Boys track and field: 'A successful day' for WW South
One final time, Cedric Rowzee owned his home track.
The Wheaton Warrenville South senior won the 100- and 200-meter dashes Saturday at the Red Grange Invitational.
"It's our last home meet, my last Red Grange, sadly," said Rowzee, clocked at 11.22 seconds in the 100 and 23.10 in the 200, slowing near the end.
"With today's wind I really didn't want to do a lot, I just wanted to win my events at least. But this is bittersweet, kind of, my last meet here. It was a good day, a successful day," said Rowzee, part of a second-place 400-meter relay with Robert Gerwing, D.J. Almada and Nasri Khayal.
Successful too in that WW South placed second in the 18-team, tri-level meet. Batavia's 186 points paced the Tigers (151), Evanston (150), Glenbard West (132) and Metea Valley (117). Naperville North was eighth, Waubonsie Valley 10th.
Like Rowzee, 400-meter heat winner Steven Twietmeyer felt the moment as well as joining the Tigers' signature event, the 1,600-meter relay.
"It feels great, especially at this meet, the Red Grange," the senior said. "It's just such a traditional meet at Wheaton South. Just to carry the torch, it's awesome."
Field events keyed Glenbard West. Adam Dau placed second in A-level shot put and discus, Oscar Berrun won the A-level long jump, Diego Villalobos won the B-level and also A-level triple jump.
Victimized by hip flexor, patellar tendinitis and heel injuries over the years, Villalobos went 43 feet, 10 inches and scratched a try of 46-1.
"I think now, the outdoor season of my senior year, I'm feeling really healthy," he said.
Metea Valley's Pryce Giwa-Osagie equaled his best high jump mark at a winning 6-5 and just ticked the bar at 6-6.
The Mustangs' Eden Sweeney, Temi Osobamiro, Nikola Maric and anchor Virgil Steward won the 400-meter relay and ran third in the 800 relay. Osobamiro trailed only Rowzee in the 100 dash and Berrun in A-level long jump. He has become a four-event man.
"As long as I enjoy it, that's what matters to me, and that kind of helps get through the rather strenuous amount of events that I do. But like I said, it's fun," Osobamiro said.
Naperville North's Jake Allen set a B-level record in the 3,200 run, at 9:27.54. On the other end of the spectrum Huskies sophomore Andrew Li placed fourth in the 100 and 200.
"I know there's really fast kids at this meet like Cedric (Rowzee), and Temi from Metea Valley, but you've just got to believe in yourself, understand that I can keep up with these guys and just compete to the best of my ability," said Li, an all-state swimmer.
More than five hours after the meet began Waubonsie Valley's Aden Stapleton was one of the last two athletes standing, second in pole vault at 13-8 to equal the Class 3A qualifying mark.
"After (indoor DuPage Valley) conference I had a rocky start for the first couple meets until I got the 13-8s going," Stapleton said. "So it's been feeing good to get that consistent state 'qual.'"