As the weather warms up, Evanston track coach Willie May starts putting his lineup together. The Wildkits aren`t in position yet, but you`d never know it from Saturday`s McCarthy Relays at Hinsdale Central.
Evanston won the 42nd running of the event, more than doubling the point total of second-place Naperville North, 143-71. The Wildkits did it with standout John Cosey running just the 400 meters, where he was third. With Cosey held out of the hurdles events because of a slight injury, senior Robert Hare won both races and anchored the winning 1,600-meter relay team.
”This is the first time I`ve ever won a hurdles race in a varsity meet,” said Hare. ”It`s a different feeling. The coaches have been training me to step up in a situation like that. I`m happy I can do it.”
Hare won the 110-meter high hurdles in 14.31 and the lows in 39.89. He also anchored Evanston to a 3:27.9 in the 1,600 relay.
Hare had been running in the shadow of Cosey, but showed he can cast a shadow himself. If Saturday is any indication, he might help Evanston in the state meet with points in the hurdles in addition to his relay duties.
”I can`t say enough about Robert,” said May. ”He ran great. He got his day in the sun. This was his first big opportunity and he took advantage of it. He`s a guy the whole team likes, including John. They are good friends and take care of each other.”
Evanston won the 400, 800 and 1,600 relays. Ord Wilson, Robert Simmon, Anthony Myrthil and Jermaine Wilkie ran the 400 (43.27) and 800 (1:30.54). Ord Wilson, Laural Wilson, Brian Michelin and Hare ran the 1,600.
Cosey, who ran on two state-championship relays last year, is a key to Evanston`s hopes at state. May has been fiddling with his relays all season and likely will settle on his final lineup next week at the Central Suburban League South meet.
”Cosey will be ready to go,” said May. ”He`s a little gimpy, but you don`t run 51.26 in the 400 and be hurt. Cosey is not in shape, but he`s close enough to get there.
”The way Robert ran the hurdles will help (Cosey) get back. He`s lost the No. 1 spot in the hurdles and lost his relay spot. He`d better get going. This is a world of producers. We`re counting on Cosey. He`s been there.”
May likes Bloom`s Jonathan Jordan because he`s a producer. Jordan set the only meet record with a 24-3 long jump and won the triple jump with 49-3. He also was fifth in the high jump and ran on the third-place 400-meter relay team to earn the meet`s outstanding individual award.
Jordan had a great series of long jumps. He went 22-11 1/2 and 23-11 in the preliminaries, then jumped 23-11, 24-3 and 23-10 in the finals. A good breeze was blowing, but Jordan waited for it to die down.
”It wasn`t really blowing when he jumped,” said Bloom coach Lon Poole.
”If it blows when he jumps, he`s way over (the board). He tries to gauge it so he doesn`t jump with the wind.”
Most of the Bloom team started rhythmic clapping as Jordan sped down the runway each time and the Trojan senior was something to clap about.
Jordan was enthused with Saturday`s warm, sunny weather. He had been jumping in cold weather all year, and the warm sun helped his performance.
”I love to jump in hot weather,” said Jordan, who had high school personal records in both horizontal jumps. ”I do my best when it`s warm. It gets the adrenaline going.” It helps when the team starts clapping like that to get me going. It`s a tradition for jumpers at Bloom.”
Jordan`s boyhood buddy, Joe DeLeon, also was a double winner. DeLeon won the 800 meters in 1:57.15 and the 1,600 in 4:23.53.
DeLeon has been debating what he`ll run in the state series. Right now it looks like the 3,200 meters is the odd race out, despite the difficulty of the two shorter distances.
”It was pretty tough,” said DeLeon, who attended Washington Junior High in Chicago Heights with Jordan. ”I didn`t have much time, less than an hour
(between). It will be the same Downstate. I want to run the 1,600 in the state meet. I might run another 3,200 this spring, but I think I`ll go with the 800.”
Double winners were the order of the day. Along with Hare, Jordan and DeLeon, Lane Tech`s Mark Henderson and Lyons Township`s Dan Watson won two events. Henderson took the 200 in 22.81 and the 400 in 50.12. Watson won the shot put at 54-4 1/2 and the discus with 146-2.
