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Lake Park set to defend title

All the pieces are in place.

At Friday’s Class 3A York boys track sectional in Elmhurst, the Big Three of Zack Ziemek and Jeremy and Jermaine Kline, who combined to give Lake Park the 2010 state title, all qualified in their events to maintain the Lancers’ position as the favorite for next week’s state finals in Charleston.

“You’ve got to feel good about that, because all of those guys have been there before so they kind of know what to expect,” said Lancers coach Jay Ivory.

“So you’re not going to be worried about them being down there and uncertain. They’re going to go down there with business to do, and they’re going to know what they need to do. That’s a good feeling.”

It was not without drama. Jeremy Kline scratched on his first two discus attempts before hitting on his last preliminary throw, a state-qualifying mark of 167 feet, 4 inches.

“It’ll be fun again,” said Kline, qualifying in shot put and discus along with brother Jermaine, while Ziemek qualified in long jump, triple jump and pole vault.

Titus Davis of Wheaton Warrenville South also faced a scary predicament. Entering the sectional seeded first in long jump at 23-11, the senior saw five others qualify in front of him, with WW South’s Charlie Pinedo, Wheaton North’s Zach Gordon and Glenbard West’s C.J. Watson all landing personal-bests. On Davis’ last gasp he leapt 23-2½, a half-inch further than fellow qualifier Scott Filip of Lake Park.

“My coach (Ken Helberg), for the last two weeks he’s been telling me I need to stop pressing,” said Davis, who joined Pinedo in qualifying for long jump, the 200 dash and as part of the 400 and 800 relays. “I’ve got to relax and go with the flow and just let everything go and do what I do best. It worked really well.”

So did the Tigers as a whole. They advanced 16 to next week’s finals and won the sectional with 142 points. Lake Park (100), York (93), Wheaton North (58) and Glenbard West (45.5) rounded out the top five.

“Wow. It’s amazing. It’s nice,” said Helberg, who saw all four Tigers relays qualify for state, joining York in that category. Wheaton North and Glenbard West each sent three down.

York’s Jack Driggs won both the 1,600 and the 3,200, the only running events outside of relays that advanced more than two athletes downstate.

Driggs, displeased with his efforts, needed to pass other 3,200 qualifiers Pat Niyork of Willowbrook and Glenbard West’s Mike Lederhouse — Glenbard North’s Kyle Flores also advanced — then overtook Lederhouse in the 1,600. WW South’s Collin Fedor and York’s Ron Hedman also made it in the mile.

“I just felt like I was running in sand, that’s all,” said Driggs, who ran the 1,600 in 4:19.10, the 3,200 in 9:16.85. “Bad race, that happens. Moved on to the next level, that’s all that matters.”

Mike Fahey is the sole returnee from Glenbard East’s 2010 state-title 3,200 relay team. He’ll return to Charleston solo in the open 800.

“It means a lot, actually, because I went down with the team the first two years and now I’m coming by myself,” he said.

Glenbard West’s Josh Nibbe qualified in the 100 and ran with Justice Odom and Mark Hiben on three qualifying relays. As a freshman, Hiben ran 400 meters in 76 seconds; Friday his leg of the Hilltoppers’ qualifying 1,600 relay was just over 49 seconds.

Adding to Lake Park’s bounty was three-time high jump qualifier Kevin Spejcher, who battled WW South’s Alec Brazeau and Wheaton North’s Kyle Ester all at a qualifying 6-5.

Lancers senior Larry Matthies believed for a good half-hour that WW South’s Phabian Clark edged him out of second place in the 300 hurdles. When the field announcer said Matthies got the crucial advancement — .03 seconds over Clark — it was an agony-to-ecstacy moment.

“That’s exactly what it is,” Matthies said. “I thought for sure he had the lean on me, but I guess that wasn’t how it was.”

Wheaton North’s Rafe Kiely, on a serious discus upswing, assembled his best series of the season to qualify in that event, along with teammate Branden Miller, WW South’s Brian Welker, and the Kline twins.

Kiely then qualified in shot put, a quarter-inch above the 52-foot standard.

“It’s great to reach this goal, it’s a goal that I’ve had all year, to qualify in both events,” he said. “But it’s not finished yet. I’m still climbing to the top of the mountain. I’m just at one of the summits right now.”

  Zach Gordon of Wheaton North in the long jump during the York boys track sectional Friday in Elmhurst. PAUL MICHNA/Pmichna@dailyherald.com
PAUL MICHNA/Pmichna@dailyherald.comTitus Davis of Wheaton Warrenville south in the long jump during the York boys track sectional Friday in Elmhurst.
  Rafe Kiely of Wheaton North during the York boys track sectional Friday in Elmhurst. PAUL MICHNA/Pmichna@dailyherald.com
  Roberto Gonzalez of Leyden during the York boys track sectional Friday in Elmhurst. PAUL MICHNA/Pmichna@dailyherald.com
  Jermaine Kline of Lake Park during the York boys track sectional Friday in Elmhurst. PAUL MICHNA/Pmichna@dailyherald.com
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