Kaneland repeats Peterson title
These law-abiding citizens take great pleasure in speeding. What's more, they are repeat offenders.
Friday night Kaneland's Logan Markuson and Taylor Andrews crashed teammate Nick Sinon's house to watch a movie - yep, "Law Abiding Citizen."
Saturday, at Kaneland's own 41st annual Peterson Prep Invitational boys track meet, Andrews and Markuson went 1-2 in the 110-meter hurdles and 2-3 in the 300 hurdles. Sinon added a second-place high jump finish, and Tommy Whittaker, Derek Bus, Edgar Valle and Markuson capped the day with a meet-record 1,600 relay to give Kaneland its second straight Peterson Prep title with 100 points, besting Geneva (86) and West Aurora (77) in the 16-team meet.
Markuson, ending the relay at 3 minutes, 22.5 seconds, also won pole vault and Sinon took second in long jump. Their coach, Eric Baron, added names like Sean Paulick and Brock Dyer - fourth in long jump and third in discus, respectively - who provided a lift.
"They see their teammates stepping up and they just step up, too," Baron said.
An all-for-one mentality helps.
"That's the happiest second place I've ever earned in my life," Markuson said after his 110 hurdle time of 14.61 seconds was eclipsed by Andrews' 14.55 in a race of 2009 state qualifiers. Geneva's Tom Frederick ran fourth in the 110s and the 300s, followed in the latter by teammate Ryan Ahern.
"We're all happy," Andrews said. "Me and Logan, we just push each other so much. Like, I wouldn't feel any different if he would have won and I would have got second."
The high jump offered a friendly duel between athletes currently sharing the best heights in Class 2A (Sinon) and 3A (West Aurora's Aviance King). King, coming off Monday's personal-best 6-foot-9, got Sinon on misses at 6-foot-6, repaying a debt from Sinon's 2009 Kane County Meet victory.
Sinon, who notched a personal-best 21 feet, 91/2-inch long jump, took solace in a mental-block buster.
"I've been stuck at 6-2 and it was nice to get a 6-6," he said.
King's victory secure, he barely dislodged the bar at 6-9.
"I had the height and my arch was good," the all-state jumper said. "The back of my thighs hit it, so that's telling me that I'm way over the bar. I just have to put it all together."
Blackhawks coach Cortney Lamb eased the workload on sprint star Leon Spears, who responded by anchoring a meet record (42.46 seconds) 400 relay of Matt Souvannasing, Zach Woods and Jarrick Phillips. A dropped baton in the 800 relay scuttled a second record. Blackhawks thrower Alex Chollet looked smooth, throws coach Bob Fowler said, in finishing second in discus with a PR of 157-8, and third in shot put behind teammate Tony Ellison.
Geneva's Frank Boenzi won both throwing events, heading a Vikings outfit that scored in 14 of 18 events.
"That's a strength right there," said Geneva coach Gale Gross. "Just an overall great effort."
Vikings Jay Graffagna, Jake Stocker and Doug Berthold each made the finals in their sprints, Kevin Sparks was second in the 1,600, at 4:33.69. Terrance Ostgaard won the triple jump for the Vikings, at 41 feet, 81/4 inches.
And the Geneva senior known as JRod - Justin Rodriguez - drew inspiration from a video of Dave Wottle's 1972 Olympics 800-meter win to take the 3,200 at 9:48.56. The old last-to-first trick.
"That was kind of my strategy, because I know I'm really not one of the guys who can hold a fast pace for awhile," Rodriguez said. "But I can come from behind and then, given a chance, can do some damage."