Knights win second straight title

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MAPLE PARK - When push comes to shove, Logan Markuson and Taylor Andrews are there for each other.

The two Kaneland hurdler standouts were at it again Saturday at the 41st Annual Peterson Prep Invitational, helping lead the Knights to a second straight team title with 100 points. Western Sun Conference rival Geneva was second in the 16-team meet with 86 points and West Aurora was third with 77.

"We're hurdlers, we have to be strong in both," Andrews, a junior, said of the 110-meter highs that he won with a personal best 14.56 seconds and the 300 lows, where he took third with another PR (40.25).

"It's healthy competition. Every day in practice we push each other. In meets, it's back and forth."

Markuson, who won the Class 2A state title in the 300 lows last year, was second (39.53) to 3A Lincoln-Way Central winner Ryan Newtoff (39.13) on Saturday. He was second to Andrews in the 110 highs (14.61).

"I'm usually not the first one out of the blocks," said Markuson, "so the 300s is a little better race for me because it gives me time to catch up. (With Andrews), we're able to trade, give advice and work together."

Earlier in the week, Markuson verbally committed to attend the University of Minnesota on a track scholarship, where he'll likely compete in the decathlon. On Saturday, he also won the pole vault (14-0) and anchored the Knights' winning 1,600 relay that set a meet record of 3:22.55.

"Logan is a stud," said Andrews. "It's hard to explain. He's so driven, so mentally tough. I look up to that kid so much."

The 1,600 relay included Tommy Whitaker, Derek Bus (2nd, 800) and Edgar Valle (5th, 800) and eclipsed by more than two seconds the mark set by the West Aurora contingent of Jawon Jackson, Josh Zinzer, Jose Alfaro and Marc Castro in 2006 (2:24.82).

It was one of three meet records that fell this day. Dundee-Crown's Nathan Prom won the 800 in 1:55.03, beating a record of 1:56.6, set by Yorkville's Brett Ward in 1987. And West Aurora's 400-meter relay of Mark Soubannasing, Zach Woods, Jarrick Phillips and Leon Spears won in 42.46 seconds to beat the mark of 43:04 that was set by another Blackhawk foursome (Kendall Peoples, Zinzer, Spears, Joel Vincent) in 2008.

Depth, though, helped key his team's victory on this day, said Kaneland coach Eric Baron.

"It really started with our first event," he said. "Sean Paulick, an 800 guy who long jumps for us, set his PR with his first jump (20-5.5) and then he goes 21-8.5 in the finals and places fourth.

"Then it kind of snowballed and my seniors feed off good performances."

They included Bus, the team's "unsung hero," according to Baron.

"He ran a 1:56.7 today and got second in the 800 and then a 50.4 or 50.5 split in the four by four," said the coach. "He's just running tremendous."

Geneva was led by double winner Frank Boenzi (shot, discus) and got wins from Terrance Ostegaard (triple jump) and Justin Rodriguez (3,200), while West got its third win from high jumper Aviance King.

Oswego East took sixth in the meet with 35 points, Yorkville was 12th with 12 and East Aurora 13th with seven.

Marcus Jones led the Wolves with a second in both the 100 and 400, Yorkville got a second from freshman Eric Baker in the 3,200 and East's 1,600 relay of Dimitri Bouchee, Francisco Garcia, Humberto Ramirez and Sergio Vargas took third.