Hornets could cause a buzz at state

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Harvard boys track and field coach Dennis Eisele will experience a little different case of nerves Thursday at the IHSA Boys Track and Field State Meet.

With nine entries in eight events, Eisele will be constantly checking and rechecking the Class 1A schedule.

“We’ll be busy,” Eisele said. “I just want to make sure everyone gets where they’re supposed to be. People will have to be on their toes. That’s a good problem.”

The Class 1A preliminary heats and flights are run Thursday. Preliminaries in Classes 2A and 3A are Friday, with finals in all three classes Saturday at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium.

Harvard and Crystal Lake Central (in Class 2A) are tied for the most entries among area schools. Richmond-Burton qualified eight entries in Class 2A.

Harvard senior Coty Kramer will be the busiest of all area competitors with four events at state. He will run in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, anchor the 4x100 relay team and compete in the long jump.

Kramer on Friday helped Harvard win the Genoa-Kingston Sectional, its first in school history.

Some of the area’s other top athletes will compete Friday, led by Huntley’s Marcus Popenfoose, the runner-up last year in the Class 3A discus and shot put. Popenfoose will be a favorite in the discus and shot put and will battle it out with Lake Park’s Jermaine Kline. Popenfoose, who will throw at Auburn, is trying to run his career medal total to six with two more.

Other area standouts competing Friday will be Dundee-Crown’s Nathan Prom, Jacobs’ Danny Trevor, McHenry’s Corey Szamlewski, who had the highest pole vault from sectionals, and Cary-Grove high jumper Anthony Golowach, who high-jumped 6-9 at the Fox Valley Conference Meet.

Richmond-Burton’s Kyle Wismer, McHenry’s Carey Nolan, Crystal Lake South’s Matt Biederwolf and Crystal Lake Central’s Mike Bondi each qualified in three events.

Kramer not only qualified in four events, but judging from the sectional seeds, he could have a lot to do in Saturday’s finals. Kramer is tied for the top time in the 100 (10.74 seconds) and among the best seeds in each other event.

“I’m really excited to compete with the best kids in the state in 1A,” said Kramer, who was ninth in the 200 last year. “I just need to relax and not get too uptight. When I do that, I wind up doing a lot better.”

Eisele said Kramer has not lost a 100 race since early in the season, when Polo’s Jeremiah Ludewig beat him. Ludewig is one of the three runners tied with Kramer for the top seed time.

Mark Sadler, who qualified in the 800 and in the 4x800 relay with Ivan Pichardo, Mac Kurth and Zach Fiegel, also will compete in multiple events.

“We have a really good chance in the 4x800,” Sadler said. “All our training coach [Eisele] has been having us do all season leads to this, he hasn’t peaked us yet.”

Sadler ran with the 4x800 last year and knows how much times drop at the state meet.

“It’s crazy, that’s for sure,” he said. “You come around that first curve and you’re still in a pack. We weren’t that close [last year]. We had a couple of slips.”