Boys track and field: Huntley takes 2nd consecutive FVC team title

HUNTLEY – Huntley junior Zach Rysavy had one main objective, given the less favorable conditions with 50-degree temperatures and a stiff wind for Thursday’s Fox Valley Conference Boys Track and Field Meet.

“I came out and just wanted to place high, not worry so much for my numbers,” Rysavy said. “I didn’t do great for triple, but I came through on my last jump and kind of battled adversity. Trusting myself, trusting my form, [assistant] coach [Andrew] Ernst helped me a lot. All my teammates helping me.”

Rysavy won the long jump on his next-to-last attempt, then won the triple jump.

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Dundee-Crown’s Oreoluwa Sobodu lets out a yell as his team wins the 4 x 100 meter relay during the Fox Valley Conference Boys Track and Field Meet on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at Huntley High School. (Gregory Shaver/Gregory Shaver Shaw Media )

Rysavy and Jeff Cruickshank, who won the high jump and was third in the long jump, got the Red Raiders off to a strong start as they went on to take their second consecutive FVC Meet team title with 123 points at Red Raider Stadium.

Jacobs (72), Prairie Ridge (71), Burlington Central (55) and Crystal Lake Central (53) rounded out the top five.

Tommy Nitz won the 1,600 and 3,200, while Vinny Costa (100) and Ryan Schroeder (300 intermediate hurdles) also won individual titles.

The Raiders’ 4x200 team of Costa, Dom Giuseffi, Lex Giron and Noah Van De Voorde set a meet record in 1:28.40.

“It feels good because we did some really, really good things tonight, both on the track and in the field events,” Huntley coach Chris Maxedon said. “There’s a couple of things that marred the night for me that we need to eliminate, those are more on a personal level. But when we can get through that stuff and let the things on the track speak for themselves, we do some pretty good stuff. As far as competition-wise, I’m pretty happy.”

Rysavy was behind Burlington Central’s Grayson Burton when he jumped 6.34 meters (20 feet, 9¾ inches) on his next-to-last long jump attempt to beat Burton by 0.04 meters. Rysavy overtook Hampshire’s Vince Scott (13.20, 43-3¾) on his final triple jump attempt with a 13.26 (43-6).

Nitz held back in the 3,200 early in the meet and ran a 4:15.62 in the 1,600, just off McHenry’s Jesse Reiser’s meet record 4:14.76 from 2014.

“I knew I had the speed because I ran a 4:13 last week,” Nitz said. “That gave me a lot of confidence going into the race. I moved really early. I knew I had it in me, but I wasn’t expecting a 4:15.”

Nitz ran his last race against Prairie Ridge’s Will Gelon, a close friend who often trains with him. Gelon, who took second, will compete in Class 2A for the sectional.

“There were so many good runners in this race. On the starting line I looked over. It’s always a battle [with Gelon]. That was our last race together.”

Cary-Grove’s Reece Ihenacho repeated as discus champion and also won the shot put. Ihenacho threw 58.15 (190-9) to win discus, 3 feet behind the meet record of McHenry’s Brian Keyes from 2018. He won the shot put with a 17.32 (56-10), his best outdoor throw this season.

“It was keeping my right leg long, using my legs [in shot put],” Ihenacho said. “I know I have to tweak my release and keep my elbow up, but it’s something I can do in a week and get ready for sectionals.

“[Discus] was there. It was there. I kept pulling my head to the left instead of being patient. I missed some big throws. Next week [at sectionals], something special.”

McHenry senior Zeke Galvicius broke his own pole vault record with a 4.87 (16-0) effort, although he did not feel comfortable early on.

“My warmups were not going at all. I was not able to get into the pit, my run was feeling slow,” Galvicius said. “I wound up blowing through my first pole, I had to go from my 15-foot, 155-pound to my 15-0, 160 at 14-2.

“Then I hopped on the big boys [15-0, 170] from everything else. These poles are what I’m using the rest of the way. The last two meets I’m [at 16-0] within that 4-inch range of my PR, I’ll take that.”

Dundee-Crown’s 4x100 relay of Torrion Bell, Jeremiah Stewart, Kali Freeman and Oreoluwa Sobodu set a meet record in 42.28. Freeman came back later and won the 200.

“We wanted it bad today. We were missing a big part, Terrion Spencer, but Jeremiah Stewart stepped up big,” Freeman said. “We had a bad handoff and we still ran a 42.28. I honestly think if we clean that handoff up we can be in the 41s. We had a lot of energy coming in, and we were ready to run today.”

The Chargers hope to do big things with their 4x100 and 4x200 relays in the next two weeks. Freeman said Spencer should be back next week.

“I wanted [the 200] bad this time,” Freeman said. “On top of that, I’ve been running 400 to 200 the past few weeks, and it felt good to get the 400 off my legs today and just run the 200.

“I felt like I was flying. I most definitely have a 21 coming. I just missed it a little bit.”