Wauconda's Dorsey brothers star
The Dorsey-to-Dorsey family connection didn't quite pan out in football.
But it sure did pay big dividends in track.
The Dorsey brothers from Wauconda - Garrett, a senior, and Brandon, a sophomore - helped Wauconda finish Friday's Class 2A boys sectional track meet at Grayslake Central with a bang.
In the final event of the night, Brandon ran the third leg of the 4x400 meter relay and handed off the lead to Garrett, who not only kept it but added to it.
The result was a first-place finish (3:26.28) and an automatic qualification for next week's state final meet at Eastern Illinois in Charleston.
It was one of several state qualifications for the Dorsey brothers.
Together, they also qualified as part of the first-place 4X100 meter relay team (43.91). Individually, Garrett earned a trip downstate by winning the 400 meter dash (49.88) and Brandon took first place in the 100 meter dash (11.16).
"We push each other a lot," said big brother Garrett, who set Wauconda's school record in the 400 (49.10) at last week's North Suburban Conference meet. "And I try to give (Brandon) little pep talks."
Brandon probably needed a little pick-me-up last fall, when he got his first shot at playing varsity football with Garrett, Wauconda's starting quarterback. Unfortunately for Brandon, it also turned out to be his only shot.
"I'm a wide receiver and I was on the sophomore team and they moved me up for a game, but I didn't do so good so they brought me back down," Brandon said. "I kind of choked. I dropped a ball and (the coaches) kind of got mad."
Of course, there were nothing but smiles and pats on the back for Brandon and his brother at Grayslake Central, where Wauconda finished sixth in the team standings behind champion Belvidere North and Lake County's other top finishers - Antioch (third) and the host Rams (fourth).
Brandon was particularly pumped because his victory in the 100 meter dash involved defeating one of the best sprinters in Lake County.
Antioch senior Cameron White, who also is one of the best football players in the area and was named the honorary captain of the Daily Herald's all-area team last fall, finished just behind Brandon at 11.20.
"It's the first time I beat Cameron and we've raced two or three times this season," Brandon said. "I felt really good those last 20 meters and I was able to pull away."
White did his fair share of pulling away.
He qualified for state by easily winning the 200 meter dash (22.46). In addition to that, and the 100 meter dash, White will also compete in the long jump at Eastern Illinois, which, interestingly enough, is where he'll play football next year.
"I would run track next year (at Eastern) if they let me," said White, a star running back. "But for right now, I'm just looking forward to getting back on the football field and playing college ball."
Meanwhile, White's teammate, senior Tyler Woolard, is hoping to make the track team in college. A two-time state qualifier in both the shot put (53-7.5) and discus (143-1), he says he's already talked with the coaches at Iowa State and may even be able to receive some financial aide because his test scores are so good.
Woolard recorded a 29 on the ACT.
"I'm really hoping I'm able to be on the team (at Iowa State) next year," Woolard said.
That's not the only thing Woolard hopes for.
He'd like to see his name up on the wall at Antioch.
"There's a little bit of hope that I can get the school record in the discus and shot put," Woolard said. "I'm closer in the discus, but I'm getting up there in shot put now, too. I'm about 20 feet off in the discus and only about 2 feet off in the shot put. That's doable. I've got a week left to work on it.
"There's a wall of records in the gym and I want to be on it. I just really want to leave my mark on the school."
Grayslake Central freshman William Brewster has a good chance of doing that.
Already, the rookie is state final-bound.
He placed third in the 3200 meter run, but qualified on time with a 9:44.76.
"During cross country I missed (qualifying for state) by two seconds and during indoor (track) season, I missed it by two seconds as well, so I was really nervous because I didn't want to miss state again," Brewster said. "I wanted this one really bad and I was so happy when they said I qualified because I didn't know right away if I did or not."
So what did Brewster do this time that he didn't do during cross country or the indoor season?
"A lot of younger runners tend to go out really fast and kill themselves and that's what I did in cross country (and indoor)," Brewster said. "But I learned that during track, I needed to go out slower so I could finish faster and that has helped me a lot."
Speaking of lessons, Lakes junior hurdler Marcell Kirkmanbey also probably learned one on the track.
A favorite in the 110 meter hurdles and a state qualifier as a freshman, Kirkmanbey was charged with a false start in the semifinals. When he argued the ruling, he was disqualified from the entire meet.
"He got set in the blocks and he rocked forward and he was called for the false start," Lakes coach Kurt Rowells said. "(Kirkmanbey's reaction) was frustration. It's too bad. His talent level is unbelievable. He should have be running (the final)."
Kirkmanbey won last week's hurdle race at the North Suburban Conference meet and was seeded second in the sectional.
"He's very distraught and upset," Rowells said. "He feels he let his team down. It's a maturing process. Being a senior next year, he'll have the opportunity to redeem himself and put himself in a better position. Hopefully he matures from it. I know he will. I know he feels more embarrassed that he let his team down that anything else."
Other local state qualifiers included: Grayslake Central's Jeremy Bethke (800 meter run, 1:59.23), Chris Makey (pole vault, 13-3) and Kendall Smith (shot put, 54-11.5), Antioch's Brandon Ginter (51-2, shot put) and Brent Jones (triple jump, 45-4.5) and Lakes' Bill Brinser (50-11.5, shot put).
"This is pretty exhilarating," Brinser said. "I went to indoor state, but I've never been to outdoor. I'm really excited."