All of the Boys AA Sectionals are up for grabs this weekend. It is hard to tell which 5 teams are coming out of any of the sectionals. The two big sectionals to watch are the Belvidere Sectional, which has 6 out of the top 11 teams in the state, and the East Peoria Sectional, which has 2 of the 3 top rated schools in Normal University and Peoria Notre Dame along with 9 other rated schools. In the following preview, we will give you an idea of what to watch for in each of the 4 sectionals.

Belvidere Sectional

This will be a barnburner of a sectional. If last weekend's action at the Aurora Central Catholic Regional is an indication of what will happen this weekend, then the fans at the Belvidere Sectional are in for a treat. Belvidere North comes in as the favorite, but there are 5 other schools that have a shot of winning the team title. It will come down to which team can run it's normal race and block out the "state meet" pressure that will occur here.

Individuals

The individual race is spattered with all state runners here. Paul Zeman of Belvidere North was held out of the Freeport Regional and has looked to be in top form all season. He will push the pace and will not wait for anyone to come with him. Tyson Kinsley, an All-State runner from last season and the Freeport Regional, will be one of the many runners that has the capability of staying with Zeman. Add in Ryan Alvarez from Crystal Lake Central, the Aurora Central Catholic Regional Champ, who likes a quick pace,  and the pace should be breakneck.

There will be other runners who will want to join the lead pack. Some of them include Ian Sanchez from Richmond-Burton, Zach Young and Ben Kanute of Marmion Academy, Matt Reusche and Trevor Holm of Kaneland, Ryan Prais of Lakes, and Bruyn Yunk and Logan Volkey of Belvidere North. The pace will be quick and every place out of these runners will decide the team championship.

Teams

#2 Belvidere North - Running off a strong meet schedule that included many AAA teams, Belvidere North is ready for the battles that appear ahead. It starts with Paul Zeman, one of the top runners in AA and one of the favorites here on Saturday. This is an extremely young team, with possibly 3 freshman running on Saturday...but they run more like juniors. Freshman Tyler Yunk and Paxson Menard have stepped up to the challenge. The key to Belvidere's success will be having a split of 45 seconds along with keeping Logan Volkey and Bruyn Yunk within 28 seconds of Zeman. If this happens, this team can punch a ticket to next week's dance.

#4 Aurora Marmion Academy - Another team that has been running against AAA schools. Marmion survived the Aurora Central Catholic on their 6th man against Kaneland. Senior Zach Young has been their lead man all season. With the addition of "triathlete" Ben Kanute, the Cadets have a strong 1-2. This team could place anywhere from 1st to 6th on Saturday. This team will need to keep their 1-5 split under 40 seconds for success.

#5 Maple Park Kaneland - a team that is getting healthy and coming into its own. Matt Reusche, an all-state runner last fall, is finally healthy after battling early season injuries. Junior Trevor Holm stepped up in Reusche's abscence to give the Knights a strong presence up front. Another school that will need to have a split under 40 seconds for 5 runners to advance. Watch for a big race form Logan Markuson.

#7 Crystal Lake Central - Ryan Alvarez is the only senior in the top 5...a young squad that needs to come on strong Saturday. Figure Alvarez to be among the leaders. The surprise for the Tigers this fall has been the improvement of Chris Alvarez as the 2 man. He has been a big plus for Coach Bill Eschmann. This team was able to get away with a 50 second split last Saturday at Aurora...they will not have that luxury on Saturday if they want to advance.

#8 Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge - This squad was noticed early in the season by winning the Leavy Invitational against some strong AAA teams. The key for this squad is the pack. Last Saturday the Wolves ran a 1-5 split of 24 seconds. This would have been good if their first runners were in the top 10. This team could be on top if either Marc DiVerde or Mitch Wilkins can be in the top 10.

#11 Sycamore - Even though this school is rated 6th in the sectional, don't discount this team. Tyson Kinsley is the lead man for Sycamore...he will be in the front. Riley Powers and Steven Konwinski are good support for Kinsley. The split needs to be under 60 seconds for their 1-5, but the key will be the gap between 1 and 2, which should be under 40 seconds.

#18 Wheaton St. Francis - A team that had a strong performance last week at the Fenton Regional. Senior Sean Montague, with a good race, could be in the top 10 individually. This team ran a tight split last week. If they can keep their split under 50 seconds, they could surprise some teams.

#21 Glenbard South - was just edged out by St. Francis last week at Fenton. Collin White has been running stron the last couple of weeks and could qualify individually if the team does not make it out. If the split can be kept at 60 seconds or under, the Raiders who could sneak into a qualifying spot.

#22 Woodstock - Squad that was hot early in the year. They look to rekindle that fire on Saturday. JD Fuller and Phillip Meyer form a strong front nucleus. If Carl Peterson and Dan Howe are back in the Top 7, this team could respond by qualifying. The split has to be under 45 seconds.

#23 Lake Villa Lakes - a young squad that could surprise some teams this Saturday. Freshman Ryan Prais has been extremely strong and could be in the front pack individually. Their 1-5 split may be their down fall...it has to be under 65 seconds for a higher finish.

Chicago Jones Sectional

Even though their is only one rated team in this sectional, I could still see the other 4 spots open to any of 6 to 7 schools. Not one of the most powerful sectionals, but it will be competitive never the less.

Individuals

This individual race will come down to the Oak Forest duo of Ed McDaniel and Patrik Gahndi. Both were all state runners last fall and are the class of the field here. After that, it could come down to a number of good runners. Watch for Josh Driver, also of Oak Forest, Josh Martin of Crete-Monee, Oscar Medina of Lakeview, Jose Mora of Payton, Robert Meyer of University High, Dale Jamison of Jones, and Justin Pomney of Riverside-Brookfield to be in the front pack.

Teams

#9 Oak Forest - I don't see any team touching this squad here. They have a strong front 3 in Ed McDaniel, Patrik Gandhi, and Josh Driver, all with the possibility of being in the top 5. This team will use race as a dress rehearsal for state. They could have a 60 second split here and still win...but watch for something around 45 seconds for the front 5.

Illiana Christian - No real front runners on this team but a solid pack. Matt Hall and Jake Byrna have the possibility of placing in the top 20 here. If that happens, along with the 5 runners within 35 seconds of each other could give this team a trip to state.

Riverside-Brookfield - this school has not qualified as a team since 1979...this could be the year for the Bulldogs. A split for the front 5 of under 50 seconds could make qualifying a possibility. Watch for big races from Justin Pomey and Peter Lyson here.

Chicago University - would like to make a repeat performance at state. Coach Bud James has a strong first 3 in Robert Meyer, Ben Bucheim-Jurisson, and Thomas Aquino. The achilles heal for this team is the gap between 3 and 4. It needs to be 45 seconds for this team advance.

Bremen - another school that would like to make a repeat performance at state. Skyler Ficht and Luke Bronson will need to place in the top 15 here. The split has to be under 70 seconds for the Braves to go back to Peoria.

Elmwood Park - a squad that surprised some with their Lakeview Regional win. Ran a 35 second split at Schiller Woods. John Schmidt and Martin Bednarczyk lead this team. If they can run another race like regionals, they could sneak into the state field.

Jones - Their first 4 runners are Freshman! A team that could qualify to go down state if these youngsters realize that this is the sectionals. Dale Jamison, Champ at Washington Park last week is the lead man for this team. Their split was over 2 minutes last week....needs to be closer this weekend. The team of the future in the Chicago Public League.

Lakeview - Has a good lead runner in Oscar Medina. The split is too great for this team to do any damage. If they can pack it up, there is always the possibility of qualifying.

Decatur MacArthur Sectional

There are 3 schools here that are rated and considered locks to qualify. After that, there are 7 schools that could fill the final 2 spots...

Individuals

Ryan Todd of Jersey, the top returning individual at last season's state meet is one of the favorites here. This senior has the history of peaking at the right time. Sophomore Michael Simon of Springfield, who was held out of the Jacksonville Regional, may be the chief challenger to Todd. Other runners who will challenge in the front include Michael Clevenger of Decatur MacArthur, Ryan Root of Champaign Centennial, Brett Conway of Troy Triad, Brian Dixon of Chatham Glenwood, and Justin Lee of Springfield.

Teams

#6 Springfield - Even though this squad placed 3rd at Jacksonville, this team did not run with its #1 man Michael Simon. With this talented sophomore in there, the Senators could have won. Their 1-4 split last week was 58 seconds last week...they will need to be under 60 for 5 for this team to be victorious.

#10 Chatham-Glenwood - A team that has not really received alot of respect this year...but they deserve their rating. This team has been running anywhere from 35 to 40 seconds. If Brian Dixon, Michael Zink, and Aaron Enteman can stay close to Springfield's first 3, this team could walk away with the sectional crown.

#14 Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin - This squad's had its ups and downs all seaosn, but they look like they are peaking at the right time. Junior Eric Delvo has been the lead man for this squad this season. This team could advance with a split under 50 seconds for their front 5.

Troy Triad - could make a repeat team appearnce at Peoria next week. Have a strong lead runner in Brett Conway and a good supporting class led by Nathan Armes. 3 Freshmen have boosted the performances of this team...a 2 minute split on 5 will not make it for this squad on Saturday.

Mt. Zion - An unheralded squad that have not been noticed most of the season. This squad is comprised of all freshmen and sophomores. Their split has been 75 seconds...if they can get it under 60 seconds and handle the pressure, they could make their first team apperance at Peoria.

Highland - The down fall of this squad may be the 1-5 split of 2 minutes. They have a good first two in Landon Goldstein and Alex McCloud. The split has to definitely diminish if this team wants to advance.

Salem - This squad was the surprise of the sectional last fall...could it happen again? The Centralia Regional champs are led by Sophomore Jacob Heser...The split may be too much to overcome...if under 55 seconds, this team will qualify.

East Peoria Sectional

Everyone talks about how tough the Belvidere Sectional is...this sectional should really not take a back seat to that. Two of the top 3 teams are here in Normal University and Peoria Notre Dame. After that, its anyone's guess who will qualify in the 3 spots.

Individuals

The team battle could be determined who is up front in the individual race. C.J. Elward of Peoria Notre Dame, the 2009 3200 meter champ, has been running with more and more confidence. The Normal University duo of Ryan Rutherford and James Clay work well as a tandem and will force the pace. Gabe Moreno, a returning all-state runner from Galesburg, has shook off the injury bug that hampered him in the early season, is back to top form and will be a force.

Others to watch challenging the leaders will include Ryan Van Fossem and Stephan Rauh of Metamora, Zach Payne of Dixon, Johnny Crain of Dunlap, Matt Birkel and J.D. Wynn of Peoria Notre Dame, Nick Schrader of DeKalb, and Mike Gaydos of Sandwich.

Teams

#1 Normal University - This team has looked strong over the last month. Part of that has to do with James Clay returning to his top form. Along with Ryan Rutherford, this top ranked team in AA has been living off of a 50 second split on the their two stars. This team has a tight 3-5 pack...if Will Ward returns to the lineup, this team will be tough to beat.

#3 Peoria Notre Dame - This team is getting healthy at the right time. Looked tough in winning their own regional at Detweiller. When you can have a 60 second split on a front runner like C.J. Elward, you have the makings of a championship team. The question will be where Matt Birkel and J.D. Wynn place in the comparison of Normal's 3 and 4 men. If they can be close to Rutherford and Clay, the Irish could win this sectional crown.

#12 Galesburg - A team that is finally healthy and could make some noise at state. Gabe Moreno is back to his 2008 form and could be in the top 3 on Saturday. Their split was under 50 seconds last week....if it can get around 40, the Streaks could return back to Peoria.

#13 Metamora - This team is still smarting from just missing as a team last year..they don't want that to happen again. Stephan Rauh and Ryan Van Fossem form a gront front 2 for Metamora. This squad needs to keep the 3 through 5 close together...anything over a 50 second split on 5 could cause doom for this team.

#15 Dunlap - Johnny Crain leads this squad in its quest for a state berth. Their split was over 60 seconds last Saturday...if Ryan Vahle and Brandon Anderson can stay close to Crain, this team could make that trip to Peoria.

#16 Geneseo - This team is on a upswing at the right time. Junior Thomas Sigwalt and Freshman Jordan Starkey lead the resurgance for the "Leafs". The split has to at 50 seconds with Sigwalt in the top 15 for this team to advance.

#17 Dixon - The defending state champs could return to state if the split can stay within 30 seconds from 2-5. Zach Payne has come on over the last few weeks and could challenge for the individual title. Stay close to Payne and the Dukes will return to Peoria as a team.

#19 Morton - A team that has the potential to run a tight split, but they will need Joe Zeller to be in the top 10 for this team to advance.

#20 East Peoria - On their home course, will that be enough to qualify. If the split is over a minute...no. Kevin Eades is due to have a big race.

#24 Peoria Richwoods - A strong front 2 in Thomas Harayda and Trevor Johnson, the split on 5 could be the downfall for Richwoods.

#25 Yorkville - A young team, could surprise people if Scott King is in the top 10 and the team keeps their 1-5 split to 30 seconds.