Huntley wins first McHenry County title
Huntley coupled top performances in Thursday's field events with more success on the track Friday to pull off the surprise victory at the annual McHenry County Boys Track and Field Meet at Crystal Lake Central.
The county meet title is the first for the Red Raiders. They finished with 94 points to edge the host Tigers (87) and Cary-Grove (87). Prairie Ridge was fourth (73), followed by Jacobs (54), McHenry (47.5) and Crystal Lake South (40).
“I think it was eight or nine years ago before we got this staff together that Huntley didn't score a point in this meet,” Huntley coach Jim Rolando said. “Great teamwork. We scored 39 points in the field events Thursday and on the track it was everybody. Everybody contributed in some way, shape or form.”
C.J. Ayemoba got Huntley off to a momentous start in Thursday's field events when he won the long jump in a school record distance of 20 feet, 10.5 inches. He also finished second in the triple jump. The Red Raiders also got a lift from Justin Herbert and Devan Kennedy finishing second and third, respectively, in the discus.
Friday's heroes included Chase Hellinger and Jake Brock. Hellinger won the 110-meter high hurdles in 15.69. Brock was third (15.92). Huntley won the 400-meter relay in 44.60, thanks to Ayemoba, Mike Dollar, Ryan Tharp and James Davis.
Davis also finished second in the 100-meter dash to Crystal Lake South's Zane Boettcher, who turned out to be the fastest man in McHenry County.
A first-year track participant who only tried the sport as a senior at the urging of CL South soccer coach Brian Allen, Boettcher won the 100-meter dash (11.08) and the 200-meter dash (22.49).
“I never really knew I had this much speed in me,” Boettcher said after he won the 100. “I had trouble with the blocks when I first started this spring, but once I got the blocks down I've learned to come out fast.”
Cary-Grove's Tommy Rohn (50.49) and Michael Gleeson (50.72) swept the top two spots in the open 400. The Trojans also won two relays. The 800-meter relay team of Max Anderson, Alex Bussan, John Pearl and Ryan Mahoney took the title in 1:32.82. The 1,600-meter relay team of Anderson, Bussan, Pearl and Rohn were triumphant in 3:25.20.
Dom Blake of Jacobs was the county champion in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles (40.15).
“I have to thank my coaches for making me better,” said Blake, who finished fifth in the same meet last year. “They kept pushing me in practice and got me to this point.”