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2019 IHSA Boys State Track & Field Championships - Class 2A PreviewPublished by
By Michael Newman
The East St. Louis-Senior Boys Track & Field team has been waiting for this meet close to a year after not being allowed to compete in the 2018 State Meet. Do you think the Flyers will be hungry when they step onto Eastern Illinois’ Big Blue Oval? The Flyers lead all Class 2A teams with 15 advancing to Charleston. They have been hungry all year. One of the individuals to watch is Finnigan Schirmer of Marengo. The junior has the top sectional performances in four events in which he could win. Here are previews of each of the 18 Class 2A events that will take place beginning with the prelims on Friday morning.
(*) = Defending 2A State Meet Champion
FIELD EVENTS
LONG JUMP IHSA State Meet Record 25’ 0.25” – Ja’Mari Ward, Cahokia – 2015 2019 State Best 25’ 0” – Jamal Safo (SR), Crete-Monee 2019 Class 2A Best 23’ 5” – Jamonny Skinner (SR), Monmouth-Roseville 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 23’ 0.25” – Isaac Green (JR), Greenville 2018 2A State Meet Champion 23’ 5” – Seth Groom, Marmion Academy Preview – This could be a wide-open event to start the meet. There are three 2A athletes that have gone past 23-feet including list leader Jamonny Skinner and Isaac Green. David Emuze of Springfield Southeast jumped 23-1 in April. There are three other athletes that are within two inches of the top three including Ryan Currington of De La Salle, Brayden Forrest of Dixon, and Leondre Pollard of Thornridge. Any of these six athletes could finish as state champions. Jayden McCulskie-Green of Sandwich, a sophomore, could the surprise in this event. Some of the other athletes to watch for include Dontrell Williams of Morgan Park, Kobie Webb of Streator, and A’Tiq Muhammad of Rockford Boylan Catholic.
TRIPLE JUMP IHSA State Meet Record 51’ 1” – Cameron Ruiz, Kales Community – 2017 2019 State Best 49’ 6” – Quinton Stringfellow (SR), Homewood-Flossmoor 2019 Class 2A Best 47’ 10.50” – Andra Ward (SR), Cahokia 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 46’ 4.75” – Khalil Ross (JR), Springfield Lanphier 2018 2A State Meet Champion 48’ 3.50” – Seth Groom, Marmion Academy Preview – This event opened up even more as Class 2A list leader Andra Ward was unable to compete in his sectional meet due to an injury. Jayden McCluskie-Green of Sandwich jumped 46-8 in early April. He jumped 44’10” in last week’s sectional. Khalil Ross has the sectional best of 46-4.75. Both will share the favorites roll entering Friday’s prelims. Darrione Williams of East St. Louis-Senior jumped 45-8 in his conference meet and will also be in contention for the win along with Issak McKay of Perspectives IIT Math & Science. Jaromy Skinner of Monmouth-Roseville, Mason DeLillie of Rochelle, Elijah Pena of Woodstock North, Elijah Felton of East St. Louis-Senior, and Conner Workman of Princeton are some of the athletes looking to finish in the top nine on Saturday.
HIGH JUMP IHSA State Meet Record 7’ 3.50” – Tom Smith, Heyworth – 1985 2019 State Best 6’ 10” – Zachary Pluff (SR), Freeburg 2019 Class 2A Best 6’ 10” – Zachary Pluff (SR), Freeburg 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 6’ 8” – Terrence Hargrove (SR), East St. Louis-Senior 2018 2A State Meet Champion 6’ 10” – Austin Rauch, Clinton Preview – One of the bigger surprises at last week’s sectional meets was at the Herrin Sectional when Terrence Hargrove won this event clearing 6-8 ahead of list leader Zachary Pluff. Hargrove is a novice in the event. He came out for the East St. Louis team after the basketball season ended. The senior, who is 6’ 7” tall, will attend Saint Louis University this fall and was on the Illinois AP 3A All State Team. Hargrove has cleared 6-8 twice this season but never has competed in the state meet. Pluff has cleared 6-10 twice outdoors and has cleared 6-5or higher in all of his outdoor meets. This competition between these two should be great to watch. CJ Johnson of Frankfort, Trevor Heffren of Eureka, Isaak McKay of Perspectives IIT, and Martez Pinnick of Carbondale all have cleared 6-6 and will make this event tougher. Also watch for David Emuze of Springfield Southeast and CJ Shoaf of Mahomet-Seymour who could surprise in this competition.
POLE VAULT IHSA State Meet Record 17’ 6” – Zachary Bradford, Bloomington – 2018 2019 State Best 16’ 6” – Chandlar Ifft (SR), Fairbury Prairie Central 2019 Class 2A Best 16’ 6” – Chandlar Ifft (SR), Fairbury Prairie Central 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 16’ 0” – Chandlar Ifft (SR), Fairbury Prairie Central 2018 2A State Meet Champion 16’ 0” – Callan Whitehouse, Mahomet-Seymour Preview – Chandlar Ifft should be the class of the field in this event. Ifft, who finished fourth in last year’s finals, has a 16-6 personal best that is more than a foot ahead of the rest of the Class 2A competition. He has cleared 16-0 or better six times during the outdoor season. Mitchell McKelvey of Metamora, Dayton Black of Charleston, Jaden Elliott of Troy Triad, and Kyle Mulhern of Peoria Notre Dame all have cleared 15-feet or better outdoors. Unless Ifft has a bad meet, these athletes will be fighting for the second spot. Ifft has been so dominant all season
SHOT PUT IHSA State Meet Record 68’ 8” – John Meyer Jr., Lockport Township - 2018 2019 State Best 64’ 1” – Sam Liokumovich (SR), Deerfield 2019 Class 2A Best 60’ 7.75” – Hunter Hendershot (JR), Mahomet-Seymour 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 60’ 7.75” – Hunter Hendershot (JR),Mahomet-Seymour 2018 2A State Meet Champion 60’ 3.25” – *Hunter Hendershot, Mahomet-Seymour Preview – Defending state champion Hunter Hendershot peaked at this meet last year and appears to be on the same track heading into this weekend. The junior is a good bet to get championship #2 after his 60-7.75 sectional best last week at Monticello. Three days before at the News-Gazette Honor Roll Meet, Hendershot had a 59-7 then seasonal best. No other athlete was within five feet of Hendershot last week in sectional meets. The closest, Athan Huelskamp of Saint Viator, had a 58-7.50 best from a meet at the beginning of the month. Tyler Sudduth of Rich South, Jake Renfro of Providence Catholic, and Elijah Nitz of Rockford Christian all have bests past 56-feet and will contend for one of the top places.
DISCUS IHSA State Meet Record 205’ 11” – AJ Epenesa, Edwardsville – 2016 2019 State Best 206’ 1” – Jordan Johnson (SR), Quincy 2019 Class 2A Best 175’ 0” – Hunter Hendershot (JR), Mahomet-Seymour 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 167’ 8” – Hunter Hendershot (JR), Mahomet-Seymour 2018 2A State Meet Champion 186’ 11” – Harley Russell, Mt. Zion Preview – Could Hunter Hendershot win this weight event on Saturday as well? He has a good chance as he has the best sectional mark. Just as in the Shot Put, his closest competition will come from Saint Viator’s Athan Huelskamp who has the only other Class 2A mark past 171-feet (171-4). Joe Burch of Metamora has a 168-0 best from early April. His sectional best was 149-3. Payton Smith of Mattoon and Clay Alewelt of Rochester also have seasonal bests beyond 160-feet. Barry Evans of Mascoutah, Josh Schmid of Marion, Preston Ruud of Sycamore, Adam Farr of Macomb, Tyler Suddeth of Rich South, and Elijah Nitz of Rockford Christian all have performances this spring that could get them among the top five this weekend in Charleston.
TRACK EVENTS
4x800 METER RELAY IHSA State Meet Record 7:37.36 – Orland Park Sandburg - 2016 2019 State Best 7:49.54 – St. Charles East 2019 Class 2A Best 7:57.28 – Dixon 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 7:57.28 - Dixon 2018 2A State Meet Champion 7:52.17 – Normal University Preview – Dixon and Rockford Christian faced off last week at Sterling with Dixon winning the first test with a Class 2A leading 7:57.28. It seems that the Royal Lions hung back to run 8:05.95 with the third fastest sectional time. Stanford Olympia has a time in between (8:04.38). Dixon has a good quartet that could run faster this weekend led by Collin Grady and Andrew Lohse. Rockford Christian also has a good team led by two time Class 1A State 800 Meter Run state champion Riley Wells. As a freshman, Wells led his team to a state title in the relay. As a senior, he could repeat that feat on Saturday. There are some good teams that are good with St. Francis, Sycamore, and Burlington Central all qualifying behind Dixon and Rockford Christian at Sterling. All could run under eight-minutes this weekend. Eureka, Troy Triad, and LaSalle-Peru are teams to also watch for. The finals will be fast with a time under 7:50 winning the state championship.
4x100 METER RELAY IHSA State Meet Record 41.12 – Cahokia - 2015 2019 State Best 41.12 – Crete-Monee 2019 Class 2A Best 42.12 – Dolton Thornridge 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 42.50 – Dolton Thornridge 2018 2A State Meet Champion 42.27 – Chicago Heights Marian Catholic Preview – It could be a dual between Thornridge and East St. Louis-Senior for the relay. The two schools have regular season bests within three hundredths of a second of each other. Rich Central is half a second back and the only other team that qualified for state under 43-seconds. There should be many more teams under that time mark after Friday morning’s prelims. Rockford Christian, Perspectives IIT, Monticello, and Rantoul could be good shots to make the finals. Troy Triad, Springfield Lanphier, and Freeport also have good quartets that could their way advancing out of the preliminary heats.
3200 METER RUN IHSA State Meet Record 8:42.89 – Donald Sage, York – 2000 8:42.6y – Craig Virgin, Lebanon - 1973 2019 State Best 9:02.47 – Jared Kreis (JR), New Lenox Lincoln-Way Central 2019 Class 2A Best 9:03.51 – Mathias Powell (SR), Mahomet-Seymour 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 9:31.21 – Adam Gilbreath-Glaub (JR), Metamora 2018 2A State Meet Champion 9:20.62 – *Adam Gilbreath-Glaub, Metamora Preview – This should be a great race on Saturday and almost a sequel between last year’s top two finishers Mathias Powell and Adam Gilbreath-Glaub. Add in Garrett Dixon of Monticello, who missed last year due to an injury, and we could see some great racing. Powell has taken his running to the next level winning the Class 2A XC title last fall and then running 9:03 at Distance Night in Palatine in April. Dixon is having a good senior season having run 9:11.45 in the same Palatine race. Defending champion Gilbreath-Glaub has been battling injuries for the past year but appears to be peaking at the right time with a 9:31.32 sectional time. Last year’s race came down to Gilbreath-Glaub kicking down Powell for the win. Powell will not let that happen on Saturday. Dawson Smith of Rock Falls has a 9:25.64 best and could be near the front pushing the pace. Ryder James of Paxton-Buckley-Loda and Kyle Bell of Providence Catholic could be the leaders in the chase pack and could run under 9:30.
110 METER HURDLES IHSA State Meet Record 13.79 – Travis Anderson, Edwardsville – 2016 13.79 – AJ Harris, Wheaton North – 2002 2019 State Best 13.92 – Victor Cameron (SR), Crete-Monee 2019 Class 2A Best 14.12 – Finnigan Schirmer (JR), Marengo 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 14.63 – Jaden Johnson (SR), Freeport 2018 2A State Meet Champion 13.98 – Solomon Wilson-Smith, Tinley Park Preview – There are nine qualifiers in this field that have run 15-seconds or faster this season. The fastest time belongs to Finnigan Schirmer who finished fourth in last year’s finals. Jaden Johnson has the top sectional time and finished fifth. This will Schirmer’s first of four individual events. He has the fastest Class 2A time by almost three tenths of a second. A clean prelims race puts him in control entering Saturday’s finals. Brayden Forrest of Dixon has a faster seasonal time than Johnson (14.39 to 14.51) and could be a runner to watch challenge Schirmer. Steven Harris of Cahokia did not have his best race in the sectionals (15.25) but has a 14.56 seasonal best. He could be one of the runners to watch in the front. Stuart Adkinson of Marion, Andrew Johnson and Jamarriante Burgess of East St. Louis-Senior, and Jaromy Skinner of Monmouth-Roseville all have times within a tenth of each other. Connor Wagner of Burlington Central, Noah Fulcomer of Rockford Christian, and Elijah Pena of Woodstock North will also be among the group for one of the nine starting spots on Saturday.
100 METER DASH IHSA State Meet Record 10.31 – Marcellus Moore, Plainfield North – 2018 2019 State Best 10.36 – Marcellus Moore (JR), Plainfield South 2019 Class 2A Best 10.76 – Finnigan Schirmer (JR), Marengo 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 10.82 – Leondre Pollard (SR), Dolton Thornridge 2018 2A State Meet Champion 10.72 – Ronald Reed, Decatur MacArthur Preview – Finnigan Schirmer may have the top Class 2A time, but this event could be wide-open especially with the top 12 times in this classification separated by only by a quarter of a second. Leondre Pollard along with Mascoutah’s Devin Wills had faster sectional times than Schirmer but just by five hundredths of a second. Carson Rantanen of Staunton, Seth Sottos of Rock Island Alleman, and Jamon Williams of Hillcrest all had sectional times under 11-seconds. Keegan Cullison of Plano and Kaleb Brown of St. Rita will also be factors in getting to the finals. No surprises in the finals. Any athlete that enters the blocks could win on Saturday.
800 METER RUN IHSA State Meet Record 1:49.71 – Jason Van Swol, Lincoln-Way – 1998 1:48.9y – David Ayoub, Peoria Central – 1977 2019 State Best 1:53.32 – Andrew O’Keefe (SR), Granite City 2019 Class 2A Best 1:54.51 – Riley Wells (SR), Rockford Christian 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 1:55.79 – Jacob Gray (SR), Metamora 2018 2A State Meet Champion 1:53.87 – Jared Schuckman, Normal University Preview – Riley Wells has two individual state titles under his belt. He could make it a third on Saturday afternoon. Wells has the fastest Class 2A time in the state. He also has the most lethal kick that he knows how to use. Saturday may be one of those occasions. This could be a tough field with Jackson McAlister of Waterloo and Jacob Gray of Metamora have times under 1:57 and could push Wells. Chris Gilbert of Peoria Notre Dame, Patric Natindim of Saint Viator, and Eli Ward of Waterloo will also be in the mix and could challenge for a top spot. Micha Reed of Decatur MacArthur and Corbin Schwable of Freeburg are some of the other runners to keep an eye on.
4X200 METER RELAY IHSA State Meet Record 1:25.83 – Cahokia – 2015 1:25.7y – East St. Louis-Senior – 1975 2019 State Best 1:26.29 – Crete-Monee 2019 Class 2A Best 1:28.34 – East St. Louis-Senior 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 1:29.43 – Chicago St. Rita 2018 2A State Meet Champion 1:27.57 – Chicago Heights Marian Catholic Preview – East St. Louis-Senior has the top Class 2A time in the state by almost a second ahead of sectional leader St. Rita. Mascoutah and Rich Central had the same sectional time (1:29.45) and could challenge for the title. Rock Falls is the only other team in the field with a time under 1:30. Eureka, Rantoul, Manual Academy, and Tinley Park are among a group of nine teams that could find their way into the finals. The prelims on Friday could show how close these teams are with hundredths of a second separating the final qualifier and the first non-qualifier.
400 METER DASH IHSA State Meet Record 46.24 – Kahmari Montgomery, Plainfield Central – 2015 2019 State Best 47.34 – Willie Johnson (JR), East St. Louis-Senior 2019 Class 2A Best 47.34 – Willie Johnson (JR), East St. Louis-Senior 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 49.15 – Willie Johnson (JR), East St. Louis-Senior 2018 2A State Meet Champion 48.49 – Nick Swartzendruber, Geneseo Preview – Willie Johnson could be the class of the field. At the same time, we could see two or three other athletes in the 48’s in prelims. Johnson has a time almost a second and a half ahead of Rantoul’s Jerry Harper who is having a strong junior season and is the top placing returnee back (5th in 2018). Harper has a 48.99 best and could be the one runner to catch Johnson. Davon Bolden of Thornridge, Aden Sears of Eureka, and Marcus Lampley of East St. Louis-Senior have times in the 49’s and could dip lower in the finals.
300 METER HURDLES IHSA State Meet Record 36.53 – Deion McShane, Freeport – 2017 2019 State Best 37.62 – Finnigan Schirmer (JR), Marengo 2019 Class 2A Best 37.62 – Finnigan Schirmer (JR), Marengo 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 37.94 – Finnigan Schirmer (JR), Marengo 2018 2A State Meet Champion 38.20 – Steven Migut, Tolono Unity Preview – Finnigan Schirmer is a novice in this event starting to race it in this April. Schirmer currently has the fastest time in the state as well as having the fastest Class 2A time by a full second ahead of East St. Louis-Senior’s Andrew Johnson. This could be the toughest of the races for Schirmer as six other runners have times under 39 seconds. This includes Jamarriante Burgess of East St. Louis-Senior, Brayden Forrest of Dixon, Connor Wagner of Burlington Central, Steven Harris of Cahokia, Noah Williams of Freeburg, and Jaden Johnson of Freeport all could finish in the top three. Then again, all of them are capable of winning in the finals. It could be the “novice” in this event that takes away the top prize.
1600 METER RUN IHSA State Meet Record 4:05.17 – Jeff Thode, Conant – 2009 2019 State Best 4:08.98 – Andrew O’Keefe (SR), Granite City 2019 Class 2A Best 4:15.80 – Daniel Chen (SR), Aurora Illinois Math & Science Academy 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 4:22.53 -Mathias Powell (SR), Mahomet-Seymour 2018 2A State Meet Champion 4:19.97 – Jared Schuckman, Normal University Preview – Daniel Chen could be one of most “underrated” distance runners in the state. Yet, he finished third in this race last year and has the top Class 2A time by almost six seconds. It’s time for him to step into the spotlight and he could get that state title Saturday afternoon. Garrett Dixon of Monticello and Mathias Powell, who has the top sectional time, will be both coming back from racing in the 3200 Meter Run. How much will the two have left from that race? Brent Brunner of Rockford Christian and Dan Weizeorick of St. Francis both have sectional times under 4:26. Brooks Harlan of Centralia won indoors at Illinois Top Times. He now may want the outdoor title on his resume. Luke Sokolowski of Monticello, Elias Bergman of Illinois Valley Central, and Andrew Lohse of Dixon are also runners to watch for in Saturday’s finals.
200 METER DASH IHSA State Meet Record 20.89 – Anthony Moorman, Lake Park – 1997 2019 State Best 20.89 – Marcellus Moore (JR), Plainfield North 2019 Class 2A Best 21.68 – Finnigan Schirmer (JR), Marengo 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 21.84 – Willie Johnson (JR), East St. Louis-Senior 2018 2A State Meet Champion 21.98 – VanHarvey Vance, Rich Central Preview – Five runners under 22-seconds in this event led by Finnigan Schirmer could mean this would be a special race. It would also mean if everything goes to plan for the Marengo junior, he could be the first Illinois athlete to complete this type of quad (110H, 100m, 300H, 200m) in a state meet. Willie Johnson of East St. Louis-Senior has the top sectional time and could be the chief challenger to Schirmer. Leondre Pollard of Thornridge, Jeremiah Hamilton of Urbana, and Darreon West of Cahokia all have bests under 22-seconds and could also be up to the challenge. Seth Sottos of Rock Island Alleman, Kaleb Brown of St. Rita, and Marcus Lampley of East St. Louis-Senior could all challenge for finishes in the top five.
4x400 METER RELAY IHSA State Meet Record 3:13.66 – East St. Louis-Senior – 2007 2019 State Best 3:18.39 – Homewood-Flossmoor 2019 Class 2A Best 3:19.51- East St. Louis-Senior 2019 Class 2A Sectional Best 3:20.46 - Eureka 2018 2A State Meet Champion 3:19.28 – Providence Catholic Preview – This relay at the end of the meet is always exciting. This could be even more with East St. Louis-Senior having fastest Class 2A time (3:19.51). They ran 3:23.14 in their sectional race. Eureka and Burlington Central have the top two sectional times and will be the teams to challenge the Flyers. Thornridge has the talent to join these three teams in the front. Freeburg, Rockford Christian, Rantoul, and Dixon will be other teams to keep an eye on in the finals. Do we see a sub 3:18 time winning in the final? It is a good possibility, but who?
TEAMS East St. Louis-Senior was not in Charleston at this time last season as an incident at the Southwest Conference Championships forced the IHSA to not allow the Flyers to compete in the state series. A year has passed. This team has showed how hungry it is heading into this weekend advancing 15 to the state meet. There are a number of teams ready for the challenge including Thornridge and Rockford Christian. Here is a look at 10 teams that could be a factor in this weekend’s state championships. The 2A meet begins on Friday morning with their preliminary session.
East St. Louis-Senior 1st – Herrin Sectional Qualifiers – 15 Total (12 Individuals, 3 Relays) Notes – The Flyers are ready for this meet and have the numbers to win a state championships with some new faces and veterans to big meets. Willie Johnson will be a plus in the relays. He will be the favorite in both the 400 Meter Dash and 200 Meter Dash. Marcus Lampley could get big points in the same events. Andrew Johnson should be among the top five finishers in both the 110 High Hurdles and 300 Intermediate Hurdles. Jarmariantte Burgess could also get those points in both of those events. Terrence Hargrove has the top sectional performance in the High Jump. Darrione Williams has one of the top marks in Class 2A in the Triple Jump. He could be a factor in that event. Their three relays that qualified all have some of the top Class 2A times in the event. Watch for big points in those three events.
Dolton Thornridge 1st – Kankakee Sectional Qualifiers – 10 Total (7 Individuals, 3 Relays) Notes – A team that could challenge for a top three trophy if they go through Friday’s prelims with no mistakes. The Falcons have the top 2A time this season in the 400 Meter Relay and should score big points. Their 1600 Meter Relay could be among the top five on Saturday. Leondre Pollard has one of top five 2A marks in the Long Jump and could get his team big points. Pollard will be one of the favorites in both the 100 Meter Dash and 200 Meter Dash. Davon Bolden is among the top three 400 Meter Dash athletes. He could get them big points in this meet.
Rockford Christian 1st – Sterling Sectional Qualifiers – 9 Total (6 Individuals, 3 Relays) Notes – The Royal Lions finished second in the Class 1A Meet last year. They could duplicate that placing in this weekend’s meet. One of the main point getters will be Riley Wells starting with the 800 Meter Run. Wells won the Class 1A State Championship in the event for the last two years. He could make it three years in a row. Wells will also anchor a good 3200 Meter Relay team that will be among favorites along with the 1600 Meter Relay. Brent Brunner, who will also be a part of the 3200 Meter Relay, could get big points in the 1600 Meter Run. Noah Fulcomer could be a surprise in the 110 High Hurdles. Their 400 Meter Relay has one of top 10 Class 2A times. They will be a threat in the event. Elijah Nitz is among the top five in the Shot Put and will score in that event. Nitz could also get bonus points in the Discus.
Dixon 2nd – Sterling Sectional Qualifiers – 7 Total (5 Individuals, 2 Relays) Notes – There is not much room for mistakes in Friday’s prelims for the Dukes. They don’t have the big numbers but have the quality points that could get them among the top three. Brayden Forrest has one of the top 2A times in the 110 High Hurdles and 300 Hurdles. Expect big points from him in both events. He is also one of the top three 2A athletes in the Long Jump. He could win that event. Dixon could receive points from Aaron Duncan in the Shot Put. Andrew Lohse ran a huge personal best in the 1600 Meter Run last week in the sectionals. He could be a surprise in this event. He has one of the top three 2A times this season. Dixon’s two qualified relays are strong. Their quartet in the 3200 Meter Relay has the top 2A time by seven seconds and will be one of the main teams to watch in that race. Their team in the 1600 Meter Relay is ranked in the top five. They could be problems for other teams in this meet.
Marengo 3rd – Woodstock North Sectional Qualifiers – 5 Total (5 Individuals, 0 Relay) Notes – Two athletes will determine if Marengo finishes among the top three “teams” on Saturday. Finnigan Schirmer was all-state last year in three events. This year he could leave Charleston with four championships. Schirmer enters this meet with the fastest time in the 110 High Hurdles by close to three tenths of a second. In the 100 Meter Dash, he has the fastest 2A time, but three athletes are within 12 hundredths of a second. Schirmer added the 300 Intermediate Hurdles to the events that he competes at a meet. Right now, he has the fastest time in the state. He has the fastest 2A time at the 200 Meter Dash and will be one of the favorites. Aaron Shepherd is Marengo’s other qualified athlete in this meet. He could earn points for his team in the High Jump.
Mahomet-Seymour 1st – Monticello Sectional Qualifiers – 9 Total (9 Individuals, 0 Relays) Notes – The Bulldogs will rely on individual accomplishments to move towards the top three teams. They did not qualify any individuals. Hunter Hendershot is the defending champion in the Shot Put and should be the favorite in the event. Hendershot has the top throw in the Discus. He could also win this event. Mathias Powell is having a great senior season and will score big points for his school. Powell has the third fastest time in the state in the 3200 Meter Run and will be the runner to watch. He has the fastest sectional time in the 1600 Meter Run and will be one of the favorites. Keep an eye on Corey Cebulski and Colin Balbach who could be surprises in the Pole Vault.
Troy Triad 1st – Springfield Lanphier Sectional Qualifiers – 11 Total (7 Individuals, 4 Relays) Notes – The Knights had a big sectional last Friday advancing 11 to Charleston. Jadon Elliott should be one of the top finishers in the Pole Vault. Their relays could be difference makers especially in the 400 Meter Relay and the 800 Meter Relay. Keep an eye on the 3200 Meter Relay. That quartet could be a surprise this weekend.
Eureka 1st – Macomb Sectional Qualifiers – 10 Total (7 Individuals, 3 Relays) Notes – A program that always at its best in Charleston. The Hornets could be that surprise team in the top three. Eureka could get big points in the 3200 Meter Relay. They have the fastest sectional time and could be one of the favorites in the 1600 Meter Relay. Eureka could also advance to the finals of the 800 Meter Relay. Aden Sears could find some points in the 400 Meter Dash. Job Knapp could earn bonus points in the 200 Meter Dash. Trevor Heffren is only a freshman. He does have one of the top marks in the High Jump and could score big in that event.
Chicago St. Rita 1st – St. Rita Sectional Qualifiers – 7 Total (5 Individuals, 2 Relays) Notes – The Mustangs would have been in contention for a top three finish this weekend but a DQ in the 400 Meter Relay in their sectional hurt those chances. St. Rita has the top sectional time and second fastest overall in the Class 2A 800 Meter Relay. They will be one of the favorites in that event. It would be a bonus if their squad in the 1600 Meter Relay advances to the Saturday finals. Freshman Kaleb Brown has stepped up with some big performances in the sprints. He could score in both the100 Meter Dash and 200 Meter Dash. Mick Doyle has one of the top seasonal times in the 300 Intermediates Hurdles and could make it to the finals.
Mascoutah 2nd – Herrin Sectional Qualifiers – 8 Total (6 Individuals, 2 Points) Notes – The combination of good relays and timely individual scoring could move the Indians into the top five. The team in the 800 Meter Relay has one of the top sectional times and will be one of the favorites in that event. Mascoutah could be a surprise in the 3200 Meter Relay. Matthew Wilson could get his team points in the Shot Put. Barry Evans could be a surprise in the Discus. Devin Willis will be one of the favorites in the 100 Meter Dash and could score in the 200 Meter Dash. Casmir Cozzi could score in the 3200 Meter Run. More news |
