Boys track and field: Batavia relay team, West Aurora pair are state champs
CHARLESTON - Not even the winner could tell who won, much less the roaring crowd assembled at the 123rd boys track and field state finals on Saturday.
"I was really hoping," said Batavia senior Michael Stanley, who anchored the Bulldogs' 800-meter relay and ran shoulder-to-shoulder with runners from Class 3A stalwarts Hoffman Estates and East St. Louis.
"Usually I'm pretty good with lean-ins and edging people out," he said. "But I really didn't know until I saw it on the board."
Out of Lane 8 it was Batavia in 1 minute, 27.01 seconds, .05 seconds ahead of Hoffman Estates.
"I just saw East St. Louis and Hoffman Estates in the lead and Stanley, he's got that 400 stamina and would not be defeated," said Jay Hunt, who took the first handoff from leadoff man Jordan Birkhaug. Junior Jeremiah Evers ran the third leg with the three seniors.
If Stanley wasn't positive about the outcome, Evers was: "As soon as I saw Jay come around the corner I knew we had this race, had it in the bag."
"Shock and awe" was how Birkhaug described the win, Batavia's first state relay win since 2011.
"Last night it was a dream," Birkhaug said. "Today it's a reality."
Several boys lived the dream at O'Brien Stadium, where Edwardsville won Class 3A ahead of East St. Louis and Bloomington.
West Aurora junior Cameron Donatlan defended his 3A high jump title, clearing an even 7 feet for the first time, two inches higher than in 2016.
"The whole week I told my coaches I was going to get 7, and they said, show me instead of just talking," said Donatlan, who mainly felt relieved.
"I'm blessed, that's what it is, that's my secret," said Donatlan, helping his squad to a fifth-place finish.
St. Charles North's Peter Willis finished second and Hunt third, both at 6-7, and Batavia's Peter Rudelich picked up points in 8th at 6-5.
Willis felt he benefited by a cast of familiar finalists including West Aurora's DaQuan Cross.
"It helped with my nerves 100 percent," Willis said. "As soon as we all got together I was like, this is a normal meet."
DaVion Cross, DaQuan's twin, joined Blackhawks teammate Donatlan in the winner's circle.
DaVion Cross briefly took the lead in triple jump at 49-2 before Lake's Cameron Ruiz immediately eclipsed it with a state-record 51-1, but Cross' preliminary long jump mark of 23-11¼ held for that title. He credited jumps coach Chuck Hilby.
"He's one of the coolest, greatest coaches I've ever met," Cross said. "He never gives up on you no matter what. His spirit is higher than yours, like he's competing."
Huntley's Dubem Anikamadu got a "huge confidence boost" out of his third-place finish in the 200 dash and eighth-place 100. Crystal Lake South's Sam Peschke went all the way up to second in pole vault, and Geneva earned all-state berths by Tyler Dau in the 1,600 and Brian Kuehl's second-place 800.
"With this performance I'd like to thank my coaching staff and parents," said Kuehl, who ran a 1:53.88. "It's been a four-year journey to get here."
In Class 2A, Kaneland's Matt Richtman saw his 1,600-meter race as something of a bonus to his team, on top of his second-place 3,200 run in 9 minutes, 23.47 seconds.
"I am our last option," he said, and the 3 points he scored with his seventh-place 1,600 lifted the Knights over Geneseo for the third-place trophy. Freeport and Normal-University shared the lead at 37, Kaneland third with 33 points to Geneseo's 31.
"I can't believe it. We didn't win an invite the whole year," said first-year Knights coach Andy Drendel as his predecessor and former coach, Eric Baron, joined him on the infield.
Kaneland added points from Danny Walker's second-place pole vault and thirds in both shot put and discus by junior Clayton Hannula.
"I would have liked to have placed first, but I'm still glad with how I competed here," said Hannula, who threw the shot 57-4¼ and the disc 172-9. "I've still got another year ahead of me so I'm just using this as motivation for next year."
Like Batavia's Hunt - who gritted his 3A 800-meter relay gold medal in his teeth while jogging from the award stand to high jump - Marmion's Seth Groom could have used a golf cart.
The junior opened with a 22 foot, 10-inch long jump to eventually earn the 2A silver there, then shuttled between triple jump and high jump. In triple Groom went 46-2 on his first try and despite tiring cleared a personal-best 6-8 in high jump on his third try, his third second-place finish and 24th point of the day. Add Michael Ronzone's ninth-place 1,600 and the Cadets' ninth-place 3,200 relay and Marmion tied for ninth in 2A.
"Me getting second in all three events just means there's more room for improvement, and I can use it as a learning experience, what to do, what not to do," Groom said. "Really I just look forward to next year, trying to get all gold."
Also in 2A, Burlington Central's Michael Kalusa, Josh Teets, Aakansh Sharma and Adam Kries placed third in the 1,600 relay then credited coaches Mike Schmidt and Jon Pollock. Aurora Central Catholic's McKimmon Englehardt took sixth in the 300 hurdles and the Chargers Brant Krpan ended his senior-year roll ninth in shot put.
In Class 1A, won by Illini West, Westminster Christian junior Jason Yaccino finished fourth in the 800 with a time of 1:56.56, nearly seven seconds faster than his sectional time.
"The difference between then and now is just mental," Yaccino said. "I was prepared to run a sub-2 (minute) at sectional, I just didn't have the drive to win. In the prelims I screwed my head on better and gave it my all."