Boys track: Grant stays on top with NLCC triumph

Whether it's the North Suburban Conference or the new Northern Lake County Conference, the Grant boys track team knows just how to perform at league championship meets.

Prior to this year, Grant had captured 3 of the last 5 NSC conference titles, and it added to the recent string of successes with its first NLCC title Thursday night at Antioch.

The Bulldogs amassed 125 points to earn the team title. The host Sequoits and Grayslake Central finished tied for second with 99 points, followed by 92.5 from Lakes.

"What I am most proud of is going into the season we graduated 8 state medals from last year," Grant coach Tom Evans said. "We have a nice senior group and a real nice group of younger kids that stepped up today."

Two seniors earned individual titles for Grant. Emmanuel Echeverria took home the top spot in the discus (135-2) and Henry Halverson proved best in the high jump, clearing 6-3.

On the track, the performance from sophomore Michael Smith provided a huge boost. After cramping up and not having his best day in the jumps, Smith rallied to win the 400 (51.30). He later anchored the 1,600 relay team of Carlos Zavala, Bobby Cayet, and Omid Navidzadeh to the win in 3:29.27.

"I cramped up during the triple jump and scratched all three," Smith said. "So I came out in the 400 and knew I needed to get my team points."

Point-scoring was a big part of the night for Antioch senior Landon Keefover.

Normally known as one of the best hurdlers in the state, Keefover showed he has skills in the sprints, too. In his final home meet of a very successful career the Nebraska-bound Keefover took home conference titles in the 110 high hurdles (14.25) and the 300 hurdles (39.15).

But what made his night even more special was his ability to come right off the 110 high hurdles, and win the 100 (11.16). He later topped that effort by coming right back after winning the 300 hurdles to win the 200 in a season-best 22.63.

"That's something you won't see very often," Antioch coach Chris Bailey said of Keefover.

For Keefover, it was a great way to close out his final home competition.

"The team needed me and I had to step up to the plate and perform," Keefover said. "I knew it was going to be a hard day but I treated it like a workout."

The Sequoits needed every step from Keefover to hold off Jack Aho and Grayslake Central. Aho ran the distance triple Thursday night, taking the top spot in the 3,200 (9:32.34), the 800 (1:59.61) and the 1,600 (4:22.22).

Senior teammate Johnny Chum took the top spot in the shot put with a best toss of 50-4.5.

It turned out to be a bittersweet night for Lakes senior Cameron Ruiz. The defending Class 3A champion in the long jump and triple jump missed most of the regular season with hamstring issues but was excited to jump Thursday.

His first long jump of 21-8 looked very much like the old Ruiz. But on his second attempt, he pulled up clutching his right hamstring. The injury ended his day. The mark did hold up to win the event.

"I started feeling it as I was running down the runway," he said. "When I went to push off there was nothing there."

The Eagles did capture a conference crown from senior Nick Garcia in the pole vault. His mark of 13-7 matched his season best mark.

Grayslake North captured a pair of relay titles to start the meet. The Knights' foursome of Connor Riss, Connor Brennan, Jacob Schultze and Liam O'Connell won the 3,200 relay in 8:20.37. Then the group of Elliott Hochstein, Griffin Gawenda, Michael Cabahug and Jarod Hawksworth popped a season best 43.59 to win the 400 relay.

Round Lake senior Tabieas Young won the triple jump with a leap of 41-5.5.

North Suburban Conference meet: Lake Zurich got a victory in the 3,200-meter relay, a runner-up effort in the 800 relay and individual triumphs from Matt Pereira, Brian Griffith and Jake Stevens to win the league meet with 117 points at Warren on Thursday.

Pereira was tops in the 3,200 run (9:32.11), Griffith won the 400 (50.17) and Stevens cleared 13 feet, 7 inches to win pole vault.

Stevenson (101) took second place as a team and got top finishes from Jonathon Powell in both triple jump (45-5) and long jump (25-5.5).

Mundelein junior Bobby Nuzzo won the sprints, taking the 100 in 10.94 and the 200 in 22.36 and helping the Mustangs to a fourth-place finish behind Zion-Benton.

Warren's Branden Ellis was tops in both the 110 high hurdles (15.31) and the high jump (6-1), and the Blue Devils' Nehemiah Clemmons won the 300 hurdles (40.26).

Libertyville had a winner in the 800, where Alex Tam won in 4:23.63.