Boys track and field: Hersey pulls away from Schaumburg to win Wheeling invite

It was a perfect evening weather-wise when 11 teams lined up for the third annual Wheeling boys track and field invitational Friday night.

Hersey pulled away from runner-up Schaumburg by a score of 106 to 95 to take home the team title. The host Wildcats and Niles West wound up in a 70-70 deadlock for third place. Maine East edged Wauconda 62-59 for fifth place.

Hersey senior Mateo Valera (10:31.35) edged Wheeling's Lorenzo Magaru by 1.14 seconds for first place in the 3,200-meter run. The Huskies also got first places from juniors Ricky Bonaccorsi (50.72 seconds) in the 400, and Dean Costopoulos (15.13 meters) in the shot put.

"We have eight kids running at the Palatine distance night tomorrow so they're not here," said first-year Hersey coach Jim Voyles. "Ricky (Bonaccorsi) ran a 50.72 in the 400, and I think he's capable of breaking 49 seconds in that event."

Schaumburg's 4x100 team of Ray Black, Israel Pedroza, Jair Cole, and Xavier Tudela won in 43.34 seconds. Black won the 110-hurdles in 14.68 seconds and the 300-hurdles in 39.64 seconds.

"We didn't run our best time (in the 4x100), but a win is a win and we just have to keep moving as a team," said Black. "This year my goal is to finish in the top five (in the 300 hurdles) and break 38 seconds."

Tudela won the 100-meter dash in 10.95 seconds. The Saxons' 4x200 team of Tudela, Cole, Pedroza, and Anthony Say (1:29.08) also won.

"This is our first time coming to this meet, and (Wheeling coach) Tom (Polak) was nice enough to invite us," said Schaumburg coach Ryan Senica. "Ray (Black) is a two-time state qualifier in the 110-hurdles, and last year he medaled in the 300 with a ninth place finish."

Wheeling junior Jason Aivazian (4:33.97) overtook Schaumburg's Aarav Patel down the stretch to win the 1,600 by just .77 seconds.

"He (Aivazian) went into the last lap in fourth or fifth place, and he didn't know he had the leg speed he showed in the last 150 meters," said longtime Wheeling coach Polak, who is in his final season as head coach. "Eric Moreno (second in shot put) almost hit 50 feet in the shot put, and Pablo Morales was fourth in the shot put so those two guys were big for us."

Maine West's 4x800 team of Jayden Kuffel, Liam Weinand, Adrian Trejo, and Joe Breen took first place in 9:01.44. The Warriors also got a first-place leap of 6.71 meters from Gianni D'Aiello in the long jump.

Maine East senior Micah Rotter continued to impress by soaring to the high jump crown with a jump of 1.93 meters. The Blue Demons' 4x400 team of Saul De La Rosa, Tariq Hamad, Noel Franklin, and Lyric Henry won in 3:30.46. Maine East's Marvin Owusu (22.44 seconds) took second in the 200 by .01 seconds.

Grayslake North senior Elijah Fajimi (12.73 meters) won the triple jump while teammate David Williams (46.07 meters) won the discus. Wauconda's John Farrell (3.66 meters) was the pole vault champion. Wauconda junior Mason Reigner nipped Grayslake North's Oliver Davies by .35 seconds for first place in the 800-meter run.