Boys Pre-Season Rankings (21-30)
by Brandon Jones
#21 Warsaw Tigers
New Haven Semistate #6
2007 Results:
Elkhart Central Sectional: 3rd place (102 points)
Elkhart Central Regional: 6th place (150 points)
Returning Runners (based on results from the Elkhart Central Regional):
Cody Goshert (12) 16:45 (17th place)
Brian Donovan (12) 16:45 (18th place)
Jeremiah Stichter (11) 17:21 (40th place)
Nathan West (11) 17:27 (45th place)
Jordan Scroggs (10) 17:36 (53rd place)
Ryan Connors (10) 18:05 (66th place)
2008 Outlook:
Perhaps the team with the most to gain in 2008 is Warsaw. The Tigers return six athletes from their team that prematurely ended their season last year at the Elkhart Central Regional. They have a great 1-2 punch in Goshert and Donovan and also have an above average remaining core group in the middle. The two seniors must take charge and demand that the remaining scorers close the gap. If Warsaw can get five under 17 minutes, it is hard to not see them making a run towards the state meet.
#22 New Albany Bulldogs
Bedford North Lawrence Semistate #4
2007 Results:
Crawford County Sectional: 2nd place (34 points)
Crawford County Regional: 2nd place (67 points)
Bedford North Lawrence Semistate: 8th place (211 points)
Returning Runners (based on results from the Bedford North Lawrence Semistate):
Jason Holcomb (11) 16:36 (18th place)
Matthew Holcomb (11) 17:08 (52nd place)
Simon Quinkert (11) 17:21 (68th place)
Alan Hoon (11) 17:29 (78th place)
Pryce Ragains (11) 17:44 (85th place)
2008 Outlook:
New Albany should be amongst the best teams in southern Indiana in 2008. After a near miss at the semistate last year, the Bulldogs return five athletes from that squad. They have a nice group of athletes led by Jason Holcomb who should place among the top 15 at the semistate. The remaining four athletes must keep the gap to Holcomb under 60 seconds for the Bulldogs to achieve their goal of making the state finals.
#23 Center Grove Trojans
Franklin Central Semistate #10
2007 Results:
Edinburgh Sectional: 3rd place (51 points)
Greensburg Regional: 2nd place (51 points)
Franklin Central Semistate: 12th place (280 points)
Returning Runners (based on results from the Franklin Central Semistate):
Nathan Catt (11) 17:00 (69th place)
Evan Raker (12) 17:09 (79th place)
Joe Meyer (12) 17:20 (95th place)
Austin Mudd (10) 17:23 (96th place)
2008 Outlook:
Center Grove loses its 1-2 punch from last seasons 12th place semistate squad. They followed powerhouses Franklin and Columbus North through the tournament making for a difficult couple of weeks. The experience gained should propel them into another great season this fall. They have a great split from 1-4 and just need to find a couple more pieces to the puzzle. If so, a top 10 finish in the Franklin Central Semistate is a distinct possibility.
#24 Lawrence North Wildcats
Franklin Central Semistate #11
2007 Results:
Brebeuf Jesuit Sectional: 1st place (36 points)
Brebeuf Jesuit Regional: 3rd place (124 points)
Franklin Central Semistate: 13th place (309 points)
Returning Runners (based on results from the Franklin Central Semistate):
Chris Boyd (12) 16:56 (62nd place)
Matthew Farkas (12) 17:12 (85th place)
Scott Stanley (10) 17:30 (100th place)
Zach Miller (11) 17:34 (102nd place)
2008 Outlook:
Lawrence North had a solid campaign in 2007. They take a tough road through the tournament series, so improvement is a must if they wish to make 2008 another great year. They return four of their top seven from last seasons 13th place semistate team. They have a nice gap between this quartet, but need to drop some time and find some help. If Boyd can assume the front running duties and Stanley can ride the momentum achieved this past spring on the track, Lawrence North could be a team to keep an eye on.
#25 Hamilton Southeastern Royals
Franklin Central Semistate #12
2007 results:
Carmel Sectional: 5th place (119 points)
Brebeuf Jesuit Regional: 7th place (175 points)
Returning Runners (based on results from the Brebeuf Jesuit Regional):
Ross Roberson (12) 16:47 (34th place)
Joe Ebling (10) 17:17 (53rd place)
Vikram Nevrekar (12) 17:18 (55th place)
2008 Outlook:
On paper, it appears that Hamilton Southeastern is thin on talent. The Royals face the toughest tournament road in the state and took their lumps finishing seventh at the Brebeuf Jesuit Regional. Gone is front runner Zach Gates, and the Royals only return three of their top seven which is not usually an ingredient for success. However, Hamilton Southeastern has one of the states strongest junior varsity teams which will help in the recovery process. It also does not hurt that their middle school feeder program was runners-up in last years Middle School Championship meet.
#26 Norwell Knights
New Haven Semistate #7
2007 Results:
Bellmont Sectional: 1st place (29 points)
Marion Regional: 2nd place (81 points)
New Haven Semistate: 7th place (224 points)
Returning Runners (based on results from the New Haven Semistate):
Mike Caley (12) 16:56 (45th place)
Alex Cushman (10) 17:14 (65th place)
Sean Cossairt (11) 17:23 (77th place)
Ethan Roebuck (12) 17:27 (79th place)
Brandon Long (10) 17:52 (101st place)
Tom Horn (11) 18:10 (119th place)
2008 Outlook:
2008 is going to be another close call for Norwell. After finishing seventh (23 points behind DeKalb) at last seasons New Haven Semistate, the Knights return six of their top seven runners. A sure thing? Not quite. The Knights lost their most talented runner in Klayton Reed, and will rely heavily on the remaining six athletes. If they are to avoid another disappointing semistate day, Norwell must stay healthy and steadily improve down the line.
#27 North Central (Indianapolis) Panthers
Franklin Central Semistate #13
2007 Results:
Brebeuf Jesuit Sectional: 2nd place (47 points)
Brebeuf Jesuit Regional: 6th place (155 points)
Returning Runners (based on results from the Brebeuf Jesuit Regional):
Connor Geshay (11) 16:47 (33rd place)
Ethan Wellin (12) 17:04 (44th place)
Julian Toumey (11) 17:09 (49th place)
Sam Alderfer (11) 17:46 (63rd place)
2008 Outlook:
Putting all speculation on hold, North Central (Indianapolis) will undoubtedly be a solid team in 2008. The Panthers were sixth in the ultra competitive Brebeuf Jesuit Regional last time out and will be hungry not to let that history repeat itself. They do lose their top two runners from that regional race, but return runners who are talented and improved throughout last season. If they can find a complementary fifth man and beyond, North Central will live to see another week this fall.
#28 Brownsburg Bulldogs
Franklin Central Semistate #14
2007 Results:
South Putnam Sectional: 2nd place (59 points)
Ben Davis Regional: 5th place (121 points)
Franklin Central Semistate: 16th place (409 points)
Returning Runners (based on results from the Franklin Central Semistate):
Scott Vicenzi (11) 16:17 (21st place)
Bobby Clidinst (11) 17:15 (90th place)
Justin Cosby (12) 17:39 (107th place)
Scott Hathaway (10) 17:47 (113th place)
Tyler Daun (11) 17:54 (118th place)
Drew Hall (11) 18:15 (132nd place)
2008 Outlook:
Brownsburg is a team that garnered little attention in 2007 due, in part, to their geographical location. Along those same lines, one of the up and coming distance runners in the state is Scott Vicenzi. Vicenzi was a state qualifier at 3200 meters this past spring and will be looking to take the next step in cross country. The Bulldogs return some help for Vicenzi with five athletes that took to the line at last years Franklin Central Semistate. Though a state berth is probably out of reach, the Bulldogs can still turn some heads and compete for a spot in the top half of the semistate.
#29 Southport Cardinals
Franklin Central Semistate #15
2007 Results:
Ben Davis Sectional: 4th place (94 points)
Ben Davis Regional: 6th place (133 points)
Returning Runners (based on results from the Ben Davis Regional):
Lance Nelson (11) 16:19 (7th place)
Daniel Morris (12) 16:58 (19th place)
Michael Gearhart (12) 16:59 (20th place)
Tim Mosier (11) 17:46 (43rd place)
Alex Kriese (12) 18:10 (48th place)
Jason Kegerries (12) 18:16 (51st place)
2008 Outlook:
Southport has a tremendous top three returning this fall that could do significant damage come tournament time. The Cardinals were one spot away from the semistate round last time and should be poised not to repeat their sixth place regional finish. All is lined up for them to take the next step. Nelson, once thought to be the next great one in Indiana, has yet to reach his full potential. If he does and Morris and Gearhart do their part, Southport could turn some heads. It will be up to the remaining runners to close the gap on the top three to score as little as possible.
#30 Bloomington North Cougars
Bedford North Lawrence Semistate #5
2007 Results:
Brown County Sectional: 1st place (33 points)
Brown County Regional: 2nd place (61 points)
Bedford North Lawrence Semistate: 1st place (127 points)
IHSAA State Finals: 15th place (373 points)
Returning Runners (based on results from the Bedford North Lawrence Semistate):
Andrew Buzzelli (12) 16:18 (13th place)
Patrick Carter (11) 17:44 (87th place)
Steven Hosler (11) 17:52 (96th place)
Daniel Varns (10) 18:02 (107th place)
2008 Outlook:
Bloomington North is one of the few teams in Indiana that has the ability to reload year after year regardless of the graduation losses they suffer. 2008 will be no exception, but the Cougars will be hard pressed to repeat their level of success from a year ago. They were a team that relied heavily on front runners Michael Hoffmann and Tim Schoch. Both are gone and it is now Buzzellis team. The Cougars should be competitive once again and have a great shot at returning to Terre Haute.
( Boys 31-40 Teams )