WOODSTOCK – Marengo senior Cole Davis, a three-sport athlete, admires the way his teammates have stuck with the plan in a year riddled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

No one was certain for a while what sports would play and how long seasons would be. Finally, in February, the numbers improved to the point that the Illinois Department of Public Health would allow the IHSA to have its seasons, cramming nine months of sports into five.

“This season’s unlike any other,” Davis said. “That goes for all sports. Running [track] in the summer’s kind of crazy. Our guys in all sports have been showing up, working hard and not taking anything for granted. We came out here and ran good today.”

The Indians actually were better than good. They were the best at the Kishwaukee River Conference Boys Track and Field Meet at Woodstock North, taking the title with 135 points.

Only seven points separated the top three teams. Woodstock (130) was second and Richmond-Burton (128) was third. It was so close, Marengo coach Brad Wignes and his assistants were able to spring a surprise on their runners following the last race, the 4x400-meter relay.

Senior Zach Secor and several of the Indians were talking together when they heard the news and started celebrating.

“I knew it was close,” said Secor, who won the 1,600 and anchored Marengo’s winning 4x800 relay. “We had a great all-around team. We had throws, we had jumps, we had sprints, we had a great distance crew that pushes ourselves to the max. We just have a great team.”

Marengo was fifth in the 4x400, but had the team title wrapped up before that. Secor and Luke Chaffin went first and fourth in the 1,600; Davis and Josh Holst went second and fifth in the 200 to help seal the deal.

“It was an all-around team effort from everybody, our distance, our sprints, our jumps,” Wignes said. “I’m really happy for the kids and the team after going through such a tough year. Not only coming out on top in the conference meet, but having some success and being able to be a kid again, and being able to run.”

Secor (1,600), Chaffin (3,200), Davis (100) and Jonah Pace (shot put) were individual winners for the Indians. Secor, Preston Bailey, Mario Lopez and Marcus Ray won the 4x800. Tyler Mirtl, Holst, Owen Lohff and Davis won the 4x100.

Woodstock was led by Tim Maidment, who won the long jump and 200. Jake Novelle (high jump) also won individual titles for the Blue Streaks.

“It was good weather. I’m thankful for that,” Maidment said. “It felt good, coming here and doing what I wanted to was pretty good. I had been getting updates [on team scores] for the entire meet. By the time the 200 started [the next-to-last race], it was crunch time.”

Maidment was seeded second, but beat Davis in that race.

Novelle jumped 6-3 3/4 in the high jump, his third time over the Class 2A state-qualifying height he will need at the Richmond-Burton Sectional next week. Novelle has not lost a high jump competition this season.

“There was a little bit of wind, that helps,” Novelle said. “I really like North’s jumping area. A lot of times I’m starting in the grass because their pits are too small.”

Woodstock North’s Jack Duenas (300 intermediate hurdles), Jacob McConnell (discus) and Jorge Aragon (800) won individual events. Chris Carreno, Zinn, Chris Waldack and Mark Duenas won the 4x200, and Zinn, Aragon, Mark Duenas and Jack Duenas won the 4x400.

R-B got conference titles from Josh Leslie (110 high hurdles) and Jack Verdoni (400).

Johnsburg’s James Kaunas won the triple jump and Harvard’s Bryce Fiegel won the pole vault.

Kishwaukee River Conference Meet

At Woodstock North

Team scores: 1. Marengo 135, 2. Woodstock 130, 3. Richmond-Burton 128, 4. Woodstock North 81, 5. Johnsburg 59, 6. Harvard 17.

4x800 relay: 1. Marengo (Secor, Bailey, Lopez, Ray) 8:33.67, 2. Woodstock 8:43.43, Johnsburg 9:21.54, 4. Richmond-Burton 10:14.39.

4x100 relay: 1. Marengo (Mirtl, Holst, Lohff, Davis) 44.79, 2. Woodstock North 44.97, 3. Richmond-Burton 45.51, 4. Woodstock 45.99, 5. Johnsburg 47.33.

3,200 meters: 1. Chaffin (Mgo) 10:00.87, 2. Hanson (Wdk) 10:37.85, 3. Patel (Wdk) 10:50.10, 4. Austin (Hvd) 11:12.29, 5. McClellan (RB) 14:59.84, 6. Farmer (RB) 15:14.85.

110 high hurdles: 1. Leslie (RB) 16.37, 2. Jennett (Mgo) 17.33, 3. J. Duenas (WN) 17.41, 4. Wollerman (WN) 18.72, 5. Thompson (RB) 21.91.

100 meters: 1. Davis (Mgo) 11.69, 2. Holst (Mgo) 11.94, 3. Sternitzky (Wdk) 12.02, 4. T. Rockwell (RB) 12.15, 5. Zinn (WN) 12.40, 6. S. Rockwell (RB) 12.43.

800 meters: 1. Aragon (WN) 2:06.99, 2. Schleutermann (Wdk) 2:07.05, 3. Lopez (Mgo) 2:11.59, 4. Adams (Wdk) 2:15.23, 5. Layer (RB) 2:22.13, 6. Huston (RB) 2:39.09.

4x200 relay: 1. Woodstock North (Carreno, Zinn, Waldack, M. Duenas) 1:34.63, 2. Marengo 1:34.79, 3. Woodstock 1:36.54, 4. Richmond-Burton 1:38.59, 5. Johnsburg 1:43.85.

400 meters: 1. Verdoni (RB) 52.96, 2. T. Rockwell (RB) 53.54, 3. Cynor (Wdk) 55.11, 4. Ray (Mgo) 55.25, 5. Hansen (Wdk) 55.37, 6. Barnes (WN) 55.51

300 int. hurdles: 1. J. Duenas (WN) 42.24, 2. Jennett (Mgo) 43.80, 3. S. Rockwell (RB) 43.95, 4. Leslie (RB) 46.16, 5. Rutkowski (Jbg) 47.47, 6. Dunnett (Wdk) 50.25.

1,600 meters: 1. Secor (Mgo) 4:41.42, 2. Schleutermann (Wdk) 4:46.04, 3. Hanson (Wdk) 4:59.33, 4. Chaffin (Mgo) 5:01.85, 5. Arden (Jbg) 5:01.96, 6. Aragon (WN) 5:02.46.

200 meters: 1. Maidment (Wdk) 23.43,2. Davis (Mgo) 23.67, 3. Verdoni (RB) 23.68, 4. McCleary (Jbg) 23.91, 5. Holst (Mgo) 24.02, 6. S. Rockwell (RB) 24.09.

4x400 relay: 1. Woodstock North (Zinn, Aragon, M. Duenas, J. Duenas) 3:40.63, 2. Woodstock 3:41.91, 3. Richmond-Burton 3:48.17, 4. Johnsburg 3:51.08, 5. Marengo 3:52.81.

Shot put: 1. Pace (Mgo) 45-0.5, 2. Cynor (WN) 40-10.25, 3. Durham (RB) 39-4.5, 4. McConnell (Wdk) 37-4, 5. Hernandez (Hvd) 37-0.5, 6. Cellucci (Wdk) 36-5.75.

Discus: 1. McConnell (Wdk) 127-7, 2. Durham (RB) 121-10, 3. Pace (Mgo) 120-7, 4. Harrison (RB) 114-1, 5. Benz (Jbg) 99-10, 5. Hernandez (Hvd) 99-5.

High jump: 1. Novelle (Wdk) 6-3.25, 2. Kaunas (Jbg) 6-0, 3. Thompson (RB) 5-6, 4. Saranzak (RB) 5-6, 5. Kunde (Mgo) 4-11.75.

Long jump: 1. Maidment (Wdk) 20-3.5, 2. T. Rockwell (RB) 20-1.5, 3. Allen (Wdk) 19-7.5, 4. Leslie (RB) 19-1.25, 5. Kunde (Mgo) 18-2.25, 6. Fischer (Mgo) 17-2.75.

Triple jump: 1. Kaunas (Jbg) 41-0.25, 2. Leslie (RB) 40-10.25, 3. Mirtl (Mgo) 38-5, 4. J. Duenas (WN) 38-2.25, 5. Barnes (Wdk) 36-9.75, 6. Arden (Jbg) 35-7.25.

Pole vault: 1. Fiegel (Hvd) 9-9, 2. Wizceb (Jbg) 7-5.75, 3. McCleary (Jbg) 7-5.75, 4. Hodory (Wdk) 7-5.75, 5. Saranzak (RB) 7-5.75, 6. Huston (RB) 6-9.