A good early sign for Montini

It's too soon to read much into the first outdoor track meet of the season, but ... we'll do so anyhow.

At the fourth annual St. Viator Invite at Harper College on April 3, Montini won both the boys and girls levels, ahead of the host school both times.

The boys side is of particular interest because St. Viator and Montini will compete at the same Class 2A sectional at Glenbard South. On Saturday the Broncos nipped St. Viator, 102 points to 99. Immaculate Conception took fourth with a healthy 74 points, 20 behind Round Lake.

A steady rain and a head wind blew into the runners' faces. Leading the victorious Broncos was Pat Barrett, taking both the 110- and 300-meter hurdles, Mitch Lydon in the 800-meter run, Asante McKinley in high jump and the 400 relay of Tim Perlowski, Michael Spangler, Vince Towler and Jim Harrington.

It beats May 29: On April 10 York coach Stan Reddel will miss his third track meet in 40 years of coaching. The Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association 2010 Hall of Fame inductee won't be with the Dukes at Schaumburg's Saxon Invite because Saturday is the wedding day of his 28-year-old son, Scott.

The coach said he'd requested a summer date, but you know how those things go...

Speaking of Reddel, here's an interesting quote extracted from an interview for the 2009 boys state meet preview.

"It's funny," Reddel said then. "We're not going to have as many kids got down(state) as we normally do, but where we're good we're pretty good."

It was funny, because those kids ended up winning a state title.

Urgent matters: During the Upstate Eight Conference boys indoor track meet, Waubonsie Valley coach Kevin Rafferty said he nearly ruled senior Miguel Gonzalez ineligible to compete for not getting to a class on time.

On the track there was no problem. Gonzalez won both the low and the high hurdles races.

This is a perplexing situation for Rafferty.

"The kid can jump over a hurdle in no time flat," Rafferty said. "He just can't walk through a crowd of people."

While Gonzalez clears short obstacles, fellow senior James Davenport gets the high ones.

In only his second year in the Waubonsie program, Davenport won the Illinois Prep Top Times Indoor Classic at 6 feet, 7 inches. His height of 6-8 at the Aurora City Meet in early March is 31/2 inches off Duane Jackson's school record set in 1992.

Rafferty said Davenport has had "good attempts" at 6-10 - in one try he knocked the bar with just a glance of the sole of his shoe - and is already looking at 7 feet.

"He just needs to get his timing," Rafferty said.

Made to be broken: Benet coach Pat Marshall may be enjoying his final days as a school record-holder.

Marshall ran on the Redwings' 1994 1,600-meter relay team that set the program record of 3 minutes, 23 seconds. This year's Benet 1,600 relay of Jackson Jenkins, John Kawka, John McLaughlin and Matt Dickey is closing in. They were among the state's fastest indoors.

Marshall also has something this group would like - he ran on the state's first-place 3,200 relay in 1994.

Four-by-four-by-two: Neuqua Valley clinched its second-place 3A finish last season on the final event of the weekend, the 1,600 relay.

Only Brian Griffith graduated from that group with Cale Brown, Jamere Morrison and anchor Aryan Avant back for more. With Steve Carron plugged in the Wildcats have a good chance to successfully defend their relay title.

Avant, Carron and Brown finished second, fourth and sixth, respectively, in the 400 at the Top Times Indoor. Earlier, March 8 at the Downers Grove South Mustang Relays, with Morrison in the relay they set a new school record time of 3 minutes, 23.63 seconds, Illinois' best indoor time all season and No. 25 in the nation.

Interviewed for last week's track previews, Neuqua Valley coach Mike Kennedy said, "To have your 400 runners sort of be the strength of your team is a good thing."

Final thought: Lisle coach Ken Jakalski was talking about his track program, but it relates to any difficult task worth pursuing, at any age.

"There are two things we like to fulfill," he said. "Are the kids having fun, and are they feeling good about themselves? Whenever we look at why kids come out for your activity, those are the first two things that bring them to your doorstep. No kid starts out because he says, 'I have a passionate desire to punish myself in the process of getting good.'"