Date posted online

Date posted online: Sunday, June 04, 2006
Heavy medal(s)
Local athletes wear out a path to podium
BY AL HAMNIK
ahamnik@nwitimes.com
219.933.4154

BOYS TRACK | STATE MEET

BLOOMINGTON | They were nine medalists who had just run 1,600 meters in the heat, many on each other's heels, some throwing up, coughing and gagging, others too tired to utter a word.

Crown Point's Stephen Hein and Roosevelt's Henry Lee had finished third and fourth, respectively, in Saturday's gut-check mile at the 103rd boys state track and field finals.

Neither was going to catch Greencastle's Andy Weatherford (4:08.71) or Warren Central's De'Sean Turner (4:08.78), who turned in the eighth- and ninth- fastest times in meet history.

Hein turned in a 4:16.56, Lee a 4:17.94.

"The toughest mile race I've run -- from the very fast start to the competition you had to work through to move up," Hein said. "(Lee) was dragging me along the first couple of laps and then we switched places."

Said Lee, in just his first full year of distance running: "It's his stride. When he gets to the curve, he kicks it. That's where he left me at the (Valparaiso) regional.

"He kept me motivated. I read the paper all the time and I see him first in every meet."

That drew a big laugh from Hein.

"It's taken me six years of running and he's right behind me (today)," Hein said.

The Region was shut out in the discus, 100, 200, high jump, long jump and 800 but did have a bus load of kids who medaled.

In the loaded 400, West Side's Eugene Ellis was second (47.84), Lowell top-seed Mike Koza fourth (48.27) and Lew Wallace's Hasheem Rahman ninth (48.78).

"I'm never satisfied with second," said Ellis, who finished 45-hundredths of a second behind Southport's Clayton Wilson. "He wasn't faster, but he ran a lot smoother. I should've run my (last) 150 harder because he didn't die out until he crossed the finish line."

Koza was physically drained afterward and didn't feel like talking, other than to tell a Lowell staffer whom he hugged: "I'm sorry, coach."

Warren Central made it a weekend sweep by claiming the boys team title, 74-45, over Fort Wayne Northrop. Locally, West Side had the highest finish at ninth.

Lake Central vaulter Alex Zona tied for fourth at 15 feet, 3 inches and felt like running through the stands giving high-fives to everyone.

"I was shooting to clear a bar, any bar, finally," said Zona, who also competed in the high jump. "This is my third year downstate and I had never (made opening height) in any jump.
"I didn't get much sleep last night. The kids at school had been on me pretty good. They were like: 'C'mon, man. Do something. Clear a height.' I told them to lay off, to go downstate and see how well they could do."

Zona also tied for 19th in the high jump, clearing 6-2.

Purdue-bound Adam Bailey of Hobart, stuck in the shadow of Merrillville's Dexter Larimore this season, placed third in the shot put (58-5 3/4) for the highest finish by a Brickie since 1956 state champ Russ Garriott.

"It's the biggest crowd I've ever thrown in front of, but I was relaxed and threw hard," Bailey said. "I made all my goals this year except in the discus, but I'm not a big discus person.

"I did break our school record in the shot with a 59-10 at sectionals and finished among the top five throwers in the state today, and that's pretty good."

Merrillville got eighth-place finishes from Carlton Hoyles in the 110 high hurdles and pole vaulter Tim Sovich; Hein also took ninth in the 3,200 and Portage's Phillip Heckhausen a sixth; West Side grabbed a fourth in the 3,200 relay and was second in the 1,600 -- with Ellis leading off both.