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Midwest Region Boys Early Season Rankings 2025Published by
Deep Returning Roster Gives Plainfield North A Slight Edge Over Downers Grove North And Cross-Town Rival Plainfield South In Illinois And The Region By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor Boys NXR Midwest Preview In case you missed it, Plainfield South defeated Plainfield North on Tuesday in the annual Plainfield City Championship meet, 27-28. It was Plainfield South's fifth consecutive victory on the boys side, but the bragging rights only last for so long. North has beaten South at the state meet the past two years and that could happen again. Plainfield North missed out on an NXN berth when it finished third at the NXR Midwest meet and wasn't offered a lifeline with an at-large invitation. And then the team brought back 15 of its top 16 runners. A victory over the state's dominant team the past couple of years, Downers Grove North, at the EIU Showdown on Aug. 30, 30-48, makes the Tigers the preseason No. 1 team in the Midwest. In 2023, Plainfield North finished one point better than Plainfield South to secure the second NXN auto spot. It could be that close again among the three Illinois schools. Noblesville of Indiana also has the depth to contend for a state title against Columbus North and Bloomington North, and also a chance at a top-two placing at NXR Midwest. Two more Illinois teams are on the rise: Lake Zurich and York. Last year at NXR Midwest, it was the team from North earning the second automatic qualifying spot to nationals by one point over the team from South. At the City meet, South beat their rivals 22-34. There's no guarantee that pecking order will remain that way throughout the season, but it's an indication that the competition between them will be fierce. Northville of Michigan and Blue Springs South of Missouri could also be in the hunt. Individually, senior Noah Bontrager of Westview IN and senior Landon Kimmel of Tippecanoe OH are the top returners. They finished within a second of one another, in third and fourth place, respectively. Philip Cupial from Downers Grove IL and Carson Driemeier (Festus MO), the Missouri Class 4 champion, also finished in last year's top 10. 1. Plainfield (North) IL. Thomas Czerwinski leads a senior-dominant lineup that is setting up for a big year. A victory over Downers Grove (North) at the EIU Showdown was a good first marker. Senior Aidan Connors, junior Dominic Frigo, and seniors James Maso and Gavin Hall were part of a 34-second split on five at EIU. Although the team lost by a point at the Plainfield City Championships, the outlook remains good for a successful run into the postseason. 2. Downers Grove (North) IL. Seniors Philip Cupial and Will Surratt are the key returners, but the team is working to overcome heavy losses to graduation. Five of the seven runners to carried DGN to sixth place at NXN last year have moved on. Cupial is one of the top runners in the region and finished 10th at Foot Locker nationals last year. He and Surratt were part of a 7:34 4x800 relay team that won Nike Outdoor Nationals in June. There is enough depth in the program to keep the train rolling. Juniors Stephen Cox, Isaak Stein and Luke Figliomeni and senior Tyler Lynch-Goff could help DGN return to NXN for a fourth straight year. 3. Plainfield (South) IL. The Cougars edged rival North 27-28 on Tuesday for its fifth consecutive city title. Juniors Dylan Buturusis and Alex Batsala, senior Austin Cory and junior Kellan Hernandez went 3-4-5-6 to help South pull out the victory. Junior Ethan Ensign, senior Tyler Miller and freshman Phoenix Viger add depth to a tightly wound pack. In another year, this team could be dynamite. But it could also work out this fall with the right breaks. 4. Noblesville IN. The Millers bring back their top three, including senior John Libs, from a team that finished 12th at NXR Midwest. Noblesville appears to have more depth than its Indiana rivals and welcomes back six runners who ran under 10 minutes in the 3,200 meters last spring. One of them, junior Banner Barnes, ran 4:10.72 in the 1,600. Sophomore Isaiah Vohs, junior Jack Rush, and seniors Noah Melton and Cooper Click give the Millers an early edge on Bloomington North in the Hoosier State. 5. Lake Zurich IL. Senior Cameron Libby and sophomore Karanveer Patil lead a group that brings back six of its top seven from a team that won the NSC Conference last year and took fourth at the Illinois 3A state meet. Junior Luke Marshall, seniors Sushant Kesavan and Nishanth Mandavilli, and junior Carson Porter all return from the state meet lineup. WATCHLIST More news |
