Raiders plan to bring hardware back from Downstate

BOYS TRACK -- Everything would have to break right this weekend for the North Shore Country Day track team to bring back a trophy from the first three-class state finals.

But the Raiders don't plan to come home from the Eastern Illinois University track empty-handed.

Coach Patrick McHugh's team qualified in only four events coming out of Friday's Class 1A Lisle Sectional. But they'll send quality -- if not quantity -- for the three-day test that opens Thursday in Charleston.

Defending Class A state champion Peter Callahan is poised to repeat in the 1600-meter event and could also rule the 800 after posting the best sectional time statewide, a sizzling 1:54.59.

And the Raider 3200 relay team -- anchored by Callahan, and including Ivan Ramirez, Matt Thomas and Adam Griffin -- ranks among the top three contenders with a time of 8:09.78.

North Shore's other qualifier was David Thomas in the 100.

Raider head coach Patrick McHugh isn't making room for a trophy in the team van -- yet.

"There's a chance we could finish in the top three as a team, but just about everything would have to go right," McHugh said. "We'll just take it one step at a time. Just to get everyone through (preliminary qualifying) to Saturday would be a real accomplishment for us.

"All we need the relay team to do is repeat what they did at the sectional, and I think they can all run faster. And the 100 is a hard event to predict. It'll take under 11.2 to make the finals and that's about 1/10 faster than Thomas has run. If he does make it through (and scores), maybe that will give us an opportunity to win a team trophy."

Most of the scoring burden, of course, will fall on Callahan. His physical stamina will be tested with three qualifying races Thursday, and the forecast is for a warm Saturday Downstate when the heat is really on for the finals.

But the Raider senior has often run four races in a single day during his outstanding career, and McHugh is confident that he's as prepared as he can be for the stretch run.

"I think Peter can run faster," McHugh said. "The challenge for him is going to be his ability to divide up his effort over six races. But I'm confident he can do it. The hardest thing may be holding him back until Saturday, and until he gets to that last race (1600), he's running to win. Then we'll worry about times.

"Most of our meets this year have been workouts for him with different races to focus on. But the State Meet is different. I've seen lots of runners struggle in multiple events, so I'm a little nervous about that."

McHugh considered entering Callahan in the open 3200 and 1600 at the sectional but decided the distance double would be too difficult depending on how hot the weather gets this weekend in Charleston. Callahan has run 9:21 and 4:16, respectively, the best small school times in the state this spring in both races.

At the sectional, Callahan's anchor leg of 1:53 still left the Raiders a few ticks shy of the school record. They were clocked in 8:09.78, just behind Walther Lutheran's 8:09.20 first-place effort.

Ramirez ran well in the leadoff slot after being hampered by a hamstring problem much of the spring and Griffin, a sophomore out for track for the first time this year, improved his split by a whopping five seconds.

Callahan's winning time of 4:25.25 was .01 slower than the runner he defeated for the state 1600 title last year, Parker Thompson of Tremont.

North Shore earned its highest team finish in school history at the sectional, placing third, 56 points behind Walther Lutheran (145.5) and Westmont (124) in the 12-team field.

Other highlights for the Raiders among non-qualifiers included a third by David Thomas in the 200 (23.60) and a fourth by Ramirez in the 400 (52.96). The team of Ramirez, Griffin, Matt Thomas and Callahan also placed third in 3:33.12 in the 1600 relay.