Throwers lead Benet to 2nd
Strapping Benet weight men Stephen Hubona and Charles Melka look ready to pop some throws.
At Friday’s annual Mike Yavorski boys track invite at Hinsdale South, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Hubona and 6-3, 235-pound Melka each won their events to help the Redwings to second place behind Bloomington, the runaway victor with 169 points.
Second-year thrower Melka’s 47-foot shot put was consistent with his efforts. In discus Hubona uncorked a 10-foot personal record of 160-10 to win by more than 20 feet.
Better weather for practice, weight training, technique tweaks including more speed at the start and finish of his spin — it’s all paying off for Hubona.
Benet throws coach Tim Cedarblad added, “First of all, he’s a natural athlete.”
“I think it’s a combination of all of them,” said Hubona, a junior. “I’ve gained at least 20 pounds in the past year. All my lifts have been going up like crazy. And all that technique stuff is really helping, too.”
In 2012 Benet was fifth at Hinsdale South. Friday, adding Anton Vershay’s easy 3,200-meter win and second-place finishes by hurdler Austin Dzik, high jumper Max Zinski, 400-meter runner Sean Byrne and 800 man Bobby Svoboda — a cool 1 minute, 59.4 seconds — the Redwings’ 112 points nicked third-place Hinsdale South (102).
When the Hornets run it’s time to watch Tavaris Binion. The defending Class 3A 100-meter champ was challenged by Bloomington’s Christian Neal in the 100 and the 200. Each time Binion got Neal, in times of 10.6 seconds and 21.7, respectively.
Hinsdale South’s Manny Dunleavy took second to Bloomington’s Devaughn Dix in the 300 hurdles by a half-second. With a new PR of 40.5 seconds even while knocking a hurdle and considering Dix took third in 3A last year, Dunleavy was smiling.
“I was nervous,” Dunleavy admitted. “It pushed my confidence a lot, because right after the race I knew I had a little bit more in me.”
Glenbard East’s Jack Peters won the 800 ahead of Svoboda, at 1:58.9. The Rams’ foursome of Vince Booth, Teddy Sullivan, Jake Schaeffer and Jovan Newsum won the 3,200 relay, Newsum coming from third to do so.
“I was ecstatic,” said Booth, also second in the 1,600. “When I saw him going on that second lap I really knew he’d have a good kick, so I was pretty confident right then. It was a great win.”
Downers Grove South took most of its team to Prospect and left the best results to freshmen 3,200 runners Jack Lalonde and Max O’Meara, but Montini competed at the Yavorski for the first time.
Jack Brady, seeded fourth in long jump, won the event at a personal-best 21-5½. The Broncos’ 400 relay of Dimitri Taylor, Michael Hollingshed, Logan Goss and Michael Spangler won the 400 relay and Spangler placed third in the 100.
“That was a nice surprise by Jack Brady,” said Montini coach Chris Andriano. “A very nice surprise, 21-5, that’s a nice jump. It’s good competition, I think maybe that’s a good sign for him, that he stepped up to the level of competition.”