DGN at Sandburg's Struck Invite

Downers Grove North senior Jeremy Craven hasn’t competed often this boys track and cross country season, but great things happen when he does.

After spending three weeks tending to bad shin splints, Craven appears already ahead of schedule in the 3,200-meter run. On Friday, May 2, Craven convincingly won the event at Sandburg’s Pete Struck Eagle Classic in fully automatic time – a personal-best by eight seconds that already is under the 9:29.04 state-qualifying standard.

On Nov. 9, Craven helped the Trojans finish a program-best second at the Class 3A boys cross country state meet. It was just his fourth race of the season because he needed to recover from a stress fracture in his left foot diagnosed after the opening meet.

“It’s great. I’m just happy whenever I get to run because I hate cross training,” Craven said. “It was easier (coming back for track). I knew exactly what to do in order to maintain my fitness. I just had to do it.

“I felt good finishing that (3,200). I felt like I could have run a little faster.”

Seniors Zack Smith (4:14.93) and Tony Zea (4:15.96) finished 1-2 in the 1,600 with junior Ryan Clevenger third in 4:17.54 as an exhibition entry that did not count in the team scoring.

Juniors Nick Janicki (154 feet) and Max Sale (150-9) finished second and third in discus. Seniors Andrew Adams (400 in 51.62) and Jared Spilky (3,200 in 9:48.75) and sophomores Zack Hogan (42-11 in triple jump) and Romeo Jones (300 intermediate hurdles in 43.44) also were third.

The Trojans (85 points) were a solid third in the 15-team field to Crete-Monee (106) and the host Eagles (103). Brother Rice (54) was fourth.

Athletes qualify for the state meet either automatically with top-two sectional finishes or by achieving state-qualifying standards at the meet, regardless of place.

Craven previously ran 9:36.7 April 25 as an exhibition entry at Downers Grove South’s Cohoon Invite and finished fourth in the race.

While Craven now is confident he can reach state, he wants a strong qualifying time at sectionals so that he will be in the faster of the two heats of the 3,200.

It’s the only state event that has no first day of preliminary competition and is simply run in two heats roughly 90 minutes apart. Senior Zack Smith, an all-state third in the 1,600 at state last year, most likely also will compete in the event at sectionals and state as well as the 3,200. Smith ran both events at the Cohoon Invite.

”He’s trying to (double) so he’s not going to go all out in the 3,200, try to run like 9:19 so if I just stick behind him, hopefully I can run with him, too,” Craven said. “I wanted to be under 9:30 (Friday), but I didn’t really need to hit that until the sectional, but I was really happy to hit it now so now, going into the sectional, I’m looking to hit 9:20 to get into the fast heat.”

Craven won by 8.43 seconds over Jones senior Peter Schaible. Spilky was 12.07 seconds behind Schaible and 3.84 seconds ahead of fourth-place Sandburg senior Will Becker.

With the strong field at the Cohoon Invite, Craven felt he went out about eight seconds too fast the first lap and Friday’s 1:11 start contributed to a faster overall time. After a 4:42.8 for his first 1,600, Craven tailed Schaible until making a quick surge to lead for good with about 900 meters left.

”(Craven) executed pretty well and stayed real consistent and finished real strong. (Craven) went around (Schaible) pretty aggressively and that’s how you have to pass so it was very good,” said Downers North distance coach John Sipple, a Sandburg graduate.

”He’s gotten the job done cross-training wise and knows that it pays off and he knows how to do it the right way. He should have confidence in his fitness and he should be confident in his ability. He’s done it pretty darn well in the past so just keep that going. “

Smith, Zea and Clevenger dominated the 1,600. Fourth-place Sandburg senior Denis O’Callaghan was 3.03 seconds behind Clevenger.

Zea, known more as an 800 runner, led at the halfway point (2:06.6) and alternated the lead with Smith. The final lap determined the final result as Smith finished in 59.9 after a 1:08 third lap.

”It’s nice to have that in the back pocket, just to get able to reach down, dig deep and pull that out,” Smith said. “I obviously just try to keep improving on that and the third lap especially is the biggest thing, making sure we keep moving on that lap because that’s when you’re starting to hurt. You can’t necessarily see the finish line at that point so you have to stay mentally tough there and keep pushing yourself.”

Smith fell just shy of his personal best of 4:13 from last year while Zea achieved a PR. Last month, Zea and Clevenger ran a true mile in California at the Arcadia Invitational and Zea was third in 4:16.95.

”(Friday) was such a fun race, a great opportunity to race against some of the top guys in the state, especially when they’re teammates, too. We were trying to go faster, but still an amazing time,” Zea said. “That last lap, Zack just took it out and I just couldn’t catch up to him. Zack brought it home.”

Zea may get his chance to beat Smith when they run the 800 at Hinsdale Central’s McCarthy Invitational Friday, May 9.

“I was hoping to beat Zack, but that’s all right. When we do my race, when we drop down to 800, I’ll show him how to run,” Zea joked.

Smith wouldn’t be surprised. Zea appears headed for all-state honors in what would be his first state meet before the two will remain teammates for the University of Illinois.

”Everything he’s done this year, he’s dropped so many PRs by so much all the way from the 20 to 3,200. It seems like he’s basically PRed in everything this year,” Smith said. “It’s awesome not only knowing we’re teammates this year but also the next four or five years at U of I, too. We want to finish off this last month strong and then get down to U of I and start doing stuff down there.”

Janicki and Sale still have another year as Trojans, but they already are a pretty strong 1-2 punch. They were second and third in discus behind Brother Rice senior Favin Nunez (164-5 1/2) with Sale nearly 17 feet ahead of fourth place.

Sale also joined the shot lineup since senior Nick Steichmann had work obligations and threw a lifetime best by 10 inches to pull out sixth, 2-5 1/2 ahead of seventh.

”It was my birthday. I had the birthday look, just spontaneous things falling together,” Sale said. “I’m just hoping to keep improving, keep having a positive trend and hopefully end up at the state meet.”

Sale probably will remain in the lineup because of a jammed finger on Janicki’s right throwing hand. Janicki was entered in shot Friday but was in pain after his first attempt and scratched from the event.

”I bent (the finger) too far back so now it hurts when I move it, and I can’t shake hands. It just hurts,” Janicki said. “I’ll see how it feels around sectional time, but probably, most likely (I’m done this season).”

Since he closes his hand to throw discus, Janicki still is able to throw and stay on course for a second straight state berth in the event. While weather conditions were decent Friday with occasionally drizzle and a dying crosswind, the ring conditions weren’t.

”The ring has rocks in the concrete and they stick up to the surface is uneven. It’s pretty rough,” Sale said. “It’s a nice place to get a PR because you know you’re capable of more throwing in a better ring.”

Janicki also was having problems with his right shoe ripping through its sole. Luckily, Sale wears the same shoe size and just purchased new shoes because his left shoe was ripped. Sale gave Janicki the right shoe from his previous pair.

”I just kept slipping every time I planted (my right shoe), but I still got out there, a 154, so I’m happy,” Janicki said.

In the 300 hurdles, Jones was a somewhat surprising third since he was in the third of four heats and with the slowest seed time.

Jones won his heat by .83 over Sandburg junior Ja’Khari Person (44.27), who was fourth overall, and was only .20 from second place. Senior Charles Creamer, who competed in the fourth heat, was fifth overall (44.30).

”I was saying to myself that whole meet, training myself and telling myself, ‘This is all you. This is your race to prove yourself and see how far you can go to fulfilling your dream and achieving your goals,’ “ Jones said. “What I did was just put on my game face and just went out and did it, got down to business.”

Jones feels he has improved from a late start after coming from wrestling. His goal for this season is to reach 42 seconds and compete for a conference title.

“It’s not just going to come with my saying it or believing it. I have to put the work into it,” Jones said. “(Friday’s race) was just out of sheer focus and believing that it was my responsibility to prove to myself that I can do better than what I have been doing for the past couple of meets and that I should do better. There was nothing but air and opportunity in the way of stopping me from doing better.”

Sophomore Anthony Giordano, Creamer, junior Brendan Dingle and senior Jazz Charrier were fourth in the 400 relay (43.86) and 800 relay (1:33.02). Charrier also was fourth in long jump (20-5), and junior Jack Diamond (800 in 2:00.29) and the 1,600 relay (Diamond, senior Jack McGinnis, junior Joe Carter, Adams in 3:39.34) were fifth.

Earlier on the third leg of the 3,200 relay, Carter had been tripped up and fell on his right leg. Junior Zac Christensen, Carter, McGinnis and Clevenger finished in 8:27.

The 400 and 800 relays both had season bests. The 400 broke 44 seconds for the first time and was .61 from third. The 800 relay was .04 from third and edged its previous season best of 1:33.08 from the West Aurora Invite April 19.

”We did very well (in the 400 relay) because we were supposed to be the slowest (in the fast heat),” Creamer said. “We just ran as fast as our ability. We each did our part and got a win in my book. We practiced handoffs for like hours and hours, trying to get them perfect. (Giordano) did pretty well coming out of the blocks for us, just carrying that momentum throughout the whole race.”

Giordano has been making a smooth transition to the varsity. His biggest challenge currently is trying to overcome shin splints.

”I’m just going to try and work on my legs,” Giordano said. ”We got better (in the relays) so we PRed twice. We want to get below 1:33 for the 4-by-200. We still hit low 1:33, so obvious signs of improvements in our times. We’re going to keep getting better and want to work down to state, hopefully.”

-- by Bill Stone