DGN boys cross country preview

Downers Grove North senior Robby Prescott’s late-season breakthrough in 2014 earned him a spot on the team’s Class 3A state-qualifying lineup.
As he prepares for this season, he’s already running faster. 
“Personally, I’m very committed. I would say I haven’t been 100 percent committed the past couple of years, but now I’m definitely all in since I’m running all year round now,” Prescott said.
“And everybody else is showing up and putting in the work. It’s all doing good for the team.”
The Trojans may be relatively young and inexperienced but they are determined to contend for what would be the program’s third consecutive team berth to the state meet. The season and home opener is Wednesday, Aug. 26, at Greene Valley Forest Preserve for the annual EIU Showdown. 
Prescott and juniors Alec Danner and Tristan Jahn return from last year’s state lineup that placed 13th (340 points), 58 points from a top-10 finish and was one of five West Suburban Conference Silver Division schools in the 26-team field.
The short list of other possible varsity contributors are senior Nick Torres, junior Andrew Marek and sophomores Ryan Birkmeier, Nick Chudzik, Sam McCool and Jacob Ridderhoff. Prescott and Torres are team captains.
Races are roughly 3 miles, but on Aug. 14 at the Trojans’ 2-mile time trial on their track, 10 runners broke 11:00 and another 11 broke 12:00 – double the amounts from their totals in 2014.
“Most of our guys made it through the summer healthy, got good training in and it shows in the 2-mile time trial,” DGN coach John Sipple said.
“We’re going to be pretty deep in comparison to last year in how we were really thin at the top. Now we’ll be pretty quality frosh-soph wise and we’ll also have some nice depth at varsity, even though we’re going to have some of those frosh-soph kids up and ask them to compete at the big-boy level.”
In the pre-season 3A state rankings by DyeStat Illinois, Downers North is No. 18, the sixth-highest rated team among those that were in its sectional last year. Only the top five teams at each sectional advance to state, although as at another sectional in 2014, teams that tie for the final place all advance.
“I think we can (qualify again),” Prescott said. “I think we’re really excited to show people what we can do, become like the underdog, like hey these guys are rebuilding but show how much power we have with everybody running.”
At last year’s state meet, Danner was 50th (15:06 for 3.0 miles) and the team’s No. 2 finisher, 25 places and 16 seconds from a top-25 individual all-state finish. Prescott (172nd, 15:53) and Jahn (205th, 16:22) were the team’s No. 5 and 7 finishers.
The Trojans graduated two-time all-stater Ryan Clevenger (4th, 14:24), now at Wisconsin, Joe Carter, Jack Diamond and Zac Christensen (66th), Jack Diamond (140th) and Joe Carter (173rd).
In 2013, Clevenger (7th), Christensen (114th) and Diamond (184th) also were part of that state lineup that finished second (144), the highest team finish in program history.
“Basically, Robby really took the reins on the team, recognizing that he’s a senior,” Danner added. “He’s just been leading a lot, just guiding the team along and I’ve been doing my best to help with that.
“It’s been really encouraging to see how everyone has come together. We all know we really want to make it to state. These next months leading into the season it’s going to be crucial, making sure that we all stay healthy and continue to improve and train well and just be smart. We all want the same thing.”
Although this is a relatively young team, the Trojans have learned through great past role models.
Clevenger and 2014 graduate Zack Smith are among only seven Downers Grove North/Downers Grove runners to achieve all-state honors twice. Smith was third in 2013 and eighth competing individually in 2012.
The 2013 top-three trophy, however, also wouldn’t have been able without great efforts by then-seniors Marc Mathy (34th), Jeremy Craven (68th) and Jared Spilky (77th) – the team’s No. 3-4-5 finishers. Mathy had the race of his life at state while Craven and Spilky overcame nagging injuries not only compete at state but rise to the occasion.
Craven spent practically the entire regular season training on the elliptical machine. His first competition back was winning the junior varsity race at the Silver Meet.   
“You look back to our freshman year and see Jeremy Craven putting in 180 miles a week on the elliptical. That’s a great example of what you have to do if you want to reach a really hard goal,” Marek said.
“Definitely (our goal is to) make it down to state, place pretty well there, hopefully, because I think we have a pretty talented group of guys and we’re all pretty young. (We need to) just keep going when the times are tough.”
Sipple said that establishing leadership and acclimating to varsity competition are key factors for this year’s squad.
“We’ve had such strong leadership from our seniors, especially the past couple of years. Some of our younger guys didn’t really have to step up and do some of those things so it’s all new to them,” Sipple said. “I almost didn’t even think about it that often as a coach because (the seniors) were handling everything. There’s a little adjustment there.”
Prescott and Torres are hoping they can continue the tradition of senior leadership for a younger roster. Nate Doro, Rocco Manzo, Trevor Smith and Brad Wilcoxen are the Trojans’ only other seniors.
“I want to really make (the team) more inclusive. I want the freshmen and all of the new members to really feel welcome,” Torres said.
“I think that’s what makes this team really great, that we’re all family together, everything that we go through with the training. We’re together more than our families most of the time. I come home, do homework, I spend maybe 45 minutes with my mother and then I’m training with these guys for three hours a day.”
Prescott’s greater training commitment could make big dividends in competition. Upon his July 24 return to Peoria’s Detweiller Park, annual site of the state meet, he finished 11th in the high school boys division of the annual Detweiller at Dark race in 15:19 – 34 seconds faster than his 2014 state performance. Danner (14th, 15:21), Ridderhoff (85th, 16:18), Marek (107th, 16:38) and junior Zach Goliszewski (138th, 17:00) also competed at the meet.
“It was pretty fun. Our race went off around like 9:50, 10 o’clock at night and there was a bunch of music going and everything,” Prescott said. “That gave me a big, huge confidence booster and now, after what I ran, I can’t wait to see what else I can do as the season goes on.”
Danner already had plenty of confidence coming off huge strides in 2014 in which he was the seventh-highest finishing sophomore at state. He followed that up by qualifying for state track in the 3,200-meter run (25th, 9:41.18) thanks to a career-best 9:29.03 at sectionals.
“After going to state and seeing the best of the best competition there, I want to be one of them, to be up there competing with the best people in Illinois,” Danner said. “That’s what has really been driving my training this year. I want to be in that position come November, to contend for a high place all-state.”
Sipple said the time goal for Danner is sub-14:40, which would have put him in contention for a top-15 finish at the 2014 state meet.
“He’s stepped up his level of training and it’s coming together pretty nicely for him. That’s going to be a very reasonable expectation,” Sipple said. “It’s not just being all-state. It’s sticking our nose up front and being in that top 15 vicinity, but it’s going to be real tight this year at state. There are so many guys that are going to be around there.”
Another all-state contender in that mix could be Prescott. Soon after last season, Sipple was simply hoping that Prescott could become a solid No. 2 runner and lead the Trojans’ stronger pack.
The Detweiller at Dark performance reinforced his potential of forming a 1-2 punch with Danner.
“That’s going to help where a lot of teams are not necessarily going to match us up there,” Sipple said. “Robby’s already improved a ton. If we can just get him marginally better from where we’re at, we’re going to be pretty tough.”
“I just want to be around 14:40s (too), somewhere around there. I’ve just got to put in the hard work,” Prescott said. “I’m feeling pretty confident and I’m right up with Alec so now we can work together during the race so that’ll be pretty fun. Personally, I’d like to be top 25 in state.”
The Trojans’ pack to complete its five-runner scoring also will be critical and may emerge as a strength. Sipple said that several runners had encouraging summers of training – most importantly free of major injuries.
Marek had a strong summer after nagging injuries interrupted his progress during the track season. Marek enjoyed a personal best by 30 seconds at Detweiller at Dark and recently passed 700 miles of offseason training.
“By far (my best summer),” Marek said. “After a disappointing track season, I realized maybe some flaws in my training so I’ve really been working on that and trying to stay healthy.”
Torres is coming off his best running season in track and has been trying to keep it that way. Part of his off-season regimen included researching the science of running for tips on remaining healthy after a history of setbacks.
“It’s going to be more about caution for me and making sure that I don’t get injured. In track season, I stayed uninjured and it was a great season for me,” Torres said.  “I hope to go sub-16:00 because I’m at 17:51 right now, but then I got injured. Again, if I can stay healthy, just go from there.”
As hard as the Trojans have trained, they could run well, even extremely well, at sectionals and still not return to state as a team. Only five teams per sectional advance and, if assignments don’t change significantly from 2014, Downers North again will find itself in the state’s toughest group.
The four advancing teams along with the Trojans at the 2014 Marist Sectional were the top four finishers at the state meet – Hinsdale Central, which captured its second straight state title, Sandburg, Lyons Township and Neuqua Valley.
Sandburg is this year’s overwhelming favorite to win. The other three teams also are among the top five in the DyeStat Illinois 3A pre-season rankings.
“That fifth spot in the sectional is going to be very competitive,” Sipple said.
“You’re talking about four really, really good teams right there that are all very deep, too, and can absorb some injuries. I would be surprised if those four teams don’t qualify and there’s one spot left for about four or five teams to try and duke it out.”
Oswego and Plainfield South finished fifth and sixth at the Marist Sectional with Oswego 34 points behind fifth-place LT. Plainfield South is ranked No. 13 preseason.
Before that, the Trojans certainly will get battle tested thanks to the WSC Silver, the state’s toughest conference. Besides Hinsdale Central and LT, Glenbard West and York were fifth and sixth at state in 2014. This season, York and Oak Park-River Forest are ranked among the top 10.
In one change beginning this season, results from Silver duals no longer will count toward determining the overall Silver standings. Final standings will be determined solely by the Silver Meet results Oct. 17 at Camera Park in Glendale Heights.
“It would be nice to try and finish fourth there, maybe surprise somebody. We want to qualify for the state meet, obviously, but it’s going to be tough,” Sipple said.
“I’d rather be in this sectional and really earn the trip down rather than to be somewhere else. I’d rather be in the best conference. I’d rather face the best competition because it’s going to bring the best out of us.”

--By Bill Stone