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2019 IHSA Boys State Track & Field Championships - Class 3A PreviewPublished by
By Michael Newman
The Bloom Township Sectional last Wednesday set up what could be one of the wide-open and exciting 3A Boys Championship Finals in recent history. In the sectional meet, Crete-Monee edged Homewood-Flossmoor by one half point. With all the high-wire events and mistakes that could happen in a preliminary session, it could set up a wide-open scenario. There are many records that could be broken like Jordan Johnson of Quincy going after the Discus Record. Crete-Monee has a chance to set the record in the 400 Meter Relay after equaling it in their sectional race. Jamal Safo, also of Crete-Monee, jumped 25-0 at sectionals in the Long Jump. He could surpass Ja’Mari Ward’s state meet record. Here is a look at each of the Class 3A previews for the 18 scheduled events along with previews of some of the top12 teams. Class 3A prelims begin Friday afternoon.
(*) = Defending 3A 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 3A Best 25’ 0” – Jamal Safo (SR), Crete-Monee 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 25’ 0” – Jamal Safo (SR), Crete-Monee 2018 3A State Meet Champion 24’ 1.75” – Camron Donatlan, West Aurora Preview – The top three performances in the state and the top five performances in the sectionals in this event came from the Bloom Sectional. Jamal Safo boomed up a 25-0 mark on his only attempt. Safo has three jumps over 23-feet this spring. Will he duplicate or go longer in Charleston? Going longer means he surpassed Ja’Mari Ward’s state meet record. Will Kaden Turner of Bloom Township or Jalen Hunter of Homewood-Flossmoor get jumps near or over 24-feet or will there be any let down. There is sometimes a tendency for a letdown after a huge performance. We will see if that takes effect with any of the qualifying athletes from that sectional. Kenyon Johnson of Edwardsville had a 23-8 jump in his conference meet and could be a factor in the event. Davonte Welcher of Minooka and Quinton Stringfellow of Homewood-Flossmoor both have seasonal marks past 23-feet. They could be factors in the Friday prelims and then the finals. Colton Doll of Kaneland, Tyquan Cox of Glenbard West, and Temi Osobamiro of Metea Valley are some of the athletes to keep an eye on in what could be a crazy event. We could see five or more athletes going past 24-feet if the conditions are right.
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 3A Best 49’ 6” – Quinton Stringfellow (SR), Homewood-Flossmoor 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 48’ 5.50” -Quinton Stringfellow (SR), Homewood-Flossmoor 2018 3A State Meet Champion 47’ 2.75” – Jonathan Wilburn, Evanston Township Preview – Quinton Stringfellow jumped 49-6 in a meet in California at the end of March. The senior has three meets where he has jumped 48-feet or longer this season. Qa’ron Hawkins of Springfield jumped 47-1 in his sectional last week and is the closest to Stringfellow. He is not a lock for the win but is close to it if g=he is on his game this weekend. There are five athletes that are in the 46-foot range including Jayden Lambert of Downers Grove South, Diego Villalobos of Glenbard West, Fard Farrakhan of Lincoln-Way East, Kevin Szczepaniec of Taft, and Dishon Hall of Normal Community. All of these athletes could challenge for a top three finish or perhaps a win. Kenyon Johnson of Edwardsville, Kwesi Yeboah of Oak Park-River Forest, Jordan Vela of Andrew, and Leslie Fisher of Normal West could sneak over 46-feet and claim an all-state spot.
HIGH JUMP IHSA State Meet Record 7’ 3.50” – Tom Smith, Heyworth – 1985 2019 State Best 6’ 10” – Zachary Pluff (SR), Freeburg 2019 Class 3A Best 6’ 7” – Damon Street (SR), Des Plaines Maine West 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 6’ 6” – Pryce Giwa-Osagie (SR), Aurora Metea Valley 2018 3A State Meet Champion 6’ 10” – Brandon Ellis, Warren Township Preview – This could probably be one of the most wide-open events in any of the events that will take place at state this weekend. There is no clear favorite. David Lehenbauer of Lemont cleared 6-8 to win Illinois Top Times indoors in March. So far in this outdoor season, his best has been 6-6. Damon Street of Maine West has the top outdoor 3A mark clearing 6-7 in his conference meet. Keylen Williams of Oswego East, Fard Farrakhan of Lincoln-Way East, Antonio Buchanan of Centennial, and Pryce Giwa-Osagie of Metea Valley all have cleared 6-6 along with Lehenbauer. Any of these athletes could be crowned the state champion. Brian Brown of Maine South, Brandon Clincy of Whitney Young, Alexander Babbington of Plainfield East, and Zach Grindley of Antioch are some in the field to keep an eye on.
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 3A Best 15’ 6” – Zach Frye (JR), Roselle Lake Park 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 15’ 6” – Zach Frye (JR), Roselle Lake Park 2018 3A State Meet Champion 17’ 6” – Zachary Bradford, Bloomington Preview – Five of the top six sectional performances came from last Thursday at the York Sectional. Zachary Frye cleared a personal best of 15-6 and should be one of the favorites. Jake MacConnachie of Wheaton-Warrenville South has a 15-2 best and could win the state title. It could be an athlete from Bloomington that could claim the state title for the fourth straight year. Zachery Bradford won it the past three years. This year, it might be Liam McGill. The sophomore has a 15-0 best. That could be good enough to claim the state championship. Trison Paul of Belleville East, James Leahy of Fremd, and Andrew Saloga of Marmion Academy all have bests of14-8 or better. They could be factors in this event. Brendan Hill of York cleared 14-8 indoors, but a back injury has slowed him down outdoors. He is coming back clearing14-3 last week and could be a surprise this weekend. Reed Wilson and Kyler Probst of Normal Community, Aidan Stapleton of Waubonsie Valley, Michael Shuff of Lake Park, and Aasav Shah of Dunlap all could be surprises in the top nine.
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 3A Best 64’ 1” – Sam Liokumovich (SR), Deerfield 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 62’ 0” – Joseph Boyer (SR), Rolling Meadows 2018 3A State Meet Champion 68’ 8” – John Meyer Jr., Lockport Township Preview – The shortest winning throw from Sam Liokumovich this outdoor season was 59-9 until last week in his sectional meet. In that competition, the Deerfield senior only had a 58-7 to win the sectional title. His best put of the year was at his county meet when he unleashed a 64-1 put. He has one of the top ten performances this year in the nation. One thing to note is that he did not qualify in the Discus having only a 106-0 throw. This will be a tough field as three other athletes have a best this season past 60-feet. Joseph Boyer has a personal best of 62-1with the best Class 3A put in sectionals of 62-0. Amiri Buchanan of Romeoville had a 60-8 put in April. He went 60-4.50 last week. Jordan Johnson of Quincy has showed immense improvement in this event with 62-11 best at the beginning of the month. He should be a threat this weekend. Four athletes have been past 57-feet this spring including Matthew Appel of Neuqua Valley, Mykolas Saloninas of Oak Park-River Forest, Dimitri Manesiotis of Glenbrook South, and Peter Skoronski of Maine South. Also watch for Keon Gilbert of Oak Park-River Forest, Shawn Lee of Downers Grove South, and Henry Boudreau of Deerfield as some of the athletes that could challenge for an all-state finish.
DISCUS IHSA State Meet Record 205’ 11” – AJ Epenesa, Edwardsville – 2016 2019 State Best 206’ 1” – Jordan Johnson (SR), Quincy 2019 Class 3A Best 206’ 1” – Jordan Johnson (SR), Quincy 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 193’ 9” – Jordan Johnson (SR), Quincy 2018 3A State Meet Champion 196’ 9” – *Jordan Johnson, Quincy Preview -We could see state meet history in this event this weekend. Jordan Johnson has the second best mark in the nation with his 206-1 throw at Collinsville on May 4. That throw is better in distance than the state meet record that AJ Epenesa threw (205-11) at the state meet in 2016. Johnson now just has to surpass that mark either on Friday or Saturday. Johnson should be the big favorite in this event and defend his state title. Three other athletes in this field have gone past 180-feet the past two months including Matthew Appel of Neuqua Valley, Jason Pelko of Cary-Grove, and Amiri Buchanan of Romeoville. If Johnson is “off”, then one of these three athletes could step to take the big prize. Johnson did not have his best day at sectionals, but still threw a sectional leading 193-9. His off days are better than some athletes’ best. Some of the other athletes to keep an eye on include Henry Boudreau of Deerfield, Joseph Boyer of Romeoville, and John Kruzel of Lincoln-Way East.
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 3A Best 7:49.54 – St. Charles East 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 7:49.54 – St. Charles East 2018 3A State Meet Champion 7:45.12 – Orland Park Sandburg Preview – Three weeks ago, the best time in this state in this event was only 7:57. The weather started to break, coaches started to put their best quartets together, and poof, the times came down. Three schools have run under 7:50 entering Friday’s prelims. There could be a ton more under that time mark after those Friday races are completed. The three teams under 7:50 you could consider as the favorite heading into the prelims. St. Charles East has the athletes to win the state title led by Charles Murphy and Bennett Melone. DuKane Conference rivals Batavia was just nine hundredths of a second behind the Saints at the St. Charles North Sectional and have the talent to win the title led by Damian Rodriguez and Adam Kennedy. Huntley ran their 7:49.91 at their conference meet and will challenge for a state championship led by Ian Geisler and Jadon Conroy. Neuqua Valley, with Michael Madiol and Michael O’Connor, Plainfield South, with Timmy Wade and Christian Knowlton, and Oswego East, with Deonte Samuel and Brad Wiggins, all qualified out of the Ottawa Sectional led by Neuqua Valley’s 7:53.69. All three teams could run under 7:50 in this meet. York ran an under control 7:56.64 to win their own sectional. The Dukes have Ethan Kern, Daniel Klysh, and Michael Moriarty that all have bests under 1:57. They will just need to find a fourth runner that can give them a 1:58-1:59 and the Dukes could be in the title discussion. Don’t forget about Naperville Central. They have a 7:57.91 best that was run without All-American Thomas Shilgalis in the quartet. They are worthy of being in the state title hunt. 2018 2A champion Normal University, New Trier, Warren Township, Prospect, Metea Valley, and Evanston are some of the teams that could make the finals. Hersey ran 7:58.19 with XC All American Josh Methner in their quartet at sectionals. We could see him in the prelims for the Huskies. Minooka ran only 8:10.36 at their sectional and did not load up their quartet to make it to Charleston. Add in a group led by Jason Hoffman and Jordan Freese and the Indians could be under 7:50 and in title contention. It could take 7:43 to 7:44 to win the state title. It may take a time under 7:54 to make it to the starting line of that final.
4x100 METER RELAY IHSA State Meet Record 41.12 – Cahokia - 2015 2019 State Best 41.12 – Crete-Monee 2019 Class 3A Best 41.12 – Crete-Monee 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 41.12 – Crete-Monee 2018 3A State Meet Champion 41.29 – Plainfield North Preview – The time that Crete-Monee put on the board at the Bloom Township Sectional last Wednesday was not a statement. It was more than that. The time by the Warriors equaled the 41.12 run by Cahokia in 2015. Now Crete-Monee just needs to get the baton around the track with the same vigor as last week and the state title and record could be theirs. Their quartet has the leadership led by Jamal Safo and Victor Cameron to get this mission done. Homewood-Flossmoor, led by Marshall Ellis and Jesuseun Adeyiga, ran 41.74 behind Crete-Monee last week. Bloom Township had a 41.88 time in that race led by Kaden Turner and Kamrin Williams. The Trojans have the talent to get close for the win. Oak Park-River Forest ran a seasonal best of 41.81 at the Proviso East Sectional but that was accomplished with JT Lowder anchoring and in their lineup. Lowder went down with an injury during the meet and may not be available to the team this weekend. That is a big hole to fill for the Huskies. They do have the talent to get them to the finals. There are a number of teams under 42.3 that could be statement makers. Wheaton-Warrenville South ran 42.18 last week with Cedric Rowzee anchoring them. Glenbard West finished behind them (42.23) with Tyquan Cox the anchor for their team. Both teams could go under 42-seconds. Belleville West has a 42.11 best. South Elgin has a 42.17 best from their sectional race. Both of those teams could advance to the Saturday finals. Andrew, Dundee-Crown, Joliet West, Huntley, and Minooka are some of the squads in the mix for a spot in the finals.
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 3A Best 9:02.47 – Jared Kreis (JR), New Lenox Lincoln-Way Central 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 9:11.54 – Jack Roberts (SR), Downers Grove North 2018 3A State Meet Champion 9:02.77 – Danny Kilrea, Lyons Township Preview – It was Danny Kilrea that kicked down a fading Zach Kinne to win the title last year. What kind of excitement will we find in this year’s race? It again should be a close finish. The top ten runners in sectional competition have times under 9:20 and separated by only seven seconds. Jared Kreis has the fastest time in the state when he held off Josh Methner of Hersey for the win at Palatine in April by seven hundredths of a second. The following week at the Wanner Knights Invitational, it was Samuel Rivera of Whitney Young that had the edge as he ran 9:06.27 to hold off Methner by a tenth of a second. All three runners will be in the mix for the state title. Methner has the history of saving his best for championship season. We saw that during championship season last fall. We could see these three runners push each other to times under nine-minutes. Brett Gardner of Lincoln-Way East and Tommy Brady of Maine South both have times this season under 9:10. I would not count out either of these runners as they could take home the state championship. Jack Roberts has the top sectional time and appears to be peaking for this moment at the right time. Rory Cavan of Glenbard West has been driven by the fact that he did not make the state meet in an individual event a year ago. Cavan looked strong in running 9:12.94 last week. He will be a factor in this race. His teammate Stephen Moody went under 9:20 last week (9:17.75) and should duplicate that effort in this meet. Naperville North’s Nick Trattner and Jake Allen have run races together and running strong down the stretch. Both athletes could find themselves with times under 9:10 on Saturday. Spencer Werner, a freshman, ran a surprising 9:18.74 in his sectional performance last week. Will he be able to duplicate that performance on Saturday? Guillermo Ibarra of Morton has been near 9:20 most of the year. We remember what he did at Illinois Top Times when he finished second behind Kries. He could be a surprise in this race. Section 1 of this two sectional final should be fun to watch with a winning time under 9:20 a good bet. Nick Doud of Bloomington, Billy Hauenstein of Wheaton-Warrenville South, along with St. Charles East’s Bob Liking and Micah Wilson will be some of the runners to watch in that race. Ryan Kredell of Geneva and Dillon Blake of Mundelein have the top sectional times in this section.
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 3A Best 13.92 – Victor Cameron (SR), Crete-Monee 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 13.92 – Victor Cameron (SR), Crete-Monee 2018 3A State Meet Champion 14.02 – Sam Conger, Batavia Preview – Do we see another meet record fall in this event? Victor Cameron ran a wind-aided state leading 13.92 in his sectional last week. The wind reading (+2.2 m/s) was barely over the allowable. Cameron has been the hot athlete in this event this spring with two performances under 14-seconds. Getting close or passing Travis Anderson’s state meet record is a good possibility. How bad is JT Lowder’s injury that he suffered in his sectional meet? Officials at Oak Park-River Forest are keeping tight lipped. A healthy Lowder would be challenging for a win. If he does try to compete, would he get to the finals? The severity of injury makes it tough to determine. We will get our clue on Friday during the prelims. Robert Williams of Springfield is almost a half second behind Cameron and leads the pack. Donovan Turner of Neuqua Valley has missed most of the outdoor season due to a hamstring injury. He ran 14.71 to win at Ottawa last week and should be running faster this weekend. Koren Leonard of Oak Park-River Forest just came back from an injury that he suffered in February. He looks to be at full strength after running 14.69 last week. Josh James of Wheaton North, Ray Holland of Lockport Township, Kyle Burke of Plainfield North, and Daylin Williams of Homewood-Flossmoor all have times better than 14.7 in 2019. Keep an eye on all four of them. Mychah Spells of Andrew and Tommy Subaric of Jacobs could be surprises in this event.
100 METER DASH IHSA State Meet Record 10.31 – Marcellus Moore, Plainfield North – 2018 2019 State Best 10.36 – Marcellus Moore (JR), Plainfield North 2019 Class 3A Best 10.36 – Marcellus Moore (JR), Plainfield North 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 10.51 – Jermarrion Stewart (JR), Collinsville 2018 3A State Meet Champion 10.31 – *Marcellus Moore, Plainfield North Preview – The story leading into this state meet was the injury to defending state champion Marcellus Moore. His last race before his sectional meet was on April 25 at the Hunt Invitational. He had a hamstring injury, but the severity of the injury is unknown. Moore ran under control in qualifying at Ottawa running 10.79forthe win. It still is the third best sectional time. He will have another week to recover heading into Friday’s prelims. Fact is fact that you never doubt the heart of a champion. Jermarrion Stewart of Collinsville and Cedric Rowzee of Wheaton-Warrenville South are the hot sprinters coming down the stretch to the state meet. Stewart ran a personal best of 10.51 in winning his sectional race at Bloomington. Rowzee looked strong in winning at York (10.68) just ahead of Glenbard West’s Tyquan Cox (10.81). Deonte McGoy of Alton has been running close to Stewart all year and will be a factor in this event. He has a best of 10.61. Kamrin Williams of Bloom Township, Adam Wiatr of Lake Park, Xavier Curtis of Glenbard North, Jesuseun Adeyiga of Homewood-Flossmoor, and John Bickel of Andrew are some of the athletes that will be challenging for a spot in the Saturday finals.
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 3A Best 1:53.32 – Andrew O’Keefe (SR), Granite City 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 1:54.28 – Ramon Lacey (SR), Chicago Heights Bloom Township 2018 3A State Meet Champion 1:51.94 – Joshua English, Blue Island Eisenhower Preview – This event is wide-open. There are so many factors that will play in the outcome of this race. One of the big ones is who will be on the starting line in the prelims? There is a tendency to see coaches pull their athletes from this event or the 1600 Meter Run if their 3200 Meter Relay qualifies for the finals. Thomas Shilgalis of Naperville Central qualified out of sectionals in both the 800 Meter Run and 1600 Meter Run. We don’t think he will run both. Perhaps the relay and an individual race. If he chooses this event, he could be one of the favorites. Ramon Lacey surprised some with the top sectional time ahead of Minooka’s Jason Hoffman. Both runners will be difference makers in this event. Grant Jensen of Prairie Ridge has the big meet experience finishing fourth at last year’s state meet. Teammate Ethan Baker has been a surprise this year and his 1:54.47 in less than optimal conditions is proof that he could be the favorite in this race. The possibility is there that the two could take the top two spots in the finals. Will O’Brien of Glenbard West could be the runner to watch. The senior continues to improve running 1:55.72 to win his sectional race last week. He could run in the low 1:54’s this weekend. DeKalb’s Juan Castro and Aidan Donohue, Cassius Havis of Alton, Dathan Maton of Chatham-Glenwood, Justin Splitt of Grant Community, Michael Parduhn of Mundelein, and Michael Moriarty of York are some of the runners that you could see in the finals.
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 3A Best 1:26.29 – Crete-Monee 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 1:26.29 – Crete-Monee 2018 3A State Meet Champion 1:26.17 – Plainfield North Preview – Do we see a meet record in this event? The possibility is there as Crete-Monee ran a swift 1:26.29 to win their sectional race. It could be Bloom Township that could earn that record after finishing only eight hundredths of a second behind Crete-Monee in that race. It should come down to those two teams unless disaster befalls the two quartets. They are close to two seconds ahead of the rest of the qualifiers. Oak Park-River Forest, Homewood-Flossmoor, and Prospect all are under 1:28 and within seven hundredths of a second of each other. One of those schools could dip into the 1:26 range. Wheaton-Warrenville South, Dundee-Crown, Metea Valley, and South Elgin are next in line and could go after top five finishes. Hoffman Estates, Maine South, Batavia, and St. Charles North are teams also to keep an eye on.
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 3A Best 48.34 – Khullen Jefferson (JR), Lansing TF South 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 48.34 – Khullen Jefferson (JR), Lansing TF South 2018 3A State Meet Champion 48.18 – *Jason Thormo, Grant Community Preview – Sectional races turned the leaderboards upside down in this event. Defending champion Jason Thormo only has a 49.34 best this season. It could be an injury since he had not run this event since April 25 and did not run in his conference meet. He should be ready for this weekend. We could see his best this weekend. If not Thormo, this race is up for grabs with the top four runners on the leaderboard all under 49 seconds. Khullen Jefferson has the top sectional time (48.34) as he edged Crete-Monee’s Ricky Johnson by four hundredths of a second in that race. Lockport Township’s Kyle Langellier had a breakout race last Friday in rainy conditions with a 48.68 winning time. The junior could come away with the state title. His teammate Michael Walkosz ran 49.06 in that race. He could also play a factor. It could be Quemarii Williams of Danville that we crown the champion. He has a 48.76 seasonal best with the potential to run under 48-seconds this weekend. Other runners to keep an eye on in this event include Davell Clemon of Homewood-Flossmoor, Dalen Brown of Oswego, Jack Loveland of Loyola Academy, Brandon Battle of Edwardsville, and Aiden Ouimet of St. Ignatius College Prep.
300 METER HURDLES IHSA State Meet Record 36.53 – Deion McShane, Freeport – 2017 2019 State Best 37.62 – Finnigan Schirmer (JR), Marengo 2019 Class 3A Best 38.45 – Victor Cameron (SR), Crete-Monee 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 38.45 – Victor Cameron (SR), Crete-Monee 2018 3A State Meet Champion 37.73 – Jaden Jackson, Fremd Preview – This event is more open than we think with only five runners in this field having run under 39 seconds. JT Lowder of Oak Park-River Forest did not qualifying suffering an injury at his sectional race and will be missed. Victor Cameron ran a personal best last week but is not a lock as the favorite. Robert Williams of Springfield has a 38.57 best and will push for the win. Jahari Stubbs of Elgin Larkin was the surprise of last week as he ran 38.77 to put himself in contention for the win. KeiJhuan James of O’Fallon and Eli Odell of Wheaton North both had great conference races with times under 39-seconds and will be difference makers in this event. Donovan Turner of Neuqua Valley looks to be recovered from a hamstring injury with the 39.02 sectional time as evidence. He will dip lower this weekend. Josh James of Wheaton North, Joe Morrissey of Alton, Zachary Olejniczak of Oak Lawn, and Dan Powell of Edwardsville are some of the athletes to also watch for in this event.
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 3A Best 4:08.98 – Andrew O’Keefe (SR), Granite City 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 4:18.38 – Charlie Smith (JR), Antioch 2018 3A State Meet Champion 4:11.60 – Dylan Jacobs, Orland Park Sandburg Preview – A slight pause at the end of last year’s Class 3A 1600 Meter Run when Dylan Jacobs slid by Andrew O’Keefe in the final meter to capture the state title. Now it is O’Keefe’s time to finish the process that started last year. O’Keefe has been the most dominating distance boys runner in the state last year. He has the fastest times in the state in both 800-meters and1600-meters. His kick has improved as evidenced in Distance Night in Palatine. He failed to give up in that race diving across the line to get the win by four hundredths of a second. Last year’s lesson should pay off in a big way on Saturday. Thomas Shilgalis of Naperville Central finished third behind O’Keefe at the Palatine race with a 4:09.63 time. He said afterwards that he learned a lot in that run. We could see that come into play in this race if he decides to run it. He also qualified in the 800 Meter Run. Charlie Smith has the top sectional time as well as a 4:15.47 best at Palatine to his credit. Sean Maison of Wheaton-Warrenville South edged Glenbard West’s Rory Cavan by a tenth of a second last week at York. Maison has a 4:14.67 best while Cavan has run 4:15.29 during the season. Samuel Rivera of Whitney Young also qualified in this event and has a 4:13.25 best. Both Cavan and Rivera both qualified also in the 3200 Meter Run. Ian Geisler of Huntley achieved a personal best of 4:18.54 last week. He could also be a factor in this race. Jack Pifer of Edwardsville ran a personal best of 4:21.04 last week. He could go under 4:20 in this meet. Ben Rosa of Lake Forest, Michael Madiol of Neuqua Valley, and Andrew Englert of Lincoln-Way Central are some of the runners to also watch for.
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 3A Best 20.89 – Marcellus Moore (JR), Plainfield North 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 21.51 – Jermarrion Stewart (JR), Collinsville 2018 3A State Meet Champion 21.30 – *Marcellus Moore, Plainfield North Preview – The same applies in this event preview as did in the 100 Meter Dash. The one thing with Marcellus Moore is that he will not have the 400 Meter Relay and 800 Meter Relay on his weekend schedule. If he is at 100%, he could be ready to do some great things. His season best of 20.89 is equal to the state meet record. Let’s see what he does this weekend. Moore has the fifth fastest sectional time (21.83) and he held back in that race. Jermarrion Stewart of Collinsville and Cedric Rowzee of Wheaton-Warrenville South have the top two sectional times and will be favorites in the event. Xavier Curtis of Glenbard North and Ricky Johnson of Crete-Monee also have sectional times ahead of Moore and will be factors in the outcome of the finals. Amir Blanchard of Oak Park-River Forest, Syreal Holland of Rockford Auburn, Marshall Ellis of Homewood-Flossmoor, Tyquan Cox of Glenbard West, John Bickel of Andrew, and Quemarii Williams of Danville are some of the other runners to keep an eye on.
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 3A Best 3:18.39 – Homewood-Flossmoor 2019 Class 3A Sectional Best 3:18.39 – Homewood-Flossmoor 2018 3A State Meet Champion 3:19.76 – Proviso West Preview – The Class 3A state team championship should come down to this event. Homewood-Flossmoor has the top sectional time by almost two seconds and could be the team to beat. Crete-Monee is the next closest team to the Vikings at 3:20.30. It gets extremely close after this. There will be some unhappy teams after what should be dynamite prelims late Friday afternoon. Maine East, Bloomington, Bloom Township, and O’Fallon all with times under 3:22. Springfield, Wheaton North, Evanston Township, and Grant Community have times under 3:23 and will be watched. Batavia, Neuqua Valley, Lockport Township could be some of the surprise teams. A time under 3:17 is what it could take to win the state title in this race.
TEAMS The Bloom Township Sectional last Saturday was one of the toughest sectionals in recent state history. Crete-Monee edged Homewood-Flossmoor by one half point. We could see those teams that close again this weekend. Both teams will need to be at their best in the Friday afternoon prelims as one mistake could open the door to close to eight other teams in what could be one of the wildest team competitions that we have seen in the last decade. If mistakes start to happen on Friday, it could jump to close to 15 teams that could jump to the head of the class. Here is a look at 12 of those Class 3A teams that will begin competing Friday around noon starting in the field events.
Crete-Monee 1st – Bloom Township Sectional Qualifiers – 12 Total (9 Individuals, 3 Relays) Notes – The Warriors had so many big performances in last week’s sectional meet. The name of the game on Friday is to minimize mistakes to try to keep nine to ten advancing to Saturday. Their sprint relay were hot. Their 400 Meter Relay could contend for a new state meet record. Their 800 Meter Relay is just as strong and will be one of the favorites in the event. Their squad in the 1600 Meter Relay has the second best 3A time in the state and will contend for a title. Victor Cameron has the top 3A times in both hurdle races. He should score huge points in both. Jamal Safo unleashed a monster 25-0 jump last week in the Long Jump and should be the favorite in that event. Ricky Johnson could provide some huge points in both the 400 Meter Dash and 200 Meter Dash. Kavon Jones could provide points in both the 200 Meter Dash and Long Jump. RaeJohn Pearson could be a bonus in the Triple Jump.
Homewood-Flossmoor 2nd – Bloom Township Sectional Qualifiers – 12Total (9 Individuals, 3 Relays) Notes – It is the same story for the Vikings heading into the prelims on Friday: maximize your qualifiers, get nine to ten to Saturday. Minimize any mistakes. Homewood-Flossmoor has the top time in the state in the 1600 Meter Relay and will be the favorite in that event. Their quartets in the 400 Meter Relay and 800 Meter Relay are among the ops. You should watch for big points from them in those two races. Quinton Stringfellow has the top mark in the state in the Triple Jump. He will be the favorite in that event. He also is among the top athletes in the Long Jump and should score in that event. His teammate Jalen Hunter jumped a personal best in the Long Jump in the sectional. Watch for Hunter to be a factor in that event. Marshall Ellis had a big sectional meet qualifying in both the 100 Meter Dash and 200 Meter Dash. Advancing to both finals on Saturday will be needed. Jesuseun Adeyiga will be a part of the sprint relays. They will definitely need points from him in the 100 Meter Dash. Davell Clemon has one of the top ten 3A times in the 400 Meter Dash. He could get points in that event. The same holds true to Daylin Williams in the 110 High Hurdles. He should pick up points in that event.
Glen Ellyn Glenbard West 1st – York Sectional Qualifiers – 10 Total (9 Individuals, 1 Relay) Notes – Their sectional championship last week came with their 3200 Meter Relay and 800 Meter Relay just missing advancing to Charleston. That just means that it could free up some individuals to do some big things. Will O’Brien has one of the top five times in the 800 Meter Run. He should surprise people in this event. Rory Cavan looked strong in winning both the 3200 Meter Run and the 1600 Meter Run in last week’s sectional meet. He could be dangerous in the 3200 Meter Run. It is not known if he will run just one or both distance races. Stephen Moody was behind Cavan in most of the 3200 Meter Run last week. He could be a factor in the event. Tyquan Cox has one of the top five sectional times in the 100 Meter Dash. He should provide big points for his team. He could also surprise people in the 200 Meter Dash. It would be a bonus if Cox makes the final in a loaded Long Jump. Diego Villalobos improved his personal best by more than a foot in winning the Triple Jump last week at York. Continued improvement could put him in the hunt for a top three finish. Cox and Villalobos are part of the quartet in the 400 Meter Relay that could advance to the Saturday finals. On Saturday, any could happen. The Hilltoppers could finish in the top five.
Wheaton-Warrenville South 2nd – York Sectional Qualifiers – 10 Total (6 Individuals, 4 Relays) Notes – The fate of the Tigers this weekend in Charleston comes down to the fast feet of Cedric Rowzee. The senior was double all-state in the sprints last year. He is in position as one of the favorites in both the 100 Meter Dash and 200 Meter Dash. He will run anchor in both the 400 Meter Relay and 800 Meter Relay. Both squads are among the top eight in Class 3A. Both could pick up some big points. Sean Maison is one of the top five runners from the sectional in the 1600 Meter Run. He will be one of the favorites in that event. Maison will also be a part in the team’s 3200 Meter Relay that could advance to the Saturday finals. Jake MacConnachie is one of the top athletes in the 3A Pole Vault. The senior will be one of the favorites in that event.
Oak Park-River Forest 1st – Proviso East Sectional Qualifiers – 14 Total (12 Individuals, 2 Relays) Notes – The Huskies would be higher up on this list, but an injury that forced their top athlete JT Lowder out of the 300 Intermediate Hurdles hurt their trophy chances. It is not known if Lowder will be 100% to compete or if he will even compete at all. Lowder would have been one of the favorites in the 110 High Hurdles. His teammate Koren Leonard has come back from a similar injury and qualified in both hurdle races. Leonard could pick up points in the 110 Highs. It would be a bonus if he makes the finals in the 300 Intermediates. Both sprint relays (400 Meter Relay and 800 Meter Relay), even without Lowder, could score big points. Tyrone Clarke and Amir Blanchard, who will be in both relays, could be surprises in the 200 Meter Dash. Kwesi Yeboah could be in the mix for an all-state medal in the Triple Jump. Mykolas Saloninas has one of the top five marks in the Shot Put. He could provide big points for the Huskies. Keon Gilbert could also pick up points in that event.
Naperville Neuqua Valley 1st – Ottawa Sectional Qualifiers – 11 Total (9 Individuals, 2 Relays) Notes – Two athletes could move the Wildcats up the standings ladder. Donovan Turner looks to be at full strength after suffering a hamstring injury at the beginning of April. He should be among the top finishers in the 110 High Hurdles. He could also score points in the 300 Intermediate Hurdles. Turner was also a runner on their 1600 Meter Relay squad. It would be a bonus if the team advances to the Saturday finals. Matthew Appel has had a great junior season in the weight events. He could get big points in both the Shot Put and the Discus. Their quartet in the 3200 Meter Relay has the fourth fastest Class 3A time and could be difference makers in the event. Michael Madiol will be part of that relay. He could also advance to the 1600 Meter Run final on Saturday.
Chicago Heights Bloom Township 4th – Bloom Township Sectional Qualifiers – 10 Total (7 Individuals, 3 Relays) Notes – The Trojans are another team that could challenge for a top three finish. Their three qualified teams in the 400 Meter Relay, 800 Meter Relay, and the 1600 Meter Relay all have top five sectional performance. Expect big points in all three events in the finals with no mistakes in the prelims. Kaden Turner put up one of the top jumps last week in the Long Jump and should be one of the favorites. It would be a bonus if he qualifies for the finals of the 100 Meter Dash. Kamrin Williams could score in both the 100 Meter Dash and 200 Meter Dash. Ramon Lacey has the top Class 3A sectional time. He will be one of the favorites in that race.
Naperville Central 1st – Downers Grove North Sectional Qualifiers – 10 Total (6 Individuals,4 Relays) Notes – The Redhawks scrambled under less than optimal conditions in last Friday’s Sectional qualifying the numbers that they did. Thomas Shilgalis qualified in both the 800 Meter Run and the 1600 Meter Run. It is hard to determine which event he will run in. He will be the favorite in either of those events. Shilgalis was not part of the 3200 Meter Relay team that has run 7:57 during the season. Adding him into that quartet could make Central one of the favorites in that race. Cade McDonald will help in the 400 Meter Relay and 800 Meter Relay. He could be a surprise in the 100 Meter Dash.
O’Fallon 1st- Bloomington Sectional Qualifiers – 7 Total (4 Individuals, 3 Relays) Notes – Not much room for mistakes for the Panthers in Friday’s prelims. Their 3200 Meter Relay team would not be a surprise if they finish in the top eight. Their quartet in the 1600 Meter Relay should also advance to the finals. Roderick Williams could be a surprise in the Long Jump. Dorian Brown could be one of the nine finalists in the 100 Meter Dash. Expect KeiJhuan James to be one of the top five finishers in the 300 Intermediate Hurdles.
Mt. Prospect-Prospect 1st – Niles West Sectional Qualifiers – 8 Total (5 Individuals, 3 Relays) Notes – The strength of the Knights will comedown to the relays. Their 3200 Meter Relay squad could be among the 12 teams that makes it to the finals. John Moellenkamp will lead a quartet in the 800 Meter Relay that could finish among the top five teams. Moellenkamp also qualified in the Long Jump and the 200 Meter Dash. Andrew Diversey could get points in what could be a wide-open Pole Vault competition. Sebastian Swistak could be a surprise in the Shot Put.
Aurora Metea Valley 1st – St. Charles North Sectional Qualifiers – 8 Total (6 Individuals, 2 Relays) Notes – The Mustangs could get points in a number of different ways to get this team into the top five. Pryce Giwa-Osagie has the top sectional performance in the High Jump. He will be the favorite in this wide-open event. Temi Osobamiro has been one of the top athletes in the Long Jump and could score points. He could also be a surprise in the Triple Jump. Their 3200 Meter Relay could be among the scorers as well as in the 800 Meter Relay.
Minooka 5th – Bloom Township Sectional Qualifiers – 9 Total (5 Individuals, 4 Relays) Notes – The Indians did not load their relays last week but still advanced all of them out of an extremely tough sectional. A loaded quartet in the 3200 Meter Relay could be among the top five finishers. Jason Hoffman has one of the top times in the 800 Meter Run and could get some big points. Hector Ramos could be a huge contributor in the Minooka relays. He could also be a surprise in the 400 Meter Dash. DaVonte Welcher has been one of the top athletes all year in Long Jump. Watch for him to earn all-state honors. |
