It's victory Lane -- twice

Aptly named track star Nick Lane sports lower-jaw-length sideburns and moved here five years ago from the 11-lettered state of Mississippi.

Coincidentally, the Grayslake North senior likes to run long races.

And by the time all the 1,600-meter run finalists were crossing the finish line in the Class AA Grayslake Central sectional Friday night, the long-legged Lane was, well, long gone.

He had won in 4:24.88, using a powerful kick down the stretch run to beat runner-up Alex Bennatan of Lake Forest by nearly two seconds.

That came after Lane had won the 3,200 in 9:28.46. Which, also, was about a two-second victory.

"You are disgusting," a smiling Alex Mena of Mundelein said to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee-bound Lane, who's been on a roll lately. He won the 1,600 and 3,200 at county and captured the 1,600 at the Fox Valley Conference meet, where he didn't run the 3,200.

"We took it out pretty good," Lane said of the 1,600. "I thought the first 200 was a really good time. They just stuck behind me and they pushed me along the way. I started gassing at the 300 (on the final lap) and they were still on me at the 200, so at the (last) 100 I had to kick it into that last gear."

Led by Bennatan, who won a hotly contested 800, and Mike Ellis, who captured the 300 hurdles and also qualified in 110 hurdles, Lake Forest claimed the sectional with 84 points. Zion-Benton was second with 69 points, while North Chicago and Lakes were a distant third with 42 each. Cary-Grove (40) rounded out the top five.

Like Lane down the stretch in the 1,600, Antioch's Lamarr Pottinger found an extra gear to win the 110 hurdles. Pottinger's time of 14.57 clipped the Lake Forest duo of Ellis (14.73) and Trenton Moore (14.87), and Lakes' Marcell Kirkmanbey (14.88).

Only Pottinger and Ellis qualified for state. The sophomore Kirkmanbey -- who had beaten Pottinger three times in as many races this season -- was denied a second straight state berth.

"I knew I had to get first," said Pottinger, who's a senior. "Me and (Kirkmanbey) are good friends, but I was tired of losing to him."

Pottinger's first-place finish wasn't luck. He prepared hard for his showdown with Kirkmanbey.

"We watched film from when he beat me the first two times and I would always have him until the fifth hurdle," Pottinger said. "But the next five he would catch me. So that's what we worked on during the week -- to finish strong. That's all I was thinking about the whole day."

The 800 was also fast, producing four state qualifiers in Bennatan (1:56.06), Grant's Derek Hall (1:56.21), Warren's Karsen Green (1:56.57) and Grayslake Central's Jared Zygmunt (1:56.78).

Zygmunt, who bettered his personal best by nearly four seconds, set the school record.

"I wanted to go out and make a 57 (seconds) because I knew I'd have to go out fast," Zygmunt said. "I went out in a high 57 (or) 58 and was in good position. I had leaders right in front of me. I always know I can kick at the end. That's like my signature. That's what I love doing -- trying to catch guys from behind.

"With 200 to go I just tried to stick with them as much as I could and give it what I got."

Wauconda junior Garrett Dorsey earned his first state berth by finishing second to Zion-Benton's Tavarus Thomas in the 400. Dorsey's personal-best time of 49.84 was state-qualifying, to boot.

"I just wanted to go in and qualify for state," said Dorsey, who was both exhausted and elated afterward. "That's what I worked for. It's what everybody works for.

"Extra gears come from the heart."

Lakes' Andrew Stein won the triple jump (45-5), and the Eagles also qualified for state Jon DeGrave in the 300 hurdles (second, state-qualifying 39.07).

Mundelein received state-qualifying/runner-up efforts from its 3,200 relay, Jamell Ross (long jump) and Adam Bassett (high jump). Ross leaped a state-qualifying 22-9¼. Matt Hoffmeyer, Robbie Munnings, Dom Juozitis and Mena comprised the Mustangs' 3,200 relay.

Other state qualifiers included Vernon Hills' Zach Wheeler, whose 14-8 easily won the pole vault, and Mo Bahrani (3,200); Grant's Pawel Zurkowski (shot put); Antioch's Tyler Woolard (discus); and Libertyville's Pat Filipek (pole vault).

Waukegan's Cornelius Watkins won both the shot put and discus.

Cary-Grove qualified for state Ryan Psenka in the discus, Dan Bartz and Dan McCall in the 300 hurdles, and Philip Fairleigh in the 3,200.

All bested the state-qualifying marks.

The sophomore Fairleigh was second in the 3,200. He enjoyed the lead at one point, but his game plan was to chase someone early, and that never materialized.

"It's always easier to be chasing somebody," Fairleigh said.

"I wanted to get into the fast heat at state but everyone refused to lead so I had to go out and push it. That's the only thing I could do."