The Class 3A Homewood-Flossmoor Sectional was much more than a state qualifying meet for Lincoln-Way North.
It was an opportunity for North to make history in the team’s final season before the school closes.
And the Phoenix came through.
North won the 16-team meet Thursday night with 88.33 points to go with the SouthWest Suburban Red title the Phoenix earned a week earlier. H-F finished with 78 points.
Distance runner Demetri Panici confirmed North’s desire to star.
“We really wanted to end it on a great note,” Panici said. “We had a great conference meet. We won by a lot. We wanted to qualify as many people as we can to leave a very good legacy at North.”
North sprinter Jamir Hunt, who qualified in two relays and the 100-meter dash, expressed similar feelings.
“With it being our last year as the Phoenix, I felt I really had to give it my all,” Hunt said. “I wanted to make a mark. I wanted to be remembered.”
Panici repeated as sectional champion in the 800. He won in 1:54.40, a state final-level time, compared to 1:57.33 last year.
“I really wanted to repeat,” Panici said. “I’ve been working hard. I’m glad to get to a better place than last year. That was the goal, run faster than last year.
“From 300 (meters) to go, my coach told me to start moving up. And about 200 to go, I heard the guy from Bloom behind me, but I was feeling very good.”
North’s John Chomiak won the 3,200 (9:46.00) and teammate Noah Healy repeated as sectional champion in the 1,600 (4:26.88).
“I was pretty nervous going into it because I haven’t been running as fast as I wanted to this season,” Healy said. “I’m pretty happy with the results. In the last season, it shows how great of a team we are.”
North coach Jeff Purdom took pictures of the Phoenix as they celebrated the announcement of the team totals.
“It’s such a great group of guys,” Purdom said. “We score points in everything. We had jumpers scoring points. We had throwers scoring points.
“The most important thing is guys ran and competed their best at the end of the season.”
H-F senior Josh Izenbart cleared 6 feet, 5 inches to win the high jump and clinch a return trip to the state meet, this time as sectional champ.
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“I’m really excited about it,” Izenbart said. “I didn’t do as well as I wanted to last year, so this is kind of like my second chance. I’m looking forward to going back and improving on what I did last year and maybe coming back with a medal.”
H-F’s first-place 400 relay of Deante Harley-Hampton, DeVon Booth, Devante Harley-Hampton, and Tony Bello clocked 42.11, which would have been good enough for fourth at last year’s state finals.
Other Southland winners were Bloom’s Jaquon Burns in the 110 hurdles (14.91), H-F’s Tyler DeMartra in the triple jump (44-5.5), the Vikings’ 800 relay (1:28.47) and Providence’s Lucas Weaver in the pole vault (15-7) and Jonas Duncan in the 300 hurdles (39.92).
The 100 was a strong event as seven individuals beat the qualifying standard (11.0). That group included Crete-Monee’s Juawan Treadwell (fourth, 10.86), H-F’s Bello (fifth, 10.88), Crete-Monee’s Ahmari Knight (sixth, 10.99) and Lincoln-Way North’s Hunt (seventh, 10.99).
Tim Tierney is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.