Neuqua Valley doubles up
This is depth.
Near the end of the Upstate Eight Conference boys track meet, Neuqua Valley's Thaddeus Johnson false started in the 200-meter dash finals.
Ho hum. Neuqua's other runner in the race, Aryan Avant, picked up his teammate with a fourth-turn slingshot to propel past Waubonsie Valley speedster Danny Tucker for the win.
That's Neuqua Valley, a deep, double-scoring beast that on Thursday at Streamwood's Millennium Field repeated as Upstate Eight champion.
"Winning all the relays and having two events where you score 18 points, that's a great day right there," said Wildcats coach Mike Kennedy, citing the 1-2 finishes of Aaron Beattie and David Wing in the 1,600 and Avant and Steve Carron in the 400. Jamere Morrison and Cale Brown each ran on three relays.
The UEC's big three were Neuqua with 149 points, Waubonsie with 111 and Lake Park with 98. Metea Valley competed on the frosh-soph level, placing third.
"Even in some events where things have not gone perfectly we're still doing a lot of double scoring," Kennedy said. "I think that's what I'm most happy with. Look at the 110 (hurdles), you had a Mark Stocker and a Kyle Pembrook double scoring there. Those are big deals."
With Johnson winning a whisker-close 100 dash over Tucker, only the homestretch rally of Lake Park's Ryan Jorgensen in the 800 denied Neuqua victory from 100 to 1,600 meters, hurdles excluded.
"We feel amazing," said Avant, who aimed for Prince Riley's program-record 200-meter time of 21.84 seconds in 2005. Clocking 22.41, "I'll probably break it at sectionals," Avant said.
Not feeling quite as amazing were the Lake Park Lancers. As anticipated, twins Jermaine and Jeremy Kline went 1-2 in discus, but Jeremy developed a finger problem that kept him out of shot put - where Waubonsie's Andrew Szott finished second to Jermaine Kline's personal-best mark of 63 feet, 11 inches.
In high jump it was Lancer Kevin Spejcher, nursing a bruised heel, against Waubonsie's James Davenport, whose left shin shows signs of a stress fracture. Both went 6-7, Spejcher winning with fewer misses.
"Just one bad jump screwed it up," Spejcher said.
One decent effort was all Lake Park pole vaulter Zack Ziemek sought. Seeded at 15 feet and actually having cleared 15-1 at Youth Olympics qualifier this spring, Ziemek hadn't competed since April 10 and had only practiced twice since then, due to a pulled left hip flexor.
Ziemek, considering a cortisone shot so he can pole vault, long jump and triple jump next week at sectionals, needed only a vault of 13-3 to win.
"I'm happy," he said. "I mean, to get back over a bar, to be in competition, it feels great."
Waubonsie Valley's Rickie Walls was indeed feeling his oats. He won triple jump ahead of Lake Park's Joey Pacione, but Walls was tickled to also win long jump over ex-Warrior Charles Pool, now a sophomore at East Aurora.
"Last year it was all about teammates, try to help out," said Walls, yet again surpassing the state-qualifying triple jump mark, at 45-61/2. "But this year is a whole different story, different rivalry. It's fun to pick on him."