By Randy Sharer | rsharer@pantagraph.com
NORMAL — Track and field involves courage and determination along with heart and muscle … not to mention a whole lot of numbers.
It’s the numbers that haunt Alec Gerdes.
His 2010 season of discus throwing for Normal Community High School was on pace to be a raging success until May 21.
The 5-foot-10, 215-pounder had upped his sophomore best of 138 feet, 6 inches by 31-10 with his Intercity Meet-winning 170-4.
MEET RESULTS BLOOMINGTON — By doing the little extras, the Normal Community West High School girls track team came away with all the marbles in Monday’s 16th annual Big 12 Conference Indoor Meet.
Helping make the little extras matter were double winners Emily Brelsfoard and Katie Shifflet, who powered the Wildcats to 98 points, 13 more than runner-up Danville.
By DAVE KANE (dave.kane@sj-r.com)
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
The conference picture for area high schools has shifted again. This time, Nokomis has decided against joining the South Central Conference for the 2012-13 school year.
Where Nokomis will land has yet to be determined. But Nokomis principal and athletic director Tim Page said Tuesday that staying in the resurrected Prairie State Conference — at least for football only — is a possibility.
Page said the Nokomis board of education voted Monday night to opt out of joining the South Central. Nokomis, along with Gillespie and Staunton, had been accepted last spring as new South Central members for all sports effective in the fall of 2012.
Gillespie and Staunton, charter members of the South Central, are in their second year of Prairie State membership but have decided to return to the South Central.
Page, in his first year at Nokomis, said his school had a Dec. 1 deadline to opt out of joining the South Central. The biggest factor in Monday’s decision, he said, was football. Nokomis’ enrollment is 238 (which would be Class 1A for football), but its co-op with Raymond Lincolnwood makes Nokomis Class 2A. The team had just two players from Lincolnwood this season.
The South Central schools range from — or will in 2012 — large Class 2A to small Class 4A football programs. Nokomis went 3-6 in the 1A-2A Prairie State this season after a 1-8 finish last year.
“We had concerns about our football competitiveness in the South Central,” Page said. “Football is driving the bus in a lot of these conference situations.”
The Prairie State, which appeared doomed just a month ago, has been resurrected — at least for football — for 2012 with Mount Olive, Kincaid, Alton Marquette, Decatur Lutheran, Edwardsville Metro-East Lutheran and Bunker Hill.
While Page said staying in the PSC for football is possible, it’s unclear whether the Prairie State will be more than a football-only league in the fall of 2012. So Nokomis is looking at other options.
Page listed the MSM and the National Trail as possibilities. The National Trail consists of non-football schools with strong basketball traditions, including Teutopolis, Effingham St. Anthony and Stewardson-Strasburg.
South Central vacancy
Nokomis’ pullout leaves the South Central with just nine members for the 2012-13 school year. Nine is not a desirable number for football scheduling purposes.
Pana school superintendent Dr. David Lett, who has been part of ongoing conference discussions, said the ideal situation would be to find a 10th member to fill the new vacancy. But Lett said a nine-team football league also is possible.
Three current league members were not extended invitations to remain in the league after next school year: Alton Marquette,
Roxana and East Alton-Wood River. With Marquette joining the Prairie State for football, Lett said inviting Roxana or Wood River back is one possibility.
BY DEAN CRIDDLE – News-Democrat
BELLEVILLE — Veteran Belleville East cross country coach Bryan Mitchell heads into the 2010 season with what again should be one of the top girls teams in the area.
But it will rely heavily on two runners: seniors Maria Effinger and Mackenzie Otten.
Three-year varsity starters and two of the metro-east’s elite runners, both have yet to reach their potential due, at least in part, to nagging injuries.
But, at least in the preseason, both are relatively healthy.
“Maria put in a lot of time and miles this summer and right now she’s having a slight problem with her shins. Nothing serious. We’re just being careful,” Mitchell said. “I’ve been very impressed with Mackenzie so far. She’s healthy and looks very, very strong.”
So does the rest of the Lancers’ girls squad, which hopes to compete with Southern Illinois’ powers O’Fallon and Edwardsville for the Southwestern Conference championship.
Senior Jade Salama also returns and will combine with junior Keanna McIntyre and highly touted sophomores Gabi Lopez and Madeline Gaul to provide a strong supporting cast for Effinger and Otten.
Mitchell also is high on a large group of freshmen.
“Those other four girls all ran on the varsity a year a year ago and I’m expecting a good season,” Mitchell said. “The freshman class is a very good one. I’m hoping they will, but it will take a meet or two to see if any of them will make an impact this season.”
On the boys side, Mitchell must replace Belleville city champion Kip Kuldell, but returns two of his top three harriers from a year ago in juniors Joe Cheatham and Ben Thomas.
“Again, both Ben and Joe put in a lot of miles this summer and that’s what it takes,” Mitchell said. I’m expecting both of them to have good years and that they’ll be leaders on this team.”
Seniors Rashaun Farmer and Justin Jones, along with juniors Deonte McNary and Isaiah Hagood, are among those Lancers competing for a spot in the lineup.
East will compete in the Granite City Invitational on Saturday.
With the Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference all set for its first school year of competition, it’s time to take a look at some of the new faces the league has to offer.
Those around Ottawa, Streator and La Salle-Peru already know about schools in the NIB12 West (formerly the NCIC Reagan Division). So here The Times will give you a glimpse into the new conference rivals for the locals. These five schools will join Morris in the NIB12 East in sports with a divisional format.
DeKalb Barbs
Enrollment: 1,772.
Notable alumni: Mel Owens (NFL linebacker from 1981-89); Mike Mallory (current special teams coach for New Orleans Saints); Doug Mallory (co-defensive coordinator for the LSU Tigers); Cindy Crawford (former supermodel).
DeKalb is traditionally strong in: Wrestling has been strong at DeKalb ever since Hall of Fame coach Don Flavin began the tradition back in the 1950s, this while DHS was still a member of the NCIC. The Barbs won a state title in 1968 in wrestling and have 10 top-10 state finishes. Also, boys basketball has been steady since the 1996-97 school year with many of those coming in the ultra-competitive Upstate Eight Conference. The Barbs were 24-9 last year with a regional title.
Look out for DeKalb this year in: Baseball. DeKalb finished second in Class 3A last year and 27-11 overall, losing to Chatham Glenwood 11-1 in state title game. The team had just six seniors. Brian Sisler was one of the leaders on that team, hitting .513 with 15 doubles as a sophomore. Blaine Parson was 7-1 as a junior pitcher for the team. Jake Louis hit a team-high six home runs as a junior.
Maple Park Kaneland
Enrollment: 1,293
Notable alumni: Don Beebe (NFL wide receiver from 1989-1997); P.J. Fleck (NFL wide receiver in 2004); Casey Crosby (current minor league pitcher in Detroit Tigers organization).
Kaneland is traditionally strong in: Track and cross country. The school was a state power in the 1990s when the school was still small enough to be 1A. Now, with the split to three classes, the power has returned. Boys track was second in the state last year and the boys cross country team was fifth. The girls team was ninth in 2009. Kaneland also has one of the most well-established traditions in the pole vault, having a state qualifier for more than 25 years consecutively.
Look out for Kaneland this year in: Football. Last year in the regular season, the Knights beat the four teams that followed them to the NIB 12 99-32. They lost in league play only to Glenbard South (21-7) and Geneva (17-14).
Rochelle Hubs
Enrollment: 1,176.
Notable alumni: Carson Brooks (NFL and Canadian Football League), Brandon Creason (former Division-I basketball player and coach at Streator and Ottawa).
Rochelle is traditionally strong in: Those familiar with Rochelle’s tenure in the NCIC know that the school is known for football. The Hubs have qualified for the playoffs in each of the last 12 years under coach Kevin Crandall. The Hubs basketball program, too, has been strong.
Look out for Rochelle this year in: Football. Rochelle wants to make up for missing the second round of the state playoffs for the first time since 2000. The Hubs, Sycamore and Kaneland will bid for this year’s NIB12 East footbal title.
Sycamore Spartans
Enrollment: 1,184.
Notable alumni: Gail Olson (two-time state champ in high jump).
Sycamore is traditionally strong in: Boys and girls bowling. The girls team won a state title in 2003, and the boys team has qualified for state in each of the last three years with a ninth-place state finish last year.
Look out for Sycamore this year in: Sycamore will be the team to beat in both boys and girls soccer. The girls team has won consecutive sectional championships and finished fourth in Class 2A in 2009. The wrestling team will have revenge on its mind. The Spartans advanced to the state quarterfainals in the dual competition but lost the final Western Sun Conference title to Yorkville.
Yorkville Foxes
Enrollment: 1,470.
Notable alumni: Dennis Hastert (wrestling coach and former U.S. Speaker of the House); Andy Richter (comedian, former co-host of Late Night with Conan O’Brien).
Yorkville is traditionally strong in: Wrestling. The Foxes have won three straight regional championships and were second in Class 2A in 2009. Yorkville also won the final WSC title last year.
Look out for Yorkville this year in: Yorkville cross country hardly even registered five years ago. However, the girls team last year was the state runner-up after winning the school’s first regional title in 2008. The freshman/sophomore boys won the Western Sun title last year and should be good again this year.
Incoming Rock Island High School freshman Mystique Thompson is headed to the AAU track nationals, Aug. 1-7, in Virginia.
A member of the Mississippi Valley Track Club, Thompson qualified for the meet in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes. Norfolk State University is hosting the event.
“I feel really honored and privileged to be able to represent my team and community,” Thompson said.
In the prelims of the Area 10 Qualifier, Thompson broke the youth and meet record in the 200 in 25.69 seconds.
She also surpassed the old mark (25.95) in winning the finals in 25.75 ticks.
Thompson was the runner-up in the 100 (in 12.68 seconds) and finished third in the 400 in 1:00.18.
by MARCIA MARTINEZ
Throughout the boys track and field season, Springfield High School’s Justin Lee plotted and pondered running strategy.In the days after leading the Senators’ 4×800-meter relay team to the Class 2A state title and placing third in the 800 run in his final high school meet, Lee still had running on his mind.
He was particularly focused on matching or bettering the impressive 1-minute 52.7-second split he posted in the 4×800 relay state final.
“Every night I think about what I can redo or how I can replicate that or go faster and stronger than I did the first time,” Lee said.
Lee’s selection as The State Journal-Register Central State Eight Conference Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year is the final chapter of a dream senior year.
His third-place finish at the Class 2A state cross country meet in the fall helped Springfield to a third-place team trophy. He took home two medals from the state track meet in the spring and did so with gusty performances.
“When it got to the biggest stage, he shined,” SHS coach Trae Cotner said.
Awesome anchor
In the 4×800 state final, Springfield was in third place with 100 meters left. Lee ran to the outside on the final straight, passed two runners and pulled away from the field, earning the Senators the state title in 7:47.92.
“If you would have told me we’d have a 4×800 win a state title after losing three of our four legs last year, I would have thought you were crazy,” Cotner said. “It just shows the hard work that these guys put in to get to this level.
“The hardest worker I had is right there.”
Cotner pointed to Lee.
Lee’s 1:52.7 split in the state finals came as a surprise to him.
“To be honest, I did not know I was going to come across the line in 1:52,” Lee said. “I figured I would run 1:54 the fastest. I had no idea.
“My body physically didn’t feel like I ran hard enough to run 1:52. I thought to run that close to 1:50, I would be seeing white spots at the end of the race when I crossed the line.
“It was a good feeling to know that a 1:52 didn’t affect me as badly as I thought it would. It gives me a lot more confidence.”
Lee’s times in the open 800 were equally fast. He had one of the top 800 times in the state throughout the season. He ran a personal-record 1:55.96 in the 800 at the CS8 meet, and his state-meet time was 1:58.08.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever have a kid have a season like he did,” Cotner said. “He was under state qualifying time (1:59.44) every single meet except for one.
“I’ve never had a kid do that. It was awesome.”
Lee lowered his 800 time after the season ended at the Midwest Distance Gala. He clocked a 1:54.93 on June 12 at Benedictine University in Lisle.
“As far as track goes, I didn’t have a season that even compares to this,” he said. “Most of my races this year were top three finishes. I would say all of them except for two, which were probably top five.”
The next chapter of his athletic career will take him to Rend Lake College in Ina.
“It was a great year,” Lee said. “Not only was it good the way I was running, but I was able to have fun while I was doing it.
“That’s probably what made it the best and made it easier to do.”
By Randy Sharer
CLINTON — In terms of things to do, Randy Anderson has a full plate.
He knows that as does his wife, Ann, as well as his staff at Anderson Ford Mercury in Clinton, where he works as general manager.
But beginning next spring Anderson’s busy schedule will have to make room for the job of Clinton High School head boys track and field coach.
So what could possess a businessman to take time out of his day to help kids?
Anderson likens his situation to a TV commercial he saw for a retirement company that began “Someday I want to grow up to be …”
“Well, someday I want to grow up to be a coach,” said the 55-year-old, who feels he still has a lot to learn about track, but that’s not all bad.
“Because I know nothing, all I do is sponge off everybody all the time.”
The truth is the considerable track knowledge Anderson has soaked up since becoming a volunteer Clinton Junior High assistant coach in 1998 includes tons of tips from Illinois Wesleyan coach Chris Schumacher begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting and his former assistant, Marchan Adkins.
The past dozen years has also seen Anderson serve off-and-on as Clinton High School assistant girls track coach.
“Anything our kids have done in sprinting is because of Marchan Adkins,” said Anderson, whose daughter, Rachel, was a seven-time Division III national champion at IWU.
The biggest thing Adkins taught Anderson about coaching was the importance of giving athletes the right type and amount of training at the right time in the season.
“It’s like cooking brownies,” Anderson said. “You leave two or three of the ingredients out, it doesn’t come out very good. If you put it in the oven and pull it out too soon, it doesn’t taste very good.”
Anderson wishes he had known about periodized training when he started coaching.
“It’s been a fun journey,” said Anderson of his track education. “It’s still a fun journey and I love seeing the kids grow. Every kid can become faster no matter what level they are, which is really cool.”
Anderson has had a red-hot passion for track since growing up in Lexington, where his name still appears on two sprint relay school records.
“The program gave so much to me at a young age in Lexington and then it gave so much to me with Rachel,” said Anderson, who wants to give his future athletes a program that mixes fun and success.
“We’ve had some great talent come through. I just want to take everything we’ve had and take it to the next level.”
Anderson, who replaces Karl Parrish, will have E.J. Brady as his assistant for throws and distance running. Leann Sosamon will coach the horizontal jumps and assist with sprints.
Anderson hopes to add other volunteer assistants. The boys staff will work with head girls track coach Steve Cors to oversee both boys and girls in various specialties.
“I feel very thankful, very lucky to get this opportunity,” said Anderson before speeding off to the next phase of a busy day. “I think it’s a privilege for me to coach the kids.”
Bailey Kerschieter of Bloomington, who will be a junior at Normal Community West High School, won the women’s title in the Quad-City Times Quick Bix race in Davenport, Iowa.
Kerschieter, who finished in the top five two years ago, was timed in 12 minutes, 7 seconds. She set a personal best for two miles by at least 10 seconds.
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