By Michael Newman

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Here is a glimpse of what happened at each of the 3A Boys Sectional Meets that took place on May 22-23, 2014 throughout Illinois

 

THURSDAY

 

Chicago St. Ignatius Sectional (at Concordia U, River Forest)

Highlights

• Oak Park-River Forest positioned themselves for next weekend in Charleston advancing ten in winning this sectional with 96 points. Four points only separated second place Lane Tech and third place St. Ignatius.

 

• It was thought that Conor Dunham would not make to Charleston a month ago. A hip flexor problem was the roadblock for him. He is healthy and it showed in this meet on Thursday. He won the 110 Meter High Hurdles in a personal best 14.15. Imani Payton (North Lawndale Prep, Chicago) finished second (14.51). The finish was the same in the 300 Intermediate Hurdles as Dunham ran a personal best 37.85. Payton was next more than a second back (38.99). Payton won the Long Jump with a personal best 22-10 jump.

 

• The 400 Meter Relay was the best relay event of the day. North Lawndale Prep looked great at the City Championships and that trend continued at this sectional. They won the event (42.07) with Lane Tech and Oak Park-River Forest also qualifying.

 

Homewood-Flossmoor Sectional

Highlights

• Thornton staked its claim as a 3A team championship favorite advancing 11 to Charleston as they won this tough sectional scoring 95 points. Host Homewood-Flossmoor was second with 66 points. The Wildcats’ relays look to be event favorites next week on the blue track. Their 400 Meter Relay ran a state best 41.43 to win a quick final ahead of Bloom Township (41.71) and Crete-Monee (42.63). Thornton changed it up in the 800 Meter Relay substituting up to three regulars. Their sprint depth showed as they won the event (1:28.35) just ahead of Bradley Bourbonnais (1:28.45).

 

• Perhaps the best race of the night was the 800 Meter Run. Johnny Leverenz (Danville HS) held off Matt Aniywo (Homewood-Flossmoor HS) for the win (1:51.14). Anyiwo was second (1:51.95). Both of those times are among the top ten best nationally. Aniywo did not have time to celebrate, He was back on the track in the 400 Meter Dash some 20 minutes later. The senior won the event (48.44) ahead of teammate Emmanuel Spearman by more than a second. Leverenz came back to win a tactical 1600 ahead of Lincoln-Way Central’s Tommy Kolacki (4:22.41 – 4:22.90). The question will be whether Leverenz will attempt that double next weekend at Charleston.

 

• The hurdle races were loaded at this meet. Six athletes surpassed the qualifying standards making it to Charleston. It was a close finish as Ti’fonte Hunt (Thornton HS, Harvey) nipped Daylen Hubbard (Bloom Township, Chicago Heights) by only one hundredth of a second (14.28 – 14.29). Austin Corydon (Lincoln-Way East HS, Frankfort) qualified in the shorter hurdle races, then came back to win the 300 intermediates (39.16) just three hundredths ahead of Adonis Barnes (Thornton Frac North, Calumet City).

 

• Jonah Wiley (Bloom Township HS, Chicago Heights also qualified in the shorter hurdle race in third. He made the most noise in the Long Jump. He won the event with the second best jump in the state (23-11). Temammate Malik Jenkins won the Triple Jump (46-7) cementing himself as a favorite in that event at state.

 

• Mike Monroe (Providence Catholic HS, New Lenox) tuned up for his state meet battle with Jonathan Wells with a win in the High Jump clearing 6-9. Alex Daubon (Homewood-Flossmoor HS) and Anthony Colangelo (Lincoln-Way East HS, Frankfort) cleared 6-7 to also qualify for state.

 

Joliet West Sectional

Highlights

• The track and conditions cooperated at this sectional Thursday evening as a boat load of athletes punched their tickets to Charleston. Minooka advanced eight to Charleston and won this ultra-tough sectional meet with 88 ½ points. Neuqua Valley was next with 67 points.

 

• Speed killed in this meet in a big way. The athlete to watch in next week’s state meet will be Kahmari Montgomery (Central HS, Plainfield). In the 400 Meter Dash, Nick Rafacz (Neuqua Valley HS, Naperville) had made up the stagger on Montgomery in the middle of the rack. In the last 150 meters, Montgomery accelerated. It did not seem like it but he did. The junior crossed the line in an amazing 47.42. Chris Wilson (Minooka HS) ran a personal best 48.18, but he seemed like he was in a distant second place. Four runners total were under 49 seconds in this race. Montgomery came back to win the 200 Meter Dash (21.69) ahead of 100 Meter Dash champ Shederick Majors (East HS, Plainfield).

 

• The 800 Meter Relay qualified seven to Charleston with Plainfield East coming up on top. The Bengals, anchored by Shederick Majors, crossed the line just barely under 1:27 (1:26.97) making them a team to watch at state.

 

• The distance races failed to disappoint in this sectional. Dan Lathrop (South HS, Plainfield) pulled away in the last 200 meters to win the 3200 (9:10.73) ahead of Joseph Suarez (East HS, Plainfield). The story of this race, however, was Michael Widmann (Neuqua Valley HS, Naperville) who finished eighth and qualified. In the last 20 meters, Widmann began to falter falling 10 meters from the finish. He got up and dove at the finish line. He qualified by less than a second.

 

• Lathrop came back in the 1600 with a win. He sprinted away from Connor Horn (Neuqua Valley HS, Naperville) in the last 100 meters to run 4:18.40 for the victory. Horn finished with a 4:18.90 personal best in second.

 

• Ty Moss (Neuqua Valley HS, Naperville) won the 800 Meter Run waiting until the last 100 meters to move away from Connor and Brady McCue (West HS, Aurora). The winning time for Moss was 1:54.72. 40 minutes earlier, the Neuqua junior ran a 1:53 anchor to get his 3200 Meter relay team to the state meet finishing third. Oswego East pulled away in the last 100 meters holding off Plainfield South for the win.

 

• Moss was a part of Neuqua’s winning 1600 Meter Relay. Neuqua’s Zac Espinosa just edged Sam Bransby (Central HS, Naperville) at the line to give the Wildcats a three hundredths of a second win (3:19.07 – 3:19.10).

 

Palatine Sectional

Highlights

• Barrington edged Palatine 61-56 for the sectional title. Fremd was only two points behind Palatine in third. Lake Forest was another point back in fourth. Lake Forest had an impressive win in the 400 Meter Relay with a season’s best of 42.06. It was a close battle in the 3200 Relay where Hersey held off Barrington (7:50.56 – 7:51.91) for the win.

 

• The legend of Matt Pereira (Lake Zurich HS) continues to grow. The freshman had a double win winning the 3200 (9:12.66) close to six seconds ahead of Andrew Philipose (Hersey HS, Arlington Heights). Pereira came back to win the 1600 (4:16.78) just ahead of Bryce Richards (Mundelein HS). Earlier in the meet, Richards won the 800 Meter Run (1:54.91) just ahead of Nick Vucovich (Fremd HS, Palatine). In the 1600 Meter Run, nine runners ran under 4:22 to qualify for the state meet.

 

• Scotty Miller (Barrington HS) just nipped Titus Booker (North HS, Grayslake) by one hundredth of a second to win the 100 Meter Dash (10.84 – 10.85). The two repeated the finish in the 200 with Miller running 21.79 for the win.

 

 

Wilmette Loyola Academy Sectional

Highlights

• Evanston Township qualified nine to Charleston winning this sectional scoring 106 ½ points. The eye opening event of the evening was in the 3200 Meter Relay. New Trier won the race with the fastest time in the state (7:43.65) winning by more than 15 seconds ahead of Prospect.

 

• Carl Klamm (Evanston Township HS) will be going after a tough double at the state meet. He started off his night winning the 800 Meter Run (1:55.67). He came back 30 minutes later to win the 400 Meter Dash (49.19). Klamm was also a part of Evanston’s winning 1600 Meter Relay team (3:19.17).

 

FRIDAY

 

Bartlett Sectional (at Elgin Memorial Stadium)

Highlights

• Schaumburg advanced nine to Charleston winning this sectional with 94 ½ points. Batavia finished second with 79 points. The Saxons continue to look strong in the sprint relays winning both Friday night. The 400 Meter Relay ran 41.59 to win by more than a second ahead of Bartlett. The two teams went 1-2 in the 800 Meter Relay with Schaumburg on top (1:28.40).

 

• Blaine Bartel (Geneva HS) won a highly competitive 800 Meter Run. His time (1:54.72) was a half second ahead of second place Ryan Wieties (Batavia HS). Batavia, with Wieties part of the quartet, won the 3200 Meter Relay (7:53.16) three seconds ahead of St. Charles North.

 

Chicago St. Rita Sectional

Highlights

• Lyons Township advanced nine to Charleston in winning this sectional with 104 points. Riverside-Brookfield finished second. Eric Walker (St. Rita HS, Chicago) will be a hurdler to watch this weekend. He won on his home track Friday night (14.61) just nine hundredth of a second ahead of Gerrand Moody (Riverside-Brookfield HS).

 

Edwardsville Sectional

Highlights

• Host Edwardsville flexed their muscles in a big way on their home track Friday night. The Tigers qualified nine winning the sectional with 109 points. The sprint relays were deadly fast at this meet. Edwardsville started that off running their seasonal best and second fastest time in the state (41.47) in the 400 Meter Relay. A surprising Bloomington squad finished second. Five schools qualified out of this event.

 

• Edwardsville continued that trend in the 800 Meter Relay winning in 1:27.32. Belleville West was the only other team under 1:28 (1:27.68) finishing a close second. Seven schools qualified out of that event.

 

• East St. Louis-Senior has a big tradition in the 1600 Relay. Last year, they won the 2A relay over Cahokia and Kaneland. They are on track to “repeat” but this time in 3A. The Flyers ran the fastest time in the state (3:16.45) winning the event close to three seconds ahead of Belleville West and Edwardsville who were both under 3:20.

 

• Kyrin Tucker (Normal Community West HS) won a dual over Martinus Mitchell (Collinsville HS) in both of the weight events. Tucker won the Shot Put in a personal best effort (61-4 ¾). Mitchell finished second almost two feet back (59-8 ¾). Tucker came back to win the Discus (174-5) almost ten feet ahead of Mitchell. This is a showdown that will continue this weekend in Charleston.

 

• Craig James (Edwardsville HS) will be a key to the success for his team next weekend in Charleston. James won the 110 Meter Hurdles (14.07) just eight hundredths ahead of William Session (14.07). James came back to win the 300 Intermediate Hurdles (38.10) just ahead of teammate Isaiah Michal.

 

• Cole Henderson (Pekin HS) qualified for three events at this sectional. He got off to a great start winning the 100 Meter Dash (10.59) ahead of Leland Groves (Normal Community West HS). Henderson placed second in the Long Jump (22-7 ½) just one inch behind event winner Fontez Davis (Edwardsville HS). Henderson ended his day finishing second in the 200 Meter Dash (21.59) just three hundredths behind Cary Lockhart (Bloomington HS).

 

• Patrick Perrier (O’Fallon HS) cruised in both of his wins in the distances. He won the 3200 Meter Run (9:16.88) then came back to finish second behind teammate Dorrian Gordon (O’Fallon HS) in the 1600 Meter Run.

 

Huntley Sectional

Highlights

• DeKalb held off host Huntley to win this sectional meet 75-73. Grant Community finished third five points back.

 

• Jonathan Wells could push his team into trophy contention after qualifying for three events in this sectional. He jumped a personal best 23-5 2/4 to win the Long Jump. Wells qualified easily in the High Jump clearing 6-9. He went to the track where he won the 110 Meter High Hurdles (14.56).

 

• The weight events were strong in this meet with six athletes qualifying for state in both the Discus and the Shot Put. Jared Kern (Harlem HS, Machesney Park) won the Shot Put (57-1). Rickey Hurley (Cary-Grove HS) will be in contention for the Discus at state. He won on Friday with a 180-4 throw.

 

• Jesse Reiser (McHenry HS) will enter this weekend as the distance runner to watch in 3A. He won the 3200 (9:09.44), then came back to win the 1600 Meter Run (4:17.64)

 

Romeoville Sectional (@ Lewis University)

Highlights

• Downers Grove North qualified ten to Charleston to win this sectional with 103 points. Bolingbrook finished next with 80 ½ points.

 

• Sandburg loaded their 3200 relay for this sectional race. The result shows that they will contend for the event championship at Charleston. The Eagles won the race (7:47.56) four seconds ahead of Downers Grove North.

 

• Downers Grove North dominated the distance races winning all three individual events. Zack Smith qualified in both the 3200 and 1600. He kicked away from Billy Magnesen (Central HS, Hinsdale) to win the 3200 Meter Run (9:16.28 – 9:17.17). Smith and Magnesen finished third and fourth in the 1600. Ryan Clevenger (North HS, Downers Grove) won the 1600 (4:17.02) just edging Denis O’Callaghan (Sandburg HS, Orland Park) by 47 hundredths of a second.

 

Roselle Lake Park Sectional

Highlights

Lake Park is ready to go after their fifth 3A title in a row. The Lancers advanced 12 to Charleston winning the sectional on their home track scoring 127 ½ points. York finished second with 114 points. The Dukes will be a team to watch in Charleston. They qualified seven individuals and two relays to state.

 

Zach Dale (Conant HS, Hoffman Estates) easily won the 3200 Meter Run running the last 1600 in 4:31 for the win. The story of this race was that Nolan McKenna (Wheaton-Warrenville South HS) had to drop out at 2000 meters. The all state runner had injured his ankle after conference and was on crutches days before the meet. Teammates had to carry him back to the team area. Dale came back to win the 1600 (4:15.34). Alex Bashqawai (York HS, Elmhurst) finished next a second back. Matt Plowman (York HS, Elmhurst) ran in control in the 800 Meter Run going past the first 400 in 60 seconds. He cruised home to win the event (1:56.59) ahead of Jack Peters (Glenbard East HS, Lombard).

 

One of the reasons for Lake Park’s success has been the field events. It is no different this year. Curtwan Evans and Mike Prestigiacomo qualified in both weight events. Evans won the Shot Put (58-3 ½) then finished second behind Stephen Hubona (Benet Academy, Lisle) in the Discus. Hubona’s final throw of 177-1 won the event.

 

Marcus Jegede (Lake Park HS, Roselle) has been recovering from hamstring problems. He qualified in both the Long Jump and the Triple Jump taking one attempt in each to qualify.

 

Antonio Shenault (Lake Park HS) will challenge for the championship in the 110 High Hurdles. He won the event in 14.11 seven tenths of a second ahead of Steven Conner (North HS, Wheaton). Shenault qualified in the 300 Hurdles finishing second behind Jarvis Hill (York HS, Elmhurst).

 

Part of York’s chances at state will come from the success of Josh Farrar. He was a double winner in the 100 (10.79) and the 200 (21.60). Both of York’s sprint relays won fairly easily. They won the 400 Relay 42.12 just ahead of Lake Park. The Dukes won the 800 Relay (1:28.46) close to two seconds ahead of Glenbard West.