A day for champions

But there are few days that have gone down in history more than Saturday's finals of the Class 3A state meet at Eastern Illinois University.

The area posted four individual state championships and West Aurora took home a team trophy by finishing fourth in the state. Blackhawks senior Josh Zinzer led the way to the team trophy by capping his amazing career with a state title in the 200 meters, finishing in 22.06.

"I don't really know how to explain how I'm feeling right now," said Zinzer, who won a state medal in each of his four years on the varsity squad. "I guess it hasn't really set in. I'm a hard worker and it shows that it pays off. If this is what happens at the end of working hard for four years, I'd advise any kid to do it."

Batavia senior Bai Kabba electrified the O'Brien Field crowd by coming from behind to win the state title in the 400 meters (47.49), becoming the first male Batavia athlete in any individual sport to win a state title in school history.

"It means a great deal," Kabba said. "Natalie (Tarter) was a state champ last year, and watching the girls team do the great things that they do, the guys get motivated to do their best. To be a state champion my senior year, it's the best feeling in the world."

Kabba then brought the crowd to their feet again in the meet's final event, the 1,600 relay. The Bulldogs finished second to Neuqua Valley, but it certainly wasn't for a lack of effort on Kabba's part. When he got the baton for the anchor leg, Batavia was in eighth place.. But Kabba exploded past six competitors on his leg, coming up just shy of Neuqua's Aryan Avant at the stripe. Batavia's time of 3:18.90 set a new school record.

"Coming down as a team and making it to the finals was huge," Kabba said. "We haven't had a guy in the finals since 2002. To come out and score 20 points at a meet like this, you can't ask for anything more."

East Aurora senior Jamario Taylor didn't even make it to state in the high jump as a junior, and the other competitors in the field knew it.

"I heard a guy when I was starting today say that I was a nobody," Taylor said.

Well, Taylor is certainly somebody now after winning the state championship with a jump of 7-0. Taylor says he's fully recovered from a knee injury that hampered him must of the season, but was slowed by a hip injury this weekend. None of that came into play when Taylor had to perform, however.

"It's big, it's real big," Taylor said. "It gave me a chance to prove what hard work and practice from one year to another can pay off. You keep working on it; you could have a medal like I just won."

Waubonsie Valley's Michael Lorenz, Craig Huhtala, Matt Havlik and Emmett Lorenz captured a state title for the Warriors in the 3,200 relay, finishing in 7:43.39. Coming in just behind the Warriors was Geneva's quartet of Chris Higgins, Drew Hickey, Jake Tauscher and Andrew Nelson.

Marmion's Andrew Larsen cashed in a successful day, as well. Larsen took fourth in the 3,200 meters in 9:10.04 and finished 11th in the mile.