Storm in the running for state bid
Both the Bureau Valley and Hall boys’ cross country squads will have their work cut out for them Saturday at the Aurora Christian sectional at Oakhurst Forest Preserve in Aurora.
“We have 10 or 11 teams capable of advancing out, if anybody has one bad day it can throw a kink in the whole situation,” said Bureau Valley coach Dale Donner.
While expecting it to be tough, Donner thinks that his Storm have a good shot at advancing as a team to state for the fifth time. The Storm are looking to qualify for the state race for the fifth time in school history. They finished second in 2001, and sixth last year.
“I like the boys’ chances, I think if we run like we did last Saturday (at regionals) we’ll be fine,” said Donner, whose team placed third at sectionals and sixth at state a year ago.
Donner said that one of the subplots of the postseason will center on illness.
“I think the big story at State, in all sports, not just cross country, but volleyball and football too ... is going to be illness, people getting the flu bug,” Donner said. “We want to make sure we stay healthy, and I think things will take care of themselves.”
Hall coach Tom Keegan tells his athletes to quarantine themselves if they need to, which may be hard for T.J. Mosbach to do with his sister, a Lady Devil sophomore, Elizabeth, at home a little sick.
“Hopefully, they’ll stay in different rooms in the house,” Keegan said.
One Storm runner who has been getting healthier is Nate DeVenney, who re-injured a back ailment after a collision in the chute in the second race of the year.
Donner said DeVenney, who is the top returning runner for the Storm from last year’s state squad, is getting back into form.
“He’s been back the past couple days of practice and looking real good,” said Donner.
While there are some years, Keegan admits, you might advance to sectionals by default, this year his boys earned it by placing third at Rock Falls behind state-ranked Sterling Newman and Hall.
“That wasn’t the case this year. They competed out of a tough regional,” he said.
The Hall coach is hopeful his boys, who are ranked 17th, can finish somewhere in the top 10 and qualify two or three individuals for state. Junior Scott Janusick qualified for state by placing fourth last year in Aurora while senior teammate T.J. Mosbach missed out by 21 seconds in 30th.
“You’ve always got to like your chances with those two the way they perform. They know what’s at stake and they have trust in their ability,” Keegan said.
Along with the Red Devils and Storm, Princeton’s Zach Kieffer will be competing as an individual, placing 23rd at regionals.
The girls
The Princeton girls, who last qualified for state in 2003, reached sectionals with a third-place showing at Rock Falls. They have been boosted by the addition of volleyball runners, including sophomore C.J. Rhodes, who was first for PHS with a sixth-place finish at regionals.
Sophomore Emma Makransky placed 25th a year ago at sectionals right behind Hall’s Mosbach, 11 spots from qualifying.
If healthy, Mosbach is primed to earn a qualifying bid. Hall senior Daniela Acamovic, Keegan said, has been on Cloud 9 since she qualified for sectional and will run her tail off again.”
The St. Bede Lady Bruins will also compete as a team, having placed fifth at the Seneca Regional.
1A cross country girls’ sectionals
At Aurora
Where: Oakhurst Forest Preserve, 1680 Fifth Ave., Aurora.
Start time: 11 a.m.
Team outlook: No. 5 Winnebago and No. 10 Oregon will battle for the team title with No. 11 ranked Aurora Christian, No. 12 Byron, No. 15 Westmont and No. 19 Rock Falls the top contenders for the remaining qualifying berths. Westmont won the team title at the Luther North Regional. ... Princeton qualified as a team for sectionals with a third-place finish at regionals, but faces a field including six teams which beat them at the Amboy Invite. ... St. Bede sneaked in with a fifth-place showing at the Seneca Regional.
Top individuals: Leaders of the pack Saturday will be regional champs Sarina Oleson of Aurora Christian, Oregon sophomore Jenee Schier, Chicago Latin senior Julia Buford and Winnebago senior Tessa Hoefle along with Mendota senior Haley Sack, Hall sophomore Liz Mosbach and Oregon senior Ashley Nordman and Stephanie Simpson of Luther North. ... Princeton sophomores CJ Rhodes and Emma Makransky will have take 15 seconds of their PRs to make it into the top seven qualifying spots along with St. Bede sophomore Kayla MacDavitt, who may be playing in the regional volleyball finals, and senior Lucy Stanke.
1A cross country boys sectionals
At Aurora
Where: Oakhurst Forest Preserve, 1680 Fifth Ave., Aurora.
Start time: 11:45 a.m.
Team outlook: No. 2 ranked Sterling Newman, the Rock Falls Regional champ, and No. 4 Westmont head what BV coach Dale Donners calls a very deep field which also includes seven top 20 teams with No. 12 Bureau Valley, No. 16 Winnebago. No. 17 Rock Falls, No. 13 Ottawa Marquette and No. 19 Spring Valley Hall. Regional champs Rockford Christian and Chicago Latin and Chicago Hope will also be in the mix as well as only the top five teams will advance to state.
Top individuals: Newman’s Dylan Reyes and Jake Trancoso ran 1-2 at the Rock Falls regionals and are a hard duo to crack. Hall’s Scott Janusick and T.J. Mosbach, and regional champs Evan Darm of Marquette, Justin Rehfeldt of Rockford Christian and Kevin Barnacle of Westmont, along with BV’s Derrick Johnson will be in the lead pack. BV’s Nate DeVenney continues to wind his way back into shape from a dehabilitating back injury and may surprise some people this weekend, Donner says. ... Princeton’s Zach Kieffer turned in a season’s best to qualify for sectional and will need another to make state. ... Winnebago regional results came in faster than others as it was a 2.85 mile course instead of 3.0.
Coach’s comment: “We feel very comfortable that we can qualify, but need to run well. There will be a few top 15 teams in state left home,” BV coach Dale Donner.
Advancement: Top five teams and seven individuals from non-qualifying teams go to state in Peoria Nov. 7. In the event the 8th, 9th and 10th place individual finishers are not on qualifying teams, they will also advance.
