Can Block hit the water?
Splashdown!
Can Lake Park junior Dan Block throw a discus into Lake Ellyn?
The answer awaits Saturday at Glenbard West's annual Jim Arnold Invite. But as the old Magic 8-Ball says, signs point to yes.
Entering the week of April 14, Block was without any discus marks, the Lancers having had four meets canceled due to bad weather.
"It's kind of a weird thing to be picking it up now," the reigning Class AA discus champ said at the time.
In a stunning, historic flurry of action, Block set the IHSA record book on its ear once the weather turned.
In an April 15 triangular meet Block threw the disc 196-8½. That ranked behind only the 1982 mark of 198-4 set by Marist's Gary Kostrubala in 1982.
The next day at the Fremd Throwers Invite he sent the disc 199-8 for a new state record. He fouled on a throw of 215-8.
On April 18 at Lake Zurich, his discus was down into the 170s. In shot put, however, he threw the metal ball totally out of the sector for a new personal-best mark of 63-5, which ranks sixth in the nation. The state mark is 66-1¾ by Larkin's Kevin Coleman in the 1988 Class AA finals.
Finally, in a triangular meet on Tuesday, Block became the first Illinois high schooler to throw the discus 200 feet. His throw of 201-5 ranks fifth in the country.
Last year Block skipped two discs into Lake Ellyn during warmups. He then settled for a meet-record 175 feet.
This year? The spotters best be wearing hip waders.
Quote of the week: Wheaton Academy coach Bill Bickhart brought his squad to last week's Peterson Prep Invite in Kaneland for the first time in nine years.
Addressing the Warriors' feelings on facing West Aurora-type quality and programs several times Wheaton Academy's size, Bickhart said, "It's that 'Wow' factor."
Up and coming? There's good news percolating within an Addison Trail track program that hasn't had much luck in recent years.
At last weekend's Glenbard South Raider Invite the Blazers' 800-meter relay recorded a time of 1 minute, 34.7 seconds, good for second place.
Yes, it was wind-aided. But for a track team that hasn't qualified an athlete to the state meet since sprinter Brian Taylor in 1997 it was encouraging, particularly in Addison Trail's first outdoor meet of the year.
This is a program that, due to low numbers, has struggled to even fill its relays.
Further work on handoffs may allow junior Justin West, sophomores Frank Cervantes and Matt Halberthal and senior Rudy Esparza -- whom coach Bruce Kelsay called "the glue" of the unit -- to shave five seconds and reach the qualifying standard.
Halberthal is a nice story. Back problems run in his family, Kelsay said, and in the fall the sophomore's back got jarred playing football.
Halberthal was out until April 18, when in addition to helping on the relay he placed fifth in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes.
"He feels absolutely no pain," said Kelsay, whose Blazers join Driscoll at Oswego tonight. "What a wonderful addition to have back, and what a great kid.
"Anything that he can do is a bonus for us. He's right back like he's been training all year."
Cross your fingers.
The long and short of it: The Wanner Invitational at Prospect, to be held today for the 40th time, is a distance mecca.
Enough so that out-of-state individuals and teams show up to prove themselves. This year 24 entrants have registered, with 14 teams in the 3,200-meter relay.
Mention "distance" and "3,200 relay" and York must enter the conversation.
Last season at Prospect, York's 3,200 relay won it in 7 minutes, 43.6 seconds. Naperville Central did it in a very brisk 8-flat -- and finished fifth.
Crazy, but York's sprint relays might be ahead of their legendary distance group.
In a triangular on Tuesday, the 800 relay of Nick Perrino, Khara Williams, John Fox and Steve Cripe broke a school record that had stood since 1987, going 1 minute, 28.3 seconds.
Last Friday at Downers Grove South's Bob Cahoon Invite, the 400 relay of Spencer Ingle, Williams, Fox and Cripe tied a meet record at 42.4, second-fastest in school history.
The Dukes closed the meet with a victorious 1,600 relay of Rojin Thomas, Kyle Khoury, Jimmy Sullivan and Cripe, in his second 400 ever. They ran a half-second above state-qualifying at 3:24.5.
"For us at this time of the year, that's pretty good," said York coach Stan Reddel, whose huge squad requires lineup tinkering all the way to the state meet in Charleston.
In the 3,200 relay York distance coach Charlie Kern surrounded senior Mark Talbot with two sophomores and a junior. They pulled in at 8:01.2, under state-qualifying.
That was only the second time Talbot ran since the cross country season. The Dukes top distance ace, Illinois-bound Tom Achtien, competed for the first time since a stress fracture late in the cross country season.
In the same 1,600 as Neuqua Valley superstar Chris Derrick (who went 4:15), Achtien turned in a smart 4:22.5. Tonight at Prospect both Achtien and all-state junior Steve Sulkin will run the 3,200.
"I think last year at that (Downers South) meet he ran the mile in about 4:19, so he's a little off where he was last year," Reddel said of Achtien.
"But my goodness, he had a lot more race experience. That was his first race of the year, so if he can run in the 4:20s we feel good about it."
Also…: Glenbard East senior Bobby Kaputska comes off his personal-best shot put throw of 55 feet, 2 inches at last week's Raider Invite, as the Rams join Benet and Downers Grove South at Hinsdale South's Mike Yavorski Invite today.
Waubonsie Valley coach Brian Beyers hosts West Chicago, Wheaton Warrenville South and Neuqua Valley at the Red Ribbon Classic on Saturday. Also in attendance will be Danville, led by former Waubonsie Valley coach Steve Luke. His throws coach? His brother and former Warriors football coach, B.J. Luke.