Looby, WW South place second at DVC
The track throwdown intensified on Friday.
Wheaton North's C.J. Jossell targeted West Aurora's Marcus Waller in the high hurdles.
Wheaton Warrenville South pole vaulter Lukas Looby fed off West Chicago's Matt Kubik - and vice versa.
Throwdown is really too heavy a word. Jossell can explain.
"I think it's a pretty cool rivalry," the Falcons senior said of his hurdling contemporary Waller. "We don't have any negative vibes or anything like that. I don't really know the kid, he's just competition and something to keep me motivated."
At the DuPage Valley Conference boys indoor track meet, Jossell was off Waller's 7.8-second pace by a tenth of a second in the 55-meter hurdles finals.
West Aurora can provide mass motivation. The Blackhawks won the DVC Indoor for the second time in three years, their 121 points ahead of host WW South (102.5) and Wheaton North (77).
Glenbard North - taking first in the 800 relay with L.A. Smith, Barrett Parod, Steve Cook and Anthony DiStefano - was fourth with 43 points, ahead of Glenbard East (39.5), West Chicago (38), Naperville North (27) and Naperville Central (17).
Jossell also reached the finals in the 55 dash, among Falcons mainstays that included the Waterman twins Jake and James, who won the 1,600 and 3,200 races, respectively.
The WW South Tigers showed balance on the track and excelled in the field. Rocco Ammons and Chris Cortopassi took third and fourth in shot put while the Tigers swept triple jump (Kevin Piraino at a nice 45 feet, 71/4), long jump (Charlie Pinedo) and pole vault (Looby).
Looby, who won at 14-9, outdueled West Chicago's Kubik, another friendly rivalry.
"He definitely got me going, got me excited about the meet, which is always good," Looby said. "We've known each other for awhile, so anytime we're at the same meet it gets us both going."
West Chicago looked solid in relays, earning a win in the 1,600 relay behind Kubik, Derrik Pietrobon, Mike Russo and Gunnar Sterne.
Glenbard East's Brad Magnetta, part of a state-caliber Rams distance group, took the 800 meters in 2 minutes, 2.4 seconds. Naperville Central was headed by Mitch Gilbert's second-place finish in the 1,600 and sprinter Jason Kreger.
Distance stronghold Naperville North won the 3,200 relay with Chase Power, Tyler Jermann, Bob Guthrie and Charlie McKeown. Treats are in order.
"I actually give them cupcakes when they accomplish their goals like that," said Huskies coach Mike Ellberg. "We have a lot of cupcakes to give out on Monday."