Meet records fall to Lake Park
When the snow hit it did little to cool off Jack Driggs.
Even having held off Hinsdale Central’s Billy Fayette twice to win the 800-meter run, York’s Driggs still was ticked the Fayette-led Red Devils had beaten the Dukes in the 3,200 relay, back when it was only cold and drizzly.
“It really made me angry, I guess,” Driggs said at Downers Grove South’s 25th annual Bud Mohns Invitational boys track meet.
“I was really, really disappointed. We were never in the race, and I thought we could have done a lot better.”
Driggs’ resolve returned, along with his stocking cap, when he took the baton from Anthony Pezza to cap a victorious 1,600 relay in the flurries.
“We wanted to win the meet overall. It was more about competing than times today. And when they gave me the baton in first I knew I couldn’t give up,” said Driggs, second at last year’s Class 3A state meet in the 3,200, third in the 1,600 but in “speed session” mode Saturday.
York, fueled also by speedsters such as Kris Romanczyk, Matt Winans, Kevin Adamik and 100 dash winner Mo Watkins, did win the eight-team meet, 131 points to Lake Park’s 116. The day featured performances that belied the horrid weather.
Lake Park’s Jeremy Kline broke his own meet record in shot put with a heave of 61 feet, 9 inches, while in discus twin brother Jermaine Kline three times surpassed 169 feet, placing first at 177-9.
Hinsdale South’s DiJon James broke the Lancers’ field event party by winning long jump, but Zach Ziemek took both pole vault and triple jump — a dandy 46-1 mark — while junior high jumper Kevin Spejcher set the day’s other meet record.
Having set the Mohns Invite sophomore mark at 6-8 last year, Spejcher recorded a new personal-best and varsity meet record with his 6-foot-11 high jump, clearing it on his second try. He’s just the ninth jumper in the nation to clear 6-11 this outdoor season, according to Dyestat. He missed on three attempts at 7 feet.
Spejcher achieved his record-setting leap by shortening his approach given the muscle-tightening temperatures but said his priority is helping Lake Park defend its Class 3A state title. The 6-11 mark does help, though.
“It’s good, because I know where I’m at and I know what I have to work on, so every meet is like a test to see what I’ve been doing in practice, how I’ve been working and what I need to improve on,” Spejcher said.
Downers South’s Zack Baleski was with Spejcher through 6-4 and appeared to have cleared 6-6 when the bar toppled. Blame a combination of a heel graze and conditions.
“I just found my rhythm and I found my spot out there,” said Baleski, whose teammate, Anthony Farinella, gave Hinsdale Central’s Zack Withall a challenge in the 1,600. “I felt really good and then the wind picked up and it just blew it, just blew it. I felt so bad.”
Hinsdale South’s Dominic Abiagom wasn’t pleased when Watkins overtook him to win the 100 dash, and when the 6-foot-3 Hornets senior took DeMario Gordon’s handoff in the 800 relay tied with York, Abiagom got revenge. With a smile, Hinsdale South coach Dean Norman called Abiagom “an angry runner.” Right then he probably was.
“I think once I hit that straightaway you could kiss it goodbye,” said Abiagom, who also saw relay teammate Tavaris Binion win the open 200.
Hinsdale Central showed great distance ability. Withall won the 1,600, Neil Pedersen and Jack Feldman went 1-2 in the 3,200, and the opening 3,200 relay bested York with Fayette, Azad Darbandi, Withall and Ben Cherry, who also won the 400 dash.
Beating York in any distance event is big, as Fayette acknowledged. He also knows it’s only April.
“I’m proud to beat York, but I know they can do better than that,” he said. “It’s one day, and we’ve got to beat them a second time.”