Lakes makes its point

It was just 1 point, but it made a point to the rest of the Lakes boys track team that the future was going to be surprisingly bright.

At the end of the 2006 track season, Lakes scored all of 1 point at the North Suburban Conference Track and Field championships, but everything from that point suggested a promising future for the Eagles.

"We scored only 1 point, but I think we all knew that things were going in the right direction," said Kurt Rowells, the only coach in the program's five-year history.

In order for the Eagles to get the point, Rowells had to start by making a point and that started with discipline and ground rules - many of which he took from his own experience as a track and field athlete at Hoffman Estates in the early 1990s.

While at Hoffman Estates, Rowells learned under the guidance of the late great Pete Reiff.

"The biggest thing I learned under Pete was that no one is above the team," Rowells said. "That was pretty a pretty big thing considering some of the stars we had while I was at Hoffman."

Prior to the start of the 2005-2006 school year, Rowells was named the head coach for track and field for the Eagles. This was a chance for Rowells to build the program his way from the ground up, and build he did.

"First thing I did was make a list of everything we needed to get done," Rowells said. "I wrote down all the things that Pete would do and tried to follow that in his honor as best I can."

No program would be complete without talent, and the Eagles would soon find plenty of that as well. The initial stars of the program started to shine through in 2007 when Jon DeGrave became the first state qualifier in the program's brief two-year existence.

But DeGrave didn't go alone in 2007 as he took a very tall, very skinny - at the time - freshman, Marcel KirkmanBey in the 110 high hurdles and subsequently the future of the program had arrived.

"I think that first senior class set the tone for everyone to come," said junior Mike Beckman. "Those guys expected a lot and without that type of drive and focus, I don't think the program would be where it is today."

Since, the Eagles have sent at least one qualifier to the state meet each year.

"This is where I think you start to legitimize your program somewhat when you start sending guys to state," Rowells said. "The next step in the progression is getting multiple guys down and bringing home some hardware."

Oh yeah - hardware. The Eagles have picked up some of that recently too.

Not since 2006 has Lakes lost a meet in the North Suburban's Prairie Division. That's three titles in a row and the Eagles are favored, heavily, to win their fourth divisional crown in a row this coming season.

"I think where we start to build our legacy here is building a path for the younger classes to come in to follow," said Eagles senior and returning state qualifier in the shot put Bill Brinser. "Just like the (Andrew) Steins and the DeGraves before and how those guys led for all of us."

The divisional plaques are nice and all, but the goals are getting bigger for the Eagles as the years go by. The next step is to win the North Suburban Conference title outright.

"I remember when we went to our first dual meet and everyone kind of looked at us like, 'Who are these guys?' " Brinser said. "Now I think people look at us as a good team and as someone you have to pay attention to."

One member of the Eagles team that has earned plenty of attention over the last few years is KirkmanBey. After qualifying as a freshman in 2007, KirkmanBey has missed twice in his tries to get back to the state meet, including a disappointing meet at the Grayslake Central sectional last spring.

"Last spring has been in the back of my mind a lot," KirkmanBey said. "Whether I am at basketball practice or in class, it sometimes just pops into my head and reminds me that I need to keep working toward getting back."

That leads to another of the Eagles' goals - state medals. While they have had success and built the program to more than just simple respectability, one thing is missing in all of this - a state medal.

"I think a medal and even a trophy at the state meet is what can really call out your program and make it legit," Rowells said. "I remember at Hoffman when we won a trophy what it did for our team - the same thing can happen here."

Before the Eagles win a trophy, a medal would be nice and with Brinser, KirkmanBey, Beckman and junior Bill Pfeiffer in the fold, and a freshmen group led by one of the best young runners in the state in Ryan Prais, Lakes can certainly point to an even brighter future.