Pictured: York Coach Charlie Kern (center) with sons Charlie (left) and Ethan. Charlie won the 800 for the second year in a row in this meet (Mike Newman Photo)

By Michael Newman, ILXCTF.com Editor

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Mt. Prospect --- He was not supposed to run a leg on York’s 1600 Meter Relay Friday night at Prospect’s Wanner Knight Relays. But Charlie Kern stepped onto the track for his second leg of the relay after one of his teammates slated to run the event was injured during the 800 Meter Relay. He brought his team from fifth to second on his 400. After the race, he was upset that his split was 50.0. He wanted to be under that mark. It is just the focus that this junior has going into the final month of the track season. He just wants to run fast. He showed that with an impressive win in the 800 Meter Run on a night where distance races ruled once again on the Prospect track.

Kern headed into this weekend with the fastest time in the state at that distance and one of the 20 fastest in the nation. His goal for this night was to break the 40-year-old meet record of 1:52.6. The first goal was to win the race. Thomas Mosely of Zion-Benton pushed the pace through a 25-second first 200-meters and then took off at the 400-meter point at 55.7 with Kern and Vince Zona of Lyons Township in tow. Right before the bell lap, Kern made his move taking the lead with sights on pushing the third 200 of the race.  He did pulling away from Zona with Mosely just a stride behind. The two runners stayed together until 150-meters to go in the race where Kern put his head down and surged away from Mosley. Kern looked strong as he crossed the line in 1:53.21 just off his personal best. Mosley was next (1:55.08) followed by Zona (1:55.88). This was the second year in a row that Kern has won this event at this meet.

“I knew Mosely was going to take it out fast. I did not want to go out too crazy so I just stayed behind him,” Kern said about his 800 race. “We have been focusing on running the second lap this season. Anybody can run that first lap of that race.”

Soren Knudsen of Minooka looked like the same type of runner than he did last November in winning the 1600 Meter Run. He injured his hip forcing him out of the post-season cross country meet last November. A couple of injuries and illnesses had plagued him during the early part of the track season. He looks ready for state and just at the right time. Alex Tam of Libertyville, who ran 4:19 indoors for the distance, pushed the first 400-mters in 61.8 seconds with Knudsen leading a pack two seconds back.  Tam continued to push the pace trying to gap himself from the field. He passed by in 2:06 for 800-meters.

Knudsen saw what was happening. It happened in last year’s race when Springfield’s Heath Warren torched the field pulling away from the pack in the first 400-meters in the race and never looking back. The Minooka runner was determined not to let that happen again. He started to pull away from the pack with 900-meters to go passing in 2:08 with two laps left. His sights were on the Libertyville runner.

Knudsen caught up to Tam with 600-meters left in the race. He was in hurry to make the pass. When he did, it was a definitive one. Knudsen’s stride was smooth and relaxed as he pulled away from Tam. Give credit to Tam for making the race with the fast pace. In the end, it was all Knudsen. He finished the final 400-meters in 58.9. If he was pushed, he probably could have run faster in the final 200-meters. He crossed the line in a season’s best of 4:13.53, the third fastest time in 2017 in the state. This was coming after he ran a 1:55 split for his team in the 3200 Meter Relay. Tam achieved a three second improvement on his personal best (4:15.87) in finishing second.

“Running all these doubles this season has given me confidence in my closing speed,” Knudsen said. “I know if I am close with 400-meters left I have a good shot. I waited tonight. I know in bigger races, there will be no more waiting.”

The finish behind Knudsen and Tam was exciting as six runners finished within a second of each other led by Lyons Township’s Danny Kilrea and Vince Zona followed by Naperville Central’s Thomas Shilgalis, Prospect’s Jack O’Donnell, York’s Ethan Kern, and Downers Grove South’s Stephan Pipilas. For the younger Kern, only a freshman, he ran a four second personal best dropping down to 4:24. He was the ninth fastest time for a freshman in this distance nationally.

There was no question that Fremd would win the 3200 Meter Relay especially with the opening leg that their star senior Danny Peterson ran. He pulled away from the field with a 1:54.7 split to put his team in the lead for good. The quartet of Peterson, Jack Buban, Luke Vogelgesang, and Ed Worthem won the event with the state’s fastest time this season (7:52.97) with Prospect (7:55.60) finishing second.

Lyons Township won the team title even without star sprinter Antwanne Thigpen who injured his hamstring at the Arcadia Invitational at the beginning of April. He is healthy and was itching to run. Temperatures in the 40’s postponed his return for one week until next week’s Collinsville Invitational. The Lions scored 171 points to win the team title with Minooka (129.5 points) and Prospect (128.5 points) second and third.

Six individual wins, a win in the 800 Meter Relay, and plenty of depth pushed Lyons Township to the win. Danny Kilrea was impressive in his win in the 3200 Meter Run. He had company in the first 800-meters of the race with Naperville Central’s Tommy Chavez on his shoulder as he two ran 2:15 for the two laps. It was Kilrea doing work by himself after that clicking 67-68 second laps with ease. He won in 9:03.98 running under 9:05 for the third time this season. Kilrea won by 26 seconds ahead of York’s Jackson Bode who achieved a 12-second personal best running 9:29.85.

Griffin Vizgirda picked up the second win for the Lions in the 400 Meter Dash. He ran 51.18 holding off Wheeling’s David Rodriguez (51.42) for the win. In was also a close finish in the 300 Hurdles as Lyons Township’s Xavier Armand edged Minooka’s James Sanchez by 13-hundredths of a second (40.42 – 40.55).

The Lions looked strong in the field events picking up three in those disciplines. Austin Iturralde cleared a personal best of 14-1 to win the Pole Vault. Rob Hatch jumped 21-5 to win the Long Jump. Only 1.5 inches separated Thomas Saggau and Springfield’s Tyrone Treadwell in the Triple Jump. Saggau jumped 45-2.5 for the win. Lyons Township’s quartet ran 1:30.37 to win the 800 Meter Relay just a tenth of a second ahead of Prospect (1:30.47).

The cool temperatures were favorable for the distance runners in the meet but not the sprinters. While Proviso West pulled their team out of the meet due to the weather, other squads stayed in the meet because of the top competition it brings. Jason Shannon of Wheeling was not intimidated by the unseasonably cool temperatures as he swept the sprints. Shannon ran 11.08 to win the 100 Meter Dash ahead of Minooka’s Colin Marchino. The two took the top two spots in the 200 Meter Dash with Shannon running 22.63 ahead of Marchino (22.94).