H-F dodges rain, field to gain conference crown

Updated: May 12, 2011 11:10PM

Under a clear sky for most of the evening, the eight members of the SouthWest Suburban Conference Blue raced around the Lockport track Thursday chasing personal bests and conference titles.

Dark clouds moved in around 8 p.m., prompting a triple jump judge to tell the finalists “Let’s get this done fellows, real quick.’’

The rain held off, but there was no stopping the individual performance of Joliet West sprinter Calvin Edwards and the overall team effort of conference champ Homewood-Flossmoor, which scored 130½ points to 124 for runner-up Lockport and 98 for third-place Joliet West.

“Most of our kids performed better than I expected,’’ H-F coach Nate Beebe said. “We scored 25 more points than I expected.’’

H-F won two relays: Dave McDermott, Cahron Cross, Kendall Keller and Ephraim Dorsey in the 3,200 (8 minutes, 10.17 seconds) and Matt Dieundonne, Vonzell Mansfield, Jeremy Baker and Dorsey in the 1,600 (3:25.33).

Other H-F winners were Cedric Cheeks in the long jump (22 feet, 4 inches), Kevin Pettit in the triple jump (43-8), Josh Nance in the 400-meter dash (50.21) and Dorsey in the 800 meters (1:59.08).

Cheeks was second in the triple jump (43-7).

“I didn’t expect (Pettit) to jump that far,’’ Cheeks said. “It was a good day for him.’’

Edwards won the 100 meters (10.72 seconds), 200 meter (21.92), ran a leg on the winning 800 relay (1:28.05) with Anthony McCullough, Steven Austin and Jon Smith, and anchored the first-place 400 relay (42.47) that included McCullough, Smith and Austin.

Edwards, a junior, was on the volleyball team last year and didn’t run track.

“Some kids on the team said ‘Where did you come from,’ ’’ Edwards said. “I found out I was good at it. I try to better myself every week.’’

“Not bad ... let’s go downstate,’’ said Joliet West coach Jason Aubry, the school’s football coach who got Edwards to join the track team.

Lockport’s Kevin Fisch was a double champion, winning the pole vault (14-6) and high jump (6-3). Other Lockport winners were Jonathon Goins in the 110-meter hurdles (15.04) and Christ Brenner in the discus (146-3).

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