Posted: June 8, 2010 |(2) Comments

The intensity of the handshake offered by Homestead boys track coach Dan Benson was not lessened by the damp and cold conditions at the end of a wet but ultimately triumphant day at the WIAA State Track and Field Championships in La Crosse on Saturday.

No, it was a hearty and vigorous thing, and in the smile that accompanied the gesture, you could get a sense of very palpable relief from the leader of a team that went in as favorites and came out as Division 1 team champions.

His staff and athletes were still bouncing around the podium, taking pictures with the big gold trophy, the first state title won in Benson's storied 22-year tenure and the first track trophy of any kind for the school since the back-to-back Class B champions of 1963 and 1964.

"With the kids we had and the coaching staff firmly locked into place, we knew we had something special early on," Benson said, "but then the season is a long 13 weeks and things don't always work out.

"But everyone bought into it, and that made it a heck of a lot of fun. … Other coaches walked up to me during the meet and said, 'You got this sucker,' but you can't fall into the trap of believing that. We still had to perform at a high level. We did have to step it up and that's all credit to the kids."

There would be time for the funny stories later, like when the team stopped at the Old Country Buffet in La Crosse for a celebratory meal and the trophy was left in the backseat of Benson's car. Assistant Steve Manor noticed that, and he and Benson carefully covered the prize with a blanket to ward off potential foul play.

"It was still there when we got back," Benson said with a laugh.

An even better story came the following morning at Benson's home in Menomonee Falls. He got back after 1 a.m., well after his two small children were in bed, so he made sure to put the trophy on the breakfast table so they could see it when they got up.

"Aw, cool, dad," was apparently the most quiet of the exuberant comments that followed.

Genovesi sets state record

But back on Saturday, Benson's main man behind all this success, three-time state champion and state 800-meter record-setter Gabe Genovesi - whose carefully measured bursts at the end of the 3,200- and 1,600-meter relays earlier in the day guaranteed titles for the Highlanders in those events - was hogging the trophy a bit.

You could see him at the top of the medal stand, thrusting the rain-dappled trophy higher and higher for as long as anybody would let him.

Which would be for quite awhile.

"This is such a great feeling," Genovesi said. "Even though we were the favorites (top seeds in five events going in), we knew we couldn't rest on our laurels. We expected it to be tough and it was, so we needed our best races.

"It was not a given that this would happen."

Genovesi, normally a free-spirited youth known for his generosity and easy smile, wore an intense game face during the state competition. His businesslike demeanor broke only when he hit the finish line in the last race, the 1,600 relay, when he dipped a little low at the line, flashed a true gamer's smile of triumph and then stuck out three fingers on his free hand, indicating the number of wins he was part of during the weekend.

Doug Mueller, Genovesi's relay mate on both races as well as a fourth-place finisher in the 800 meters, knew what Genovesi was getting at with that small release of emotion.

"I think that summed up a full year of hard work," he said. "We definitely put in the effort for this."

And Benson was appreciative for it.

"I've been calling him 'Gabe Jennings' (the great Madison East distance runner from the 1990s) all weekend," Benson said. "I must have been tired, but simply put, (Genovesi) was the best athlete at the meet. As a coach, it's such a calming effect when he steps on the track knowing that he's going to do everything in his power to win the race."

'The whole team experience'

Dan Schiller (high jump) and Brad Pelisek (long jump), who were under Benson's direct charge, didn't have great showings on Friday. Those small failures gave the coach cause for pause - even with Genovesi's record-setting win in the 800, an effort that took down one of the oldest marks in the Division 1 books.

Schiller and Pelisek took responsibility for their actions and, in Benson's words, "became our biggest cheerleaders."

"Because it was a total team effort," Pelisek said, "the pressure was really on us. Everyone did such a good job staying focused. It was our depth of talent that really came through. We were so strong in those relays that they could make up for us.

"Everyone just had the same goal."

The same could be said for thrower Justin Barber, who scored a valuable 14 points, including a third in the shot put and a second in the discus.

"I was just hoping to do my best," he said, "because the big picture is what really counts."

Someone who knows that almost better than Benson is long sprint coach Todd Brawner, who spent the better of a decade dominating the North Shore, winning a state title in 2006 and generally making Benson's life miserable as the head man at Germantown. He joined Benson's staff in 2009 and was happy to see his old friend succeed.

"Does it really get any better than this?" Brawner said, watching the celebration on the La Crosse infield. "No, I don't think so. It's the whole team experience.

"That's the point. These were phenomenal kids, who worked hard, and who really wanted it."

Kids who also took a big weight off their coach's shoulders.

STATE CHAMPS

Team standings (top 10): Homestead 54 1/2 , Marquette 35, Menomonee Falls 33, Milwaukee Riverside 32, Appleton East 28, Brookfield East 27, Wauwatosa West 22, Lake Geneva Badger 21, Sussex Hamilton and Sheboygan North 20 (tie).

Highlanders results: High jump - Dan Schiller, sixth (6-4). Long jump - Brad Pelisek, ninth (21-2 1/2 ). Shot put - Just Barber, third (58-7 3/4 ); Max Vielmetti, 22nd (48-5 1/2 ). 300 intermediate hurdles - Taylor Ruffin, seventh (38.99). 800 - Gabe Genovesi, first (1:51.55, state record); Doug Mueller, fourth (1:55.7). 1,600 relay - Mueller, Mike Collins, Andrew Holtorf, and Genovesi, first (3:18.78). Discus - Barber, second (176-8). Pole vault - Matt Savage, 18th (13-0). 3,200 relay - Nate Routhier, Mike Cronce, Mueller and Genovesi, first (7:46.82, school record). 3,200 - Routhier, eighth (9:34.96).