By Michael Newman

[email protected]

Charleston, Ill --- Cahokia is almost a since to win their fifth straight 2A state championship by advancing 17 to the finals. Champaign Centennial is the closest team with nine qualifiers to Saturday. Burlington Central qualified seven to Saturday. Galesburg advanced six to the finals.

Cahokia is basically guaranteed twenty points by the exploits on the horizontal runways by Ja’Mari Ward. In his third round jump in the Long Jump prelims, Ward soared to a new IHSA State Record (25-0 ½) breaking Oscar Wallace’s 46 year old record by half a foot. In the Triple Jump, Ward hit what would have been a new 2A record (50-6), but the winds were over the allowable 2.0 (+2.4). Ward pleaded with his Coach Leroy Milsap in the stands if he could take one more jump. Ward barely fouled on the board on the second attempt. An unofficial measurement showed that Ward had gone past 52 feet. According to Milsap, Ward will not be jumping on Saturday instead concentrating on the 400 and 800 relays that he ran in the prelims on Friday.

The other big star on Friday was Galesburg’s Josh Eiker who qualified in two individual events and helped his team qualify in two relays. Eiker had the fastest time in the 100 prelims (10.53) with the help of a hefty wind at his back (3.1). In the 200 Meter Dash, Eiker was the only athlete under 22 seconds in the prelims as he ran 21.73 to win his heat into a headwind.

“The idea after sectionals was to break the state record in the prelims,” Eiker said after his 200 prelim heat. “The wind was too strong so I just went for the wind. I think I was going 80% in that race. I’ll try for the record tomorrow.”

Here is a look at each of the prelim events that took place on Friday.

4 x 800 Meter Relay

Cahokia had the fastest prelim time in this event taking the lead on the first leg and never letting go. The Comanches won the first heat (8:02.91) five seconds ahead of Rochester. Normal University won heat 2 (8:11.25) behind a 1:59 anchor by Alexander Bruno who came from fifth place to win on the final leg. U-High edged Geneseo by five hundredths of a second. Metamora took the lead mid-way through the second leg and cruised to an 8:11.13 win. Ashton Hyatt ran a 1:58 anchor to bring his team from seventh in the final 800 to second place and a spot in the finals.

4 x 100 Meter Relay

It should be a close battle between Phillips Academy and Cahokia in the finals Saturday afternoon. Phillips took the lead early in the third heat and easily won with the fastest prelim time (41.72). They won by more than a second ahead of Champaign Centennial. Cahokia won Heat 4 with safe handoffs and running 41.84 ahead of second place Troy Triad (42.57). Behind a strong anchor by Josh Eiker, Galesburg won the first heat (42.45) almost half a second ahead of Rich Central. Evergreen Park was the other automatic qualifier winning Heat 2 (42.82) just twelve hundredths ahead of Highland.

110 Meter High Hurdles

Korrion Session (Cahokia HS) ran the fastest prelim time in this event (14.21) winning Heat 3 by more than half a second. Lucas Ege (Burlington Central HS) won Heat 4 (14.40) defeating Cahokia’s Marquis Murray by more than half a second (14.96). A challenger to Session and Ege could be Gamar Hayles (Rich Central HS, Olympia Fields). He won Heat 2 (14.47) stamping himself a contender to win this race on Saturday. Freshman Deion McShane (Freeport HS) was the other qualifier as he won Heat 1 (14.76) by only a tenth of a second ahead of Stephon King (Manual HS, Peoria).

100 Meter Dash

We should have the expected showdown between Josh Eiker and Dion Hooker in the finals. Eiker won Heat 2 (10.53) just twenty two hundredths ahead of Keveion Akins (Cahokia HS). Hooker won Heat 3 (10.69) just fifteen hundredths ahead of DeQuan Dudley (Rich Central HS, Olympia Fields). Mitch West (Montini Catholic HS, Lombard) was the other heat winner (10.80) as he edged Adam Nelson (Triad HS, Troy) by seven hundredths of a second.

800 Meter Run

Each of the three heats in this event was extremely tactical. Freshman Josh Cable (Rochester HS) had the fastest prelim time (1:57.11) to outkick Nick Wondall (Illiana Christian HS, Lansing to win by three tenths of a second. Jacob Wantland (Morris HS) moved away in the final 100 meters to win Heat 2 (1:57.55) to win ahead of Connor Hickey (LaSalle-Peru HS). Sectional list leader Connor Stine (Olympia HS, Stanford) was under control as he won Heat 3 (1:58.20) by more than a second ahead of Jake Vanderwell (Lincoln-Way West HS, New Lenox).

4 x 200 Meter Relay

Despite a shaky handoff on their second exchange, Cahokia still ran the fastest prelim time (1:27.84) to win Heat 4 by more than a second ahead of Montini Catholic (1:29.06). Hillcrest was just four hundredths of a second behind Cahokia (1:27.88) when they won Heat 2 ahead of Evergreen Park. Phillips did not have the best handoffs, but it was good enough to win Heat 1 (1:28.75) just ahead of Champaign Centennial. Galesburg’s Josh Eiker had to run down Urban Prep/ Engelwood’s Alexze Whatley in the final 200 meters to win the third heat (1:28.76 – 1:29.45).

400 Meter Dash

Five runners went under 50 seconds in what remains a wide open Saturday final. Tyler Higgins (Highland HS) ran the fastest prelim time (49.25) to finish ahead of Cahokia’s Tyran Lyons (49.67) and Marion’s Aaron Porter (49.70). Deandre McNeal (Orr HS, Chicago) was the Heat 2 winner (49.97) just ahead of Champaign Centennial’s David Alston. David Shadid (Notre Dame HS, Peoria) won Heat 3 (49.69) more than half a second ahead of Colfay Pointer (Rochelle HS).

300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles

It should be a great showdown between two of 2A’s top hurdlers Korrion Session and Lucas Ege. Session ran the fastest prelim time (38.41). Ege won Heat 4 (38.98) by more than a second. Deion McShane qualified for his second final winning Heat 3 (39.53) by seventeen hundredths ahead of Drew Pranka (Princeton HS). Zach Gyuricza (Saint Viator HS, Arlington Heights) won Heat 2 (39.55) half a second ahead of Geneseo freshman Reed Vanderheyden.

1600 Meter Run

Sal Flight (Fenwick HS) leads all qualifiers to Saturday’s finals running 4:23.87 to win Heat 3. It was a close battle as he moved by Nick Fiene (Illiana Christian HS, Lansing) to win by twenty two hundredths of a second. Sectional list leader Lance Mueller finished third and also qualified. The closest finish of the day was from Heat 1 as Ashton Hyatt won by only one thousandths of a second ahead of Alexander Bruno (Normal University HS). Both were timed at 4:24.96. Austin Kintz was the other automatic qualifier winning Heat 2 (4:26.05) by two seconds ahead of Jake Gillum (Metamora HS).

200 Meter Dash

Eiker’s 21.75 was the fastest time winning heat 3. His closest challenger could be Heat 2 winner Vincent Gordon (Centennial HS, Champaign) as he ran 22.27 to win by a half a second. Keveion Akins (Cahokia HS) was the other automatic qualifier as he ran 22.73 to win Heat 1 edging Dion Hooker (Sycamore HS) by six hundredths of a second.

4 x 400 Meter Relay

Cahokia qualified their fourth relay to the final running the fastest prelim time by more than a second. Cahokia cruised to a 3:21.48 Heat 3 win by two seconds ahead of qualifier Chatham-Glenwood (3:23.50). Rich Central could be a surprise in this final as they ran 3:22.54 to win Heat 4 a second ahead of Burlington Central (3:23.78) and Jacksonville (3:23.86). Peoria Central won Heat 1 (3:23.86) while Pontiac was the Heat 2 winner (3:25.14).

Field Event Highlights

It is close in the Shot Put as 2A list leader Sam Sikon (Carbondale HS) leads the prelims (57-1 ¾) by an inch of Daniall Akins (Cahokia HS) who had a 57-0 ½ put. Sikon also leads the Discus (164-4) by two feet ahead of Jacob Wagner (Mattoon HS).

Fourteen athletes advanced to Saturday’s finals in the High Jump all clearing 6-3. 12 Athletes advanced to the Pole Vault finals with 13-3 being the cutoff.