Track and field notes: Crystal Lake Central’s Jonathan Tegel looks strong coming back off ACL injury

Crystal Lake Central’s Jonathan Tegel easily cruised over hurdles with his 6-foot-4 frame to win the 110-meter high and 300 intermediate hurdles Thursday at the McHenry County Track and Field Meet.

Tegel looked like the 2021 version of himself, which won Fox Valley Conference and Class 3A sectional titles in both races. He even beat his previous best 300 time by a second.

No one watching would have guessed that Tegel was coming off surgery to repair his right ACL and only one month ago was cleared to run. He won the 110s by 0.34 of a second over teammate Gavin Wang and won the 300s by 0.79 of a second over Crystal Lake South’s Caleb Ramirez.

“My 110s felt like I could do better, but my 300s I got a [personal record], and that was pretty good,” Tegel said. “It feels like 100% now. I still have to get my strength back. I still have a lot of work to do.”

Tegel, a junior, suffered the injury in October playing for Central’s soccer team. Fortunately, he had just enough time to make it back for track.

The Tigers won the team title with 114 points, Cary-Grove was second with 82. It would have been much tighter without Tegel’s 20 points.

“In the indoor season he really didn’t run at all,” Tigers coach Brian Seaver said. “He’s been building more confidence. He’s got a lot of grit. He’s a very good competitor. He’s good to coach.”

Warriors bring it home: Huntley’s boys and girls teams are usually the favorites with their talent and depth, but the Red Raiders did not compete, which gave others a shot at the title. Central took advantage in the boys competition, and McHenry brought home the girls team championship.

The Warriors were strong in the sprints, winning the 4x100 relay with Angelina Bakewell, Bryanna Kelley, Molara Fashola and Kelly Huerta. Alyssa Moore and Peyton Stinger went 1-2 in the 800 and Moore came back with a second in the 1,600. McHenry finished with 128 points, eight ahead of second-place Prairie Ridge.

“We’ve all improved so much individually,” said Bakewell, a junior who contributed with a second in the 300 hurdles and a third in the long jump. “We’ve all been in track so long together and have that bond and compliment each other every day on how we’ve improved individually. Putting it together and seeing how it’s coming out is really incredible. Our passion about this sport and encouragement to each other, we always support each other.”

Lydon goes 4 for 4: Prairie Ridge junior Rylee Lydon won four individual events – high and long jumps, 400 and 200 meters – for 40 points for the Wolves. Lydon broke the meet high jump record owned by Huntey’s Omo Tseumah (5-8 in 2013) with a leap of 5-8 3/4. She was close to records in her other three events.

“She had a great night. She came out swinging in her jumps,” Wolves coach Sarah Long said. “She was really motivated. She had some good attempts at long jump. We’ve been working on her consistency in that with hitting the board. It’s getting a lot better.

“Her 400, she mentioned she is proud of her consistency so far this season, that’s been really nice. Last season she continued to drastically drop her time, but there was no consistency. Now we’re seeing that consistency with running a mid-57 if she’s in the right head space.”

Lydon was close on her second attempt at 5-8 3/4, which was a personal-best height, then made it on her third jump.

“I tried to speed up a little bit and it was just, ‘Go! Go! Go!’,” she said. “I don’t think that much when I jump, it’s kind of just muscle memory. It was picking up that speed to get over the bigger heights.”

Lydon is the defending Class 3A state champion in the 400, although she will experiment next week with the 300 hurdles.

“I wanted to be around 57 [seconds], and I ended up being alone [in the 400], but I’m definitely not too mad, being alone by myself [out in front],” Lydon said. “I’m just trying to stay consistent.”

Petko wins two: Leading the way for C-G’s boys team with a pair of county victories was senior Zach Petko, who won the shot put and discus.

Petko’s 154-2 discus throw came on his first attempt. His best shot put (52-1) came on his last throw. The 20-mph wind gusts made the discus a little tricky.

“In discus the wind was affecting the flight of my throw,” Petko said. “It’s nice to win, but I could do better. With the tailwind, my released was all messed up, and the disc wasn’t flying correctly. With the tailwind, it will really kill you. It looks like it’s going good, and it just drops out of the air.

“In the shot put, I kept throwing it out the left side of the sector. I had two pretty good throws, it was enough to win.”

Going up: McHenry sophomore Zach Galvicius made a huge personal jump in his performance, winning the pole vault at 14-6. His previous best was 13-8.

Galvicius went way over the bar at 14-6, then leaped off the pit and screamed. Two R-B workers had to hold the pole vault bar in place while vaulters made their attempts because the wind kept blowing it off.

“I kind of like a tailwind, I can go faster,” Galvicius said.

Galvicius missed qualifying for state as a freshman by one inch. With a new shot of confidence on Thursday, he is ready for the rest of the season.

“I am so excited [for the season],” he said.

Thunder struck: Woodstock North sophomore Bella Borta not only grabbed school records in both hurdles races, she won a pair of county meet titles.

Borta won the 100 highs in 17.26, then came back and won the 300 lows in 50.39, taking each race by decent margins. Thunder coach Cas Creighton thinks Borta is the first girls track and field county champion in school history.

“It was very nerve-racking. It was incredible to think I could go that fast,” Borta said. “I didn’t think I could do that. I’ve been dropping time consistently, (the season) has been good.

“[School records] were my goal because of how nice [the weather] was. I didn’t think I would get it for both. I was superclose to the 100 record. When I got the 300 record I was more surprised. I was a ways off of that one.”

Creighton said Borta, who also swims, was more ready for this season since the offseason was more normal.

“I am happy for Bella and extremely proud of her,” Creighton said. “She has been smart with her training and staying healthy. Last year the season was short and sports overlapped so we didn’t quite have enough time to get things done. She has the right mindset and athleticism to take her all the way.”

Record setters meet: Cheri (Kofler) Ertl, a Johnsburg High School Athletic Hall of Famer, held three school records for 40 years, two of which recently fell to Skyhawks sophomore Caitlyn Casella, who won the 100 at the county meet Thursday.

Casella beat Kofler’s records in the 100 and 200, although Kofler’s 17-5 3/4 long jump mark still stands. Kofler was invited back to Johnsburg for a meet Tuesday and met Casella.

“Cheri was the only female in the history of Johnsburg to hold those records,” Skyhawks coach Tom Weaver said. “We decorated a baton with Cheri’s records and then another one with Caitlyn’s, and Cheri passed the baton to Caitlyn, the former fastest girl to the new fastest girl in school history.”

Casella won the 100 in 12.86 on Thursday, 0.23 ahead of McHenry’s Huerta.

Family night: Richmond-Burton boys track and field coach John Osmanski thoroughly enjoyed his 49th birthday on Thursday as the meet host.

The Rockets won titles with Landon Jacoby, Dan Kalinowski, Jack Martens and Sean Rockwell in the 4x100, and with Joe Miller taking the 400 title. But Osmanski also got to see his son Zach, a senior, and his daughter Madeline, a sophomore, medal with Jacobs teams.

Adam Lakeman, Matt Andreano, Mitch Ruffin and Zach Osmanski won the 4x800 relay. Madeline Osmanski then took fifth in the 800.

“It was a fabulous night,” John Osmanski said. “The county meet, when you host it, is chaotic, but [R-B girls coach] Ryan Carlson, the meet manager, was fantastic. Everything went off without a hitch. Watching Zach anchor was awesome, and to see Madeline, coming off an injury, just going after it in the 800, was great.”

Osmanski got a text from his wife, Angela, recently, telling him that Madeline needed an R-B shirt. She surprised him with a shirt that was half R-B, half Jacobs.

“I just thought it was something for a theme day where she was going to dress up like me,” Osmanski said. “I had no clue.”

The schedule has been kind to Osmanski, who has been able to see most of his children’s races this season. But Thursday, in a big setting, all together, was extra special.