Popenfoose excels, draws plaudits from Oldfield
The shot put and discus were must-see events at the Class 3A Huntley boys track and field sectional Friday as Huntley senior Marcus Popenfoose - the 2009 state runner up in both events - heaved his final throws on home turf.
In addition to family, friends and fans on hand to watch the Auburn-bound Popenfoose was one of the best shot putters in United States history: Elgin's Brian Oldfield.
Oldfield, who once held the U.S. record in the shot put (72 feet, 9 inches) and finished sixth at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, liked what he saw as the 6-foot-2, 265-pound Popenfoose breezed to his fourth straight sectional title in the discus (185-3) and his second straight sectional title in the shot put (61-1).
"He's a big strong kid," Oldfield, 65, said from his wheelchair. "At the level he's at, throwing around 200 (in the discus), he'll only get stronger. His shot's the same way. He's got a hell of a future at the collegiate level and probably beyond."
Such praise from a man considered one of the best throwers in the world in the 1970s humbled the high school senior.
"It's really cool. He knows his stuff," Popenfoose said. "He can tell everything that I'm doing wrong. I know it's there, but he can see it. These guys who competed at higher levels just know so much more than any of us."
The 20 points Popenfoose earned helped Huntley earn a fourth-place team finish. Hononegah won the team title with 91.5 points, followed by Barrington (78) and McHenry (64). Jacobs took fifth (43).
Popenfoose won't be the lone Red Raider traveling to Charleston for the state meet next Friday. He'll be joined by sophomore sprinter James Davis and pole vaulters Evan Ofenloch, a senior, and sophomore Ryan Sheehan. Davis placed second in the 100-meter dash (11.25), while Ofenloch and Sheehan each cleared 12-3 in the pole vault to finish second and third, respectively.
Barrington was led by its distance runners. Senior Chris Cogswell won the mile (4:23), sophomore Erik Peterson bested his personal record by six seconds to win the 3,200 in 9:20.83 and junior Kyle Dockery took third in a qualifying time of 9:32.77.
"I just ran with people, a guy from Hononegah," Peterson said. "I felt he was kind of slowing down, so I took off with 800 to go and just finished it."
Barrington junior Taylor Callaci will head to state in two events. He took second in the 200 dash (22.83) and teamed with JL Etienne, Nick Pisani and Nick Graziano to win the sectional title in the 800-meter relay (1:30.51). Also qualifying for the Broncos was junior Eric Schneider in the 800 (1:57.15).
Dundee-Crown's Nathan Prom was a triple qualifier. The top seed in the 800 won the evening's most hotly contested event in 1:55.54. In all, seven competitors qualified for the state meet.
"I just knew if I went out, people would come with me," Prom said. "I'm happy all those guys made it along with me. That was awesome."
Prom used a big finishing kick to pass a runner in the final 50 meters of the mile to qualify in second place (4:24.64). And in a show of selflessness, he joined D-C's 3,200 meter relay team for the first time this season and helped the improving group qualify with a second-place finish in a time of 8:00.99.
"They worked hard, so I felt I wanted to give them a chance and it worked out pretty good," said Prom, the only returning runner from D-C's qualifying 3,200 relay team in 2009. "At the beginning of the season, if you would have told me that our (3200 relay) would go downstate with none of our state returners, I would have said you were insane. It's one of the most incredible things I've ever seen."
D-C senior Pat Livengood finished in a four-way tie for first place in the high jump by clearing 6-5.
Jacobs senior Danny Trevor set a new personal best when he won the 300-meter intermediate hurdles (38.95) by nipping rival Jon Schmitt of McHenry (39.09). Schmitt had beaten Trevor in at the McHenry County and Fox Valley Conference meets.
"The third time's the charm, I guess," said Trevor, who qualified in the event for the first time. "I lost to him at county and I lost to him at conference by .004, but I got him this time. I ran just a really clean race, by far the best race I've run all year."
Trevor took second in the 110-meter high hurdles (14.51), and he anchored Jacobs' second-place 1,600 relay team of sophomore William Hennessy, junior Joey Cieniewicz and Jason Ofodile.
"Everyone ran a second or two better than their personal record," Ofodile said. "We were the underdogs coming into this meet in the 4x4, so to come in second was an achievement."
Cieniewicz (1:55.92) and Hennessy (1:57.11) also made it to state in the 800.
Crystal Lake South won two relays: The 3,200-meter relay team of John Ryan, Jason Liuzzi, David Lundine and Matt Biederwolf finished first in a season-best 8:00.58; and Biederwolf, Liuzzi, Alex Allmandinger and Kenny King teamed to win the 1,600 relay in 3:24.34 after King passed three runners on the anchor lap.
Biederwolf qualified in a third event by finishing fourth in the 800 (1:56.6)
"I went out and did what I could in the 800. I died, I admit," Biederwolf said. "I was tired, but I got the time and I can't thank God more. In the 4x4, I ran slower than I did at conference but everyone else ran faster."
Cary-Grove had some ups and downs. On the positive side, junior high jumper Anthony Golowach will head to Charleston after clearing 6-5 in the high jump. He'll be joined by senior Eddy Gibbons, who was the seventh and final qualifier in the 800 (1:57.38).
However, Duke-bound distance runner Phil Fairleigh failed to qualify in the 3,200 run. The defending sectional champion went out fast in the first mile but faded.