Yorkville's Jake Hoffert (from left) runs with New Trier's Chase Silverman, Conant's Zach Dale and McHenry's Jessie Reiser in the 1600-meter run during the the preliminaries at the Class 3A state finals. Hoffert finished fifth in Saturday's finals. | Jon

Updated: June 4, 2014 2:32AM

CHARLESTON, Ill. — Kevin Grahovec and Tyler Maryanski ended their Marmion careers in style last weekend at the Class 3A boys track and field state finals.

Grahovec, a returning All-Stater at 800 meters, and Maryanski, the Kane County high jump champion, finished sixth and fifth, respectively, in their specialty events at O’Brien Stadium.

“I pretty much had the same time as last year,” Grahovec said after finishing in one minute, 54.92 seconds. “I couldn’t finish it out. The sun just baked me out there.”

The 3A 800 run also featured Geneva senior Blaine Bartell, who finished eighth, and West Aurora senior Brady McCue, who failed to place in the 12-man field.

Maryanski, meanwhile, was part of a classic high-jump field.

Illinois-bound Grant senior Jonathan Wells outlasted St. Charles North senior Erik Miller — whom Maryanski edged for county honors — to defend his title.

“I had a great season,” Maryanski said after bowing out at 6 feet, 9 inches.

Double trouble

The Hoffert twins made sure Yorkville did not endure the ignominious fate of last season when the Foxes failed to advance any competitors out of the sectional.

Luke and Jake Hoffert, indispensable to Yorkville’s 2A cross country state championship last fall, scored 11 points with their All-State runs in the 3,200 and 1,600.

Luke Hoffert unleashed a dynamic kick at the close of the 3,200 to edge Hinsdale Central senior Billy Magnesen for fourth place by three one-hundredths.

“It wasn’t my PR,” Luke Hoffert said after finishing in 9:12.1.

“On the last few weeks of training, (my coaches) have tried to get my best performance this week. The state meet isn’t about time, it’s about place.”

Jake Hoffert skipped the longer distance, for which there is no state preliminary, to concentrate on the 1,600.

The decision paid off when he finished fifth in 4:11.71.

Comeback kid

East Aurora sprinter Desmond Gant, who elected not to compete last spring, returned for his senior year with a vengeance.

The Minnesota football recruit powered the Tomcats’ 800 relay to a state berth out of the slow heat of the Joliet West Sectional.

The Tomcats’ all-senior quartet of Gant, Qahir Phillips, Arrion Mitchell and Latrell Lee failed to qualify for the finals, but Gant more than compensated with a berth in the 200 finals.

Gant lowered his preliminary time (22.01) by more than three-tenths to finish in eighth place.