Boys track and field: McDonald, Naperville Central rule at DuPage Valley Conference meet
If the DuPage Valley Conference presented a comeback athlete of the year in boys track and field, after Friday's championships it would have to be Naperville Central's Cade McDonald.
He joined the team too late as a freshman and was denied by team rules. Hip flexor injuries hampered his sophomore and junior seasons.
Friday at Naperville North the healthy senior won two open sprints and anchored two winning relays to help Naperville Central win its first DVC title since 1990.
"Last year I was just doing it to play football, keep in shape," said McDonald, a preferred walk-on recruit at Michigan State as a receiver. "Over the summer I was really working hard in football camp, had a great football season and it just carried into the track season. I've been better than I ever thought I was going to be."
McDonald, whom Redhawks coach Steve Wiesbrook previously thanked for "not giving up on our program" after freshman year, won the 100 dash in 11.00 seconds and the 200 in 22.78. He breezed home easily in the 400 relay, and strong teammates Dylan Greenhagen, Justin Agema and Evan Mahler gave him a big lead in the 800 relay.
"This is one of our team goals, was to win this meet," McDonald said.
Winning all four relays with Agema, Greenhagen, Mahler and Thomas Codo also running on two apiece and Michigan-bound Thomas Shilgalis winning both the 800 and the Gil Dodds "Mile" - capped by sprints first over Naperville North's McLean Griffin then the Huskies' Nick Trattner - the Redhawks' 174 points topped three-time defending DVC champion Neuqua Valley's 139.
Metea Valley (95), sophomore-level winner Naperville North (86) and Waubonsie Valley (47) followed.
Despite its streak getting snapped, Neuqua got great news on a couple fronts. All-state hurdler Donovan Turner completed his first outdoor races of the season after an April 3 hamstring injury. Running in the "slow" heats of the 110 and 300 hurdles, Turner won both at 15.08 and 41.32 seconds, respectively.
"Today it was feeling good, got through the race," he said. "That's honestly what I was hoping for, at least. Speed and stuff, I'm not too worried about."
Teammate Matt Appel won shot put at 55 feet, 10 inches, and sent the discus at least 170 feet four times, winning at 171-8. He also got a kick out of Wildcats Hunter Danton placing second in discus and Jacob Remack second in shot put.
"It just feels good to be able to do that," Appel said.
Neuqua pole vaulter Alex Kiefer outdueled Naperville Central's Jason England, winning on less misses at 13-8.
Reprising the finish of the DuPage County meet, Naperville North's Will deBolt surged past the Redhawks' Codo to win in 50.23 seconds to Codo's 50.49.
"My race plan going into it was, don't pass Codo too fast because he's got a crazy kick and I've just got to outkick him," said deBolt, also second in triple jump at 42-7½.
Metea Valley's Temi Osobamiro won triple jump at 44-4¼. In long jump on his last try Osobamiro also nipped Naperville Central's Jay Coleman by an inch and a half to win at 21-9½.
"I guess I was just overthinking it a little bit before," said Osobamiro, second behind McDonald in the 100.
Waubonsie Valley's Wes Beitler battled Neuqua Valley's Matt Jett the entirety of the 3,200. Pacing just behind Jett, Beitler followed coach Kevin Rafferty's order to move with a half-lap left. The junior won in 9:42.30.
"I knew I had the leg speed on him so I just took him in the last 150," Beitler said. "I knew that I had to go. He's been my rival for awhile."