Popenfoose sets 
state meet record

Huntley’s Marcus Popenfoose throws the discus Friday during the IHSA Class 3A Boys State Track and Field State Meet in Charleston. Popenfoose broke the state meet record in a preliminary heat, throwing for 199 feet, 8 inches. (Lauren M. Anderson – landerson@nwherald.com)

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CHARLESTON – Huntley junior Marcus Popenfoose unleashed his career-best discus throw of 199 feet, 8 inches and flashed a satisfied smile knowing, at least temporarily, he owned the state meet record.

“At least I’ll know I had it overnight,” Popenfoose said.

Popenfoose realizes who he is facing today in the Class 3A discus finals at the IHSA Boys Track and Field State Meet at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium.

Lake Park’s Dan Block set the state meet record (196-5) 20 minutes before Popenfoose on Friday, and threw 200 feet four times in last week’s Lake Park Sectional.

“It’ll be exciting [in the finals] depending on what the weather feels like,” Popenfoose said. “I let it go and it felt good. When I saw it, I thought it could be good, and I heard [assistant coach Chris Maxedon] yelling.”

The Fox Valley Conference is well-represented in the discus. Popenfoose starts today in first, and McHenry’s Bobby Swanson (176-1) and Cary-Grove’s Ryan Psenka (165-11), who also threw personal-bests Friday, sit in third and sixth place.

Swanson cranked his career-best on his first throw to grab the early lead until Block’s short-lived state meet-record throw.

“It felt good with all the hype going on to get it over with,” said Swanson, knowing that throw would get him into the finals and earn a medal. “Getting that 170-foot throw was nice.”

Psenka also set C-G’s school record, breaking his brother Bobby’s mark by 6 inches.

“I was hoping for the school record,” Psenka said. “I’m pretty happy. Hopefully tomorrow I can get after it.”

Block and Popenfoose have become acquainted this season and enjoy the competition. They also are Nos. 1-2 in the shot put, where Block has a 62-0 throw and Popenfoose is at 59-113⁄4.

“I was happy for track, but not for myself,” said Block of the discus. “I definitely expected him to throw well. He’s not a 199 thrower for nothing.”

Other area qualifiers were Dundee-Crown’s Anthony Manfrin and Woodstock’s Marshall Happ in the 1,600 and Crystal Lake South’s Emmanuel Gamez in the 400. D-C’s 4x800 team of Dan Magnant, Nathan Prom, Jon Magnant and Manfrin also qualified, running a 7:53.67.

“We had each others’ backs in that [4x800] race,” Manfrin said. “Jon Magnant ran a great leg, 2 seconds faster than usual. We want to get a medal there tomorrow.”

Manfrin (4:18.55) and Happ (4:18.74) again were very close, although they ran in different heats.

“We went out a little slower than I would have liked [2:10 for the first two laps],” Manfrin said. “Everyone was really good and that helped push the pace.”

Happ also felt the pace was a little slow in his heat, so he took over.

“My sophomore year I was suckered into leading, so I didn’t want to do that,” said Happ, who led for most of the last two laps, anyway. “I’m definitely happy to be in the finals, rested and ready.”

Gamez hoped to be in two finals today, but South’s 4x400 relay team was 11th, two spots from qualifying. Gamez and Steven Rogers were on the Gators’ 4x400 team that took fifth in Class AA last year.

“I’m really excited [about the 400],” said Gamez, who held off two other runners for second in his heat at 49.55. “I honestly didn’t see anybody else in my heat, it was just me and my lane.

There were several near misses for area athletes, including McHenry high jumper Ryan Michel, who took sixth in Class AA last year. Michel cleared 6-4 but needed one more inch to make the finals.

D-C triple jumper Aaron Reams’ best jump was 44-61⁄4, one-half inch from the finals. Jacobs junior Danny Trevor ran 14.89 in the 110 high hurdles, missing the finals by two-hundredths of a second.

Michel’s not qualifying was shocking, since he had won the Illinois Prep Top Times Indoor Classic at 6-10, and had another 6-8 jump outdoors.

“Things were just off today,” Michel said. “My steps were off and I wasn’t getting through fast enough. I was definitely hoping to make finals, almost expecting it. I like to use things like this as a grudge. I’m going to be jumping at the University of Illinois, and I want to make myself not ever do this again.”