By Michael Newman

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3A Boys

Some many great stories about coaches in 3A this year. I had to narrow it down to four coaches.

Jon Burnett of O’Fallon had heavy expectations heading into this season as they were ranked as the top team in 3A. Injuries slowed the team down but Burnett kept their focus. After a close win over Edwardsville at their conference meet followed by a close loss to the Tigers at the Quincy Regional, O’Fallon came back to win the Edwardsville Sectional then finishing third in the 3A state meet. It was their third team trophy in a row. No other school has been able to do that in that time frame.

Michael Danner of Lyons Township lost most of their nucleus from their 2102 third place team. In the ultra-heavy West Suburban Silver Conference, Lyons Township took their lumps against heavyweights like Hinsdale Central and York. They kept a philosophy of running together in a tight pack. They finished fourth in their conference meet. That tight pack also gave them a fourth place finish at the 3A State Meet.

In two previous meetings in 2013, defending 3A champion York was able to hold off a hungry Hinsdale Central team. Even with those setbacks and an injury to #1 runner Billy Magnesen in midseason, Coach Jim Westphal kept his team focused and hungry for the state meet. They had run with a tight pack behind Magnesen during the season and showed that again at Detweiller Park. Hinsdale Central’s five runner split was 32 seconds at state giving the Boys Program their first state championship.

Half way through the season, the chances of Downers Grove North to finish high in the state meet looked bleak to outsiders. Coach John Sipple was missing two of his top five runners, Jeremy Craven and Jared Spilky, to injuries. Sipple had two great front runners in Zack Smith and Ryan Clevenger, but everyone knows it takes five runners to be successful in cross country. This was evident to Sipple and his squad. Downers Grove North got their two runners back right before their conference meet. They finished second at their regional and sectional meet. Sipple kept his team believing that they could do great things. It showed in the team’s state performance. The Trojans finished second with Smith and Clevenger earning all-state honors. Credit goes to the runners of course, but also to John Sipple for his approach to the season for his team.

We congratulate John Sipple of Downers Grove North HS as the DyeStat Illinois 2013 3A Boys Coach of the Year.

1A Boys

Elmwood-Brimfield started off the season as the team to beat in 1A Boys. The philosophy of Coach Gregg Meyers is to have his team peak for one race: the State Cross Country Meet. This team started off slowly finishing eleventh at the First to the Finish Invitational 1A race. Remember…one goal, the state meet.

There were still doubts if this team could finish at the top after they finished fourth at their own Sectional. There was still a little optimism because this team only finished seven points out of first. While the focus at the state meet was on Winnebago and Monticello, Elmwood-Brimfield ran their race on the right day and left Detweiller Park with the 1A Boys State Championship.

We congratulate Gregg Meyers of Elmwood-Brimfield HS as the DyeStat Illinois 2013 1A Boys Coach of the Year.

2A – Chris Muth, Yorkville HS

As the Yorkville Boys cross country team celebrated their 2A state championship, Coach Chris Muth stood on the side in peaceful thought and a slight smile on his face. A month before, he did not think that his team would be in this position. They had finished towards the bottom of the high powered Palatine Invitational. Muth did not have four of his top five runners run in that meet due to injuries including All-State Runners Jake & Luke Hoffert. Through patience and no panic, the four runners returned at their conference meet. When they lost to then top ranked Illiana Christian on a sixth runner tiebreaker at the Wheaton Academy Sectional, this team knew it could do what was thought a month ago impossible.

Not only do we recognize Muth at the 2A Boys Coach of the Year, he is also the Overall Boys Coach of the Year.

We congratulate Chris Muth of Yorkville HS as the DyeStat Illinois 2013 Overall Boys Coach of the Year along with the 2A Boys Coach of the Year.