Meet the 2018 Northwest Herald Boys Cross Country All-Area Team.
• FIRST TEAM
Jadon Conroy, Huntley, sr. – Conroy had a standout season for the Red Raiders, who won the Fox Valley Conference Meet championship and advanced to the Class 3A State Meet. Conroy took 39th at state, was 13th in the Waubonsie Valley Sectional, second in the Guilford Regional and finished sixth in the FVC Meet. He is a repeat first-team selection.
Ian Geisler, Huntley, jr. – Geisler finished 17th in the Class 3A State Meet to make All-State and lead the Red Raiders to 17th out of 25 teams. The Northwest Herald Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year was FVC runner-up, Guilford Regional champion and Waubonsie Valley Sectional runner-up. He is a repeat first-team selection.
Ryan Jones, Marian Central, jr. – Jones did not miss Class 1A All-State honors by much in his freshman or sophomore years, and made it this year when the Hurricanes were moved up to 2A by taking 24th place. Jones was East Suburban Catholic Conference runner-up, then won the Woodstock Regional and was seventh in the Woodstock North Sectional. He was a second-team selection last season.
Keegan Smalley, Crystal Lake Central, sr. – Smalley finished 20th in the Class 2A State Meet to earn All-State honors, despite battling a slight knee injury that nagged him the week before, when he was 21st at the Woodstock North Sectional. He led the Tigers to the state meet, where they finished 12th out of 25 teams. He was 10th in the FVC Meet and fourth in the Woodstock Regional.
Adam Swanson, Dundee-Crown, sr. – Swanson came off a strong track and field season where he anchored the Chargers’ 4x800-meter relay team to third place in the Class 3A State Meet. He ran strong through most of the season and won the FVC Meet. He battled a slight knee injury the final two weeks and finished 11th at the 3A Grant Regional and 38th at the Hoffman Estates Sectional. He did not qualify for state. He was a second-team selection last season.
• SECOND TEAM
Zach Albrecht, Jacobs, sr.
Maxum Caesar, Cary-Grove, jr.
Mark Lemke, Jacobs, sr.
Jeremy Roe, Huntley, sr.
Derek Warren, Cary-Grove, sr.
• HONORABLE MENTION
Julio Arellano-Zapata, Woodstock, sr.
Ian Barnes, Cary-Grove, fr.
Andrew Doetsch, Jacobs, fr.
Jack Flynn, Crystal Lake Central, sr.
Jessi Garcia, McHenry, jr.
Lucas Janikowski, Dundee-Crown, sr.
Thomas Koschak, Richmond-Burton, sr.
Aidan Schleutermann, Woodstock, so.
Chris Simek, Huntley, sr.
Peter Walsdorf, Marian Central, so.