By Michael Newman

1 – Cahokia

Notes – There were some that were doubting the Comanches after Ja’Mari Ward was lost for the season last May at the Collinsville Invitational. The tradition that Leroy Milsap has established with his teams is that no one individual is more important than the team. Cahokia once again dominated state winning their sixth straight 2A title. Now with Ward and Anthony McRoberts graduated, some would think that Cahokia would be rebuilding this season. Cahokia does not rebuild, they reload. They will be the favorite this year in 2A to capture their seventh straight title. Their sprint relays will be tough again led by Marquis Murray and Brandon Roberson. Murray could be someone to watch in the 110 High or the Long Jump. Chris Stanley will lead a good 3200 Meter Relay as well as the 1600 Meter Relay. It is hard to say what individual event he will run. Stanley could place in either the 800 or the 400. Leo Stewart could do some damage in the field events. He could be one of the favorites in the Long Jump as well as the High Jump. He could score points in the Triple Jump along with Andra Ward. The sophomore only jumped 42-2 as a freshman. Milsap expects big things from him. Keondre Wells will also be a big part of the team in two of the relays. You can also watch for him to get points in both hurdle events.

2 – Freeport

Notes – This could be the one team to challenge Cahokia. The Pretzels finished eighth last year. They have the talent to finish in the first three. Deion McShane will be the big point scorer again for this team. He is the defending champion in the 110 Highs and the 300 Intermediates. He will be the favorite in both events again this spring. McShane was also a part of Freeport’s 400 Meter Relay that returns three of their four runners. It is a possibility that this quartet could make the final nine in the state meet. Jered Allison earned all-state honors when he finished sixth in the Shot Put. He could finish in the top three and get points in the Discus as well. Maurice Holloway is a possibility to score points in the Triple Jump after jumping 44-6 last season.

3 – Geneseo

Notes – Geneseo finished second in last year’s state finals just six points behind Cahokia. The Maple Leafs will look for another trophy in 2017. Their strength starts in the two hurdle events with Andrew Plischke and Reed Vanderheyden. Plischke finished fifth in the 110 Highs and made the finals in the 300 Intermediates placing ninth. Vanderheyden finished second in the 300 Intermediates and will be one of the favorites in that event. He did not make the finals in the 110 Highs but does have one of the top returning times. Both should get big points in both of those events. The Maple Leafs will be the favorite in the 3200 Relay after finishing second. They return all their runners from that team led by Nathan Soria and Cayson Frerichs. All the runners are back in the 1600 Relay that finished fourth. They could be one of the favorites in that event as well. Sam Thomas made the finals in the Shot Put but failed to place. He could finish in the top five in 2017.

4 – Marion

Notes – Even though the Wildcats lost High Jump and Long Jump state champion Darryl Sullivan to graduation, Marion is a team to watch again in 2017. Their strength could be in the weight events. Jack Bunting finished eighth last year in the Shot Put. The senior could be among the top five in the event. Tucker Sullivan is another athlete that could find his way in the top nine in the Shot and possibly score in the Discus. Trevell Whitehorn is someone to watch in the Triple Jump. Zach Young qualified for state in both the 1600 and 3200 but could not run due to an illness. He just missed all-state honors last fall in cross country. Chances are good that he could score in both the 1600 and 3200 this spring. Freshman John Bruce finished in the top 50 last fall. We could see him do some big things in either the 800 or 1600. Ryan Melvin, a junior, ran 1:58 for 800 as a sophomore and could be a surprise in that event.

5 – Vernon Hills

Notes – The Cougars will be an interesting team to watch this spring after finishing 11^th last year. Kacper Jaskowski finished seventh in the Pole Vault. He is one of the top three returnees in that event and could give his team big points. Aidan Williamson cleared 13-1 as a sophomore and could be a surprise in the event. Vernon Hills finished fourth in the 3200 but return two from that squad. Both Tim Krashevsky and Shane Williamson could get points in individual events. Krashevsky made the finals in the 800 but finished 11h after running in the relay. Five days later at the Festival of Miles, he ran 1:53.62. He should be one of the favorites in the event. Shane Williamson ran 9:39 for the 3200 and could finish among the top five in that distance. Nikolay Kratsev could be a surprise in the 400 this spring after running 50.11 in his sectional.

6 – Springfield Lanphier

Notes – Field events could push the Lions into the top three this season. They scored 17 points to finish 17^th last year. A’Jonte Lee finished ninth in the High Jump at state. He did clear 6-6 last season and has one of the best marks returning. He could be one of the favorites in the event. Lee could also score points in the Long Jump. Dearis Herron placed ninth in the Long Jump but could be among the top five in 2017. Herron’s best event, however, is the 400. He finished third in last year’s final. He is the top returning placer and has the second fastest returning time. He will be one of the favorites. Lanphier’s 1600 relay, with Herron anchoring, could be sneaky good. Keep an eye on Austin Schieb and Cody Von Alven in the Discus. One of these two athletes could finish in the top nine.

7 – Maple Park Kaneland

Notes – Do not be surprised to see the Knights leave Charleston with a state trophy this May. Danny Walker won the state title in the Pole Vault as a sophomore in 2015. He no heighted in the prelims last year. He does have one of the best returning clearances and could finish third or better this spring. Clayton Hannula finished 11^th in the Discus. Watch for him to score points this season in both the Discus and the Shot Put. Matthew Richtman had a great cross-country season that culminated with a fourth-place finish in the 2A state race. After failing to make the finals last year in the 1600, he would could see him as one of the favorites in either the 1600 or 3200.

8 – Lombard Montini

Notes – If everything goes right for the Broncos at this year’s state meet, this team could be in contention for a trophy. Mitch West will lead the way for this team. He could be the top sprinter this spring in 2A. He is the top returnee after finishing third in the 100 and 200 Meter Dash. West is also the anchor for their 400 and 800 Relays that return all their quartet. The two relays did not have the best of luck last year getting disqualified in the 400 Relay and ninth in the 800 Relay. They will be one of the favorites in both relays.

9 – Normal University

Notes – The Pioneers could find their way back into the top ten after finishing 20^th last year. Jack Franklin finished third in the 3200 last year and should be the big favorite in the event. He could also score points in the 1600. Jared Shuckman will lead a hungry squad that three of their four runners that were disqualified in the finals after having one of the top qualifying times. Shuckman could also score points in the 800. Myles Aldridge will provide some big points in both horizontal jumps. He finished seventh in both the Long and Triple Jump. He has some of the top returning performances in both events jumping 22-3 and 45-4. He could be one of the athletes to watch in both of those events.

10 – Aurora Marmion Academy

Notes – The Cadets could be sneaky good this spring after finishing 36^th last year. Seth Groom surprised some by finishing third last year in the Triple Jump. His 46-8 ¼ performance is the top mark coming back. He should be the favorite in the event. He could also score in the Long Jump. Charlie Zimmer and Michael Ronzone lead a talented distance squad that could garner some points. Zimmer qualified for state last year but did not have his best race in the Saturday finals. He has the potential to finish in the top six this season. Ronzone did not make it out of the Glenbard South Sectional finishing third. He did run 4:26 at the Magis Miles two weeks later. He ran 15:02 in the 3A state race at Detweiller Park last November. I think he could be a runner to watch in either the 1600 or 3200.

11 – Metamora

Notes – The Redbirds should have a good 3200 Relay returning Nick Bradshaw and Jake Gillum from their third-place team. They will be a squad to watch again this year. Gillum finished fourth in the 1600 after his relay leg. He will be one of the favorites in the event. Ethan Poston did not make the High Jump finals last year but did clear 6-5 during the season. The event is wide open. Poston could be one of the favorites in that event.

12 – Tolono Unity

Notes – The Rockets finished fourth in their first year in 2A after winning the 1A title in 2015. Steven Migut should pick up the big points for his team in both hurdle events. The junior finished third in the 110 Highs and is the second best returning placer. He finished sixth in the 300 Intermediates and could be one of the top three in the event. Jonathan Decker tied for sixth last year in the High Jump. He did clear 6-5 during the season and could be one of the favorites in the event. Dawson Kaiser could be a surprise in the Long Jump as well as the sprints.

13 – Mahomet-Seymour

Notes – The success of their 2A state championship last fall at Detweiller Park could push the Bulldogs to some big things this spring. Andrew Walmer qualified for the 1600 last year but did not make the finals. He has the second fastest returning time in the 3200 and could be the favorites in that event. Riley Fortune or Gabe Pommier are some of the athletes that could place in either the 3200 or 1600. Their 3200 Relay, led by Ben Craw, finished seventh last year. Their quartet could be among the top four teams this spring. Keep an eye on Callan Whitehouse in the Pole Vault. He only cleared 11-6 in 2016 but went 13-10 at the Reno Pole Vault Summit in January. He could finish in the top five this season.

14 – Rock Island Alleman

Notes – One of the rewards for the Pioneers finishing third in 1A last year was being moved into this classification. Nathan Graves could be the big scorer for this team. He was all-state last year in the Discus and has one of the top returning performances. He also has jumped 21-11 in the Long Jump and 43-10 in the Triple Jump. Graves could score points in both of those events. Spencer Smith is an athlete to keep an eye on in the 3200.

15 – Highland

Notes – The Bulldogs could be among the top five teams on the legs of Tyler Higgins. The senior did not have the best of state meets last year failing to qualify for all three sprint finals. Higgins won the 400 Meter Dash title as a sophomore in 2015. He could be one of the favorites in all three events this spring.