Boys track and field: Barrington claims Lake County title
Wauconda senior sprinter Javerius McGuinn once ran into Barrington graduate and future Super Bowl champion Scotty Miller while training with a friend at Lake Barrington Field House.
"Oh, I saw him and I knew who he was," McGuinn said of Miller, a Barrington product who has become one of Tom Brady's wide receivers in the middle of Saturday's Lake County boys track and field invite at Deerfield.
None other than Miller in 2015 set the Lake County invite record in the 100-meter dash (10.53). McGuinn attempted to take that down in steamy conditions Saturday at Adams Field.
The Bulldog, alas, ended up clocking a 10.83, but it was swift enough to top the field at the 20-team gathering. McGuinn later exploded to a school-record-tying 22.02 to win the 200 dash.
The young man he tied?
Himself.
"Get out quick and stay quick," he said of his delightfully simple race plan after the 100.
Miller's alma mater, meanwhile, needed only half of McGuinn's gold-medal haul - a victory in the 800 relay (1:31.34) - to capture its second invite in as many weekends. Barrington amassed 107 points to runner-up Deerfield's 89, a week after winning the Palatine Relays.
"We took a lot of second places here and some third places there," said Barrington coach Todd Kuklinski, whose victorious 800 relay members Saturday were Connor Lee, Bryan Smith, Ikki Takahashi and Joey Gurskis. "To win this I knew it would take a total team effort. Traditionally we use this meet to set us up for our conference meet.
"But you know what?" he added. "We're still asking, 'Who are we?' We'll figure that out as we compete in meets held on big stages."
Grayslake Central, paced by Marcus Mittelstadt's title in the pole vault (4.42 meters), edged Libertyville 63-62 for third place. Vernon Hills took fifth (57.5 points), followed by Warren (57), Stevenson (48.5), Lake Zurich (39), Lake Forest (35) and 10th-place Zion-Benton (31).
LZ senior Jacob Myers crossed two finish lines Saturday - one while wearing track togs and one while clad in cap and gown. Myers hustled to a personal-best 1:57.63 to win the 800.
"I'm planning to zoom over to our graduation ceremony later this afternoon," Myers said.
Warren junior Luke Wiley made the grade in the 3,200 run, overwhelming the field with a time of 9:20.05. The runner-up in the event finished more than 16 seconds later.
"I drank a lot of water and Gatorade last night ... probably enough to fill a small pool," said Wiley, who had to rest for nearly four weeks after a flare-up of Achilles tendinitis during the indoor track season.
Blue Devils teammate Griffin Pasha ran an impressive first-place 4:16.33 in the 1,600, and Warren's 400 relay of Joel Williams, Cassius Callahan, Jailen Duffie and Maurice Edwards combined legs for a triumphant 43.38.
Libertyville emerged as the most decorated team by claiming four event championships, including two from Ethan Richter (shot put, 18 meters; discus, 51.72 meters). The Wildcats' 3,200 relay unit (Liam Tucker, Peyton, Isaac Sweitzer and Ali Faiz) won in 8:14.46, before senior University of Chicago-bound Marc Michelotti scooted one lap in 50.44 to take top honors in the 400.
Michelotti - the champ in the 400 at the North Suburban Conference meet as a sophomore - pumped his left fist a few feet beyond the finish line.
"I visualized winning this," said an exhausted Michelotti, who asked, "You mind if we sit down?" before discussing his race.
Vernon Hills' 1,600 relay shuffled its order a tad before winning the final event of the day in 3:28.12. Normally the crew's anchor, senior Oskar Jedynak, ran third Saturday after seniors Alex Utsis and Ryan Kim and ahead of junior anchor Ryan Kuczynski.
"I like closing gaps," Jedynak said.
Grant got a championship effort from Xavier Patterson in the triple jump (12.95 meters).