West Aurora wins Peterson Prep Invitational

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West Aurora's Zachary Woods edges out Kaneland's Tommy Whittaker in the 200 meter dash Saturday afternoon in Maple Park. | Michael R. Schmidt~For Sun-Times Media

MAPLE PARK— The closing act of Saturday’s Peterson Prep Invitational track meet at Kaneland saw the West Aurora 1,600 relay anchor leg make a move to catch the Mt. Carmel anchor on the back straightaway facing a daunting headwind. A few seconds later, the Caravan kicked into gear and retook the lead from the fading Blackhawks runner, leading Mt. Carmel to a thrilling end-of-meet victory.

Turns out West didn’t need the extra two points, blowing away the competition to the tune of 133 points, far ahead of Kaneland’s 98 and Mt. Carmel’s 93, to claim the championship plaque.

“Traditionally, we’ve been second or third at this meet the last couple years,” Blackhawks coach Cortney Lamb said. “We’ve tried to run some different guys in some different places to get some individual times, but this year we put guys in some different places and we still performed really well. That’s a good sign going forward for Kane County and conference.”

Geneva finished fourth, Dundee-Crown fifth and Yorkville sixth at the meet, each respectively having its own successful moments.

Vikings runner Russell Acton took first in the 400 in 51.30, barely edging out Kaneland’s Tommy Whittaker (51.33). Acton was third in the 200 behind West Aurora’s Zach Woods and Whittaker, while Geneva hurdler Ryan Ahern took second in the 110 high hurdles and first in the 300 intermediate hurdles.

“I think we’re doing pretty well overall with the conditions we’ve had, we just needed to get out in the sun,” Vikings coach Gale Gross said. “We’re just happy to be competing. This was only our second outing this year. The kids are doing very well. Ahern and Acton were doing a great job. We’re a little banged up, but that’s the nature of the sports. We’ll get them back healthy and we’ll be fine.”

Kaneland sprinter and hurdler Taylor Andrews did his best work at the beginning of the day, breezing to a victory in the 110 high hurdles, before laboring to a fourth place finish in the 300 hurdles. Still, he was ready to go for the 400 and 1,600 relays, helping the Knights pick up key points.

“It’s hard to explain,” Andrews said about the difference between the two hurdle distances. “You have to become a hurdler to understand, I guess. It’s just you against yourself, everything. The main thing is being a leader to the younger guys. They’re looking up to me and if I settle then they settle. I try to give my best so they can follow.”

The Knights managed a solid day thanks to Whittaker, Andrews and distance runner Trevor Holm, who third in the 800 and second in the 1,600. The 400 relay team took first ahead of Geneva, while Matt Spitzerri picked up a victory in the triple jump with a leap of 41-5.

“It was an outstanding performance,” Kaneland coach Eric Baron said. “What can I say about my seniors Trevor Holm, Tommy Whittaker and Taylor Andrews? Those guys know how to compete. They were a big part of our squad last year and they’re teaching our young guys how to compete this year.”