Both Naperville North teams and the Neuqua Valley boys squad will head down to Detweiller Park in Peoria for Saturday's state meet.
The Naperville North boys finished 2008 as the Class 3A champions, edging out York by a point.
Neuqua Valley finished fourth a year ago, as did the North girls.
Kyle Gibson (Naperville North), Danny Pawola (Neuqua Valley) and David McWilliams (North), all top 10 finishers last year, have graduated but their teams remain strong.
That's because Tyler Jermann (North) and Aaron Beattie (Neuqua) both have stepped up as each team's respective top runner. They've also provided leadership.
Freshman Emily Smith (second at the St. Charles East sectional; 18 minutes, 42.1 seconds) has emerged as a stable presence for North's girls. Seniors Jamie Schertz and Joanna Brodecki have kept the team focused the past few weeks.
"We definitely have benefited from the maturity and experience of all of our returners throughout the year," North girls coach Dan Iverson said.
The Neuqua boys easily won the Lockport Sectional, beating runner-up Lyons Township 35 points to 60. Beattie finished second at Dellwood Park (16:18) and teammate David Wing took fifth, in 16:35. Four Wildcats finished among the top 10 at the Saturday meet.
"We run with our heads to begin and run with our hearts to finish," Wildcats coach Paul Vandersteen said. He said the team "executed the plan to perfection." His runners -- except for Beattie -- packed together until the 2.25-mile mark at Dellwood Park.
The Naperville North boys defeated Wheaton Warrenville South 85 points to 92 to win the St. Charles East sectional. Jermann won the race in 15:50.5.
"The kids feel good about winning the sectional," North boys coach Dave Racey said. "It gives them an added boost of confidence for Saturday's race.
North's girls finished second to WW South, 69 points to 66. Jamie Schertz joined Smith in the top 10 at St. Charles with her ninth-place, 19:16.5 finish.
All three teams figure to finish their strong seasons with solid performances at state. They certainly have impressed Dyestat.com, a running Web site which ranks teams throughout the country.
Neuqua goes into Saturday ranked second in the state's 3A field and the North boys check in at
14th. Iverson's North girls are ranked No. 10 in their 3A poll.
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