Boys track and field: Abrams leads Cary-Grove to second place at Class 3A Antioch sectional
It was a pretty cool night when 17 boys track and field teams lined up for the IHSA Class 3A Antioch sectional Thursday night.
The battle for the team title was a close one, and Belvidere North won the championship with 69 points. Cary-Grove, Harlem and Hononegah tied for second place with 64 points, followed by the host Sequoits (56 points) in sixth, Lakes (53 points) in seventh and Grant (50 points) in eighth.
Illinois State University-bound Cary-Grove senior Logan Abrams easily won discus (58.04 meters) and shot put (20.15 meters). Senior Jameson Tenopir won the 1,600 meters for the Trojans in 4:16.93.
Junior James Murdough (400 meters), and freshman Ty Tenopir (300 hurdles) also advanced to state for Cary-Grove. The Trojans' 1,600 relay team of Murdough, Ty Tenopir, Diego Guerrero and Jonathan Lima took second to reach state.
“I'm very happy to come out with a double PR in shot and disc was huge, and I finally broke my school record in the shot put,” said Abrams, fifth at state last year in the shot put. “I'm hoping to come out with first in both events (at state), but I will have some tough competition.”
The top two finishers in each event advanced to the state meet next weekend in Charleston along with any competitors who met the state cut-off times or distances.
Antioch senior Damion Johnson won the long jump (6.82 meters), while teammates Carson Lanners (800), Gavin Stone (100) and Jacob Yeager (300 hurdles) also earned berths downstate.
“We ran our best 4x100 and 4x200 times of the year, and we just barely missed state in both events,” said Antioch coach Brian Glashagel, whose team missed qualifying in the 400 relay by .04 seconds. “Damion (Johnson) had his furthest jump of the season in his very last jump to win it.”
Grant sophomore Tyler Wahls (3,200), senior Logan Terryberry (800), senior Tyler Zdon (100) and junior Ben Martin (pole vault) will also be heading to the state meet.
The Bulldogs' 800 relay team of Norman Tillery, Jerry Schlaf, Parker Evans and Bowie Haschak also qualified in second place, as did junior Nathan Kempf (4:19.83) in the 1,600. Huntley freshman Joseph Sittler (4:20.12) also made the cut-off in the 1,600.
“It was fantastic, other than the 4x100 everybody we were hoping to get downstate got down, and I can't believe how the guys stepped up to the pressure,” said Grant coach Nick Nenni. “I think our 4x200 definitely has room to grow, and I think Ben Martin has a good chance to do well at state in the pole vault.”
Lakes' senior duo of William Mercure and Dylan Gates went 1-2 in the pole vault to advance to state. Lakes' Jordan Phelan advanced to state in the shot put for the fourth time in second place, while teammate Cooper Summy (second in 1,600) also reached state.
“(Mercure and Gates) looked great, they did their job to go 1-2, and they've worked hard,” said Lakes coach Jacob Buddell. “This will be Jordan's fourth time in a row going to state in the shot put, and each time he does better and better so he's looking to place.”