Boys track: A good night for 'a bunch of fast guys'
In only a few words Glenbard North's Paris Miller nailed it.
"It was just a bunch of fast guys," said the senior hurdler, one of many at the 28th Bob Cohoon Invitational on Friday at Downers Grove South.
Miller and teammate Jace James were in the fast heat of the 110- and 300-meter hurdles races at the quality 17-team boys track meet, won by Oak Park ahead of Minooka and a strong Downers Grove North squad. Neuqua Valley tied for sixth with Stevenson.
The two Panthers' seed times had Miller and James running in adjacent lanes, a product of practice preparation.
"On paper it's me and him neck and neck every single time," the 6-foot-3 Miller said. "Some days he beats me, some days I beat him."
It was James' turn Friday. The Northwestern-bound football recruit ran a personal-best 14.71 seconds to win the 110s with Miller in third and Downers North's Joe Keys in fourth, all below 15 seconds.
In the 300s James came within .06 of the Cohoon record, winning in 38.60 seconds. Keys was second at 39.12 and Miller eighth despite tripping over a hurdle down the straightaway.
"This sets the pace for the rest of the season going into the big-time meets - county, conference, sectional," James said.
He noted there's still "a lot more room for improvement." He'll get help from Miller on that.
"It's always nice to have another hurdler on the team that pushes you," James said.
Neuqua Valley coach Mike Kennedy also thought there's room for improvement. Though Isaiah Robinson finished second in the 800-meter run and fourth in the 200, Kai Larson took second in the 400 and Jake McEneaney ran third in the 3,200 the Wildcats didn't win an event. That is an upset even at this stacked meet.
"Hopefully we'll be in the right place at the right time at the end, but we're not there yet," Kennedy said.
Those who were on Friday were Downers Grove North's Alec Danner winning the 3,200 in a smooth 9 minutes, 12.16 seconds; and Hinsdale South's D.J. Anderson, first in triple jump at 45 feet, 7 inches.
Downers North's Tariun Triplett has a history of hamstring pulls and strains but ran a very healthy 10.94 seconds to win the 100 with Downers South's Ian Wisniewski in second. His plan of eating healthy, getting rest, sticking to his workouts and using heat and ice has "obviously paid off," he said. "I've been running a lot faster, I've seen a lot of improvement," said Triplett, who anchored a second-place 400 relay.
For a second straight week Benet was the sole Class 2A school at a 3A meet. It doesn't seem to faze Redwings like hurdlers Michael Welsh and brothers Matt and Will Lang or distance runners Jeff Girardot and Colin Luwanja.
"With the 3A teams there's just a lot of competition, we see where we place with some of the better people in the state," Matt Lang said. "We're obviously focusing on ourselves as well."