04/20 – 04/21/13
sports | 63
THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
‘Making every day
count’ Highland Park’s Sledd on track for a fast finish ■ by kevin reiterman About the only thing he’d like to impress is a stopwatch. Andrew Sledd, star athlete at Highland Park High School, likes to go after things with a “quiet” confidence. “He is,” said long-time friend and track and field teammate Mike Delk. “opposite of cocky.” Which is why, maybe, you do a double take when you flash your eyes down on Sledd’s official race-day footwear. His Adidas adizero spikes are fire-engine red, or a close kin of Deerfield-Warriors red. Not Highland Park-Giants dark blue. Uh-oh. “Just the opposite of what I should be wearing, right?” said Sledd, who purchased them (red was the color in stock) at an athletic store in Schaumburg last season. “What I like about them is that they have a hard, full plate bottom and that helps me stay on my toes. They’re comfortable and fast. “I had to have ’em.” “Yeah, kind of flashy,” admitted Delk. “But, it doesn’t really matter. At the end of day, he’s running for our team.” So far, the humble, unflashy and extremely talented Sledd has made his mark in two of the three prep seasons. He’s done amazing things on the football field (see YouTube). And he’s been a standout during indoor track seasons. He’s ready to put the finishing touches on a fine athletic career this spring. “Our No. 1 goal for him is May (Class 3A state meet in Charleston). We need to get him there healthy,” said Giants head coach Kevin Caines. “He’s stronger now. More than he’s ever been.” Sledd has been slowed by hamstring and groin injuries. “As a coaching staff, we’re paying attention to the details,” said Caines. “We’re not trying to get ahead of ourselves with him. We have to know when to hold him back and when to let him go. I felt really bad for him when he pulled his hamstring (in practice) last spring. “I want him to experience the state meet. It’s his senior year. He knows what’s at stake. He wants to finish it right.” Sledd has been an area sensation during indoor seasons. He recently won the CSL North 50 dash for the third year in a row with a career best (5.8). The Edgewood Middle School product was off to terrific start last spring. Prior to the hamstring injury, he ran the 100 in 10.91.
Highland Park High School’s Andrew Sledd drives to the finish line during the 4x100 relay in Saturday’s meet at Wolters.
photography by joel lerner “I’ve been in the weight room all winter,” said Sledd. “I’m trying to get through every workout. Making sure they’re quality workouts. Doing nothing sloppy. Making every day count.” He’s one of the team captains. And his dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed “He sets such a great example,” said Caines. “In fact, he raises the bar in terms of his work ethic. He sets the tone. He’s a competitor.” Sledd definitely knows what it’s like to be in the limelight. As a junior running back on the HP football team, he had the game of his lifetime against Niles West on Sept. 16, 2011. He gave new meaning to the phase “taking it to the house” by scoring six touchdowns in the 47-14 victory that also featured back-to-back-to-back kick returns for touchdowns. Sledd authored two of the runbacks: 87 and 88 yards. It earned him Prep Star of the Week on Fox Chicago. “It was pretty crazy,” said Sledd. So far, the two TD sprints have attracted close to 900 views on YouTube. Sledd, a two-time all-conference pick, had two highly
productive football seasons for the Giants. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry last fall, finishing with 894 rushing yards and 17 TDs and catching 25 passes for 177 yards. As a junior, he rolled up 884 yards and reached the end zone 15 times. According to Delk, a linebacker in the fall and hurdler/ triple jumper in the spring, Sledd had a way of making tacklers — even in practice — look silly. “He made moves that ‘broke my ankles’ a number of times,” said Delk. “You don’t know how fast he is until you have to try and tackle him.” The 5-foot-8, 170-pound Sledd has been accepted to SIU-Carbondale with plans of running track and possibly walking on to the football team. But he’s also keeping his Division III options — football and track — open. Leaving football behind is a tough call. It’s always been his “first sport.” But track has taken over. It’s become his passion. “After freshman football team, I went out for track just to stay in shape. I wanted to stay fast,” said Sledd. “It was a spontaneous thing. Then, I found out that I was pretty good at it.” ■
headliners >> from 65
ended up second in the 400 (1:02.13) at the Barrington Invitational on April 12. Teammate Mimi Smith, a sophomore, finished with a pair of silvers: 1600 (5:16.24) and 3200 (11:00.1). Junior Abby Compernolle raced to a second-place finish in the 100 (13.27). Kelli Schmidt (1600), Hannah Waldman (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles) and McKenna Nard (triple jump) picked up thirds. Sydney Johnston Lake Forest
Soccer: The junior back scored the team’s lone goal in a 1-1 tie against Hersey on April 11. Paige Bourne was credited with the assist. It was the third tie of the season for the
Scouts (2-1-3). Samantha Schwartz Highland Park Soccer: She’s on scoring binge. The junior midfielder had five goals and two assists in two wins last week for the Giants (5-3-1). Schwartz came up with a hat trick in the 4-0 victory over Waukegan on April 10, while she added two goals and an assist in the 6-0 win over Maine West on April 11. Amanda Skurie also scored against Waukegan, while Stephanie Bailen (2 goals, 1 assist), Lauren Daly (goal), Carli Gordon (goal), Lucy Hoffman (assist) and Lizzy LoGrande (assist) led the attack against Maine West. On April 13, the Giants dropped a 1-0 decision to Libertyville.
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