Mather: City Varsity Cross Country Champions 3 of the past 4 years, returning practically it's entire top 7, one of the best distance coaches in the city in Dale Devinney, and stockpiled in talent. Mather is my pre-season #1 - in a year with a top 5 of Lane, Mather, Northside, Jones, and Whitney Young - any of which can make it's claim as the pre-season #1.
Tier 1 teams
1. Mather -
2. Lane Tech - my fellow Laneites will think I'm crazy putting Lane below Mather
3. Northside - defending city champs, but no more Cuit or Cooper
4. Jones - best young team in the city
5. Whitney Young - experienced junior and senior laden team. This is the best Dolphin team in years
All very established distance programs, anyone of these teams are capable of winning city with a big year. Jones is new to Tier 1. Their top 7 will consist mainly of all freshman and sophs.
Tier 2 teams
6. Kenwood - program has progressed every year the past 3 years. Another leap this season could put them in tier 1 status.
7. Lake View - Medina, Chavez, and Berumen make Lake View strong 1-3.
8. Payton - We'll see how life is like without Mora.
These class 2A programs are all on the cusp of getting close to challenging to make it downstate.
Tier 3
9. Curie - 9th in city last year
10. Roosevelt - new XC team this year
11. Von Steuben - new spirit in Panther land
12. Lincoln Park - coach Troy returns
13. Kennedy - 10th in city last year
14. Hubbard - 11th in city last year
15. Harlan - I had to add Harlan on here.
All developing programs. I really want to see how these teams do. Some keys will be to get more numbers on the team.
Others: Kelly, Gage Park, Little Village
Related
Von Steuben - cross country team preview
Lincoln Park - cross country team preview
Roosevelt - cross country team preview
Payton - cross country team preview
Lake View - cross country team preview
I think you're crazy for putting Lane that high on the list! 4th is where I have them, until see Timlin do 3 miles and see if Beltran is a good enough #1. But after Beltran, Danny, David, and Jimmy O, whose going to be 5th guy. I'll laugh if you even suggest Max Silva. Mather at #1 seems appropriate though.
Posted by: Lane | July 17, 2010 at 12:06 PM
Summer changes everything in cross country. Who steps up? Who gets hurt? Will there be any great freshmen? Should be an exciting year, 5 teams who could contend!
Posted by: Wait and see | July 17, 2010 at 12:34 PM
Zimney Schmitt is injured? As is Abe? Or recovering from injuries? These rumors true? Might be hurting their training
Posted by: hum? | July 17, 2010 at 03:04 PM
wow..we are six guess we are gonna have 2 prove u wrong
Posted by: Dixon Romeo | July 17, 2010 at 11:22 PM
"I think you're crazy for putting Lane that high on the list! 4th is where I have them, until see Timlin do 3 miles and see if Beltran is a good enough #1. But after Beltran, Danny, David, and Jimmy O, whose going to be 5th guy. I'll laugh if you even suggest Max Silva. Mather at #1 seems appropriate though."
OK
Posted by: Put the work in first | July 18, 2010 at 11:05 AM
Kevin Perez ran a 4:45 mile in track, to place him as the 9th returning time for next year.
His 4:45 mile is faster than any track time run by Cooper Eben, Abe Haji, Eduardo Chavez, Timlin, Lucas Beltran, Danny Zimny-Schmitt, and Sam Barder.
Perez will be a 16:10 type runner for Lane and be in the top 5.
Posted by: Perez is varsity runner for Lane | July 18, 2010 at 12:29 PM
What's it gonna take for a 3a team to get downstate? Time wise? Pack wise? Any chance of these teams grabbing a top 5 spot at sectionals?
Posted by: Good shot | July 18, 2010 at 12:48 PM
It will take a pack of 5 runners finishing near the front.
The 3A contenders will be Lane, Northside, and Mather.
Unlike previous years Lane has no front runner Kulayfi type runners. They will have to rely on a close nit pack. They are capable. Watch them at the Peoria XC meet this year. Their top 5 pack assuming good conditions has to run close to each other and finish competitively. If they get 1 or 2 guys well away from the #1 or # they will be in trouble. Then that pack has to improve over the year.
If by city Lane has a pack of 5 running sub 16:10 type times in good conditions, Lane will be in a position to at least have a big day at sectionals and finish in the top 8 or 9 team wise.
The same goes for Mather and Northside.
Posted by: state chances | July 18, 2010 at 03:11 PM
hahaha! are you joking? Lane having 5 guys sub 16:10? They are nowhere near capable of making it downstate in 3A and even further from having 5 guys at that time. Where are you getting your information from?
Posted by: meepster | July 19, 2010 at 08:54 AM
What will it take timewise for a 3 A team to make it downstate then?
Posted by: Wondering | July 19, 2010 at 10:56 AM
No one ever said Lane or any other team will have 5 guys below 16:10. he said, that is usually what it take to get downstate.
This year the top runners are juniors and sophs. The CPS may be a year a way from makign it downstate in XC.
It does not mean they shoudl not go for it this year. Why not Lane already has Lucas, Kevin, Timlin, and Danny running sub 10:35 times for the two. Usually if a runner can do 10:35, the can usually run a sub 16:20 which is about a 5:26 pace. A 10:35 is a 5:17 pace. Realistically Lane has 5 sub 16:30 guys. By the end of the year they can theortecilly get 5 sub 16: 1x guys. A BIG IF.
To make it downstate most year it takes at least 4 guys running in the 15's with the 5th guy low 16.
5 guys in the 15's assuming good conditions will almost for sure make it in.
Posted by: 5 under 15 | July 19, 2010 at 11:32 AM
High 15's? 15:5x, or lower? I see Mather having a good shot if they re-develop Bana and get a 5th man? I don't really know their team besides their 1-2. That seems realistic for Lane, the 5 at 16:30 currently at least.
I'd say NS and WY can produce that too, but it's a big jump from 16:30 to sub 16 and if that's what it takes it will be a challenge. I don't see it as impossible this year though.
Posted by: Wondering | July 19, 2010 at 11:46 AM
3 under 15 won state last year.
Posted by: 3 under 15 | July 19, 2010 at 12:40 PM
two years ago northside had 4 guys under 16 minutes (2 around 15:40 and two around 15:50) their number five that year was jon kittaka at roughly 16:30 at sectionals, they finished 7th, top five go on...looking over the team scores had he been around 15:55 they would have made it, but barely...so realistically it takes 5 guys under 16 minutes to qualify for state (out of teh niles west sectional anyways)...at least two of those guys need to be around 15:30 or better...to win that sectional with teams like york in it, you'd probably need at least three guys under 15minutes or in the low 15s, and teh other two guys around 15:20...this is provided taht the course conditions are decent...obviously in mud, heat, rain, etc. the times will be somewhat altered
are any cps teams capable of either feat...sectional champ no way...state qualifier is a maybe...northside almost made it two years ago so there is proof that runners are capable of hitting those times...there just is a lot of unproven runners with potential coming into this season...and of course there are questions about teams finding a #5...as of right now mather has the best shot, but don't count out northside and lane....
at the very least we could see several individuals qualifying, at niles westsectional, 15:20-15:30 or so will get you in and there are a number of runners capable of hitting this
Posted by: meh | July 19, 2010 at 03:13 PM
what ever happened to max silva? i know he's still at lane. he had an amazing sophomore year then just tanked...did he just give up on the sport? is he training for xc or just doing it for fun now? what happened
Posted by: silva | July 19, 2010 at 06:37 PM
just wait and see on Max Mills. He is training right now
Posted by: Max Mills | July 20, 2010 at 12:18 AM
who is Max Mills?
Posted by: who? | July 20, 2010 at 12:22 AM
"Max Mills" is Max Silva. He is training out in the Steel city right now. Watch for him this fall.
Posted by: Max Mills | July 20, 2010 at 01:07 AM
oh yeah ill keep my eyes peeled for him
SIKE
prediction: silva gets "injured" before city championships again, and tony jones will give bullshit excuses for why his runners cant complete a decent senior season (fernando arroyo?) the only decent runners to come from lane this year will be underclassmen, and no way they are going to do much damage with that.
Posted by: silva | July 20, 2010 at 09:56 AM
what are you implying? the coaching is bad and makes runners get injured senior year? i dont get your post. kulayfi had a fine senior year
Posted by: what | July 20, 2010 at 01:07 PM