Coach's corner: A big win for Titans track

Whatever happens today to our Glenbrook South boys track and field runners, jumpers and throwers, as they host the IHSA sectional meet, nothing can take away the thrill of last week's amazing accomplishment.

Rewind six days prior, to the 90-degree heat at Evanston HS and the prestigious Central Suburban League South conference meet. Better yet, rewind even further to realize that Glenbrook South boys track and field has a long and storied history of being a good, solid winning program. Always competitive, always well respected, often with some individual athletes of rare special ability, but not quite able to get past the depth and quality of big schools like Evanston, New Trier and Maine South in some of the big meets.

Second place a bunch of times. But not conference champions.

But Friday, the Titan track team went from good to great, winning their first conference championship since 1987 in the most dramatic of fashion.

The finish was spectacular, and we will get to that, but first the buildup. (No peeking at the end of this column!)

It was known that the GBS contingent was one of the favorites this year, especially after demolishing competition to win big invitationals at Palatine, Deerfield and their very own John Davis invite. There was no question they had the depth and experience to finally break through the barrier and win conference, but sometimes knowing it and actually getting over that psychological hump can be two different things.

Adding to the challenge, they were without two of the their top point scorers: senior captain Zach Goldstein (#1 seed in the 100 meter), and junior phenom Nathan Shapiro, who collects points with his high jumps, hurdles, sprints and relays. Both were nursing injuries. Shapiro bravely gave it a go, but his effectiveness was clearly limited.

So, it wasn't exactly the recipe for success to win a conference title on the home track of their toughest competitor, the always dangerous Evanston Wildkits.

But this Titan track team was a cut above. There was something truly special about them. Led by a group of seniors with an incredible passion for the sport and who, after losing their entire season to the pandemic last year, vowed to stay strong and come back with a vengeance this year. And that they did.

Contributions came from all parts.

Senior Ryan Faut, a former football player who had to be convinced to give track and field a try, did his thing winning both the discus and shot put.

Senior Stefan West, who had battled ankle injuries all season long, had the best day of his track career, triple-jumping his way to a conference championship and besting his previous top jump by more than 1 foot. These were the kind of performance the Titans needed throughout the late afternoon.

Junior Noah Shapiro, the other half of the flying Shapiro brothers, came through with a win in the 100-meter, a second place in the high jump, a third in the 200, and an anchor run to second place in the 4x100 relay.

More points for the hard-charging Titans.

Another junior, Brian Hiltebrand, broke out of the shadows of his now-graduated mentors Will Hauser and Will Kelly, while strategically biding his time in the 800-meter run, staying calm and comfortable before finishing with a huge pull away from the pack to give South another conference champion.

Sophomore Ryan Schaefer, who grew up in Evanston, came back to haunt his old hometown with a 21-8¼ long jump to notch yet another conference champion. This one was unexpected and, again, the kind of performance South would need to overcome Evanston and New Trier.

Cody Slutsky and Jason Stamm added points in the 3200, as did Tyler Hurst in the 300 hurdles, and Thomas McDonnell scored big with third place finishes in both the discus and shot put. Sophomore Ben Freidenger filled in for Goldstein and ran the first leg of South's first place 4x100 relay.

So, multiple athletes contributed a true team effort.

But with one final event remaining, all those superlative Titan performances were still not yet quite enough. To break the 34-year-old drought, they had to somehow find a way to outrace favored Evanston and win the final event: the 4x400 relay.

Here is where the drama almost becomes a story book tale.

About a half an hour before the big finale, senior captain Artie Schleizer told coach Kurt Hasenstein that one of their regular runners for the relay was hurt. Relay teams depend on teamwork and practiced cohesion. But veteran coach Hasenstein always comes prepared. Plan B was another talented runner ... but he was unavailable as he had just finished pole vaulting and had headed out to take an out-of-state ACT test, assuming he was done for the day.

Plan C? That was the hobbling Nathan Shapiro, but his injured ankle had already been put to the test one too many times that day. There really was no Plan D.

So Coach Hasenstein, ready for one of the biggest events of his long coaching career, suddenly had no one to run. Who to fill that last relay spot on a moment's notice? Here is how Coach Haz describes it:

“I looked at Artie, who is a high jumper and sprinter and not really a 400 runner, and said ‘OK, you want to do it?' Artie is a tough kid, a passionate track junkie and the ultimate team player. He looked right back at me and said, ‘Coach, I can do it.' I told him to just run and keep us in the race and give us a chance.”

So, with one final event to decide the conference champion and with the big crowd cheering in anticipation, the Titans set up their instantly retooled lineup.

Sophomore Ryan Schaefer led off the relay and kept the Titans within shouting distance. Schleizer then ran the second leg, gutting his way to the finish line and keeping the Titans in the hunt. At this point they were third, behind leading Evanston and second place Niles West. The third leg runner was 800 specialist Hiltebrand, and he too hung tough. But as the baton was handed off to anchor senior captain George Dornan, it didn't look good. With just one lap to go, Evanston had a comfortable lead, and Niles West was still second.

Here is where the final lap anchor run from Dornan will become legend.

He took off in a sprint and started to close in on the Niles West runner, passing him at around the 200 mark. A second-place finish would at least give the Titans a share of the conference championship.

But senior Dornan had other thoughts. With the entire GBS track team cheering him on and running with him to the finish line, Dornan closed in on the tiring Evanston runner. With not much space left before the end, he found that extra gear, closed fast and sprinted past Evanston. He hung on at the end to give the Titans the race win and the long-awaited conference championship. An amazing finish.

The entire Titan track team ran over to the exhausted Dornan en masse, and, in a pileup of epic proportions, celebrated the win.

The 34-year drought shattered at the finish line.

Coach Hasenstein said it best after the meet. “It was our time. After coming close so many times, finally it was our time.”

• Jon Cohn of Glenview is a coach, retired PE teacher, sports official and prep sports fan. To contact him with comments or story ideas, email jcsportsandtees@aol.com.