The boys city track title may be decided by a tenth of second in a few key races races such as the 110 meter hurdles. Pictured above is Lane hurdler Demetrius Worthy (left) and Mather star hurdler Roger Herard (right).
Lane Tech boys track team will be going for it's 3rd straight city varsity title this Saturday, May 3rd, 10am at Hansen Stadium. However, it will not be a cakewalk. It will be a battle between two very evenly matched foes Mather and Lane Tech.
Jeremy Weber of Mather has an opportunity to win the 800 and the 400.
Mather
Mather, has one of it's best teams ever - probably better than it's 2003 team when it last won the city championship. This 2008 Mather team may not be as deep as it's 2003 team, but it unquestionably has more star power. Mather is so loaded at the top that they have chance to win the 100 meter dash (with Steven Olopo), 400 meter dash (Jeremy Weber), 800 meter run (Jeremy Weber), 1600 meter run (Ivan Coronel), 3200 meter run (Ivan Coronel), 110 meter high hurdles (Roger Herard), 300 meter intermediate hurdles (Brian Shaw), 4x400 meter relay, 4x800 meter relay, Long Jump (Stephen Olopo), Triple Jump (Stephen Olopo), and Discus (Ameen Solebo). For those of you who are counting that is 12 events. So Mather has a possibility of winning 12 of 17 events and will likely score in all the other events. That is brutal.
Lane Tech will rely heavy from sophomores who have been moved up to the varsity team such as sprinter Thaddeus Scott (Left) and shot put/discus thrower Laken Tomlinson (right).
Lane Tech
Lane Tech counters with a strong team of it's own. Leading the way for Lane will be Christopher Kyles. Kyles, the lone returning member of Lane's all-state 4x100 and 4x200 meter relay team of last year, will likely participate in 4 events - the 100, 200, and probably two sprint relays. He will be one of the favorites in whatever events he runs. Lane also has Tory McAlister - one of the state's top hurdlers. He may run the 110 high hurdles, 300 meter hurdles, and probably long jump and do a relay.
Lane will also rely heavily on sophomores that have been moved up to the varsity level. Some of them include sprinter Thaddeus Scott, thrower Laken Tomlinson, and distance runner Victor Terrazas. Scott, a running back from the football team, will likely run in the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams that must finish high in the city finals in order for Lane to stay in par with Mather. Tomlinson, a starting lineman for the football team, will need to score big for Lane in the discus and shot put.
Other keys for Lane will be it's depth. Mather may beat Lane in more events, but Lane will have to make up for it by scoring twice in several events. The following athletes will also play a key role of Lane is to win: Demetrius Worthy (hurdles), Rashe Allen (sprints), Kulayfi Haji (distance), Gerardo Gonzalez (distance), Fernando Arroyo (distance), Chris Blackman (hurdles), Demetrius Jacobs (jumps), Quentin Fair (high jump), and more.
Other Teams
Keith Lewis of Curie is gunning for the 100 meter city championship
Leroy Gordon of Payton (high jumper)
Devyn Cullers of Whitney Young is one of the city's best all around athletes.
But the city meet will be a whole lot more than Lane and Mather. Morgan Park is a perennial to 3 or 4 team. They are always loaded with sprinters. This year is no different as they boast sprinters Daran Brown, Antwain Windmon, and Craig Drummond - the number one football prospect in the state. Fenger, and Kenwood are the two most improved programs in the city. Expect to see lot's of Fenger green and Curie blue in the sprint events. Curie's Keith Lewis-an all-city quarterback and Western Illinois University recruit is aiming to become the city's fastest runner by winning the 100 and 200. Northside Prep - always strong in distance also has Eric Nelson, the hands on favorite to win the high jump. Whitney Young, has decided to keep many of it's sophomores at the frosh-soph level but still has super athlete Devyn Cullers.
Comments