Boys track and field: Balenda's record highlights Prospect's big day

A disbelieving Prospect Knight yelled, "No way!"

Another wide-eyed teammate shouted, "You're my new role model!"

All the commotion at Saturday's Prospect boys track and field Stogie Relays was Prospect junior Dominik Balenda's doing.

All he did, after all, was blast to a blistering, program-record time of 49.27 to win the 400-meter dash in cold, windy conditions at George Gattas Stadium.

"Get out fast and make sure I was leading after 200 meters - that was the first part of the plan," Balenda said after supplanting the school mark of 49.34, set by Jon Astreides in 2005, and somehow surviving waves of congratulatory gestures by dozens of ecstatic, enveloping teammates beyond the finish line.

Picture a football huddle, times five.

"Then, at the start of the second half of the race," Balenda added, "I wanted to accelerate, before kicking it out in the last 100."

The PA announcer had nailed it, predicting before the start of the final heat in the 400, "It is going to be ... lit."

Barrington senior Connor Lee (51.13) and Prospect senior Sean Beihoffer (51.87) finished 2-3 to Balenda in a Stogie event that featured 15 heats.

Yes, 15. Knights coach Jay Renaud, on Friday, chose to reduce the meet to a 5-event invite because of another frigid forecast. His club captured 4 championships, including Knights senior Clayton Kamp's first-place efforts in the shot put (53 feet, 11 inches) and discus (142-5).

Knights junior Andrew Katsogianos won the most competitive event Saturday, edging Warren senior Nate Garcia 2:05.57 to 2:05.59 in the 800, after Barrington senior Joey Furlong opened the 6-team gathering with a first-place 4:24.95 in the 1,600.

Team points weren't tallied. Medals weren't awarded.

"This meet was about opportunities ... opportunities to compete in a tough spring, weather-wise, so far," Renaud said. "We tried to give the kids as many opportunities as possible.

"Productive day," he added.

Kamp's day?

Highly productive - and loud.

"My football coach (Dan DeBoeuf) told me to grunt before my third discus release today," said Kamp, who, before hitting the weight room hard in the offseason, hadn't tossed the discus more than 108 feet as a junior. "Grunting helped me - I'm thinking 12 feet, at least, and it was louder than a starter pistol - though I was worried it would mess with my finesse."

Furlong, an Eastern Michigan University recruit, ran a clean, controlled 1,600 and was grateful that Broncos classmate Zach Daniel raced well, too.

Daniel finished second with a time of 4:27.66, ahead of Hersey sophomore Liam Naughton (3rd, 4:27.7).

"Zach and I push each other," Furlong said. "Sticking with him helped me today."

Minutes after the race, while walking across the infield, Furlong pointed skyward and uttered "Dwayne Haskins." The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and former Ohio State star signalcaller was struck and killed by a vehicle in Florida earlier Saturday.

"I have his jersey," Furlong said. "Tragic news."

The Katsogianos-Garcia battle ended in riveting fashion, with Katsogianos out-leaning Garcia after the Knight had surged ahead of the Blue Devil about 20 meters from the finish.

"A little windy, a little cold," Katsogianos said. "I wish I could have gone a little harder. Pretty nice win, though."

Added Garcia, who took a 5.5-mile cool-down run in Mount Prospect neighborhoods afterward: "Exciting race. It was cold, while I was warming up for the race. But the sun came out (briefly) - good to see that - right before the start, and I was ready to go."

Maine West and Wheeling also fielded teams at a meet that was supposed to be a 9-team assemblage. West junior Joshua Emeka took sixth in the shot put (41-5.25), while Wheeling sophomore Pawel Rakoczy clocked a sixth-place 2:15.67 in the 800.

Barrington senior Jose Mejia finished runner-up in the shot put (48-10.25) and in the discus (130-2). Classmate Ryan Fryer contributed a third-place showing in the 800 (2:07.11)

Prospect senior Sam Tsagalis took third in the shot put (47-4.5), and Warren senior Danny Lin matched that place in the discus (128-6).

But nothing came close to equaling what Balenda achieved Saturday. The swift Knight broke 50 in the 400 for the first time in his career.

"Dominik has a great shot at going faster than 49," Renaud said. "Maybe even better than 48. It's exciting, thinking about what he'll be able to do for us at the end of the season. And he's just a junior. He's also a tremendous athlete and one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet."