Wallace, Jacobs nab 2nd at county meet

Three sprint duels between seniors Mike Wallace of Jacobs and Emmanuel Gamez of Crystal Lake South went right down to the wire at the McHenry County boys track meet in Cary Friday night.

Wallace took two out of three titles in those head-to-head challenges, and 110-meter hurdler Danny Trevor took home his second straight county meet title in his event to lift Jacobs (94 points) to a second-place finish behind champion McHenry (106). Huntley took third (65) and CL South placed fourth (61). Host Cary-Grove finished eighth with 34 points.

Wallace won the 100-meter dash in 10.90, slightly faster than Gamez's 11.00. However, Gamez held off Wallace in a neck-and-neck final 50 meters to earn the title in the open 400 in a time of 49.51 compared to Wallace's 49.76.

"I heard footsteps," Gamez said. "He was chasing up on me and had me right up to the last stretch. Then I just kicked it and kept going. It was tough, but I'm really glad."

Said Wallace: "I didn't win it, but I broke 50 in the 400, but I'm still proud of the time I got. I got my personal record, so I'm happy."

Wallace rebounded to win the 200 in a time of 21.50, but came up limping with a hamstring strain at the finish line. He wasn't the only casualty for the Golden Eagles. On the final step of the 110 hurdles, Trevor reaggravated an ankle injury originally sustained at the indoor Top Times meet earlier this season.

"I hit a couple of hurdles, but everything felt real good until the last step," Trevor said. "It was the last step at the finish line. I don't know what I did, but it hurts." The junior sat out the 300-meter hurdles as a result.

Huntley notched wins in the 400-meter relay with runners Josh Savila, Tor Larkin, Jeremy Hansen and Matt Hammer winning in a time of 43.95, but Savila felt a twinge and was replaced in the 800-meter relay by junior Brandon Luczak. The revamped relay team went on to win that event with a time of 1:32.22.

"Me and Josh sort of switched places," Luczak said. "I think once we get our handoffs perfect we'll get even faster and maybe push the school record."

Crystal Lake South took the 1,600-meter relay title, thanks to a huge second leg by senior Stephen Rogers. He turned an even race with Jacobs into a laugher and helped the Gators win in 3:28.83.

Cary-Grove's Phil Fairleigh led off the winning 3,200-meter relay team (8:19.44) and won the open 3,200 in 9:46.39.

"Our time in the (3,200 relay) was pretty slow because of the wind, but I'm pleased because we took it be a pretty good amount," Fairleigh said. "In the two-mile I was drafting off Josh (Uvodich of CL South) for a while, then I just put on a move for the win and the last lap I just let up to save myself for the mile."

Fairleigh took fifth in the 1,600.