Jolly time in long jump? It's coming soon

Last spring, Nigel Jolly managed one of the more remarkable feats in the century-plus history of the IHSA's track and field championship.

Jolly, then a sophomore, captured the long jump without even taking a jump on the final day. His leap of 22 feet, 10 inches, accomplished the first day of the two-day event, stood up, even as Jolly and his Morgan Park teammates were taking the scenic route from their hotel in Effingham to O'Brien Field on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

Nearly disqualified, Jolly's effort was allowed to stand because head coach Lexie Spurlock called IHSA officials when he realized he, with Jolly alongside, was at the Champaign exit on Interstate 57, rather than the Charleston-Mattoon exit. Jolly was at the competitor's gate pleading to get in when the final jumps were taken.

This year, Jolly again leads the Mustangs, having recorded a jump of 22 feet, 1 1 / 2 inches on April 18. That's off his winning mark of last season, but more important, is 1 1 / 2 inches short of the state qualifying distance in Class 3A. Jolly will have to jump 22-3 or better at Morgan Park's sectional at Lyons Township on May 22, or he won't be able to defend his title.

"He's only taken a few jumps," Spurlock said. "But he's jumping well, and he's going to be even better. He's got to make sure the vertical and the horizontal meet perfectly."

Jolly and his teammates have been hampered by the weather, which has been too wet and too cold too often for both practicing and competing in meets.

"I don't believe in running my kids out in the cold," Spurlock said. "We don't want anybody hurt. So I'm missing about two meets this year."

Jolly has a jumping partner in Timothy Lewis, who has jumped 21-5 in the long jump and 44-9 in the triple jump, plus is a member of the Mustangs' 800-meter relay team.

"He's posted a 21-second split time in the relay," Spurlock said of Lewis.

Since an athlete can enter no more than four events, it's possible Lewis would be entered in the triple jump, long jump, 800 relay and 200 dash in the sectional, with a chance to go downstate in all four.

The Mustangs' 800 relay was clocked at 1:31.99, second in the Southland only to the blazing 1:29.64 posted by Homewood-Flossmoor on April 18. Spurlock believes practice will make the Mustangs not only perfect, but get them under the state qualifying time of 1:29.94.

"Our baton exchange is poor," Spurlock said. "But we've only worked at it a couple of times."

Meanwhile, Spurlock says there will be no dropping the baton on travel downstate. Last year's Effingham-Champaign-Charleston relay came the first year in more than 20 that he had quartered his team off the Eastern Illinois campus. He said he doesn't have a Garmin in his car, but he does have a map.

Weekend watch

Boys: Two weeks in advance of conference meets, a major showdown is at Sandburg today, with Stagg, Brother Rice and St. Laurence among the schools invited for the 4:15 p.m. start. The 1,600 race, with Rice's Brian Corcoran and Sandburg's Zach Dahleen and Elliot Hevel, should be the highlight of the meet. Friday, Evergreen Park is at the Chicago Christian Invitational at 4 p.m., while Shepard travels to Rolling Meadows.

Girls: Friday, Oak Forest hosts the last big meet before conference championships are decided, with 12 Southland teams, including Marist and Mother McAuley, joining the Bengals at 4:30 p.m. Queen of Peace, Oak Lawn and Stagg will be at Reavis at the same time.

Tim Cronin can be reached at tcronin@southtownstar.com or (708) 633-5948.