:47.15 for Lake View. It is not determined yet wheter Chavez or Navas will run cross country. Chavez was a part of Lake View highly successful boys soccer program last fall . Chavez finished 5th at the frosh-soph 800 meter dash last spring with a time of 2:11 - pretty good for a freshman. Lake View's #1 runner will be much improved Oscar Medina a junior. Medina qualified for state last year for Lake View in cross country and is coming off a very impressive track season in which he ran a 10:10 in the 3200 meter run at the state finals.

3. Harlan (2008 results: no team)

Harlan did not even have a boys cross country team in 2008. So why am I ranking them so high? It's their new cross country coach Dr. Mark Thompson. Thompson led Harlan from a school that barely had a track program two years ago to a 14th place state finish in track. And track may not even be Thompson's best sport. He is probably more of distance coach. I'm not sure if you can expect a miracle the first year out of Harlan's cross country program. But under Thompson will lead Harlan to a very respectable finish. Depending on how the season goes, Harlan may even challenge for a top 2 ranking in class AA.

 

Charlie Obermeyer (sr- left) and Jonathon Starzyk (sr - right) should lead a Jones team that will sorely miss graduated distance star Griffin Kelly.

4. Jones (2008 results: 6th boys varsity at city; 11th at sectionals)

Jones has graduated one of their top distance runners in school history in Griffin Kelly. Kelly capped his senior year with a 4:33 mile at the state meet - 2nd best in the CPS this year. Let's hope Kelly inspired a new wave of distance runners last year. On the plus side Jones should return 5 of it's top 7 runners from a team last year that finished 11th at sectionals. Jones also finished 6th in the city last year at the varsity level. Jones may not have front runner this year and will relay on a pack of runners that could include seniors Charlie Obermeyer and Jonathon Starzyk. Both have broken 17:30 last year.

 

Jose Mora of Payton

5. Payton (2008 results: )

All eyes will be on Jose Mora. This is Mora's senior year and will graduate as Payton's best ever male distance runner. Mora finished 6th last year with a time of 15:48. Mora's 93rd place state cross country finish was the highest in the CPS last year.  Nobody trains harder than Mora and should improve on his state finish last year and should contend for a top 3 finish at city. The only question for Payton is the same as it has been thte last two year. Can Payton find enough runners to support Mora?

6. Noble Street Charter (2008 results: 9th frosh-soph boys at city; 10th boys varsity at city; regional champions; 13th at sectionals)

Noble is an improving CPS program that won it's first ever cross country regional championship. A good goal for Noble this year is to build addiotional consistency for the program. If they can train over the summer and get back as many of it's runderclass man to run cross country agian this year, then it will be a successful year. The closest thing to a number one runner for Nobel Street should be senior Jonathon Blanco.

7. Kennedy (2008 results: 8th frosh-soph boys at city; 12th boys varsity at city; 16th at sectionals)

If Kennedy looks to recapture some of it's past glory of the late 1990's in which they contended for city and regularly qualified for state, then it will come from a team in which it returns it's entire top 7 from last year.

Others: North Lawndale, Gage Park, Manley, Cristo Rey, UIC College Prep

 

The Kennedy Crusaders return their entire top 7 from last year's team that ran only freshman and sophomores at sectionals.

Coming soon girls class AAA previews, boys class AAA previews.

2009 CPS Girls Class AA Pre-Season Rankings

Jamie Hershfang (jr) - 84th at state last year -  will lead #1 Payton. Payton returns 6 of it's top 7 runners for a team that finished 8th at state sectionals and won city at the frosh-soph level.

Here is an early 2009 pre-season poll. The rankings are based on the assumption that all underclassmen from last year will return this year.

1. Payton - (2008 results: 1st at frosh-soph level; did not run at varsity level; 8th at sectionals)

For the last several years, the talk at the city level  has primarily revolved aroung Lane, Northside Prep, and Whitney Young. This year, you can add Payton to the mix. Payton returns 6 of it's top 7 runners from a team last year that dominated at the frosh-soph level winning with 36 points. Payton is led by junior to be Jamie Hershfang. Hershang finished 4th at the frosh-soph level last year with at time of 12:49. She was the sole reprentative in the state meet for CPS Girls Class AA, where she finished in 84th place. Also look out for returning #2 runner Savanah Gramman (so) and returning #3 runner Gabbi Kelenyi. Payton finished 8th at sectionals last year and has a chance to become the first CPS class AA school to qualify for state as a team in 2009.

2. Jones (2008 results: DNR as a team at city; 12th at sectionals)

The fate of Jones will likely revolve around senior Cade Yankowski. Yankowski was Jones's only varsity runner at city where she finished 36th with a time of 21:49. At sectionals, Jones managed to run a complete team of 7 runners. Yankowski improved her time and finished a respectable 29th place at sectionals with a time of 20:33. She helped Jones to a 12th place sectional finish. Yankowski finished 8th at last springs CPS city track championship in the 1600 meter run with a time of 5:59.

Yoselin Flores (sr) - little known but talented runner from Kennedy. She finished 6th 3200 meter run at last spring's city track championship.

3. Kennedy (2008 results: DNR as a team at city; 14th at sectionals)

The good news is that Kennedy returns pratically everybody from last year. The bad news is that only one returnee from last year ran below 23 minutes for 3 miles. The good news is that their top returnee Yoselin Flores is a good distance runner finishing 35th at sectionals last year with a very good time of 20:48. Flores also finished 6th at the 3200 meters at last spring's city track finals.

4. Lake View (2008 results: 6th freshman level at city; no team results at sectionals)

After Payton, nobody has a better top 3 than Lake View: Adriana Ortiz, Angelina Jaimes, and Kathrine Davila. All should return this year. Ortiz missed qualifying for state by one spot, when she finished as the 6th individual at the Niles West Sectional. She was one individual spot behind, Jamie Hershfang of Payton who grabbed the last state individual spot. The fate of Lake View in 2009 will depend if they can find 4-7 runners who can support their top 3.

Others: Kenwood, Gage Park, Manley, Little Village, Cristo Rey, Noble Street, UIC College Prep

Gage Park girls varsity team from 2008

Espoire of Chicago Math and Science Academy runs a 1:29.21 half marathon!

Espoire Habimana (sophmore to be) from the Chicago Math and Science Academy.

The Chicago Math and Science Academy, a CPS school in Rogers Park, does not have a track team. That did not stop freshman Espoire Habimana from continuing his running. Habimana, the 2008 freshman CPS cross country champion, competed at the 13.1 Marathon Race on June 7, 2009 in Chicago.

Habimana finished 1st in his age group and 31st overall (out of over 3000 runners) with a blazing time of 1:29.21. That is a pace of 6:50/mile over the 13.1 mile course. Not bad for a 14 year old.

I heard that Habimana ran a 5k "warm up" race earlier this month in 17:32. A 17:32 for a 5k is about an equivalent of 16:57 for 3 miles. Habimana ran an 11:07 over two miles when he won last years city cross country championship.

No one knows how he will do next year in a 3 mile cross country race.  But one thing we know for sure, Habimana, a native from the Democratic Republic of Congo, has some serious distance running ability.

The Chicago Math and Science Academy (CMSA) does have a cross country team. It has not been in existence for too long- maybe only one or two years. Last year CMSA ran only 3 runners in the city championship. Habimana's teammate Auub Farah finished 8th at the freshman level with a very respectable time of 12:04. CMSA will be a class A school in the 2009-10 school season.

We can only hope that the Habimana, Farah and the rest of the CMSA cross country program continues to develop. As for the development of Habimana? He wants to run at the Rock and Roll Half Marathon August 2nd. So, keep an eye out on this blog on howhe performs.

University of Chicago Track Clubs Open Track Meets

Harlan Girls Track team pose at University of Chicago Indoor Track

The University of Chicago holds open outdoor track meets in the summer.

Info

Status of Peralta...unknown?

Felix Peralta (jr to be) of Juarez ran a 10:44 as the frosh-soph city runner up last year but because he goes to a Have Not School, nobody knows his status.

I spoke with a bunch of Juarez guys the other day while I was at old the Rock and Roll McDonald's downtown. I asked them if they knew Felix Peralta. The first thing one of them said was "he's fast!" Peralta, for those of you who don't know was the frosh-soph city cross country runner up last year from Juarez. He ran a very good time of 10:44 for two miles at the city championship. In the city championship he beat out Ryan Flood of WY, Abdel of Mather, Omar Tall of Kenwood, Eric Shan of WY, Erik Zuelhke of NCP, and Jimmy Orellana of Lane..among others. In other words, he beat out a who's who of CPS frosh-soph distance runners.

I then asked those Juarez guys if they knew what was going on with Peralta? They told me that Peralta did not run track because Juarez does not have a track team. I was shocked, here Juarez has one of the most talented young distance runners in the city in Perlata, but because he goes to Juarez, he is denied the opportunity to run track.

I did not ask the Juarez guys if they knew if Peralta was going to run cross country. One of them was eyeing the fries someone had purchased and was complaining about the $6.50 Big Mac Value meal that he was about to purchase. These kids were hungry.

So, I left not knowing the status of Peralta. I don't know if he's running over the summer. Heck I don't even know if Juarez will even have a cross country team this year. Some years they have a team and some years they don't. Last year, Juarez ran a few individuals but did not have enough runners at any level to field a complete scoring team (5 runners).

Looking at the Juarez school website, I could not find a link to athletics. There was no information to be found whatsoever about the sports program at Juarez. That is the sad reality in the CPS if you goto a Have Not School like Juarez.

The question that nags as me as I conclude this article is how many other Peraltas are out there?

CPS Track and Cross Country- Unstoppable!

Seth brought my attention to this video of a spontaneous dance at a recent music festival.

The video starts out with some random (or maybe a crazed?) dude dancing. But at about the one minute mark he is joined by a second and then a third guy (Guy #3). This incites a dance riot and pretty soon the scene is mobbed by dancers.

Watching this video got me thinking about the evolvement of boys track in the CPS. Not too many years ago, the CPS was literally a joke as far as state competition. Not only were there years in which the entire CPS scored zero state points in the entire meet but the times run by anyone in the city for the most part were awful. I'm talking about runners running 11:10 or worse and scoring at city in the 3200 meter run.

But something happened a few years ago. One by one programs started to get better. See like the video above, someone had to be the crazed guy #1 dancing while the rest of the CPS watched everyone else perform. Then a few other brave guys decided to join guy #1. Then pretty soon everybody joined and the movement became unstoppable.

CPS track and cross country is becoming unstoppable!

IMPROVING....Intial Thoughts of CPS Girls Cross Country as the Summer Starts

After a bit of a dip last year, expect Northside Prep to rise back to prominence this year as they should be boosted by a great incoming class of freshman.

I expect boys cross country to be much improved in the CPS this year, but you can't forget the girls. Girls cross country will be vastly improved as well.

We all know about two time defending city champion Whitney Young who has qualified for state two years in a row. Their top 3 will be seniors and should be improved with piratically everyone returning from last year. Then coach Bob Geiger said that a girl from Regina Dominican has transferred to Whitney Young.

Then there is Lane and Mather who is always in the mix.

Last year Northside Prep took an uncharacteristic 4th place after finishing 2nd for the previous 4 years before that. But this year, the word is that Northside Prep will have the best incoming batch of freshman it has ever had. Some newcomers that may be in the picture include: Ryan Speese,  Hikari Sugisaki, and Marlyn Bruno. According to Northside Prep coach Jon Gordon: "as many as five of the incoming Freshman are projected to make the Varsity squad as high school Freshman." So you will definitely see some new names and faces when you talk about Northside Prep Girls Cross Country.

Then we have Harlan. Harlan did not have enough runners to score a complete team at any level at the CPS championship last year. Look for that to change this year as Harlan has hired a new cross country coach in Dr. Mark Thompson. We do know he will coach the boys and he will also probably coach the girls. If he does look for his coaching expertise in cross country to pay immediate dividends. I'm not going to project how good Harlan will be. But I do know if Dr. Thompson coaches girls they will be vastly improved.

Time will tell how good CPS girls cross country will be in the CPS. I do know the CPS has excellent coaches on the girls end. I think it will only get better.

Video Interview - Craig Collins, Boys and Girls Track Coach at North Lawndale College Prep

Here is a video interview I took with Craig Collins on January 24, 2008 right before the season started. I know it's really late getting this published. But I hope it gives a glimpse of the state of affairs at North Lawndale College Prep from the west side.

The Unlikely Tale of Max Schneider

Lane Tech freshman wrestler Max Schneider has been getting some serious pub recently - more so after his 2nd palce state finish in wrestling. He's got a judo background, but has transitioned nicely into wrestling.  Check out the cool article below.

http://www.premiumpreps.com/content.cfm?id=466

Check out these  YouTube Videos of Max.

The first one is him at state, the second shows some of his Judo prowess.

Jonathon Acevedo - an emerging college football prospect for Lane Tech

Jonathon Acevedo (6-0, 240lbs, class of 2010, Offensive Center)

I've talked a lot on this website about  Laken Tomlinson and Louis Pasat-Trinca, two of Lane Tech's most highly recruited college football prospects in a long time. But another Lane Tech football player is starting to garner some attention. His name is Jonathon Acevedo.

I first heard about Jonathon last year after talking to his parents Carlos and Loida Acevedo at a Lane Tech football game last fall. They mentioned their son Jonathon, who started on the line for Lane. When I heard the name Jonathon Acevedo, the name sounded familiar to me. I soon found out that Jonathon is the brother of Chris Acevedo who starred as an all-city lineman for Curie (class of 2003) and played football for Northern Illinois (starting all 13 games in 2006).

Just because of his genes, I knew that Jonathon had to be someone to watch out for. But at the same time I noticed that he wasn't as big as his much bigger brother Chris ( 6-5, 310lbs). I've met Chris, he is truly mammoth sized.

Jonathon played well and started for a solid Lane Tech city championship team. During the off season Tomlinson and Pasat-Trinca got some serious recruiting attention due to their performances at football camps and other off-season activities. Trinca gave a verbal commitment to Iowa last week and Tomlinson is reported to be leaning towards Ohio State University, Illinois, and maybe a couple other schools.

However, Acevedo also did well during the off season. So well that ESPN rated him a 63 on their high school football grading system. A score between 60-69 means that the player has the "ability to develop into a solid contributor at the Division 1 level."

"He is aggressive, smart and works to finish blocks", said ESPN regarding Acevedo.

The final grade is not in yet for Acevedo, a lot depends on how well he plays his senior year for Lane Tech and how much he develops his physical and athletic skills. Acevedo did just finish a pretty good track season. He is listed in the CPS Leaderboard for the Shot Put.

I know one thing, come football season, there will be a lot more fans and scouts attending Lane Tech games. Many of them will be watching Tomlinson and Trinca. Now, they should add Jonathon Acevedo to their list.