MAPLE PARK – Although strong field event showings by Geneva and host Kaneland kept the schools in the two top spots during the Peterson Prep Invitational on Saturday, it was the last race of the day that decided the winner.
Geneva trailed first place Kaneland by a point, 76-75, going into the 4x400 relay, the last event of the day. The Knights' relay squad of Brandon Cottier, Dylan Nauert, Kyle Carter and Sean Carter took second, earning their team eight more points and the first-place trophy.
"I was worried a little bit (before the race) but I was pretty confident in our guys," Kaneland coach Eric Baron said. "And I kind of knew that Geneva wasn't running their loaded relay today."
The Vikings, who had to shuffle their relay teams due to illness, finished ninth in the event but retained second place.
"That wasn't Geneva's best team today," Baron said. "We'll see them at the Kane County Meet and we will see how we match up when they're healthy."
Geneva coach Gale Gross was not disappointed with his team's performance.
"We always aim to be in the top four or five so to be in second place is great," Gross said. "We covered the events well, which is what I always preach."
Burlington Central, which won the 4x400, took third place honors with a total of 64 points.
Knights sophomore Nate Dyer took top honors in both the discus and the shot put. Overall, Kaneland athletes placed in five of the six field events.
"Nate Dyer did an outstanding job and as a sophomore that's just great," Baron said. "Marshall Farthing set a PR (personal record) in the high jump. Tanner Andrews did real well in the triple jump. He set a PR for us there as well."
The Vikings notched 39 points in field events. Senior Ben Rogers earned 20 of those points by finishing first in both the long jump and the triple jump. His mark of 43-11 in the triple jump was a personal best, improving on last weekend's performance by four inches.
He believes starting his jump farther from the pit increased his distance.
"I switched to (jumping from) 40 today," Rogers said. "It doesn't feel like you're going to get into the pit, which l like, because it makes you spring and get as far as you can into the pit."
Freshman teammate Justin Nebel finished fourth in the long jump.
"We double placed in the shot put, took fourth in the discus and then of course Ben Rogers taking those two first places was great," Gross said of his team's field event results. "Then Justin Nebel, a freshman, getting fourth in the long jump was awesome."
Kaneland runners finished first in three track events. Knights relay teams took top honors in the 4x100 relay (Cottier, Nauert, Brandon Bishop and Sean Carter) and the 4x200 relay (Bishop, Cottier, Dylan Pennington and Sean Carter). Nauert, a sophomore, won the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 40.68 seconds.
Baron credits his veteran runners with sparking the team to a first-place finish.
"(Senior) Mikey Marin led off the 4x8 with his best time of the season," said Baron. "Clayton Brundige was second there and that kind of got the momentum rolling. We talked all week about the seniors getting the momentum rolling."
Geneva's Justin Davis took first in the 400 meter dash with a time of 50.41 seconds. The relay team of Dan Herrera, Peter Archibald, Michael Bianchina and Nathan Wendt took second in the 4x800.
West Aurora (50 points) finished fourth and Yorkville (45 points) took fifth place.
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