Scouting boys track and field in the Northwest suburbs

He shoves the shot put.

He flings the discus.

He ... acts.

Deroy Chitan is his name, and the Maine West junior thrower performed a lead role in the school's recent production of "Beauty and the Beast."

"Our athletes have a level of involvement at Maine West that is impressive," Warriors boys track and field coach Nate Hassman says. "It is a joy to work with students with so many talents."

But don't look for any track and field athletes in the Northwest suburbs to vie for a Tony Award. They'll be too busy working hard to garner medals at the state meet in May.

MSL East

•Prospect: The Knights skipped to the Nagel-Saylor MSL Indoor Invite title at North Central College in Naperville on Saturday, amassing 142 points to runner-up Hersey's 75.

"The strength of the team is our team," Prospect coach Jay Renaud said. "Our goal for this team is to be the best (better than fifth place at state) in Prospect history. We believe (junior) Dominik Balenda will obliterate the 400-meter school record (49.34) by more than a second."

Knights senior sprinters Matthew Raitano and Sean Beihoffer are two-time all-state relay members. Classmate Bryce Tuchner stands out in the hurdles. Junior Luke Holtmeier took first in the triple jump Saturday with a leap of 42 feet, 11.5 inches. Other Knights to watch include senior Clayton Kamp (throws), senior TJ Garland (distance) and junior Aidan Orlando (sprints).

•Hersey: The Huskies received first-place efforts from senior Sean Stafford (3200, 9:30.88) and sophomore Liam Naughton (800, 2:00.25) at NCC on Saturday. Other top senior returners in coach Ken Blazek's stable include David James (high jump), Miki Jovanovic (discus), Conor Oiler (1600, 3200) and Michael Renner (400, 800).

•Rolling Meadows: Returning all-state senior Michael Campbell (9th, 110 hurdles) paces the Mustangs, who also boast top-notch senior pole vaulter Matthew Greenholt.

•Buffalo Grove: Bison junior Tommy Spiegelman qualified for state in the long jump last spring. Junior distance ace Mario Torres suffered a torn ACL in soccer last July and hopes to be cleared for competition soon.

•Wheeling: Wildcats coach Tom Polak will count on senior Daylan Berger (sprints, hurdles), senior Aima Igiehon (jumps) and junior Samir Patel (800, 600).

•Elk Grove: The Grenadier to watch in 2022 is Piotr Slezak (7th in the 55 hurdles, 8.72), at Saturday's MSL indoor meet.

MSL West

•Barrington: Broncos coach Todd Kuklinski, in his 19th season, welcomed back senior Jose Mejia (9th at state in the shot put in 2021), as well as state qualifiers Joey Furlong (relay), Zach Daniel (relay) and Joey Drage (relay). Sophomore Ikki Takahashi topped the long jump field at last weekend's MSL indoor meet with a 21-7.25.

•Palatine: The top eight Pirate seniors in coach John Nalley's camp are Jhermari Mabry (throws), Kieran Maude (throws), Gentry Mabry (200, 400)), Anthony Westfall (multi-event athlete), Mukal Verma (distance), Riley Beasley (distance), Jake Bostick (jumps) and Patrick McClanahan (distance).

Among the team's newcomers is junior Mason Krieg, an all-state cross country runner in 2021.

Sixteen of Nalley's 18 seniors are fourth-year track and field athletes.

"They stuck it out through some rough times over the past two years," the coach said. "We feel like we will be competitive in a very strong MSL. So many good athletes and teams every year. The conference meet brings out the best from everyone."

•Fremd: Only six 100-meter dashers were faster than Vikings senior and St. Louis University-bound Will Stewart was at the state meet last year. He became the first Fremd medalist in the event in more than 20 years.

Coach Jeff Williams also gets to deploy seniors Kamren White (jumps) and Joe Nowakowski (throws).

•Schaumburg: Saxons senior and Louisiana Lafayette recruit Tim Gale holds the school mark in the indoor pole vault (15-6) and will shoot to supplant the school outdoor record of 15-7, which was set in 1975.

Coach Ryan Senica's other top returners are Connor McGreer (pole vault), Omarion Jones (sprints/jumps), Marcos Jaimes (distance), Matt Trybus (distance), Cole Rothers (hurdles) and Zach Heumann (sprints).

•Hoffman Estates: Hawks senior Dasharr Scott turned more than a few heads with his first-place height of 6-7 in the high jump at Saturday's Nagel-Saylor gathering in Naperville.

"We are pumped for Dasharr to continue his success this season," Hoffman Estates coach Vito Anzalone said.

Among the Hawks' other gifted athletes is senior Preetpaul Singh, a middle-distance runner and future chemical engineering major at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

Watch also for Brandon Kim to sparkle in the jumps and sprints.

•Conant: The Cougars' top athletes are junior Vijay Krishnamoorthi (distance) and senior Nigel Whitaker (sprints).

CSL North

•Maine East: Cross country state qualifier Lukasz Iwanowski is the Blue Demons' top returner in track. Look also for senior David Mercado to vie for a medal in the triple jump at the CSL North meet.

•Maine West: Coach Hassman's other Warriors, in addition to thrower/actor Chitan, are Luke Michales (sprints), Andrew Stutheit (distance), Dimitri Zimbrakos (sprints), Joshua Emeka (throws), Ryan Hauptman (discus) and Ben Huk (jumps/sprints).

CSL South

Maine South: Hawks coach Jason Kacprowski deserves a gold medal for sense of humor.

"Collectively, our coaching staff has the worst hairline of any track staff in the state," he cracked.

The baldfaced standout of his squad is senior Carter Collins, who tied the program record in the 50-yard dash and is a superb pole vaulter to boot.

Senior sprinter Tommy Locascio, track's Coach K noted, is the only four-year, three-sport male athlete in Maine South's Class of 2022.

ESCC

•St. Viator: The Lions are coming off a stellar 2021, in which they recorded five top-13 finishes at the Class 2A state meet. Coach Rodero Warren welcomed back state veterans Michael Schumacher, Lucas Doland, Brendan Oleksak, Rowan McDonnell, Daniel Crawford, Dominic Palese and Lucas Barisas, among others.

McDonnell, Schumacher, Doland and 2021 graduate Connor Flynn bronzed in the 3200 relay (8:09.25) in Charleston last May.