2008 Season in Review

 

 

Glenbrook South 5 Team- 2/8/08

 

The Eagles began their 2008 track and field season with an impressive showing at Glenbrook South high school.  The Eagles were led by seniors Ethan Hahn, Kevin Sieracke, Kyle Gallagher, Alex Hawkins, Greg Prendergast, Eddie Xiao, Jon DeGrave, Josh Beckman, Mike Garver, Hans Johansen and Andrew Stein.  Gallagher started the eagles off with a bang in the sprint medley relay running a split of 55.00 for the 400 meter portion of the race.  Erik Stone came close to setting the school record in the shot; throwing over 44’.  The 4x800 team started off with solid relay legs by Beckman and Hahn.  Hahn also came back and ran a solid mile to start the season.  The jumpers and pole vaulters also started the season off with impressive jumps and vaults.  Jon DeGrave barley followed on a 20’ long jump and Stein went over 41’ in the triple.  The highlight of the meet came with Kevin Sieracke running a great race in the 1000 meter dash. 

 

Homewood Flossmoor 5 Team- 2/9/08

 

The Eagles came back after a long Friday night and competed very hard in the Homewood Flossmoor 5 team meet.  The Eagles were able to score 93 points in the meet which is very impressive this early in the season.  Andrew Stein, Jon DeGrave and Eddie Xiao were able to get things off on the right foot by sweeping the long jump competition.  DeGrave and Stein went on to place 2nd and 3rd in the triple jump.  Josh Beckman and Forest Clements earned 1st and 2nd places respectively in the pole vault.  Mike Garver also cleared his first height in the vault.  Blake Franson was impressive in the mile place 3rd on the JV level.  The highlight of the meet came in the 300 meter dash, Billy Brown Jr. and Hiram Brizuela both ran the PR’s back to back and put themselves in good position to make an immediate impact on the team once outdoor season begins. 

 

Wheeling High School Invite- 2/23/08

 

The boys track and field program had an impressive showing on Saturday at the 43rd annual Wheeling Wildcat invite.  The Eagles placed third overall scoring an impressive 78 points.  The eagles were led by Andrew Stein, Eddie Xiao, Jon DeGrave, Josh Beckman, Forest Clements, Bill Brinser and Erik Stone in the field events.  The field events were able to score 50 points before the running events began.  On the track the eagles were led by BJ Fuller who ran an impressive 800 meter time for his first meet of the season.  Ethan Hahn, DeGrave, Stein, Gallagher, Prendergast, Gidney, Xiao all contributed to the team success on the track.  The Eagles will be in action again this Saturday at Buffalo Grove High School as they continue to prepare themselves for a successful outdoor season.

 

 

 

 

 

Buffalo Grove Invite- 3/1/08

 

In their biggest test of the season so far the Eagles came through with flying colors.  The Eagles placed 8th out of 18 teams defeating all of their NSC conference opponents, which included Lake Zurich, Stevenson, and Mundelein.  The boys were led by Andrew Stein who set a school record in the long jump, placing second.  Stein also won the “A” class triple, place in the 55 dash and won the “B” class 55 hurdles; altogether Stein scored 28 points and helped the eagles place second.  Stein was joined by a host of personal best by the Eagles.  Jon DeGrave placed 2nd in the triple jump, Bill Brinser and Alex Hawkins scored points in the shot put, Eddie Xiao, Hans Johansen and Brian Fuller all managed to score points in individual events.  The highlight of the meet came when freshman Blake Franson improved his mile time by nearly 9.00 seconds with a full out sprint on the final lap.  The Eagles will wrap up their indoor season Saturday March 8th at Saint Charles East where they will face sectional rival McHenry High School. 

 

St Charles East Invite- 3/8/08

 

The Eagles once again had an impressive showing against some of the best competition in the state of Illinois.  The Eagles ran season bests in every relay event.  Kaleb Hacker and Andre Gidney both competed in two relays and helped the Eagles get off to a great start.  The young distance crew continued to impress with freshman Blake Franson and sophomore Joe Doran both running personal best in the 1600 and 3200 meter runs respectively. The Eagles welcomed back Marcell Kirkmanbey this week the sophomore picked up right were he left off winning the High Hurdles.  Jon DeGrave and Andrew Stein both scored big points for the Eagles in the triple jump and low hurdles going 1-2 in both events.  The highlight of the meet came when Josh Beckman vaulted a personal best and capped off a productive indoor season.

 

 

Lake Forest Dual- 4/2/08

 

The Eagles finally got a chance to compete outdoors on Wednesday night and got the season off on the right foot.  The 4 x 100 relay team of Andres Calle, Andrew Stein, Greg Prendergast and Josh Gaido ran a school record in the first meet outdoors, a clear indication of things to come in the sprint relays.  Ethan also set a school record in the 3200 meter run and placed second in the race.  The Eagles got event victories from Jon DeGrave, Marcell Kirkmanbey, Andrew Stein, Josh Beckman, and the 4x200 relay team of Calle, Prendergast, DeGrave and Stein.  In total the Eagles had 16 PR’s in their first meet outside.  The Eagles will be in action this Saturday at Deerfield high school were they will face conference power house Zion Benton.  The Eagles will finally be at home next Monday April 7th as the begin their quest to repeat as Division Champs against Round Lake High School.

 

Deerfield Invite- 4/5/08

 

The Eagles began their invite season with an impressive showing at the Deerfield invite on Saturday.  The weather was perfect for big marks and times and the Eagles took advantage, the 4*100 relay team of Calle, Prendergast, Gaido and Stein started the day off by placing third among some tough competition.  The Eagles then gained 16 big points in the 110 high hurdles, Kirkmanbey and DeGrave both won their respective heats.  Other point scorers for the Eagles included, Prendergast (100), Xiao (LJ), Hahn (1600), Stein (LJ, TJ), DeGrave (TJ), Kirkmanbey (HJ), Hahn, Fuller, Alex Calle, Brian Baldino (4*800) Josh Beckman (PV) the highlight of the meet came in the 300 hurdles when DeGrave broke his own school record.

 

The Junior Varsity continues to improve and were able to score 84 team points placing 4th overall.  Bill Brinser scored 20 points by winning both the shot put and discus, John Pfeiffer joined in the fun by throwing his way to four place in the shot. Every relay scored for the Eagles and the 4*200 team of John Werba, Tyler Swindle, Mike Beckman and James Zell ran a frosh-soph record time of 1:36.9.  The distance crew also helped out thanks to the effort of Joe Doran (3200 4th place) and Blake Franson (1600 2nd place).  Parker Blain and Steven Cowles also scored for the Eagles by placing 2nd and 4th respectively.

 

Round Lake Dual- 4/7/08

 

On a very cold and windy at Lakes High School the Eagles began their quest for a repeat division crown by beating Round Lake 104 to 41.  The Eagles point scorers-

Andres Calle, Greg Prendergast, Joe Doran, Ethan Hahn, Josh Beckman, Mike Beckman, Marcell Kirkmanbey, Jon DeGrave, BJ Fuller, Kyle Gallagher, Blake Franson, Kevin Sieracke, Andrew Stein, Eddie Xiao, Mike Scott, Bill Brinser, Eric Stone, John Pfeiffer.  The Junior Varsity also won 98 to 17.  The Eagles will be in action this Saturday at the Bartlett invite.

 

Grant/ Wauconda Dual- 4/14/08

 

It what can only be described as an unbelievable track meet the Eagles maintained their perfect record in the Prairie Division by defeating both Grant and Wauconda.  The Eagles were led by Andrew Stein who scored 20 points in winning the LJ, TJ, 100, 200. Sophomore Marcell Kirkmanbey scored 11 points in the winning the HJ, 110 HH, and placing in the 300IH.  Josh Beckman won the pole vault.  Bill Brinser broke the school record in the shot with a 47’ plus foot throw.  The Eagles swept the 100 meter dash, the sprint group also scored major point in the 4x100 relay and the 200 dash.  The highlight of the meet has to be Jon DeGrave, after running the 400 and winning the race, Jon walked across the infield and won the 300IM, after that he placed second in the triple jump, I have seen a lot of great performance but what Jon did can only be described as remarkable.  The Eagles will continue their quest against Antioch and North Chicago next Monday at Antioch.

 

Highland Park Invite- 4-18-08

 

On a calm night in Highland Park the Lakes Community Eagles broke 5 school records.  The team of Andres Calle, Greg Prendergast, Andrew Stein and Jon DeGrave broke the 4 x100 record.  Andrew Stein won the long jump and placed second in the triple jump breaking both of his own records in the process.  Stein is just off state qualifying in both events.  Jon DeGrave a state qualifier last season won the 300 IM with a time of 39.30.  The highlight of the meet came with Marcell Kirkmanbey running a 14.1 in the 110HH, he was able to win a tough heat which included to other state qualifying times.  Kirkmanbey shattered his previous school record by almost a second and has put himself in a good position for the middle of the season.  Ethan Hahn placed fourth in the mile running his season best time of 4:36.00.  The Eagles also earned points from Kyle Gallagher, Brian Fuller, Mike Scott, Brian Ziolko, Mike Miller, Eddie Xiao, Forest Clements, Brian Baldino and Alex Calle.  The Eagles will be in action on Monday at Antioch High School.

 

Antioch- 4/21/08

 

Goal #1 has been accomplished by the 2008 edition of Lakes Track and Field, the successfully defended their NSC Prairie Division title by beating Antioch 79-67.  The Eagles were led by event winners- Andrew Stein, Jon DeGrave, Ethan Hahn, Marcell Kirkmanbey, BJ Fuller and Kyle Gallagher.  The Eagles once again proved that depth and quality play a major role in dual meet success; the team stepped up and scored major points by placing 2 and 3 in many events.  Point scores included, Bill Brinser, Erik Stone, Josh Beckman, Mike Beckman, Chris Boehm, Eddie Xiao, Alex Calle, Greg Prendergast, Josh Gaido, Nick Lillig, and Blake Franson.  The Eagles coaching staff could not be prouder of the team, especially the seniors who have established a winning tradition.  The Varsity boys will be in action on Thursday night at Grant High School in the Bulldog invite.   On Saturday the Eagles will run against the very best competition in the State at the Palatine Relays.  One more to go to officially win the division next Monday against Vernon Hills High School.

 

Grant Invite- 4/24/08

 

The Eagles were able to defend their Bulldog Invite title by edging out host Grant High School on a rainy day in Fox Lake.  The Eagles were able to score in every event in route to 156 total points.  The Eagles were able to dominate in the field events scoring over 70 points before the track events began.  Field event champions included Josh Beckman (PV), and Andrew Stein (LJ, TJ).  The team was able to double up points in each event with the efforts of Forest Clements, Eddie Xiao, Bill Brinser, Erik Stone, Marcell Kirkmanbey and Chris Boehm.  On the track the Eagles were led by event champions, Marcell Kirkmanbey (110 HH), Jon DeGrave (300 IM).  The Eagles were also able to score over 80 points on the track through many 2nd, 3rd and  4th place finishes.  The senior point scorers included, Ethan Hahn, Brian Fuller, Brian Baldino, Greg Prendergast, Kyle Gallagher and Andrew Stein.  The Eagles continue to grow and learn with each meet.  The Eagles will be in action on Saturday in the longest running track meet in the State when they take to the track at the Palatine Relays.  The entire coaching staff is very proud of the work the Seniors have put forward and it is starting to pay off in a big way.  CHAMPIONS!!!!!

 

Palatine Relays- 4/26/08

 

The Eagles took part in the 76th annual Palatine Relays on Saturday afternoon and managed to score 20 points overall.  The high jump relay of Steven Cowles, Chris Boehm and Marcell Kirkmanbey placed sixth in the high jump relay.  The long jump relay of Mike Scott, Eddie Xiao and Andrew Stein jumped their way to a 6th place finish, Mike Scott set a personal best with a jump of over 19 feet.  The always consistent Triple Jumpers placed 2nd in the triple jump relay losing by only 10 inches to overall team champion Palatine high school.  The team of Andrew Stein, Jon DeGrave and freshman Mike Beckman managed to score 8 points for their team.  The high light of the meet came early in the day when Jon DeGrave became the Eagles first event champion at the relays when he defeated some of the best 300 hurdlers in the state running a winning time of 39.70 in very cold and windy conditions.  The young Eagles had a chance to see what the level of competition is in the state of Illinois.

 

Vernon Hills- 4/29/08

 

The Eagles finished off their second straight un-defeated season in the Prairie Division by defeating Vernon Hills on Tuesday night.  The Eagles won 15 events in route to the team victory.  The team was able to witness many personal bests and some big surprises from the younger Eagles.  Danny McGrath, a freshman, won his first varsity race in the 3200.  Sophomore Bill Brinser bested his own school record in the shot put in winning the competition.  Senior Brian Fuller came to run on a fast track and won the 800 relay, placed 3rd in the mile and was a member of the winning 4*800 relay team to start the meet.  The Eagles coaching staff was very proud of the work and effort the boys put into the dual meet season and are looking forward to BIG MEET season which begins this Saturday at Hoffman Estates High School when the Eagles will compete against some of the state’s best competition.  

 

Lake County Invite- 5/1/08

 

Two years ago the Eagles placed 22nd at the Lake County Invite scoring 1 point.  The team and program have come a long way in a short period of time as was evident in placing 5th out of 22 teams in the 2008 Lake County Invite.  The Eagles put up 39 points and finished behind county powers Barrington and Deerfield.  Marcell Kirkmanbey became the first Lakes athlete to win county when he took the 110 HH crown in an impressive field.  Kirkmanbey also broke his own school record in the high jump and placed 2nd with a leap of 6’2”.  Jon DeGrave continued his impressive season when he won the 300IM in convincing fashion.  DeGrave also placed 5th in the triple jump.  Senior Andrew Stein was able to contribute in placing 5th in the 200 meter dash and stayed consistant in the LJ, with a jump of 21’2” which earned him 4th place.  The surprise, or should we say the unveiling of the meet came when Erik Stone placed 4th in the discus with a throw of 138’.  The Eagles have made their mark on the county and now look ahead to an exciting conference meet next week at Antioch. 

 

Hoffman Estates High School- 5/3/08

 

The Eagles returned to Hoffman Estates high school for the second year in a row, unfortunately the team was welcomed by terrible weather.  The team placed 5th out of five teams.  The Eagles were led by strong performances from Brian Fuller, Blake Franson, Ethan Hahn, Nick Lillig, Bill Brinser, Jon Pfeiffer, Jacob Carrie, Andrew Stein, Mike Beckman, Joel DeGrave and a host of other Eagles.  The highlight of the meet came in the 300 IM with Jon DeGrave continuing his impressive season running to the Eagles only first place victory on the varsity level. 

 

 

 

 

 

North Suburban Conference Meet- 5/8/08

 

The Eagles track and field program began two years ago, the team placed 14th in their first ever conference meet scoring only one point.  Last season the Eagles finished a respectable 6th in the conference.  What happened on Thursday night at Antioch High School can only be described as the perfect culmination for a group of seniors that have established a tradition of track and field excellence at LCHS.  The Eagles placed 3rd in the 14 team field scoring 54 points.  The Eagles scored in every field event.  The throwers came to compete, with Erik Stone placing 3rd in the discus and Bill Brinser placing 4th in the shot put.  The jumpers scored big points led by Andrew Stein’s 2nd place finish in both the LJ and TJ, teammate Jon DeGrave also placed 6th in the triple.  Marcell Kirkmanbey placed 2nd in the HJ tying his own school record.  Josh Beckman earned important team points by placing 6th in the pole vault.  On the track the Eagles scored points in the 1600, with Ethan Hahn placing 6th, the 4*200 relay team of Stein, DeGrave, Mike Beckman and Josh Gaido placed 5th.  Jon DeGrave ran half of the 300 IM with his shoe untied and still managed earn 2nd place.  Marcell Kirkmanbey was the team’s sole 1st place finisher, Kirkmanbey tied the NSC record in the 110 HH running a 14.1.  On a personal note, I would like to say how incredibly proud I am of all the seniors who have committed themselves to Lakes Track and Field for the past 3 years and they are evidence that hard work equals success…. Kurt Rowells.  The team will look to Grayslake Central and the opportunity to qualify for the state meet.  Sectionals will be next Friday starting at 3:30. 

 

Prairie Lake Invite- 5/9/08

 

The Eagles placed 7th in the 12 team field.  The team was led by a pair of shot putters, senior Alex Hawkins earned first place in the shot put and freshman teammate Jon Pfeiffer through a freshman record 41’4”.  Every single relay scored points competitors included David Tomis, Curtis Urbanik, Adnan Quershi, Hans Johansen, Sam Verga, Grant Franson, Nihar Shah, Tyler Swindle, James Zell, John Werba and Drew Zimmerman.  Joel DeGrave placed in the 300IM. 

 

Grant Frosh/Soph Invite- 5/13/08

 

Two years from now the Eagles will be a very real threat to contend for a conference championship.  The Frosh/Soph Eagles won the Grant Invite by 36 points and proved just how complete of a team they are.  The Eagles won 4 out of the 6 field events, 3 out of the 4 relays, and numerous open sprints.  The Eagles racked up points in the distance events as well.  Event winners included Mike Beckman, James Zell, Bill Brinser, John Androus, Joel DeGrave, Tyler Swindel, John Werba, Max Aigner, Nate Styx and Brandon Washington. The team celebrated a successful season on Grants football field when they received the trophy.  Look for these young Eagles to thrive in the years to come. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IHSA Sectional- 5/16/08

 

The end of a very talented group of seniors took place on Friday night in Grayslake.  This group of seniors has committed themselves to excellence for the past three years and it payed off in a big way.  The Eagles finished third in the sectional and allowed the seniors to go out in fine style.  Bill Brinser broke his own school record and established a very impressive Frosh/ Soph record as well when he threw an impressive 50’3.5” on his first throw, Brinser finished 4th.  Ethan Hahn ran to all sectional honors finishing 4th in the mile.  The 4*800 team of Brian Fuller, Alex Calle, Brian Baldino and Kyle Sanderson earned all sectional with a 5th place finish.  Marcell Kirkmanbey was all sectional in both the 110HH and the HJ earning 4th and 5th respectively.  Jon DeGrave will become the team first two time state qualifier, DeGrave ran a personal best and school record time of 39.07 FAT to earn 2nd place in the most competitive race of the night.  The 4*100 team of Andres Calle, Greg Prendergast, Josh Gaido and Andrew Stein broke the school record in going under 45 seconds for the first time in school history.  Stein had a career night, on his final jump in the LJ Stein surpassed the state qualifying mark and broke his own school record with a jump of 22’4.5”, in the final event of the evening Stein won the Triple Jump best his old mark by two feet, his jump of 45’5” also surpassed the state standard.  Stein and DeGrave both have the potential to place in the state meet next week in Charleston IL.