Sabres expecting much of selves at state meet

Based on how Streamwood's Neal Klein had been running the 3,200-meter race all season, no one expected the senior to qualify at last Friday's sectional for this weekend's Class AA boys state track meet -- not even Neal Klein.

Sure, the Streamwood distance runner had qualified for the state cross country meet the past two years, but earning a bid to the Class AA boys track meet in Charleston seemed far-fetched.

Klein's best time prior to the sectional was 9:50 at the Upstate Eight Conference meet two weeks ago, a time not even within striking distance of the state qualification standard of 9:33.24.

"I was actually getting a little bit worried about it," Streamwood coach Weert Goldenstein said. "I was wracking my brain, trying to figure out it out. 'Have I done something wrong. It's the same things we do every year. Nothing really has changed. So why hasn't he run faster?' "

Funny things happen at sectional meets, though, particularly when the brass ring hangs in the balance.

At the Class AA Streamwood sectional last Friday, Klein posted a 3,200-meter time of 9:29.30, blowing away his best mark of the season by 21 seconds. The time represented a new personal record and earned Klein a ticket to the 3,200 state final at O'Brien Stadium on Saturday.

"I'm excited. I've only seen the state meet on Youtube," Klein said. "The last couple of days I've just been talking to myself. I can't believe I made it. Coming into the race I wasn't really that confident that I was going to make it. I surprised myself a lot."

Asked how he dropped so much time from one week to the next, Klein replied "coaching" without missing a beat.

"We tapered a little more before sectionals, hoping that would make his legs feel good and that he'd just put in a great performance," Goldenstein said. "And he did. I can't explain it. That's a pretty big drop."

Klein will be joined by two of his fellow Sabres at Eastern Illinois this weekend, a pair of strong runners who had their eyes on the state prize all season long.

Seniors Kyle Holder and David Shaw each fulfilled their personal quests for state qualification with stellar performances last Friday at Millennium Field.

Holder reached the state meet by winning the 200 dash in 21.90 seconds.

Shaw punched his state ticket by winning the 400 in 49.91 seconds a week after he grudgingly skipped the Upstate Eight Conference meet to allow his strained hamstring to heal.

The decision not to overstress the hamstring a week prior to the more important sectional meet paid off big time. Shaw ran the 12th fastest seed time in the state.

Just how important was qualifying for the state meet to David Shaw after a near miss last year?

"When I crossed the finish line I got down on my hands and knees and kissed the track," Shaw said. "I was ecstatic. It just felt amazing. It meant a whole lot. Last year we were so close but none of us made it.

"(Goldenstein) told us to come to the track this year, work hard and you'll make it. That's what we've been doing all season long."

Holder and Shaw were Streamwood's most likely state qualifiers heading into the sectional meet. They each reached the finals of every meet in which they competed this season and both were on track to peak at the sectional, which was contested on their home track.

Both Holder and Shaw cashed in on their summer and winter training regimens, converting promise into results. They eclipsed personal best times in their respective races in the process.

"It felt really good," Holder said of reaching his goal of qualifying for state before he graduated. "I almost had it junior year and I was heartbroken because I wanted to go. "I told myself, 'Next year, senior year, I'm going downstate for sure.'

"I kept pushing myself and practiced and practiced and it paid off. It's just a really good feeling. A lot of people don't get this opportunity, so it's pretty exciting.

Holder is a born athlete. Standing 6-foot-4, he played wide receiver for the Streamwood football team and played forward on the basketball team.

Holder said his long legs give him an advantage in the 200. "Out of the blocks I think it gives me a better start around the curve. Then the straightaway helps me a lot because I can use my length."

The goals for all three Sabres are simple: to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience of the state track meet and compete as hard as possible.

Shaw's seed time is 12th in the 400, Klein's is 15th in the 3,200 and Holder's 17th in the 200.

Klein and Holder said they are aiming for top-eight finishes, which would garner them all-state recognition.

Shaw is aiming even higher. He expects a top-five finish of himself. "If I put my head in it like I did at sectionals, if I really want it, it could happen," he said.

Goldenstein said Shaw's goal of a top-five finish can't be discounted.

"When you look at those times it's something like a second and a half between the 12th guy and the top guy, Goldenstein said. "Yeah, I think he can do it. He wants to do it and that's the main thing. I think he can."