Pinedo Leads the Charge for Tigers Downstate

Wheaton Warrenville South’s Charlie Pinedo closed out his prep track career in memorable fashion at last weekend’s boys Class 3A state meet in Charleston.

Pinedo roared to a sixth-place finish in the 200-meter dash during last Saturday’s final and earned an all-state medal for this event (the top eight finishers in each event are all-state).

The senior also took part in two Wheaton South relay squads that secured all-state status. Pinedo, seniors Titus Davis and Andrew Dabisch, along with junior Dan Vitale, captured fourth in the state in the 4x100 relay, while the same quartet placed sixth in the 4x200 final.

The 4x100 team turned in a time of 42.31 seconds, while the 4x200 crossed the finish line in 1:28.46.

Seniors Brian Welker and Collin Fedor also gained all-state honors with eighth-place finishes in their respective events: the discus and 1,600. Welker threw 158-3 in the final, while Fedor ran a 4:17.07 in a race that featured York’s Jack Driggs, who won both the 1,600 and 3,200 events.

Fedor teamed up with senior Christian Adams, junior Carl Anderson and freshman Luke Schroer for 10th in the 4x800 relay (7:58.26).

Pinedo just missed all-state in the long jump, placing ninth with a leap of 22 feet, ½ inch. Wheaton North sophomore Zach Gordon—one of two Falcons who made the finals—took 12th place (21-6 ½).

Titus Davis, who went into the meet with the second-best qualifying long jump in Class 3A, unfortunately didn’t advance to the finals. He was in the same preliminary flight as eventual state champion Zach Ziemek of Lake Park and ended up fifth.

The crosstown rival schools went head-to-head in the high jump final as Wheaton North senior Tyler Ester and Wheaton South junior Alec Brazeau ended up in a tie for ninth place. Each jumped 6-3.

Brazeau, a junior, advanced to the finals of the pole vault and vaulted 13-6 for an 11th-place finish.

Wheaton South senior Will Davis also just missed out on an all-state medal with his ninth-place finish in the triple jump (44-7).

As a team, the Tigers were among the top 20 3A schools with 20.33 points—good for 16th place.

Senior was a double qualifier for the Falcons in the shot and discus, but didn’t make the finals in either event. Branden Miller, also a senior, qualified in the discus but didn’t reach the finals.

Competing for the Tigers in the preliminaries were seniors Digba Coker and Max Heyden in the 110 high hurdles and 400, respectively, and junior Phabian Clark in the 110 hurdles.

In the Class 2A meet, St. Francis senior Joe Giamberdino was 12th in his section of the 3,200 on Saturday, but qualified for the final and finished 13th out of 28 runners (9:42.43).