Last leap puts R-B’s Wismer in final

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CHARLESTON – Everything was riding on Kyle Wismer’s third attempt in the Class 2A long jump.

The Richmond-Burton junior leaped his career-best 22 feet a week ago, but one more scratch or a bad mark and Wismer would have had nothing.

“I was really nervous,” Wismer said. “I moved back my spot about a foot. I didn’t even hit the board on my last one.”

What Wismer sacrificed in distance was worth it, as he managed a jump of 21-0 and qualified for today’s finals at the IHSA Boys Track and Field State Meet at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium.

“I scratched on my first two, so I just made sure I had to get in,” Wismer said. “I only had four run-throughs. I have to warm up a little better [for the finals]. I’ll do more accelerated sprints.”

Wismer will be joined in today’s Class 2A finals by teammate Ian Sanchez, who qualified in the 800-meter run. Other area athletes qualifying were Crystal Lake Central’s 4x800 relay team of Ryan Alvarez, Tyler Schmitt, Ben Flavin and Michael Bondi, Crystal Lake Central’s Zach Siegmeier and Mark Niemann in the pole vault, Johnsburg’s Steve Seydel in the 400, Marian Central’s Nick Sabella in the high jump, Grays-lake Central’s Jeremy Bethke in the 800 and Grayslake Central’s Kendall Smith in the shot put.

Sanchez ran on R-B’s 4x800 relay before running 1:59.12 and qualify for the 800 final.

“It feels pretty good,” Sanchez said. “I’m seeded seventh, and I feel I can make something work. I feel like I can drop at least another second.”

Seydel had the 13th-fastest 400 time out of sectionals but moved up to grab a spot in the nine-runner finals with his career-best time (50.26).

“I’ve been working on my pace for the 400 to go faster,” Seydel said. “I guess that’s what you want to do. I knew I’d be on the bubble.”

Central’s 4x800 team came in with one of the top seed times from sectionals and won its heat in 8:02.84.

“That was our goal, to win our heat,” Flavin said. “Everyone went out and held their lead for each other. We wanted an 8:02, and we got it. We’re hoping for 7:59 [in the finals]. We hope to get some hardware.”

Siegmeier and Niemann each made 13-0 in the pole vault, at which point the preliminaries were stopped. That event starts over today. Both Central vaulters were seeded in the top six out of sectionals, with Siegmeier at 15-3 and Niemann at 14-3.

Sabella jumped 6-1 in the Grayslake Central Sectional last week to qualify, then cleared 6-2 on Friday to make the finals.