Life After Mora (re-edited version)

How will Payton be now that Jose Mora, one of their fastest distances runners in it's history has graduated? Believe it or not....BETTER!

 

Jose Mora has been the face of Payton cross country and track the last few years.

For the past few year when people talked about Payton track and cross country they talked about Jose Mora. Ever since he surprisingly won the 3200 meter run (10:08) at the city meet as a sophomore in Rector like fashion, he's been in the conversation when it comes to CPS distance running. 

This fall it will be weird to see a Payton team without Mora. He will be running for Marquette University.

Payton Grizzlies

Fall 2009 Results
CPS Meet varsity - 7th place
5. (team place) Jose Mora (sr) - 15:49
48. Justin Speller(sr) - 18:18
49. Jimmy Brown (sr) - 18:20
60. Edgar Urbina (sr) - 18:50
69. Ivanhoe Hall (jr)- 19:04

CPS Meet frosh-soph - 4th place - 135 points

Lake View Regional - 3rd place - 67 points
Jones Sectional - 12th place - 309 points

Fall 2010 - Losses/Returners

Losses: Jose Mora, Justin Speller, Jimmy Brown, Edgar Urbina, Ivanhoe Hall
Returners: Jonathan Kamel, Tommy Komendzinsky,

Fall 2010 Outlook

Payton graduated 4 of it's top 5 varsity runners. Yet, there is optimism in Grizzlie land. The frosh-soph team placed 4th. Surprisingly ahead of Northside Prep, Kenwood, Jones, and even Harlan (LOL). All-frosh-soph city runners Jonathan Kamel (jr) and Tommy Komendzinsky (jr) They could also be boosted by junior Porter Truax who is fresh off a track season in which he ran an 11:13 2 mile and a 5:02 mile.

The front 3 for Payton will probably be Kamel, Komendzinsky, and Truax. That is a solid top 3. I can see all 3 of those guys running 17 minutes or better. Now, if Payton can find or develop a 4th and 5th (every teams problem), Payton could have the makings of a very solid team. Some candidates could include the other runners from it's 4th place frosh-soph team: Sam Lerner, Preston Bejabeng, and Diego Rojas. Payton may also have to dip into it's incoming freshman class to find another varsity runner.

Remember,Payton is in 2A in cross country. Jones, also in 2A qualified downstate in a rain soaked Niles West course by running 5 guys under 18:20.

I feel that Payton has the talent up front to at least dream about a down state berth in Fall 2010. Now they just have to put in the work.(RECUIT FRESHMAN, DEVELOP #4, #5; RUN OVER THE SUMMER).

"We are running over the summer", said Jonathan Kamel.

Related
Von Steuben - cross country team preview
Lincoln Park - cross country team preview
Roosevelt - cross country team preview

Comments

[So much wrong with this article]

Haha, wow. First off, Tim Warren does
not run for Payton, he runs for Jones. Even you put him in your "key returners" for Jones. How do you mess that up. Second, he is a 2:06 guy, not a 2:13 guy.

And really? Payton qualifying for state? Even if Warren did transfer, it wouldn't happen

[good shot]

The LOL after saying Harlan just made lol at the article.

Honestly, 2A is so easy to make state, I think Payton has a legitimate shot. I'm sure none of their runners are even developed so if they all put in a quality summer I wouldn't be surprised if they can join Jones downstate.

Just imagine if Mather was able to have moved down to 2A

[come on]

if payton works they can make it stop hating dude

[Publisher]

I re-edited the article after a reader noticed I made a glaring mistake. (My apologies to Tim Warren).

[Easy?]

2a so easy? Then where was Payton, Kenwood, and Lakeview last year? If it was so easy, they all wouldve done it. Payton has no proven performers. They didn't even post any good 2 miles in track outside of Mora. The fact of the matter is, for the CPS, it's tough in both 2a and 3a to make it down, because we aren't ready to compete with suburbs. Just look at 2a sectionals..:most of the CPS got destroyed. So saying it's easy has no supporting evidence.

[Good shot]

No buddy. 2a is easy. Oscar medina destroyed the sectional. If lane and Whitney and northaide were 2a they'd go down every year. I'm saying it's so easy that if Payton just works there is no excuse to not make it. Jones did it with all freshman basically. Granted Dale was a frontrunner but I'm sure their 3-5 were almost 18min or worse. And they still made it down. If Payton kenwood and jones can all field 5 guys in low 17s I guarantee they make it downstate. That's barely asking anything. It IS easy, last year CPA just sucked with runners running 19min that's all

[@good shot]

I see what you are saying, but your logic makes no sense. Class 2A schools have a much smaller enrollment. Lane has 4000+ students. Payton has only about 1000. Try fielding a good team with 1000 kids then tell me how easy it is. I'm sure you are a Lane player or coach that does not know how it feels to be in a small school. Different ball game buddy.

[.]

payton has one of the worst xc programns in the city. they wont even finish in the top 15

[Heinrich]

Payton is a top 10 city xc program. did you read the article? 4th at frosh-soph city ahead of Jones, Kenwood, and NCP.

[im not really desperate i just think you fine]

what do you think of heinrich getting traded? do you think this parallels that of rector wanting to transfer to lane tech?

[Good shot]

I'm not from lane. Isn't Mather on the bubble for enrollment too? But look how great they are. I understood the enrollment argument, im usually saying the same thing. But think about it, we"re just asking for 5 kids to run slightly under 6 minute pace foe 3 miles. It's really not a hard task. It's fair to say Payton is weak, but I'm saying that with a good summer they should easily be able to get to state this year. I'm rooting for them in fact. U can say it's a different ball game, but in reality it's so easy. Whitney or northside would go to state every year if they were 2a. Who cares if they have more students.

[Easy?]

Jones 3-5 at 18 or worse? Can you even read or bother to look at results? Their 1 was at 16-16:10, their 2 was at 16:35-40, their 3 and 4 were at 17-17:12, and their 5-7 were all 18-18:10. So how's that reading coming along?

And, your whole point is ignorant. I'll ask my question again: if it's so easy, then why didn't Payton, lakeview or Kenwood just do it last year then?

And, it's all relative. Why can't Lane, Whitney or Northside make it down against schools with the same enrollment? You don't need facilities in XC, so what's the excuse? You are ignoring basic facts. A school like Jones has 800 kids, whereas a school like Lane/Whitney pushes 3-4,000. Stop talking about if you WERE in 2a and actually do it for 3a against schools that are your proper size.

[NCP]

Northside is pretty much the size of a 2a school

[wrong]

But they aren't. That's how it goes if you have a multiplier for your school. And why? Because a school like Northside benefits from being able to pull kids from anywhere, as opposed to a one town/one district school in the burbs.

And if you want to start making those arguments, when do you draw the line? Because technically, Jones is only 48 kids over the 1A cutoff.

The point is. Your division is your division. Period. Quit whining that you aren't in 2A and qualify in your division, against schools that are the same size as you, or even SMALLER than you.

[In fact]

In fact...I just looked it up...you are sitting here arguing about "what if we were in a smaller division" and look...except for Morton, EVERY SINGLE TEAM in Lane's sectional last year was SMALLER than them and they still finished only 15TH!

And, just the same, Whitney is basically the same size or bigger than the majority of the teams in that sectional, but still only finished 16th.

Look it up your self before making such ridiculous comments next time:
http://www.ihsa.org/school/enrolla.htm

[well...]

you mention northside being able to pull kids from all over the city, putting them in the division they're in. you can say the same about the other selective enrollment schools, but the truth is northside or payton isnt looking for potential rectors when its accepting freshman, its going off of academics. so it goes back to size. if you have 4000 kids you're more likely to find good runners than with a 1000 kids

[tjat]

that's the point. Lane Tech has 4,000 kids but still can't beat schools that are smaller than them.

So not really fair to take away from other schools by saying 2A is small, etc etc. Look at Jones...they are one of the smallest AA schools in the state and qualified. Does that mean people should be on here saying, "Oh, if Jones was in 1A they would dominate"?

[final]

i really don't care to jump into the argument. but one person says you're likely to field a team with 4000 runners better than with only 1000 runners. then the post right under says "lane still can't beat schools smaller than them"

and these two posters seem to share the same standing on the issue...

SO if lane gets beat by schools with 2000 kids or so, HALF of their enrollment, it goes to show you really only need FIVE kids that are dedicated and want to train hard to field a varsity team in ANY division to go downstate. And 2A is simply easier in the fact that you don't have to run as fast to qualify.

All you 2A-ers, I am not putting you down so please don't take any 3A shots back at me, I'm simply saying I think it's easier to get downstate regardless of the enrollment. Jones IS the prime example if they are on the 1A border and were able to get downstate themselves.

I'm on the CPS side, I WANT to see Payton, Lakeview, Kenwood AND Jones all downstate this year. And I think is can EASILY happen.

[Please answer]

I'll give people the argument that Lane is 2-3 times bigger than most CPS schools. Ok then take Lane's B or C team and they will still finish top 5 at city. After the top 5 Lane can still field 2 teams of sub 18 runners.

Lane does the best with what it has it get's numbers.

Mather and Northside do well in getting people to show up.

There is no excuse for CPS 2A and many 3A teams to not field full teams at varsity and soph race.

What is the excuse except for pure laziness.

[Wrong question]

We aren't talking about City. Doesn't take much to do anything at city. Who cares if Lane can finish in the top 5 with a C team. The question is why can't Lane finish in the top 5 at sectionals when they are the 2nd largest school in the section.

[coach?????]

what's with payton's girl's coach?

[well...]

as of the end of the school year, payton is returning the same girls coach that it had for the 2009-2010 xc and track seasons

[good!]

thats good because it looks like the girls xc and track teams have really improved