Announcement
On Saturday, May 12, 2012, the Northside Track & Field Coaching Staff traveled to Loyola Academy High School to scout De La Salle High School at the Chicago Catholic League Conference Championships in preparation for the 2012 IHSA Sectional Championships.
De La Salle is among the favorites to win the Marshall Sectional. De La Salle is also one of the largest Track Teams in Class 2A, and famous alumni include former Mayor Richard Daley.
A "seed" meeting will take place on Tuesday evening, at Marshall High School. All schools must turn in final entries for the IHSA Sectional Championships by noon on Monday, May 14, 2012. Last minute adjustments are being made to IHSA rosters across the state this weekend.
To win the IHSA Sectional Title, Northside will need to beat De La Salle, and score as many points as possible against the best distance squad in Chicago, Jones College Prep.
The top two athletes or relays in each event at IHSA Sectionals qualify for the State Championships. Points and medals are awarded through sixth place.
In the Long Jump, De La Salle Junior Justin Tate jumped 20'00.25 at the Chicago Catholic League Championships on Saturday. Northside Senior Josh Williams jumped 20'00.75 at the Chicago Public League Championships. Both Tate and Williams will be seeking the top two spots on Thursday to qualify for the IHSA State Championships. De La Salle Junior Joseph Benson jumped 18'10 at the Chicago Catholic League Championships on Saturday. Northside Sophomore Lucien Fitzpatrick jumped 18'9 at the Sophomore Chicago Public League Championships. Points are awarded through sixth place in every event, and Northside and De La Salle are evenly matched in the Long Jump.
In the High Jump, De La Salle Julian Hopkin jumped 5'8 at the Catholic League Championships on Saturday. Northside Sophomore Lucien Fitzpatrick has jumped 5'10 this season. Northside Freshman Ari Perlmutter has jumped 5'7 this season. Kelvyn Park will also be among the favorites in this event.
In the Shot Put and Discus, De La Salle Senior Demetrius Catching threw the Shot Put 41'6.50 and the Discus 118'8 on Saturday. However, Northside's top throwers Freshman Ari Perlmutter (36'1) and Sophomore Henry Lothschutz (88'9) are both within striking distance of De La Salle Junior Mark Staning in the Shot Put (36'7) and Discus (96'1). Points scored by the Northside throwers will have a major impact in the Team standings at IHSA Sectionals.
In the 4x800m Relay, it will come down to three Teams, Jones College Prep, Northside, and De La Salle. Northside has a run a school record time of 8:28.10 this season at Spartan Relays, and they will need to do it one more time to go to the IHSA State Championships. De La Salle ran a 8:29.02 at the Chicago Catholic League Championships on Saturday. Junior Johnny Torres ran a 2:04.11 800m split. Sophomore Joe Jones ran a 2:12.06 800m split. Senior Jordan Fisher ran a 2:04.63 800m split. Junior Jalen Holiday, and anchor, ran a 2:08.22 800m split. De La Salle ran their best time of the season at the Chicago Catholic League Championships with an 8:29.02. It will be a great match-up on Thursday for the IHSA Sectional Title.
In the 100m and 200m dash, the top athletes include Kelvyn Park's Carter and McNeeley. De La Salle features Carneal Owens (11.22) and Marcus Patrick (11.44). Northside Junior Nathaniel Agharese could earn All Sectional honors in both events, and potentially hit the automatic qualifying times (11.04 100m dash, 22.54 200m dash) to go to State.
In the 110m Hurdles and 300m Hurdles, Northside will feature Sophomores Lucien Fitzpatrick, Walter Johnson-Geis, and Freshman Matt Osbourne. De La Salle feaures Junior Quentin Patten and Sophomore Malik Fowler.
In the 400m run, De La Salle Junior Jalen Holiday ran a 53.69, and Junior Johnny Torres ran a 55.73 in the Chicago Catholic League Championships on Saturday. Northside Senior Ezra Edgerton has run a 52 this season. Northside Senior Pat Duffy has run a 54 this season. Northside Freshman phenom Tom Frejowski was also cleared by doctors last Friday to compete in the IHSA Sectionals on Thursday. Jones College Prep is expected to have the top seed in this event with a 51.
Northside's biggest advantage over De La Salle will be in the open 800m, 1600m, and 3200m run. Northside Senior Dan Graham will score in the 800m. De La Salle had no one available for the 800m at their Conference Championships after the 4x800m relay, everyone was scratched. Northside Junior Patrick Brennan (4:41) and Senior Ezra Edgerton will both score in the 1600m run and earn All Sectional honors, and will be seeking the automatic qualifying time of 4:30. Northside Sophomore Cesar Rufino and Junior Raymond Siddiqi could also score in the 3200m run for the Mustangs.
De La Salle's biggest advantage over Northside will be in the 4x100m and 4x200m relays. They could potentially win both. They also have an excellent 4x400m Relay.
The IHSA Sectional Championships will take place on Thursday, May 17, 2012 at Hanson Stadium in Chicago, Illinois. It will be a great meet.
