Thode, state hopefuls ready to go
Going from relative obscurity to a star is something Conant junior Jeff Thode was not looking to do at the Mid-Suburban League track and field meet at Buffalo Grove on Friday night.
But when you run the second-fastest 1,600-meter time in the nation, people are bound to notice.
"I don't mind not being in the spotlight," Thode said. "But I don't mind the attention either."
Thode will certainly be in the spotlight during the 1,600-meter run at the Palatine Class AA sectional tonight.
In a field that will also feature Kevin Hayek of Prospect, Pat Lesiewicz of Schaumburg, Kevin Havel of Hersey, Mike Della Penna of Lake Park and Mat Smoody of Palatine, Thode will be the front-runner with a state-best 4:10.8 making him the top seed.
Eighteen teams will converge on Palatine for the sectional. Field events and running events prelims start at 4:30 p.m. with finals on the track scheduled to start at 6:30.
While all eyes will be focused on the track when the finals start, all eyes also will be pointed to the sky when Lake Park junior Dan Block begins his quest to set a state meet record in the discus.
Block is the only thrower in state history to toss the disc more than 200 feet and will look to do the same at Palatine.
Taylor Stubbs and Andrew Petro of Hersey and Matt Kennedy and Matt Babicz of Prospect also figure to hit the qualifying mark.
Block will also be the one to catch in the shot put as well. His 63-foot-plus effort is among the best ever in the state.
Kennedy, Eric Bergman of Elk Grove and Jeff Bobek of Fremd all will factor in among the state qualifiers.
Overshadowed by some of the top field events performances at the conference meet last week was the performance of Rolling Meadows junior Mick Viken. Viken, who has missed the entire season with to a foot injury, vaulted for the first time last week, clearing 14-3 and 15-3 in just one attempt each.
Joining Viken this time will be teammate James Shawley. Shawley cleared 13-9, the state qualifying mark in the vault, last week for the first time.
John Wood of Fremd, Greg Haugh of Lake Park and Kyle Reid of Conant also figure to hit the heights.
The jumps always seem to get everyone fired up and with returning state medalists Ty Kirk of Rolling Meadows and Tim Williams of Palatine in the spotlight, expect these events to be great again.
Joey Baterdene of Hoffman Estates, Sam Ojuri of Barrington, Abel Rangel of Wheeling and Shareef-Chandler-El of Schaumburg all will be contenders for state berths in the long and triple jumps.
Back on the track, expect the 3,200-relay to lead off a cast of qualifiers as the Palatine sectional continually proves to be the best and deepest in the state.
Hersey, Prospect and Conant battled last week for conference supremacy and figure to do the same with state berths on the line.
With Lake Zurich and Stevenson right there, the race could get as many as eight state qualifiers.
Mike Tisza, Mitch Pajcic and Erik Stanton will make up three legs of the Hersey relay, but whether or not Havel joins them or waits until the state meet remains to be seen.
Smoody will likely not match his 1:51.4 at the conference meet last week, but won't need to. He should qualify again in the 800, and Tisza and Ryan Mangone of Barrington figure to join him.
The sprints are as wide-open as they have ever been, and the 800 relay figures to be the best of those races.
Meadows, Hoffman Estates, Lake Zurich and Palatine all will be in the mix with the 1:29.7 barrier awaiting.
Both hurdles races figure to have the masses trying to catch Prospect senior Pat Ziegenfuss. Ziegenfuss won both events at the conference meet last week.
Kyle Reid of Conant, Joe Fanta of Lake Zurich, Jayson Taylor of Barrington and George Faber of Palatine will all be in the mix in the hurdles.
The meet will close with what could be a classic in the 1,600-relay.
Elk Grove, Conant, Palatine and Barrington are all right at the state qualifying mark.
With Maine West, Lake Zurich and Stevenson joining the bunch, this relay figures to be a classic way to close out the meet.