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Sports

Boys Track: Saldana Dominates Field Events

Waubonsie Valley senior wins discus, shot put at Class 3A Plainfield North Sectional; Neuqua Valley finishes fourth in team scoring.

PLAINFIELD – After a botched handoff that cost Plainfield South a chance to win the 4 x 200-meter relay at Thursday’s Class 3A Plainfield North Sectional, Cougars junior Dantrell Wright had some redemption to chase.

With the team standings between the Cougars and West Aurora still tight, Wright shook off his bad exchange with senior Dondre Adams with a thrilling win in the 200 meters, setting a personal best at 21.80 seconds, to help Plainfield South win the team title.

“I just felt relieved,” Wright said. “The 4x2 can’t go to state but, overall, I feel a little better after the 200. I felt like I got one back for the team.”

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The Cougars wound up with 102 points to win the meet, although the absence of the 4 x 200 team at next week’s state meet at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston will hinder the Cougars’ chances of winning the state title. placed fourth with 62 points.

Coming off of state finishes of second in 2009 and third in 2010; the Wildcats still managed seven state qualifiers and two sectional titles with a younger roster Thursday.

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Junior Mark Derrick, younger brother of former Neuqua star Chris Derrick, won the 3,200 meters to qualify for the state meet for the first time. Chris Derrick was the state runner-up in the event in 2007.

Mark Derrick finished in 9:20.41 to win by a comfortable margin Thursday. He elected to run that and the 4 x 800 relay, which finished second with a new personal record to reach the state meet. He did not run the 1,600.

“I tried the double at Downers Grove South, and I didn’t run that fast of a mile, so I figured that the two-mile was my best shot,” Mark Derrick said.

“I was aiming for a little bit faster, but I just wanted to come out and compete and race and pick it up in the last mile, and that’s what I did. I didn’t really feel that great, I don’t know why.”

Senior Chad Prescher joined Derrick as a sectional champion, winning the pole vault with a leap of 13 feet 9 inches. Jacob Bender added a second-place finish in the 400 meters. Sophomore Carlos Varela (discus) was third, as was the 4 x 400 relay, an event Neuqua won at the state meet last year. The 4 x 100 relay took fourth to advance.

 only advanced in three events to state, but the Warriors did it in grand fashion, taking home three titles. Senior Owen Saldana dominated the throws, winning the discus (182-7) by nearly 20 feet and gutting out the shot put with a 55-5. Fellow senior Amare Greene took the triple jump (44-1 ¾).

It is Saldana’s first trip to state in the shot put. He reached the state meet in the discus last year, but did not get out of the preliminary round.

“It was a good day for discus but not necessarily in the shot,” Saldana said. “The wind was blowing in the right direction and I could keep [the discus] flat. I’ve been hitting 60s [in the shot] in practice all day long. I’ve just been trying to get it in a meet. Hopefully, I get it downstate.”

senior Antonio Owens was the only other local state qualifier, finishing third in the 400.

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