The No. 2 nationally ranked Sandburg boys won the first Illinois state title in school history last weekend. They enter regionals as a favorite to advance to the NXN. (Photo by Colin Boyle)
Boys Race Preview
Flo50 teams: No. 2 Sandburg (IL), No. 5 Lafayette (MO), No. 9 St. Ignatius (OH), No. 20 Carmel (IN), No. 24 Neuqua Valley (IL), bubble Lyons Township (IL), bubble York (IL)
Flo50 individuals: No. 4 Ben Veatch (IN), No. 7 Jon Davis (IL), No. 24 Issac Harding (MI), bubble Kevin Salvano (IL)
Top returning boys: Ben Veatch (IN), Matt Pereira (IL), Charlie Kern (IL), Connor Horn (IL), Ben Naeger (MO), Austin Hindman (MO), Brayden Law (IN), Keagan Smith (IL), Sean Torpy (IL), Danny Dalton (IN)
We're going to call it now - two of the four at-large boys team bids to NXN will come from the Midwest region. With seven teams either nationally ranked or on the bubble, the Midwest looks like the toughest boys region in the game.
The favorites coming in are No. 2 ranked Sandburg, who are fresh off their first Illinois state title in school history. The Eagles were ranked No. 1 for four weeks of the season and certainly had to run like the best team in the nation to win the Class 3A title in a race that featured ranked teams Lyons Township, Neuqua Valley and York. Sandburg's trademark is their tight-knit pack: the Eagles ran a 32-second spread behind bronze medal winner Sean Torpy, who was just four seconds off individual champion Kevin Salvano.
Salvano enters as a potential individual qualifier; the Buffalo Grove senior returns to LaVerne Gibson this fall after going for a Foot Locker bid last fall. The "man" of Illinois, however, is certainly No. 7 ranked Jon Davis of Oakwood, who ran himself into history as the sixth-fastest performer ever at Detweiller Park with his 13:59.3 Class 1A state title last weekend.
No. 4 ranked Ben Veatch of No. 20 Carmel is the top returner from last year's championship, where he placed third. The University of Indiana commit is running at the top of his game this fall, with three consecutive sub-15 minute 5K performances and an undefeated record. A "W" for Veatch is nearly imminent, though Carmel will have a challenge finishing within the top two again.
No. 5 ranked Lafayette (Wildwood) looks to make their first trip to Portland Meadows after finishing fourth last year. The Lancers are so dominant in the state of Missouri that they could have scored their No. 6 runner and still won the state meet! The best part? The "extra" sixth scorer could have been either of the top two girls on the team and the Lancers would still pull out a victory. They showed they can perform after travel in winning Arkansas' Chile Pepper Festival, but can they handle the pressure in Terre Haute?
Prediction: 1. Sandburg (IL) 2. Lafayette (MO)