Boys track and field: Naperville Central tastes victory at Metea Valley
Naperville Central discus and shot put coach Phil Allen uses technique and other means to get the most out of his boys.
Food always works with throwers.
After doughnuts and a promise of something better, at Saturday's Metea Valley track invitational Redhawks junior Ryan Lakin uncorked a 15-foot personal record in discus, where he and senior teammate Ben Cianchetti finished first and second.
"It just kind of happened. It felt good. I mean, I can get a pizza now," said Lakin, who threw the disc an even 150 feet to Cianchetti's 148-11.
"My goal was to get second behind Ben, because I didn't really think I'd beat him," said Lakin, fifth in shot put at 43-11.
Cianchetti, 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, had his potential set back by injuries in football, aggravated in wrestling. As a junior he threw only in conference and sectional meets and wasn't sure he was going out for track this spring.
"It's a season I didn't think I'd have, so it's kind of nice," Cianchetti said.
Despite such aces as Thomas Shilgalis and Patrick Julian sitting out for training sessions and sprinter-hurdler Cade McDonald watching spring football at Michigan State, where he'll be a walk-on receiver, Naperville Central won the meet in a 118-117 decision over Wheaton Warrenville South.
Along with Thomas Codo's 400-meter victory Jason England and Robert Gortner went 1-2 in pole vault; Aniketh Rayudu and Jay Coleman did the same in triple jump.
Naperville Central had other high finishes, including Seth Klein-Collins and Vinny Adamo going 2-3 in a windy 3,200 run. Winning that handily at 9 minutes, 40.39 seconds, WW South's Sean Maison continues to uphold the family name until twin brother Scott returns from injury. Both will run for Air Force.
"Seth Collins-Klein, from Naperville Central, he's tough, so I knew I'd have someone to run with for a little bit. So I just went out there and just tried dropping the pace a little bit," Sean Maison said.
The Tigers' Cedric Rowzee won the 100 dash and placed second to Plainfield North's Marcellus Moore - 22.04 seconds to 22.44 - in a potential downstate 200-meter preview. WW South's William Hauenstein got pushed late but won the 1,600. After finishing third behind teammate Aldo Martinez in the 110 hurdles, the Tigers' Mario Haro surged to win the 300 hurdles.
"I was near third, and near the end I saw the finish and I just went for it. I used whatever was in my tank and I went for the win," Haro said.
Host Metea Valley placed fifth behind Hoffman Estates and Plainfield North but finished second on the frosh-soph level. Temi Osobamiro and Virgil Steward went 2-3 in the 100 with Nikola Maric seventh, and shot-putter Cole Paulline took second by a half-inch on his last throw.
The Mustangs' Michael Varzino wasn't happy with his 2:01.17 time that won the 800 but liked a teammate's performance in the 400-meter race named in honor of late Metea student Devin Meadows.
"Justin Fichte, who'd never ran a 400 before, ran a (52.46) and got third place out of the slow heat, so that was pretty big for us," Varzino said. "He hasn't been on the (1,600 relay) before, so he'll join. Hopefully we can run a fast time in the next couple weeks."
Hoffman Estates' Malik Whitehead started out winning long jump, had enough left to run the second leg of both Hawks' winning 400- and 800-meter relays, and also place third in the 200. Fredy Martinez-Aparicio ran on both those as well and reached the open 100-meter finals with teammate Chris Blackshear, who ran on the 400 relay winner.
Hoffman Estates' Jonah Walter maintained his No. 1 seed in high jump to win that event, while in shot put Femi Oginni and Tyler Montgomery placed first and third, respectively.
"My coach right here (John Ulrich), he told us to go warm up," Oginni said. "I listened to my music, and it's cold outside so I started sweating. And when I started sweating I got hot. When I got hot, I started throwing good."
Montgomery got bumped to second when Metea Valleys' Cole Paulline beat him by a half-inch on Paulline's last throw in the finals.
"I was disappointed because my second-to-last throw in finals was really good, I just couldn't stay in the ring," Montgomery said. "It would have won the meet. It is what it is. I've got to practice on staying in the ring after finishing."