2025 Cross Country Previews: 2A Boys Unranked

While much of the spotlight in Illinois 2A cross country falls on the top 25 ranked teams, there are several programs flying just under the radar that deserve recognition. These squads may have missed the preseason rankings, but they return key pieces, bring in promising young talent, or are known for peaking when it counts. Whether rebuilding after graduation losses or quietly building momentum, these unranked teams have the potential to shake up the standings as the season unfolds. Keep an eye on them—they might not be underdogs for long.

Darien (Hinsdale South)

Coaches: James Dickerson

Key Returners: Wojtek Gilarski (Sr.), Javier Terrell (Jr.), Ryan Murphy (Jr.), Noah Koehler (Jr.), Julian Angel (Sr.), Jacob Wroniewski (Sr.)

Key Newcomers: Mesfin Diedrich (Fr.), Santiago Lopez (Fr.), Eli Nigro (Fr.), John Pitsoulakas (Fr.), Michael Govostis (Fr.)

Coach Dickerson's Outlook: We qualified 5 years in a row before COVID but have had several near misses since. This year, we are ready to return to the state meet. Morton, Downers Grove South, and Willowbrook all return strong teams, so anything in the top 3 at conference will be impressive. But really this year is about Wojtek having a great senior year and the rest of the team gelling and gaining experience and doing our best. I shy away from putting huge expectations or goals on a team that will be relying on freshmen to a good degree. But I am optimistic and it will be very exciting. 

Belvidere North

Coaches: Ken Husser / Alec Beutel, Eryk Yunk

Key Returners: Judah Binger (So.), Martin Hernandez (So.), Lukas Hoemke (Sr.), Zach Rediger (Sr.), Henrik Piske (So.), Isaac Erwin (Sr.)

Key Newcomers: Devin Svarc (Fr.)

Coach Husser’s Outlook: There is a core group of 18 to 20 runners that have been consistent and putting in the work.  There is more competition for the top 7 spots than we have had in several years, along with a large group of seniors that are trying to make this their best season. We have a nice combination of seniors and a younger talented group of runners.  During the summer the culture has been excellent, with a solid group of runners who were consistent and dedicated to getting better.  Judah looks really good right now and if he stays healthy, he may be able to finish in the top 10 at state.  I am really excited for the season and if everything falls into place we will have a really good season.

Waterloo

Coaches: Larry Huffman / Annette Rau

Key Returners: Tyler Devilder (Jr.),  Luke Smith (So.), Chase Wagenknecht (Sr.), Liam Gilbert (So.), Jeremy Warden (Sr.), 

Key Newcomers: Ren Gilbert (Fr.), Kian Day (Fr.), Cannon Hensek (Fr.)

Coach Huffman’s Outlook:  My top 4 Tyler, Luke, Chase, and Liam have been doing particularly well this summer. We hope to battle at the end of the season with the best teams in Southern Illinois. We also hope to be among the top teams at conference and finish strong at regional and sectional.

Grayslake Central

Coaches: Jimmy Centella / Colleen Wire, Greg Lannoye

Key Returners: Adan Cordova (Sr.), Justin Mottola (Jr.), Ryan Schroer (Jr.), Nolan Lara (Jr.), Reid Donisch (Jr.), Andrew Varblow (Jr.) 

Key Newcomers: Emerson Clement (Fr.)

Coach Centella’s Outlook: We have a strong group of juniors with a veteran senior leader in Cordova leading our boys. We had 4 sophomores have great track seasons and hope to turn that into big jumps on the XC course this fall. Our main goal is to return to the state meet as a team and see how high we can finish.  With Cordova as an all-state threat and a strong pack behind, there is a path to a single digit team finish if things click the right way. But restabling an annual expectation of running at Detweiller in November is the main goal.

Crystal Lake South

Coaches: Nick Willhoit / Joe Coughlin, Jack Becker 

Key Returners: Joey Gonzalez (Sr.), Chad Wehby (Sr.), Damian Castillo (Jr.), Richardo Briones (So.)

Key Newcomers: Logan Aarseth (Fr.)

Coach Willhoit’s Outlook:  We have a young team with only three seniors and one junior. The summer running camp has a consistent group of underclassmen who are willing to work hard and learn from the captains. I am excited to see Joey and Chad compete and see how our Frosh/Soph team develops. The team should shoot for finishing in the top half of the conference, qualify for sectionals, and aim to improve on last year's finish.  Obviously we would like Joey to qualify again, and Chad Wehby has a great shot, too.

West Chicago (Wheaton Academy)

Coaches: Chris Felinski / Shelton Thompson

Key Returners: Miguel Boney (Jr.), Luke Osterholm (Sr.), Toby Morden (Sr.), Jacob Erickson (Jr.)

Key Newcomers: Andrew Sims (Fr.)

Coach Felinski’s Outlook: This has been a great summer of training so far.  Miguel Boney qualified for state as an individual last year and he is looking to qualify again.We want to finish top 2 in our conference, qualify as a team from regionals to the sectional. 

Mundelein (Carmel)

Coaches: Jim Halford / Lisa Halford, Ken Foy

Key Returners: Evan Hursthouse (Jr.), Joey Lowdowski (Sr.), Quinn Emmons (Jr.), Marcos Monroe (Sr.), Ben Stegemann (Jr.), Time Metz (Sr.), Jack Webb (Jr.)

Key Newcomers: Camden Everett (Fr.)

Coach Halford’s Outlook: Unlike the girls the boys are still in 2A and have a goal to be positioned for a top ten sectional finish. I do believe that Evan Hursthouse can be a top 30 runner.  Last year sickness and injury held him back, but he could be a 15:00-10 runner if he stays healthy.  Our hope is to get back to the sectional championships and finish in the top three in the ESCC Conference.

Lombard (Montini)

Coaches: Eric Brechtel / Alex Zasso, Anna Martinello

Key Returners: Nino Pesola (Jr.), Sean Buckley (Sr.), Adriel Garcia (Jr.), Gavin Conway (Jr.), Graham Reiser (Jr.), Owen Ferris (Jr.), Kevin Barrett (So.)

Key Newcomers: Matthew Ferris (Fr.), Benjamin Conway (Fr.)

Coach Brechtel’s Outlook: We have been multiplied up to 2A and in our school history we have never qualified for state as a boys team in 2A so that remains our major goal. We have the makings of what I think can be a top 10 team at that level if everything comes together but it will certainly be a tall order. We have a veteran core group this year and we hope to build off of it this year.  The move to 2A has been a driving force behind our hard work this summer. We look forward to the challenge and can’t wait to get this season started!

Country Club Hills (Hillcrest)

Coaches: Artkeyta Moore-Edison / Kimberly Bergmann

Key Returners: Armando Arostegui (Jr.), Moses Charles (So.), Ahmeed Minter (Sr.), Kolleen Sutherland (So.)

Coach Moore-Edison’s Outlook: Last year we started with about 13 young men, of which two were seniors. This year I believe we will have at least three, the rest being underclassmen. At the start of every season, Coach Bergmann and I believe our team will rise to the occasion and be ready to practice and compete to the best of their abilities. I look forward to a successful season and my athletes performing at their very best. 

Glen Ellyn (Glenbard South)

Coaches: Doug Gorski / Chris MacTaggart

Key Returners: Thomas Jochum (Jr.), Giancarlo Pietrasanta (So.), Evan Rubinas (So.), Andrew Walter (So.), Leo Obrill (Jr.), Gus Kilig (Sr.)

Coach Gorski’s Outlook: All have put in a good summer running faster and farther than last year.  This young group has a lot of Varsity race experience in both CC & TF running against mostly 3A competition. Hopefully Tom is up front in most races and we need to develop a tight 2-7 pack over the course of the season to advance through the Regional & Sectional meets.

Urbana

Coaches: Zach Boehmke / Maggie Byrne, Hawke Marlow

Key Returners: Sebastian Bretl (So.), Vinny Benjamin (Sr.), Titus Coady (Jr.), Luke Foley (So.), Austin Ogolsky (So.), Antonio Poblano (Sr.), Pablo Nardie (Jr.) 

Key Newcomers: Dylan Wiemelt (Fr.)

Coach Boehmke’s Outlook: This season we are hoping to take a step forward after a difficult season last year. We put a lot of energy into athlete development on a more personal level and so far that seems to have paid off with consistency in our core group and steps forward in maturity and leadership from our top individuals. We have the most young talent that we have had since our state qualification several years ago. At the same time, we have some older boys who love running and racking up miles. The boys are doing all of the right things to make a run at a state qualification.

Sycamore

Coaches: Jordan Wilkerson

Key Returners: Logan Jones (Sr.), Lucas Miller (Jr.), Josh Miller (Jr.), Liam Berry (Sr.), Nate Burgess (Sr.)

Key Newcomers: Jack Dascal (Jr.), Callum Swan (Fr.)

Coach Wilkerson’s Outlook: With Corey Goff graduating last year, it leaves the door wide open for Logan Jones and Luke Miller to compete for the number one spot on our team. Both boys were in the 15:50-16:00 range last fall. Over the spring, Luke ran a 4:42 mile, a 2:00 800, and placed 3rd in the 4x8 at state. Logan ran a 4:44 mile and 10:09 3200. Both of them have been going back and forth in workouts over the summer. This year, both of them are aiming for 15:20 as their goal time. Josh Miller will likely be the third runner this year. He ran a 2:05 and 4:53 mile during the spring but tripped during the Conference mile where he would have likely set another PR. He has looked great this summer and is aiming to go under 15:50 this year and have a shot at qualifying to state as an individual. Liam Berry and Jack Daskal will compete for the number 4 spot, both aiming to go under 16:00. Nate Burgess will likely be the 6th runner, with 9 other guys competing for the 7th spot.

LaGrange Park (Nazareth Academy)

Coaches: Mike Sliwinski / Bobby Lee

Key Returners: Daniel Lewis (Sr.), Anthony Lopez (Sr.), Owen Hogan (Sr.), Lucas Weber (Jr.), Patrick O'Reilly (Jr.), Brendan Hyland (So.)

Key Newcomers: Thomas Gerros (Fr.), Jonathan Massood (Fr.)

Coach Sliwinski’s Outlook: Coming off a strong end of our season, we return a strong core of 6 runners who ran at IHSA Regionals. Although I will not have a complete makeup of our team until the start of our season, we have a strong mix of lower and upper-classmen. I look forward to even greater growth to our program, with our motivation to end our season the second Saturday of November. Already, they are showing strong signs of pack running this summer. 

Midloathian (Bremen)

Coaches: Bill Griffin / Will Fuentes

Key Returners: Eduardo Antonio-Hernandez (So.), Cristian Perez (Sr.), Jesus Cruz (Sr.), Daniel Tecalero (So.), Jose Hernandez (Sr.), Miguel Hernandez-Sepulveda (Sr.), Carlos Soto (So.), Kevin Villanueva (So.)

Coach Griffin’s Outlook: It will be a fun year. We have some young guys that really have bought into the training aspect of the sport. They don't have fear of failure and that's a huge step forward for us. We will be a small team again, unless we are able to get a larger class of freshmen in. We are also hoping that some of the track athletes that expressed an interest in XC will be joining us in the fall. We have tried to get them to come during summer training, but the 6:30am time didn't work for some of them. Overall, we are chasing some deep teams in our conference that return a lot of experienced, quality runners (Lemont, Tinley Park & Oak Forest). It will be a year for learning and really letting them test themselves to see how far they can push their bodies. 

Wauconda

Coaches: Jacob O’Hara, 

Key Returners: Levi Coburn (Sr.), Parker Koch (Jr.), Akhillez Sosa (Jr.), Brogen Finley (So.), Liam Pierce (So,), Evan Besancon (Jr.), Zachary Ghafoor (Sr,), Dom Cantagallo (Jr.)

Coach O’Hara’s Outlook: The Wauconda Bulldogs are entering their third year under the current coaching regime, and are poised to take a massive step forward. A young squad on both sides, the boys are returning their strongest freshman class in school history while the girls add some serious firepower and look more dedicated and united than ever. After being the first team out on both sides, with the first individual non-qualifier on both sides, the Bulldogs are hungry to prove they mean business this year. Led by senior Levi Coburn, the boys believe they have a strong pack. The Bulldogs are looking to play dark horse, spoiler, and sleeper in the '25 season.

Sterling

Coaches: Mark Johnson / Jenna Truesdell

Key Returners: Charles Johnson (Sr.), Gavin Staats (Sr.), Isaiah Rojop (Jr.), Denver Sandrock (Jr.), Micah Peterson (So.), Owen Roddy (So.)

Key Newcomers: Aiden Koster (Fr.), Milo Reynolds (Fr.)

Outlook: This is my second year coaching at Sterling. So far the pay off has been a lot of young additions to the team. As a young team I really just want to see motivation and growth. Success will come in learning to be confident racers and learning to love the sport so that the younger kids experience more success as they continue to run in the future. We will be a better team than last year, especially if everyone stays healthy. We hopefully will have two consistent frontrunners, and then a tight pack between our 3rd through 10th man. We may surprise a few teams this year, including ourselves!

Dunlap

Coaches: Chris Friedman / Steve Carter, Josh Piper, Muriel Unseth

Key Returners: Jack Nester (12), Tyson Horn (So.), Max Draksler (Jr.), Simon Fabish (Sr.), Jad Kattom (Sr.), Elijah Hite (Jr.), Evan Huntington (Jr.), Alex Colvin (Jr.), Ben Bobchik (So.), Ben Paustian (So.)

Coach Friedman’s Outlook: The boys are having a strong summer, working together and enjoying the work. I love what I’m seeing from this young, talented group. Jack Nester as their leader is strong because he’s reached his position through hard work and determination. He is an example of success through loving the process. I’m looking forward to seeing this group surprise the conference and state with their progress and talent.

Antioch

Coaches: Rebecca Effa / Hayley Miller

Key Returners: Carson Lanners (Sr.), Chris Selph (Sr.), Kaeden Jurcak (So.), Gus Vega (Jr.), Alex LaCerba (Sr.), Salazar Villalpando (So.)

Key Newcomers: Logan Babbin (Fr.)

Coach Miller’s Outlook: Coach Effa and I are looking forward to a rewarding and successful season. We have a fantastic group of athletes!  They have positive attitudes and work hard consistently at practice. We have a great team culture and enjoy being around each other, and sprinkle in fun activities that also double as team building experiences. We have a large number of incoming freshmen on the team. Even with a lot of younger athletes on the team we have had a lot of great practices this summer, including some difficult speedwork and time trials.  There is tremendous potential with our incoming freshman. We have several that are like clockwork with keeping a set pace during our mile time trials, while also having a great kick the last 400m with tremendous negative splits on that final lap. This tells me that these athletes have a lot more that they will be able to tap into during the season. Carson Lanners is a clear leader.  He is one of our few seniors and should make the state meet this year. He is dedicated and puts in the work. Our other seniors are Chris Selph, Blake Watson, and Alex LaCerba.  Chris and Blake have been attending summer practices and have been wonderful leaders for the younger athletes as well.  

Columbia

Coaches: Ty Wolf / Diane Wolf

Key Returners: Hubert Weary (So.), Alex Gummersheimer (So.), Quinn Bahan (Sr.), Jonah Velnosky (Sr.)

Coach Wolf’s Outlook: This will be a young team in transition with many up-and-comers. As a coach, my goal is to have our runners become the best version of themselves as a runner, student and person. I would expect that our runners will get better as the season goes on. We don't have any returnees that have broken 18 minutes before, so it would be great if we could get some guys in the 17's this season. 

Mt. Zion

Coaches: Kelly Fox

Key Returners: Mark Mavis (Sr.), Ashford Brent (So.), Aiden Mulgrew (Sr.), Nate Hahn (Sr.), Justice Roundcount (So.), Jackson Windhorst (So.)

Key Newcomers: Aaron Loud (Fr.)

Outlook: Summer running for us is just building up our base and trying to have fun while doing it. We recently took our team trip traveling to Johnson's Shut Ins/Elephant Rock State Park for a little running, hiking, and swimming. We've done a handful of workouts but that's more to change up our training and see where they were compared to this point last year. This year has been our best summer of athletes showing up and it's been HOT so we're working hard to get in our work early in the morning 3 days/wk while following IHSA rules. Our goals this year are to improve and have fun while doing it. We'll look at setting some higher personal goals with some of our more "elite runners" including Mark and Ashford.

Chicago (University)

Coaches: Austin Warner / Marty Billingsley, Lex Napper

Key Returners: Connor Lane (Jr.), Sean Niro (Sr.), Kabir Joshi (Sr.), Osvaldo Carretero (Sr.), Kai Long (Jr.), Alex Zhang (So.), Sam Koh (So.)

Key Newcomers: Mikey Skolarus (Jr.)

Coach Warner’s Outlook: We lost our front runner (Simon Lane) to graduation but return a decent amount of varsity guys who have been putting in some consistent work over the summer. Our goals this year will be to make it to state as a team. There are a lot of unknowns right now but we will have a much better idea of where we are as a team once October rolls around.

Geneseo

Coaches: Todd Ehlert / Jeff Brown, Don Fredericks, Tess Fredericks

Key Returners: Henley Bourne (So.), Aiden Bries (Sr.), Grayson Carlson (Sr.), Kaden Elmer (Sr.), Jaxson Sottos (Sr.)

Key Newcomers: Will Davis (Fr.)

Coach Ehlert’s Outlook: We should have another good year.  We have taken a more relaxed approach this summer.  Last year we did too much and the kids were burnt out by the end of the year.  We had a great year, but the kids were tired from too much running.  We are excited to have 4 seniors to lead the team that have all ran at state.  It should be a great year, if we can stay away from burn out and injuries.  We also have some band conflicts we will have to be flexible with.  Some of the guys may not get as many meets in while participating in band also.  We hope this will not affect the team in any way.

Oak Forest

Coaches: Gary Andruch / Rich Matula

Key Returners: Nick Manso (Sr.), Hudson Neth (Jr.), Zach Kwiat (Jr.), Levi Berlein (Jr.)

Coach Andruch’s Outlook: Our outlook for this season is to challenge for our conference title.  Right now I would say we are chasing a far more consistent Lemont team.  In order for us to challenge them we would need a lot of our guys to take the next step in their training.  I see our top 2 guys Senior Nick Manso and Junior Hudson Neth being out front in most of our races and then a large gap to our #3 runner.  

Chicago (Northside)

Coaches: Lee Greenberg / Maricruz Ponce de Leon, Josh Wiechert, Marc Lopez

Key Returners: Jack Mullins (Sr.), Quinntin Pyskacek (Sr.), Safal Maskey (Sr.), Max Pyka (Sr.), Nate Caimi (Jr.), 

Key Newcomers: Joseph Yap (Fr.)

Coach Greenberg’s Outlook: Summer is going better than last year.  This summer, more kids are running, which is the biggest thing the coaches have asked for.  This is my second season coaching the team and summer running wasn't pushed in previous years.  No big workouts or year-over-year time trial yet.  Northside is still in developmental mode for most of the kids. For many kids, this might be their first summer running before the first official day of practice. We will probably be on the younger side for our varsity team. That being said, our goals will be to improve upon our 2024 finish at CPS Championships and finish in the top 12 at the sectional meet.

Lake Villa (Lakes)

Coaches: Christine Zucker / Dan Jazo

Key Returners: Cooper Summy (Jr.), Aiden Hauca (Jr.), Nathan Bloom (So.)

Key Newcomers: Drake Callear (Sr.)

Coach Zucker’s Outlook: The Lakes boys cross country team enters the 2025 season with a fresh start following the graduation of a strong senior class. While the roster looks different without the leadership of Jackson Summy, Blake Salbilla, Brady Mock, and Matt Powley from the Class of 2025, there’s no shortage of excitement surrounding juniors Cooper Summy and Aidan Hauca. Cooper capped off the 2024 season with a personal best of 15:34 at the 2A state meet. Hauca also finished last season strong, setting a PR of 16:39. Both athletes have logged significant mileage over the summer and are motivated to lead the team forward. Joining them is sophomore Nathan Bloom, an emerging runner who has shown tremendous growth and promise in training. Together, this trio represents the heart of a new era for the Lakes program. With their leadership and commitment, the team is focused on building a strong foundation and competing with confidence throughout the 2025 season.

Washington

Coaches: Kathryn Petravick / Troy Walcott, Katie Petravick

Key Returners: Ben Gorsage (Jr.), Ethan Sakata (Jr.), Seth Larsen (Sr.), Owen Spiezio (Sr.), Cade Hahn (Sr.), Ethan Adams (So.), Alex Linneman (So.) 

Key Newcomers: Evan Goettler (Fr.)

Outlook: Our team will be young this year but I have a lot of hopes for what they will do. They are a close knit team that decide to consistently show up and work hard.  We have just been working on building easy, consistent mileage to prepare for fall training. Our main goal is to stay healthy and make it to state as a team again this year. 

Arlington Heights (St. Viator)

Coaches: Bill Stanczak / Michael Olayos, Nicholas Fratto, Mia Raftery

Key Returners: Owen Gottfred (Jr.), Matthew Brents (Sr.), Rian Martinez (Jr.), Declan McLeod (Jr.)

Coach Stanczak’s Outlook: Summer camp has been running well.  We have increased the weekly mileage for the high school squad over last year, and the boys have been eating it up so far. Not knowing my roster makes it hard to say how this season will go. It is apparent by looking that we are a small, young team, and will go through some growing pains. Owen will do well, and I expect he will make it to state again this year as long as he stays healthy. He had a good, injury free summer and he looks like he'll pick up where he left off.

Bensenville Fenton

Coaches: Patrick Fritsch / Jay Ehrhardt, Fabiel Urzua

Key Returners: Matthew Andersen (Jr.), Rudy Sanchez (So.), Josh Cade (Jr.), Juan Reyes (So.), Jacob Quintero (Sr.),  Ethan Lopez (Sr.), Alex Galeana (Sr.), Giovanni Dorado (Jr.),

Key Newcomers: Juan Reyes (So.), Alex Galena (Sr.)

Outlook: We've had a core group of runners that have been with us throughout the summer. These guys are really bought into the ideas of consistency and pushing themselves to be okay with being uncomfortable in their training. Our goals usually focus on advancing through the state series to State. We had a very young team last year that just missed out on advancing out of a tough Grayslake Central regional. So with our added experience and some strong 2A teams now competing in 3A, our goal is to qualify for sectionals and contend for a state qualifying spot.

Jacksonville

Coaches: Breck VanBebber / Amy Martin

Key Returners: Andrew Schumacher (Jr.), Britton Clay (Jr.), Tyler Butler (Sr.), Hunter Hayes (Sr.), Jett Morrisey (So.)

Key Newcomers: Evan Fraas (Fr.), Hudson Allen (Fr.)

Coach VanBebber’s Outlook: I am excited about the potential of the team this year.  I believe that this can be the most talented team we've had from 1 through 7 since covid; however, we need to stay healthy because we don't have a lot of depth after the top 7 or 8.  The guys have done a pretty decent job of running when we have practices (3 days a week), but they haven't been as consistent as needed when it comes to running on their own and that may hold us back.  We have 2 seniors (Tyler & Hunter), 2 juniors (Andrew & Britton), 3 sophomores (Jett, Alex, & Hayden Greenia), and 4 freshmen (Evan, Hudson, Karter Longley, Carter Logan).  Our ceiling is definitely qualifying for the sectional as a team.  I believe that we have a couple of our guys who have the potential of qualifying for state as individuals (probably next year, not this year).  I'm hopeful that we will be competitive throughout the season and we can finish in the top half of the Central State 8 conference and then qualify as a team for the sectional.

Lincoln

Coaches: Andrew Hite

Key Returners: Preston Short (Jr.),  Pierce King (So.), Colin Crombie (Jr.), Owen Cyrulik (Jr.), Levi Allison (Sr.)

Outlook: Our main goal is to advance to sectionals. We will have a younger team this year with a few upper classmen to lead the way. I am looking forward to seeing how they work together and improve as a team.