Glenbard South's Boesso makes main thing the main thing

CHARLESTON - Glenbard South junior Joe Boesso nailed the goal of Friday's state track and field preliminaries.

"I've made the main thing the main thing," said Boesso, who also made the 6-foot-3 cutoff into Saturday's high jump finals. "It means to block out outside influences."

Like the heat, for one. On the blue track of Eastern Illinois University it always seems to be 85 degrees with 41 percent humidity, as it was Friday at O'Brien Stadium.

It was hot, but Glenbard South was only lukewarm in the Class 2A team race. The Raiders were well off the 10 qualifiers sent into Saturday's finals by Cahokia and defending 2A champion Hillcrest, with nine each for Kaneland, Oak Forest and Crete-Monee.

"We had too many misses," Raiders coach Andy Preuss said. "We have four events in. I think that'll score somewhere in the 20s."

Most of that depends on how Garrett Payne performs. The junior set a 2A record with his 48.44-second time in the 400 meters and anchored qualifying 400 and 1,600 relays. Payne sounded unimpressed.

"I think I have to run the second turn harder," Payne said. "It's always been the weakest area of my 400. The homestretch you just go all out."

Glenbard South, which qualified 12 entries out of its own sectional, was the sole local 2A school to advance anyone Friday. St. Francis' Sean Montague will run in today's 3,200 meters but was unable to qualify in the 1,600.

Class 3A is densely populated. Neuqua Valley and Lake Park each have eight finalists, joining East Moline United. Defending 3A champ York pulls in with seven and Wheaton Warrenville South joins several with six.

"We're looking good," said York's Jack Driggs, who overtook Loyola's Jack Seeberg to claim his heat of the 1,600 - the same heat in which Wheaton North's James Waterman lost his right shoe running the backstretch with about 650 meters left. In the next heat twin Jake Waterman advanced to Saturday's 1,600.

There's that word again.

"I hate hot weather," said Lake Park's Jermaine Kline, leading the 3A field in shot put at 61 feet, 73/4 inches and second to Huntley's Marcus Popenfoose in discus.

Jermaine's fraternal twin, Jeremy, had bent backward the index finger of his right throwing hand May 13 and wore a wrist wrap for protection. It worked sufficient to be seeded third in both throwing events.

"It feels good," Jeremy said after a shot put of 57-4. "The first one I kind of shoved out there, and the second one I tried to roll off my fingers. I've been palming it most of my meets."

Glenbard East's 3,200 relay of Brad Magnetta, Jim Peters, Mike Fahey and Luke Chvatal lowered its school record to 7 minutes, 52.39 seconds, sitting behind only Lyons Twp. in that event. Downers Grove South's Shane Molidor set a school record with a 3A-best long jump of 23 feet, 33/4 inches.

"My goal was to bust out a big jump to scare everyone, since I jumped first in the first flight," said Princeton recruit Molidor, who also will run in the 100 dash finals with West Chicago's Matt Kubik.

Kubik also qualified in the 200 with WW South's Kevin Piraino, a triple jump finalist along with Hinsdale South all-stater Devin Lee, triple and long jump qualifier Ricky Walls of Waubonsie Valley and Lake Park's Zach Ziemek, who set a personal record of 47-31/4.

Ziemek, who also joins Kubik and WW South's Lukas Looby in pole vault, saw Whitney Young's Jonathan Gardner exceed 48 feet on his last jump.

"It gives me something to go against tomorrow," Ziemek said.

That's what Neuqua Valley's stance will be. The 3A favorites qualified all four relays - their 800 and 1,600 groups including Thaddeus Johnson, Cale Brown, Jake Bender, Jamere Morrison, Aryan Avant and Steve Carron were fastest in the field - plus Avant and Carron in the 400 with Aaron Beattie on tap in the 3,200.

Morrison said, "The pressure's on." After their time of 3:19.18 in the 1,600 relay the Wildcats look like they're handling it.

"Every now and then you come up really nervous, because you doubt your abilities," the senior said. "But just ponder all the training you put in, all the practice, all the activities you passed up, and you just know you'll come out with a win."