3A Chicago St. Ignatius Regional Round Up

Whitney Young senior Keduse Worku has been the Dolphins workhorse of late (Steven Bugarin photo)

Traditional fall like temperatures blanketed the Chicagoland area and in turn some solid performances at St. Ignatius Regional held on the picture perfect Washington Park on the southside of Chicago.

Whitney Young may have won by 21 points but the score was much closer than the final outcome indicated. Upstart St. Ignatius gave the Dolphins everything they wanted up until late in the final mile. There was some controversy, though, amid the racing. Von Steuben finished third but almost had their hearts ripped out because one of their runners was disqualified for swearing in the finish chute. However, the Panthers did not have a scorer accounted for before the certified results were released. The insertion prevented Jones from advancing. That's right the Chicago Jones College Prep who won the 2A state title a few seasons ago. The Eagles rested three of their top runners and finished 7th. The gamble was a costly blow to several seniors including Jeremy Adams who clocked 14:50 earlier this season. Adams would have been a sure shot to qualify for Peoria and fight for an all-state berth.

Whitney Young senior Keduse Worku continued his late season great running with another victory. Worku won his first CPL title a week ago on the Washington Park oval. Though the time was a bit slower the victory was just as sweet for the Dolphin who came into high school with a lot of pressure on him. Worku ran a 4:36 mile at the end of this 7th grade year. Fellow senior Jaimie Marcos of Von Steuben ran his most spirited race of the year when he blazed the final quarter-mile and locked himself in a virtual tie with Worku at 15:20. But the official clock read 15:20.70-15:20.71 in favor of Worku.