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Jim Covert $00 k * ~ SECTIOIS 2 - PAGE 16 - PLAINDEALEK-HERALD, WEDNESDAY. MA* 22.1%5 ,:: Szamlewski jumps to state * McHenry Junior leaps 21-5 ROCKFORD - McHenry's Jeff Szamlewski became the first Warrior boy in two years to qualify for the state track meet, when he finished second in the long jump with a leap of 21-5 at the Rockford Auburn Class AA Sectional Friday. Szamlewski, a junior, is the first McHenry boy to advance to state since Aric Akins acheived the feat in 1963. The state meet will be held at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, beginning Friday. Szamlewski's jump was his best of the year by a foot. Four of his six leaps were over 21 feet. It was his first jump above the 21-foot distance ever. I'TT iT; | m; fnTnr 1*1*1. * iM tr« 'i „ Plaindealer Herald photo by Chris Juzwik McHenry High School's Jeff Szamlewski will be high-jumping at the Illinois High School Association State Track Meet in Charleston Friday after finishing second at the Rockford Auburn Sectional Friday with a 21-5 leap. Szamlewski, a junior, is the only McHenry area boy to qualify. "It wasn't like he iust had one great jump," said McHenry coach Dan Boland. "He was fairly consistent. "He was seeded sixth or seventh going in, and he was hoping to finish high. He just set his sights high, and he got it. "Was I surprised? Yeah, I was," said Bolaifd. "I never thought he'd jump 21-5, especially because his best was 20-5 before that. It's sure going to help him for next year. Although Szamlewski was the only Warrior to qualify, senior discus thrower Mike Lobinsky did come close. His toss of 149-11 was just one foot short of state Qualifying distance. The top nnishers in each event, plus those reaching state qualifying marks, advance to the meet. How long a jump will it take to make the finals at the state meet? "I would say around 22 feet," said Boland Monday. "It's hard to say, I haven't seen any of the other jumps from the sectionals, but I would say about 22 feet. A lot of the winners were probably in the 21-5 to 21-11 range. It's pretty close" Can Szamlewski make that 22 foot mark? "Hard to say," said Boland. "I really never thought he could make 21-5. But if it's a nice hot day, you never know what can happen." The Warrior crew will trek to Charleston Thursday. Szamlewski will jump in the preliminary round Friday. The finals are set for Saturday. Plaindealer-Herald News Service photo by Joe Kusek A disappointed Tracey Hoffman leaves the track in Charleston Friday after she failed to qualify for the finals in the 800 meter run at the state girls' track meet. Hoffman, a freshman, was the only area girl to qualify for state. Hoffman struggles at state CHARLESTON - McHenry freshman Tracey Hoffman failed to qualify for the finals in the 800 at the Illinois Girls' State; Track Meet last weekend,- finishing in 2:26.1 in her heat. I Her time of 2:21.1 won her a second p place at the Dundee-- Crown Sectional Meet a week: priorTthereby advancing her to state competition "It was windy out there," said; McHenry coach Dan Boland. • "Hie conditions weren't ideal. Friday when she ran her heat.; Saturday was nice, but Friday was c cold. She started out a little faster than she should have. After the first quarter, she got tied up and then faded. But it was a good experience for her. "Hopefully aie'U learn from this for next year. She's a very fierce competitor, a competitive individual. She'll learn. She has a lot of time to develop," said Boland. Boland said Hoffman's time rated her 21st out of the 34 competitors in the 800. Only two freshmen were among the field of 34. "All the girls in the race had a lot more running experience in big races than Tracey does.. They've been in a lot of big races, and Tracey hasn't yet. There were an awful lot of: juniors and seniors in the race, and alot of people in the stands. That tends to awe you," said; Boland. "But just that she qualified is' really great. We're all very; happy about that. It was a very exciting race at the sectional: that she just lost (to Dundee-; Crown's Tracy Lorenz). We're- very proud of her." Hoffman is the first McHenry girl to qualify for the state in Boland's three-year stint as the Warrior coach. She is also the first Warrior girl to make the state meet in four years. Warriors p ummel, Chargers, finish third in Fox Valley CARPENTERSVILLE - McHenry's baseball Warriors finished up their regular season Monday afternoon with a 10-0 five inning whipping of Dundee- Crown. The Warriors and the Chargers w went into the game with identical 8-9 Fox Valley Conference records. The win finishes the Warriors at 9-9 in the league, good for third place behind Woodstock and Crystal Lake Central. McHenry (14-10-1), was scheduled to host Jacobs in the first round of regional play at 4 p.m. Tuesday at McCracken Field. The winner will play at Elgin (16-9) in a second-round game at 4 p.m. Thursday. Pat Dunne fired a two- hitter at D-C Monday, fanning a season-high 10 batters, and allowing five walks. The Warriors jumped all over Charger pitching for 11 hits, scoring five runs in the first, one in the third, and two in the fourth and fifth. Leading the way for the McHenry offense were Mike Schultz, Steve Hutt, Brad Snyder and Jeff Schuster, who chipped in two hits apiece. Hutt knocked in three runs, while Merrick Steiffer drove in a pair. Warriors fall short; South dominates CRYSTAL LAKE - Finishing Last weekend at the Crystal third pays off in horse racing, Lake Central Sectional, but in nigh school tennis, it's like McHenry's Warriors got strong kissing your sister. state qualifying round per­ formances from singles player Scott Smith and the double Plaindealer-Hprald photo by Chris Juzwik McHenry's Randy Weidemann sets for a volley Saturday morn­ ing at the Crystal Lake Central Sectional. teams of Gary Strom and Ra Weidemann, but only the top two finishers advance to state competition, leaving the Warriors out in the cold. McHenry finished with 11 points, good for third place. Crystal Lake South won the meet with 20. CL Central had 11. Smith topped Chris Johnson of Cary-Grove in the first round, 6- 4, 6-0, and then advanced past Woodstock's Brad Woodson, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 to the semifinals. The Warrior sophomore then faced Crystal Lake Central's Steve MacAuley in the state qualifying round. Smith played a strong-first set, but succumbed 6-4, and then MacAuley dominated the second, 6-1. "He played a very good first set,", said McHenry coach Gary Gray. "He was one game up until 4-3, and then he lost his serve and that was it. "Scott lost his concentration in the second set, although he still played well. He got better as the year went on. We're trying to develop a killer instinct in him," Gray said. In the third place match, Smith fell to Central's Tony Cherone, 7-5, 1-6, 6-3. Strom and Weidemann, the Warriors' senior co-captains, were seeded third in the doubles competition, and that's just wHfere they finished. South coach Don Nead decided to team his top two singles players and get them seeded in doubles, and it worked, as Scott Meier and Pat Rogers took the doubles crown. Had Meier and Rogers played singles, the McHenry duo may well nave been headed to Arlington Heights Hersey this weekend for state competition. Strom and Weidemann ripped Johnsburg's Dennis Leary and Tim Krodel, 6-1, 6-1 to get rolling, and then whipped Cary- Grove's Jim Altendorf and Enc Jones, 6-1, 6-2. In the state qualifying round, the top seeded pair of Tim Dagley and Mike Foley of South beat Strom and .Weidemann, 6-4, 6-4. The Warrior tandem then defeated Troy Pawelko and^ Gary Stone of Cary, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 to take third. "Neither team played well," Gray said of the McHenry-South state qualifying match-up. "It was good tennis, above-average tennis. But a lot of coaches who had seen them play in the past noticed neither team was at its peak. "Sure they were disappointed at not making it to state, but I don't think it really sunk in at the time. They know they're good enough to make it, but they didn't. They had their dream of a couple years fall out of their O. That's a tough tiling to e. But pressure will do some strange things. If they didn't feel the pressure, they wouldn't be human." Speaking of human, many of the area coaches and players are* still wondering if Patrick Han is one. Han rolled through the sectional as he did at the Fox Valley Conference Meet, and the Woodstock sophomore will be making his second trip to the state meet this week. Meier and Rogers edged their South teammates, Dagley and Foley, to win the doubles title. Han whitewashed MacAulay to win the singles crown. All six wiU be a part of the state tournament, which begins Thursday. McHenry's Bill Etheridge lost TENNIS--Page 15 Bears9 Covert sets for tough season By Barb Ansell Plaindealer-Herald aporU writer CRYSTAL LAKE - The Chicago Bears are ready to use their impressive 1984 season - which saw them win the NFC Central Division titte Super Bowl - no catapult them to greater success in 1985. Who says? Bears' offensive tackle Jim Covert, who traveled to Crystal Lake's Immanuel Lutheran School for an athletic banquet last weekend to help salute a special eighth-grade class. The Bears' three-year veteran explained the direction h his team is heading. "Anytime you've had a successful year, it springboards you into the following year," the Pitt­ sburgh g graduate and for­ mer first-round pick said. "We won five out of our last six games late in the second half of the 1983 season, and that momentum carried us into 1984. Hopefully, our strong '84 record and our roff success will help us ive another good year in -85." v A good indication that the Bears will be growling when they begin the 1985 campaign is the return of quarterback Jim McMahon, who suffered a season-ending kidney injury against the Los Angeles Raiders just prior to the start of the playoffs. "Jim McMahon is healthy and has been given the green light to play by the team doctors," reported Covert. "If Jim can come back with his arm and his confidence at 100 percent, that wiU be a definite strength for the team. We also know Steve Fuller can do the job at quarterback, and that too is a plus." Covert said he expects the Bears' defensive line to continue its fine per­ formance. "The line is becoming older and more mature. Ex­ perience is something you must earn, it can't be bought. This progressing experience should allow our defense another good year." Staying in shape is a year- round job, says Covert, but he doesn't spend much time running. Instead, he works out about 20 minutes per day on a stair mount. "It's like running stairs for 20 minutes straight," he said. But while the summer is just beginning for many, the grueling training season is COVERT--Page 15