Big day is here for Palatine
The bitter disappointment of losing the Mid-Suburban League championship to Barrington in 2007 still lingers for Palatine's boys track and field team.
So much so, that coach John Nalley circled the date of the 2008 MSL meet at Buffalo Grove on the calendar at the start of the season.
"That is a date I think that still stings for a lot of these guys," Nalley said of the close loss to Barrington last year. "I know all of the kids are looking forward to putting that bad memory out of their minds."
The Pirates are battling another foe beyond the 11 other schools they will see Friday night -- history.
For all of the success Palatine has had in track and field, it has been shut out of the conference race since 1972.
Palatine and the rest of the the MSL will battle at Buffalo Grove tonight. Prelims will start in the field and on the track at 4:30 p.m. with finals slated to begin on the track at 6:30 p.m.
The reigning MSL West division champions are the heavy favorite to capture the crown and it will be seniors Mat Smoody and Tim Williams who will lead the way.
Williams will be either the top or second seed in all four events he competes. Smoody will be the one to catch in the 800-meter run.
In the 1,600, Smoody will race in a typically loaded field featuring top-seed Kevin Havel of Hersey, Conant standout Jeff Thode, and Prospect junior Kevin Hayek.
Williams will get his first chance to go head-to-head with Rolling Meadows senior Ty Kirk in the long and triple jumps. Williams is the top seed in the long jump while Kirk, who finished second in the state in the triple jump a year ago, holds the top spot there.
Joey Baterdene of Hoffman Estates, Sam Ojuri of Barrington, Abel Rangel of Wheeling and Michael Karwowski of Elk Grove round out a very good long jump field.
On the track, Williams is the one to catch in the 100 and 200. But don't count out Buffalo Grove junior Steve Miller in the 100 and Derek Shelton of Barrington in the 200.
The Broncos have had the misfortune of running without a track this spring. While the football stadium is undergoing a facelift, they have been forced to the hallways, parking lots and even Harper College on occasion.
"I wasn't sure when this would ultimately catch up to us," said Barrington coach Todd Kuklinski. "But you can see the fact that we have not had anywhere to train has started to hurt us."
Barrington will be heard from often, but the race it figures to make the most noise in is the 1,600 relay. The Broncos will be the second seed to Palatine, but should battle the Pirates to the end.
One of the best early races of the meet to watch will be the 110 high hurdles. Pat Ziegenfuss of Prospect and Jayson Taylor of Barrington have held the best times in the conference but haven't faced each other yet.
Blake Heyman of Hoffman Estates, Kyle Reid of Conant and George Faber of Palatine will round out a loaded hurdle group.
A close second will be the race in the 400 between Shelton and senior Jason Zerfahs of Elk Grove. Zerfahs is the top-seed as the only runner to break 50 seconds in the open 400 this spring.
Another field event to watch will be the high jump featuring two state qualifiers from a year ago in Buffalo Grove junior Matt Newman and Palatine senior Nick Busch.
Newman has one of the four best jumps in the state at 6-8 while Busch is at 6-6.
The throwing events are as balanced top to bottom as they have been in some time.
Prospect senior Matt Kennedy holds the top seed in the shot put with a best effort of 58-6 while Taylor Stubbs, a state qualifier a year ago, is the top-seed in the discus.