Boys track and field: Batavia defends Kane County meet
Nick Stuttle was the lone Kane County individual champion for the Batavia boys track and field team Friday in Maple Park.
The Bulldogs would not add another title until Chad McMarrow anchored the 1,600-meter relay to victory in the final event.
But Batavia more than overcame several brilliant individual efforts from its rival programs to defend its team title with 131 points.
West Aurora had showstopping performances from Connor McCue, DaVion Cross and Camron Donatlan, but the Blackhawks were a distant runner-up with 101 points.
Host Kaneland was third (96.5 points), followed by St. Charles East (87.5), Geneva (78), St. Charles North (77) and Marmion (39).
South Elgin, East Aurora, St. Edward, Aurora Central Catholic, Dundee-Crown, Larkin, Elgin and Streamwood rounded out the second-tier of the 16-team field.
"Our coach (Dennis Piron) is always saying the other teams are going to have a couple of key guys," said Stuttle, who captured the 110 high hurdles in 15.36 seconds over Kaneland senior Tanner Robertson.
"First place is worth 10 (points), but our seconds and third are worth 14. We all chip off little points here and there. Everyone contributes and every point adds up."
"There was a lot of pride to be able to (defend)," said McMarrow, who teamed with junior classmates Will Akers, Michael Stanley and Josh Young in the relay (3:26:43). "I'm sure for everyone that they don't want to be that one guy to lose it."
McCue, meanwhile, was one of two individual double-winners on the track.
The Loyola-bound senior improved his Class 3A state-leading time in dominating the 800 run in 1:52.72, five hundredths off the county record.
McCue came back to win the 1,600 with equal ease in 4:25.5.
"It's hard to run by yourself out here," McCue said. "I did my best with it. I've had a really tough week of training. I got the points for my team."
Cross shattered the triple-jump county record by more than two feet with his winning distance of 48 feet, 6.5 inches.
The junior, the reigning state runner-up, made his senior teammate - defending state champion Chris Walker - settle for second.
"I came out here with a strong mentality," Cross said. "I was just amazed (for breaking the record)."
Donatlan had never performed the high jump before this season, but the Blackhawks' athletically freakish sophomore soared 6-9 to claim the title.
"This year I was like, 'I have to give (track) a shot,'" Donatlan said. "I just have to try and keep my right form to get over (the bar)."
"We had to coax (Donatlan) out," West Aurora coach Cortney Lamb said. "I think we've got him hooked. He has the potential to go over 7 (feet)."
Geneva senior Justin Taormina had the greatest night of his track and field career.
Taormina swept the 100 and 200 dashes in respective times of 10.81 and 22.14 seconds; the Minnesota State recruit led off the Vikings' championship 800 relay and finished fourth in the long jump.
"That's a cool title to have," Taormina said of being called "the fastest boy in the county" by the PA announcer. "It was just a great, great night. It's my senior year, and senior year is always your best year. That's why I went out with a bang."
The other winners were as follows: 3,200 relay, Kaneland, 8:05.22; 400 relay: Kaneland, 43.01; 3,200 run, Andrew Burroughs, Marmion, 9:42.93; 400, Devon Kelly, St. Charles East; 300 intermediate hurdles, James Cooper, St. Charles East.
In the field: pole vault, Hank Zimmer, St. Charles North, 14-1; long jump, Isaiah Brown, Marmion, 22-5; shot put, John Boenzi, Geneva, 51-7; discus: Tristan Kinder, Kaneland, 144-10.