Track teams looking for correct answers

Boys track and field teams will be answering all sorts of questions in sectional meets this Thursday and Friday. Unless the answers are positive, athletes miss a trip to the state meet in Charleston May 24-26.

Questions for track coaches are tricky when there’s a premier athlete involved, such as Geneva’s Pete Archibald and St. Charles East’s Jake Mazanke. Each could vie for a state berth in more than one event, even eyeing a state title.

The two seniors will test the track at Friday’s Class 3A St. Charles North sectional.

“It is probably like every other sport,” said Geneva coach Gale Gross. “You hope you’ve got the right kids in there.“

Archibald has the second-fastest 800-meter time in the state at 1 minute, 52.76 seconds, which broke a 37-year-old record at the Kane County Meet. Gross had to determine the best way to get Archibald (a solid 1,600 runner as well) downstate, as well as relays.

Gross admitted Wednesday he was still “monkeying around” with lineups, but his solution is to run Archibald in the 800 and put him in the 3,200 relay with Nathan Wendt, Dan Herrera and Conor Bartel.

“I think with (distance) coach Peter Raak, the emphasis and the importance with him is the 800 to give (Archibald) a shot at the title. He’s No. 2 right now, so he definitely gets a chance at a state title. You don’t get too many chances at that,” said Gross, whose Vikings are on a roll with consecutive titles at the Upstate Eight River meet, Kane County (a tie with Kaneland) and at Hinsdale South’s Mike Yavorski Invite.

“If we can piggyback him at the four-by-eight and qualify other kids, that’s just a plus.”

St. Charles East coach Chris Bosworth noted in an email Wednesday he’d been “going back and forth” mulling how to utilize Mazanke, who beat Archibald in the 800 at the Upstate Eight River meet and is ranked fourth in Illinois in both the 400 and 800.

After consulting Mazanke and the Saints’ entire 1,600 relay team, it was decided Mazanke will run the relay and the 800 and not the 400, which will give him more rest in between. It also enhances the relay’s chances of getting to Charleston; the Saints’ time of 3:22.35 with Carter Reading, Nick Devor, Danny Newman and Mazanke rates eighth on the Dyestat board.

Nothing’s a sure bet where qualification is concerned, but several local athletes would be dearly upset not to punch their ticket downstate.

Geneva long and triple jumper Ben Rogers is one, as is Marmion high jumper Pete Stefanski, second in 2A last year but now also jumping in 3A at St. Charles North. It may be a prelude to downstate competition between he and St. Charles North’s Oshay Hodges, last year’s 3A runner-up.

Aurora Christian’s 1,600 relay of Billy Howorth, Jake Gehman, Nate Jensen and Johnathan Harrell placed third in Class 1A last season. That unit returns intact Friday at the 1A Seneca sectional.

Also at Seneca is defending 1A high jump champion Oumaru Abdulahi of Mooseheart, who has cleared the 6-8 height that earned him the 2011 title.

Real excitement will be had by those athletes on the bubble, or seeking one last crack.

Kaneland’s youth may make it a year away from challenging for a Class 2A title, but senior sprinter Sean Carter doesn’t have that luxury. He’ll aim to help the Knights’ sprint relays, and bag an open race himself, at Thursday’s Rochelle sectional.

Batavia’s Brandon Clabough and Bennett Hartman have pole vaulted together all four years. Last year Hartman qualified while Clabough — now up to 14 feet, 3 inches did not.

West Aurora’s Aaron Kennebrew hurt a heel at last week’s DuPage Valley Conference meet. Wednesday coach Cortney Lamb said the triple jumper is expected to be fine for Thursday’s Class 3A Naperville North sectional.

Armed with 2011 2A qualifying sprinter Joe Fese, Aurora Central coach Troy Kerber will shuttle him between open sprints and what he calls the “crown jewel” of the Chargers program, the 1,600 relay. ACC took that to Charleston last year with Zach Flint, Joe Fese, Cody Ekstrom and Alex Duncan, all of whom will run Friday at Ottawa.

The tension will be high, but as Gross said, athletes can make it work for them.

“Like I told the kids, embrace the atmosphere,” he said. “Let it provide the adrenaline for you.”