2025 IHSA XC State Previews: 1A Boys

After months of watching these teams compete in their various corners of the state, we finally get to see the culmination of the 2025 season. Teams from all over will converge on Detweiller Park and battle it out for a state title. With weeks of preparation in the books, teams and individuals alike will leave their mark and hopefully bring home some hardware. The 1A boys race could be one of the closest team races we see all week, it’s going to have you at the edge of your seat. 

1A State Preview Podcast

Team Projections -

Team Preview -

You could not have created a better race for the title than the 1A boys race we are about to see go down here. This is a five team race for the win and every single point counts, because it’s going to come down to the slimmest of margins. The juggernaut favorite for most of the season has been Eureka, and it’s for good reason. With guys like Landon Wurmnest, Timothy Rogers, and Davin Dingledine, there is not a better core pack of runners than what the Hornets have. The rest of their top seven has guys who are all capable of running in the 15:40s, something that no other 1A team has. The only issue for the Hornets is the insecurity surrounding their front runner, Gavin Stalter. Stalter has been a stoic #1 for Eureka all season, but he didn’t race at the sectional because he was nursing a foot injury. Reports are saying he will run at the state meet, but will we see the top ten contending Stalter that we saw all season? That is the biggest question in this team race and it opens the door for the remaining four teams that are hungry for a win. Out of the four teams, Rockford Christian looks to be the next one in. RC has the best front three in the classification and it’s what makes them such a formidable team. Evan White, Julien Honeyville, and Blake Lindberg are all contending for all-state positions, and they provide big relief in the lowstick department. The biggest question for them was in the fourth spot, but Joel White answered those worries at the sectional meet after returning to his usual flare. RC is definitely the safest pick for a trophy team, there’s not much that could go wrong for them. After RC, you’ll see the only 1A team that has been able to topple the Eureka Hornets so far, Elmwood. The sectional meet was a scorcher for the Trojans, as they took the title home by 5 points over Eureka. This team looked like they were done for during the middle of the season, but with an unbelievable comeback at the regional meet, Elmwood looks like a title contending team again. Aiden Faulkner should be a lock for all-state up front, with Kam Stevenson looking to sneak into all-state as well. Their 3-5 are similar to what Eureka can put up, but they don’t quite have the lowsticks that RC has. If you look at the next two teams down, both have the potential to compete for a trophy as well. El Paso Gridley has looked incredible throughout the season, and with Israel Nowark returning to their lineup at just the right time, they could scrape a title. Their biggest issue throughout the season was who will fill the fifth spot. They have Drew Cooper, Weston Hodel, Alex Lartz, and Luke Hinthorne as one of the strongest four man units in 1A. Their five was lagging way behind, but with Nowark back in action, they have a chance to put five runners in before any other team. Their biggest issue will be lowstick presence, as Drew Cooper will be the only one sniffing at the all-state border. If he can snag a spot in the top 25, this team will be set up for huge success. The final team looking for the title will be East Dubuque, who has had an incredible journey to the top five conversation. Their top three rivals RC’s with Vinny Gullone, Andrew Richardson, and Peter Wagner putting up some unreal results within the last two weeks. Gullone and Richardson are sitting right outside of all-state status right now, they could absolutely break in on the right day. Their supporting cast has really pulled together since the start of the season, with Lucas Jackson, Liam Schauer, and Liam Mead, all looking like strong runners for the fourth and fifth spots. Not to mention, they beat Rockford Christian at the regional meet, which shows that they can show out on a good day. Between these five teams, it’s going to be a matter of single digits to decide a winner, and it largely depends on how Gavin Stalter races. If he is able to put up a performance that is worthy of what he’s been doing all season, then Eureka is the walk away favorite. If he doesn’t, the door is wide open for any of these five teams. Even without Stalter, Eureka still has a pretty big chance of winning a title. Their depth through seven is unreal and it’s hard to match them without the support of massive lowsticks. So get your popcorn out, pick a team to root for, and get ready for one of the most exciting 1A races ever. 

Individual Projections -

Individual Preview -

A display of dominance in the 1A boys race will settle the score once and for all, as Chaz Oberkfell of Gillespie looks to go back to back. Oberkfell has had the strongest season out of any 1A individual, he has yet to lose to anyone from this classification. His 14:38 from the regional was a very convincing mark that shows he’s ready to throw down at the state meet. He won last year in a surprise performance over two extremely talented athletes, Nicolai Martino of Winnebago and Gabriel McLain of Benton. Both of those runners hold some of the top track marks out of the class of 2025, and the fact that Oberkfell dropped them at the state meet is incredible. He will repeat his performance from last year and have a dominant win over the competition, it won’t be a close race. After Oberkfell, you’ll see a number of talented athletes in contention for second. Caiden Cook of DuQuoin is perhaps the favorite, since he’s been exceptionally dominant against 1A competition. Cook has a season best of 14:57 and he’s only lost to Oberkfell and Landen Boman of Pinckneyville, who he then defeated at sectionals by over 20 seconds. Luca Bryja of Harvest Christian will be a sleeper for the top 3. He has spent most of the season flying under the radar, but he’s coming off of a regional and sectional title with a 15:51 5k. They will be joined by a pair of sophomores, Evan Knobloch of Stark County and Grady Smith of Johnsburg. Knobloch has been electric as of late, with a huge PR of 14:48 at the Patriot invite. Smith has been hot on Bryja’s heels in both of their matchups, but he’s come up just short both times. He is one of the top returning runners from last year’s state meet and his experience running up front will be invaluable to him here. Corie Green of Delavan will be a name to watch as well. His season best of 14:50 and his streak of dominance make him a formidable force in this race. His prowess as an 800 runner will also come in handy against the aerobic monsters that will lead this race. There are several other runners who have excellent season bests, like Gavin Stalter of Eureka, Aiden Faulkner of Elmwood, Cayden Bostic of Clinton, and Elijah Teefey of Pleasant Plains. All four of them could make this race exciting as well.