Quantum leap puts Wauconda relay in finals
CHARLESTON - Great performances are expected by the time a team or individual makes it to the state track and field championships at O'Brien Field on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.
But to drop three full seconds from a school record during the prelims of the state meet? Well that's a little more unusual.
In the final race of the Class AA session, the Wauconda 1,600-relay team of Brandon and Garrett Dorsey, Mike Malisheski and Santiago Lopez took the school record in the event and destroyed it. The Bulldogs finished second in their heat to Galesburg, but the 3:23.10 clocking was good enough for a berth in Saturday's finals and a sparkling school record.
"I think we felt like we had a good chance (to make the finals)," said Malisheski, who ran at state for the first time. "Today, all four of us just turned it on and we came through with a great performance."
Garrett Dorsey already had plans for Saturday after finishing third in his prelim heat of the 400. The current school record holder ran a modest 50.01 to earn one of the nine finals spots.
"I wanted to get the record and I got that this year now I get a chance to go after another goal," Dorsey said. "I have wanted top three, and that's my goal for (Saturday)."
For Grayslake senior Kendall Smith and Antioch senior Tyler Woolard, Friday was more like a neighborhood rivalry than the prelims of the state meet. Woolard and Smith competed in the Class AA shot put prelims in the same flight. This comes after the two competed in the same sectional at Grayslake a week ago.
"It's always good to go out and get to compete with a guy you are familiar with like I am with Kendall," Woolard said. "It's like a fun rivalry because we have competed against each other so much."
Woolard got the best of Smith on Friday with a toss of 52-8.5 - the fifth-best Class 2A throw of the meet. Smith survived the prelims with a throw of 49-4.5.
"I got the bad throws out of the way and now I can just go, relax and throw tomorrow," Woolard said.
Woolard will also be busy in the discus competition. His best toss of 141-11 was good for one of the final 12 spots. Other Sequoits that will compete in the state finals include Cameron White in the 200 dash (22.68) and Brent Jones in the triple jump (44-5.25).
Joining Smith in the finals for Grayslake is senior Jeremy Bethke. Bethke finished ninth in the 800-meter prelims in 2:00.02, but the time held up giving the first year track standout a chance to race one more time.
"This was just great to come down here and represent my school," said Bethke. "For my first full year in track, this is a great experience."
Warren senior Karsen Green knows a little about racing at state. Now he gets the chance to race in the finals. Green finished second in his heat, running 1:56.61 to earn one of the 12 finals spots. Joining Green in the 800 final is state meet first-timer Francisco Soto of Lake Zurich.
Decked out with a blue Mohawk, Soto raced to a fifth-place finish in the first heat of the 800, but his time of 1:56.63earned the junior his first state finals berth.
Soto's teammate Gerry Perez chose to go with a bleached-out Mohawk, but that didn't slow him down in the 1,600. Perez ran a season-best 4:20.84 to earn his first finals appearance in the mile.
Jeremy Birck of Libertyville and Derek Chmielewski rounded out one of the better days in recent memory for Lake County teams. Birck was nearly flawless in clearing a new personal best 6-5 to make the finals in the high jump.
Chmielewski became the first Patriot shot put thrower to earn a state finals berth in the morning with a toss of 53-8.5, and then made sure there would be little doubt in the discus. His best effort of 168-9 established a school record and has the Patriots senior in fifth place heading into Saturday's finals.
John Marlowe, Leonard Brady, Chet Michna, Jake Jurewicz and Trevor Raupp of Warren, Patrick Callan of Libertyville, Chris Makey of Grayslake Central, Chris Mark of Grant and Tyler Bartlow of Stevenson also competed in Friday's preliminaries.