Cary-Grove overcomes adversity to win Gus Scott title
Ladies, your lane is ready.
Lane 8 - the outside line, the one no one likes because all the other runners are behind you - was Cary-Grove's designated lane Friday night at the coed Gus Scott Invitational at Naperville North.
The Trojan girls found advantages where they could to win the three-tier meet, their 284 total points edging New Trier, Waubonsie Valley, St. Charles East and Benet all with at least 218.33 points.
Cary-Grove coach Mark Anderson said, "I had a medical emergency in my family and just flat didn't get the entries in on time. Naperville was very gracious to get our kids in. They certainly couldn't reseed the meet, and I just told them, do whatever you can do with us. We kind of took it as a challenge."
Junior Carly Loeffel, her left lower leg wrapped in black kinesiotape to prevent further stress on her fibula, took the challenge to win the A-level 400-meter dash with the best overall time of 1 minute, 1.99 seconds. Out of Lane 8, of course.
"I think at first we were all kind of a little upset," said Loeffel, who also won high jump at 5 feet, 4 inches, 2 inches higher than Jacobs' Bethany Muscat.
"I know Coach Anderson feels really bad about it," Loeffel said. "We're just making do with what it is. I don't know - it's our lane now for tonight. We're just making it our lane and working as best we can."
The three-tier makeup tests depth, Along with Lizzy Dyrek's A-level discus title and second-place finishes by Kelly McCoy in the 100 hurdles and Jess Warnecke in the 300 hurdles, the Trojans got lower-level wins by Warnecke, McCoy and a host of others like Lizzy Klicker, first in the C-Level 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles.
Cary-Grove's boys weren't at the Gus Scott meet, but Jacobs' were. And two of them dominated the top two hurdles events.
Danny Trevor, who failed to make the 2009 Class 3A 110-meter state finals by .02 seconds, looked smooth in the fast heats of both the 110s and the 300s, beating runners from boys team champion Oak Park in each. In the B-Level hurdles races, fellow Jacobs senior David Grady did the same trick.
What's up with these Golden Eagles hurdlers?
"It's a pretty common question," Trevor said. "A lot of people ask us about our combination. It's just a combination of real good coaching and good work ethic. We know how to push each other. We know if one of us screws up the other's going to pass us."
Few can pass Elgin's Adam Kuforiji in his signature event, the 400. He was the only one to break 50 seconds on this windy night, at 49.76. He also took fourth in the 200.
"It's the most painful but I definitely love the 400," said the senior. "It's a hate-love relationship with me."