Minooka tops the group at Joliet West sectional

There were elite participants in both the field and on the track Thursday night in Joliet.

At-large bids to the Class 3A boys state meet next week in Charleston were handed out like candy on Halloween.

In the end, though, it was Minooka who took the top prize of the Joliet West sectional behind double field-event winner Peter Andreano.

The junior won the high jump on criteria at 6 feet, 5 inches and later captured the long jump at 45-6.5.

Shabari Bailey dusted the field in the 110-meter high hurdles in 14.41 seconds, and star sprinter Chris Wilson enabled the Indians’ 400 relay (42.36) to hold off Plainfield East by one-hundredth of a second for their final title.

Minooka finished with 88.5 points to ease past Neuqua Valley (67 points) to defend its sectional team title.

Plainfield East (55), Plainfield South (44), Joliet Central (43.5) and Naperville Central (41.5) rounded out the top six.

Plainfield Central sprinter Kahmari Montgomery has yet to taste defeat this spring as the junior has posted the top 100 and 200 sprint times in the state.

“Coach told me the other day that I was ranked No. 1 in the state in both the two and the four,” said Montgomery, who won the titles in respective times of 21.69 and 47.42. “I have the best coaching staff I could ever ask for. I knew it would be a challenge.”

The Wildcats also have a pretty fair pole vaulter in defending state champion Luke Winder, the all-time state record-holder in the event.

Winder had a pedestrian evening by his standards, settling for 16 feet.

“I was trying to focus on this as a practice,” Winder said. “I want to have an opportunity to win a (state championship) a second time.”

Illinois-bound Plainfield South distance ace Dan Lathrop was the other double winner on the track.

Lathrop unleashed a lethal kick over the last 60 meters of the 1,600 to deny Neuqua Valley sophomore Connor Horn in 4:18.4.

The senior earlier held back Plainfield East junior Joseph Suarez — as well as a menacing threat from Yorkville twins Jake and Luke Hoffert —to win the 3,200 in 9:10.73.

“I wanted to win my last race as a senior before the state meet,” Lathrop said.

Oswego East senior Justin Agustin led off the Wolves’ impressive 3,200 relay that Mike Delaney anchored to a sizzling 7:51.8.

Agustin came back to win the 300 intermediate hurdles in 38.84 to extend his invitational streak in the event to five straight.

“I had two really fast guys next to me,” Agustin said of Plainfield North junior Anille Williams and returning All-Stater Michael Jopes of Naperville Central. “I had to let go of my strategy of making up the stagger as early as possible.”

Neuqua Valley junior Ty Moss turned back determined efforts by West Aurora brothers Brady and Connor McCue to win the 800 in 1:54.72.

Waubonsie Valley thrower Jon Harris maintained his status as one of the top discus leaders with his championship effort of 176 even.