But even before the gun goes off to start the first race, we've got a boatload of pre-season rankings, predictions and prognostications. Every cross country writer and fan wants to weigh in on who they think is going to be the best team this year. And at the center of much of this speculation is the 2015 Sandburg boys cross country team.
So, first of all, let me make this perfectly clear. THIS MEANS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
I guess this attention is somewhat natural after a very successful 2014 season that saw the Eagles squad finish 2nd at the Illinois State Meet, then blitz the field at the Nike Midwest Regional and wrap things up with a 15th place finish in Portland at the Nike NXN Nationals.
But that was 2014.
This year's team has won nothing this season. Zero races. They've out-kicked no opponents. They've yet to test themselves against any of the great Illinois teams that have their minds set on capturing a State trophy. Our guys know that. They realize how much work and focus and dedication that it took for the 2014 team to have that kind of success. They know that nothing will be given to them just because they are back for another year.
Let's start with the Illinois XC 2015: Preseason Preview Series by Raymond Lewis at MileSplit IL. They've got the Eagles ranked number one in Illinois.
You can read about it here.
Next up is a comprehensive preview of the Top 30 3A boys teams by Mike Newman at DyeStat IL. Mike also has Sandburg as his number one team in Illinois.
You can read about it here.
Tony Jones at MileSplit IL did a great piece on the Eagles for his Workout Wednesday series. It includes a nice video on the team, as well as an interview with Coach O'Malley.
You can check it out here.
MileSplit USA is releasing their Pre-season National Boys XC Team Rankings Countdown by Bryan Deibel. They've got the Sandburg Eagles ranked as the number 2 team in the United States!
You can read about it here.
Bill Meylan at Tullyrunners.com put together his 2015 Pre-Season Projections. He ranked the Eagles as the number 3 team in the United States.
You can read about it here.
So there you have it. I hope this gets you amped for the start of the season. Now let's get to the races and really find out who is the best!