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2017 IHSA Boys State Track & Field Championships Preview - 2A Events

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Illinois IHSA Outdoor State Championships   May 24th 2017, 4:45pm
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By Michael Newman, ILXCTF.com Editor

[email protected]

 

Deion McShane caught everyone’s attention last year when the then sophomore from Rochelle won both hurdle races. His junior campaign this weekend could include four individual wins adding the Long Jump and the 200 Meer Dash to his meet program.

Sam Sikon ends his storied career for Carbondale this weekend looking for his third straight win in both the Shot Put and the Discus. He could break Jermaine Kline’s IHSA State Record first before John Meyer has his shot in the 3A meet.

Andra Ward has emerged as one of the top athletes in the Triple Jump stepping into his brother Ja’mari’s shoes. The sophomore will be one of the favorites in the event but could be stopped by Normal University’s Myles Aldridge who will try to win both horizontal jump events to help his team win a state title.

Cahokia has the athletes to sweep the relays on their way for a seventh straight 2A title. They could have trouble in the 3200 Meter Relay where talented teams like Normal University, Erie, and Geneseo await.

Here is a look at each of the events that will take place in the 2A Meet beginning Friday morning.

 

FIELD EVENTS

Long Jump

Cahokia’s charge for their seventh straight team title starts in this event. Marquis Murray jumped a personal best (23-1.5) which is also the top 2A jump this season. He will be one of the favorites. Myles Aldridge of Normal University and Alec McElyea of Illinois Valley Central both have 22-9.5 season bests and will challenge Murray. Nyrell Sullivan of Sterling has a 22-8 best while Dearis Herron of Lanphier has a 22-7.5 best. Either one of these athletes could be state champion on Saturday. Marmion Academy’s Seth Groom won this event at Illinois Top Times Championships and has jumped 22-6 outdoors. He is a money jumper that could capture a state title.

Rodrick McMiller of Chicago’s Perspectives Charter surprised many with a 23-0 jump at the St. Rita Sectional. His best jump the rest of the season has only been 21-9. He needs to duplicate that effort to get in the top five. If no, he could be fighting for one of the 12 spots that advance to the finals. Theo Phipps of St. Rita, Vinny Vercelote of Reed-Custer, Damarie Martin of LaSalle-Peru, and Deion McShane of Freeport are some of the athletes that could put up big jumps this weekend. 

Triple Jump

This could be one of the better field events in the 2A meet program with three athletes hat have jumps 46-feet or longer. Myles Aldridge has jumped 47-6.5 this season. He has the best sectional mark (46-6) heading into Friday morning. Andra Ward of Cahokia has seen a five foot from his freshman year jumping 47-1 at the Collinsville Invitational at the beginning of the month. He could continue the Ward tradition of winning this event. Seth Groom finished third last year and has a 46-4 best this spring. He won at Top Times in March. He could win on Saturday.

While most eyes will be on these three athletes, there are others that could surprise in the top three. Some to keep an eye on include Trevel Whitehorn of Marion, Michael Smith of Mattoon, Shunn Grace of Cahokia, Zach Kirchhoff of Sterling, and Brendan Mang of Freeburg.

Shot Put

The last time at the IHSA State Meet for Carbondale’s Sam Sikon could be a big one as he eyes the IHSA State Meet Record this weekend. the two-time defending champion looks for his third straight title. Sikon is the big favorite as he has the best 2A throw in the state (65-0.25) by more than six feet.

The competition for second-place could be strong with three athletes within two feet of each other. Jered Allison of Freeport, who finished sixth last year, has a 58-9.5 best this spring and could get near 60-feet in this meet. Clayton Hannula of Kaneland and Drew Thaxton of Decatur Eisenhower were in the 56-foot range at sectionals and should challenge Allison. Marion’s Tucker Sullivan and Jack Bunting along with Sam Thomas of Geneseo and Austin Klokkenga of Dunlap will need personal bests in the 55-foot range to challenge for a top three finish. 

Discus

Sam Sikon is the two-time defending champion but could have stiffer competition in this event. Sikon has only thrown 171-10 this season which is the fifth best 2A throw in the state. Sikon did have the best sectional performance (170-9). Connor Weckerly of Sycamore owns the best 2A throw his year (181-8) but threw 165-6 last week. Jordan Hawkins of Roxana has a 178-7 season best but his sectional performance was 18-feet shorter. Clayton Hannula could win in this event as well as Mt. Zion’s Harley Russell. Zach Wheeler of Mascoutah, Nathan Graves of Rock Island Alleman, Jered Allison, and Drew Thaxton could challenge for perhaps the win. The event is wide-open. The athlete that adapts the best to conditions could come home the state champion.

High Jump

This event should be competitive with five qualifiers having cleared 6-6 or higher this season. Nicholas Jackson of Champaign Central, Ethan Poston of Metamora, and Karl Wright of Lanphier all have cleared 6-8 and lead this field. A’Jonte Lee of Lanphier cleared a personal best of 6-7 last week and is hot right now. He could win on Saturday. Don’t forget about Seth Groom who won the indoor title at Illinois Top Times. He has only cleared 6-6 outdoors but he is someone to watch.

Will Maidment of Woodstock, Austin Kimbrel of Jersey, and Andrew Myers of Rochelle are all athletes that have cleared 6-5 outdoors. Keep an eye on them to finish in the top five if one of the above-mentioned athletes falters.

Pole Vault

Danny Walker of Kaneland has been the hot 2A vaulter his spring. The 2A champion from 2015 has recovered from a sub-par 2016 campaign clearing a personal best 15-6 this spring. Freshman Tyler Carrel of Urbana is one to watch in the future. He cleared 15-1 last week at the Mahomet-Seymour Sectional and could be a threat to Walker. Callen Whitehouse of Mahomet-Seymour missed two months of the season due to a wrist injury. He has come back strong clearing a 15-0 personal best outdoors. I would keep an eye on him to challenge for the win.

Eli Badger of Mt. Vernon and Jadon Elliott of Triad have cleared 14-7 and could challenge for a top three finish. Jack Pompe of Dunlap, Daniel Martin of Belvidere, and Kyle Kruthoff of Erie have the talent to get near 15-0 and a top finish this weekend.

 

SPRINTS/HURDLES

110 Meter High Hurdles

This could be one of the most anticipated running events on the 2A program this weekend between two defending state champions. Deion McShane of Freeport won this event last year and has the fastest sectional time (14.26). Bret Dannis of Peru St. Bede won the 2016 1A title and has the fastest 2A time this season (14.14). The two could push each other to times under 14-seconds in Saturday’s final.

This is a good field with athletes capable of getting close to McShane and Dannis. Solomon Wilson-Walls of Tinley Park has a reported 13.74 time that he ran at Oak Lawn in April. His best other time was 14.35 run at Sandburg a month ago. He finished fourth at state last year. He has the ability to duplicate it his weekend. Tracker Harris of Dunlap could surprise some as he has run 14.25 this season. Geneseo’s Reed Vanderheyden and Andrew Pischke both have seasonal bests under 14.5. Watch for them in Saturday’s final. Theo Phipps dropped personal best down to 14.41 last week at the St. Rita Sectional and could push for a top five finish. Keondre Wells of Cahokia and Steven Migut of Tolono Unity could find their way into a top five finish.

100 Meter Dash

This sprint event does not have any big favorite. There are a number of sprinters that could take home the top prize. Rodrick McMiller has the fastest sectional time run at the St. Rita Sectional (10.66). His previous best was at the Chicago City Championships when he ran 10.93 in the prelims. It will be interesting to see if he can get close to his sectional time. Mitch West of Montini Catholic ran a wind-aided 10.67 at the Chicago Catholic League Championships and could be a runner to watch. West finished third in the finals last year. Nyrel Sullivan of Sterling ran 10.82 las week and could run away with the state title.

Romell Clark of Dunbar, Ronald Reed of Decatur MacArthur, and Brett Schenck of Princeton have all run under 10.9 and could find themselves in the top three. Jarius Jackson of Lanphier, Jawon Denton of Morgan Park, and Dawson Kaiser of Tolono Unity could surprise some in this event.

400 Meter Dash

Eight qualifiers have run under 50-seconds his season making the possibility of a close finish an actuality. Vance VanHarvey has the 2A fastest time in the state (49.09) as well as the top sectional time (49.54). Nikolay Kravtsev of Vernon Hills and Brandon Roberson have both run under 49.5 and could challenge for the win. Brandon Bretz of Mahomet-Seymour has been a surprise this season with a 49.62 time to his credit. He could come up the winner on Saturday.

Tristan Blair of Sacred Heart-Griffin won his sectional running 49.75. Noah Hays of Waterloo, Isaiah Hunter of Lisle, and Davon Bolden of Thornridge all have times under 50. Keep an eye on hem in this meet. With so many runners this close, it is anyone’s guess on the winner. It could be under 49-seconds for the winning time.

300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles

Deion McShane looks for his third straight state championship in this event. The junior has the fastest time in the state and should be the favorite. Reed Vanderheyden finished second a year ago and is the only other athlete to run faster than 38-seconds. Could we see a winning time close to 37-seconds? These two could push each other to that.

Last year’s 1A champion Bret Dannis and Steven Migut are the only other runners under 39-seconds. Watch for Dannis. He could challenge McShane or Vanderheyden. Tracker Harris, Stephon King of Manual Academy, and Niko Neal of Harrisburg are other runners to watch in this event.

200 Meter Dash

Deion McShane runs his fourth event and could go after his fourth state title. His time of 21.92 his second fastest in the sectionals and could be the favorite in this event. Roderick McMiller has the fastest sectional time (21.69) with his next best time of 22.51 run at the Chicago Public League Championships. Tyler Higgins of Highland has been hampered by a hamstring injury most of the season. He ran 22.16 las week and could contend for the title. Jarius Jackson could get big points for Lanphier in this event. Seth Groom and Bret Dannis could finish in the top three. Nyrell Sullivan and Marcus Coleman of St. Rita are other runners to watch.

 

DISTANCE EVENTS

3200 Meter Run

Brayden Hamblen of Rock Falls is a man on a mission looking for another state championship before he heads to the University of Illinois. Last fall’s 1A state cross country champion ran 9:11.99 at Arcadia in April and has eyes set on Riley McInearney’s 9:08.44 2A record. It is a good field led by Mahomet-Seymmour’s Brian Butcher and Mathias Powell. Butcher ran 9:22.94 at Palatine in April. Jack Franklin of Normal University ran 9:25.70 at the end of April and seems to peak at the right time. He should be a factor in this race.

Austin Ohm of Illiana Christian just made it into the second section running 9:47.94 solo at Thornridge last week. He did run 9:26.90 in April at Palatine and could push to the front in this race. Adam Gilbreath-Glaub of Metamora was all-state last fall at Detweiller Park as a freshman and has run 9:29.36 for this distance. If he does not run on his team’s 3200 Relay, he could finish in the top five in this race. Matt Richtman of Kaneland ran 9:31.11 behind Hamblen last week at Rochelle. He could be the surprise in this race.

800 Meter Run

The big question in this event is if Jake Gillum of Metamora runs in this event, the 1600 Meter Run or both? The senior ran on Metamora’s 3200 Meter Relay followed by the 1600. It will be interesting to see what he runs in this weekend. Gillum has the fastest 2A time in the state (1:54.04) two weeks ago at the Mid-Illini Conference Meet. Chris Stanley of Cahokia ran a personal best (1:54.48) at Mascoutah last week and could go under 1:54 this weekend.  Drew Wilkerson of Freeburg ran 1:55.35 behind Stanley las week and could also challenge for the win. Josh Cable of Rochester won Illinois Top Times in March and has a 1:53.25 personal best from last year. If he stays out of tactical trouble, he could win this race.

Brendon Sebastian of LaSalle-Peru has a 1:56.01 personal best. Evan Jacobs of Sycamore and Rich East’s Falcon Mack have run under 1:57. They could push into the top five in this meet. Ben Craw of Mahomet-Seymour, Mitchell Kremer of Mattoon, and Nick Oakley of Charleston are also runners in this race to watch.

1600 Meter Run

This is a race that I am looking forward to. Seven runners in this field have run under 4:20 with three runners under 4:15. If the pace is pushed, Alexander Bruno’s 4:14.51 record from two years ago could fall. Normal University’s Jared Schuckman ran a great race last week at Macomb running a 2A best 4:13.06 to win the sectional title ahead of Jake Gillum who ran 4:13.52. Shuckman will be running in the 3200 Relay before his race. It is hard to tell what Gillum will run (see 800 preview). If the two race against each other again, we could see a great race. Let’s throw in Jacob Gebhardt of Sterling. The junior is running with confidence having a 4:14.51 personal best from Palatine on his resume. It could be Gebhardt that comes out on top in his final.

Let us not forget Michael Ronzone of Marmion Academy who ran 4:17.63 and Gabe Pommier of Mahomet-Seymour who ran 4:18.01 at Palatine in April. They could be factors in this race. Brayden Hamblen has run 4:17.64 but he will be coming back from the 3200. I would keep an eye on him as well as Matt Richman who will be doing the same double. Ben Flowers of Jersey finished fifth last year and has run 4:22.40 this season. He could be he surprise in this event.

 

RELAY EVENTS

4x800 Meter Relay

Cahokia has won his event the past two years but might night have the athletes to win this season. The Comanches’ season best of 8:03.77 is ninth fastest in 2A. I would never count this team out.

Four qualifying teams have times faster than 8:00 in this event. Normal University, led by Jared Schuckman, leads the field with a 7:56.51 time. Erie was the surprise las week when they ran 7:57.75 to win at Rochelle. They are the mystery team in this field. Geneseo ran 7:57.89 behind Erie and could win the state championship. They have all four runners back from las year’s second place team. If everything goes right, we could see a time near 7:50 from the Maple Leafs. Mahomet-Seymour has a 7:57.78 seasonal best. The 2A cross country champs are itching for a win in this event.

Metamora could be the force in this field if Jake Gillum runs it. They have run 8:00 and could go faster his weekend if Gillum is in there. Sycamore, LaSalle-Peru, and Byron are teams that could also challenge for a top five finish.

4x100 Meter Relay

Cahokia looks like the team to beat in this event having a seasonal best of 42.14 from their conference meet two weeks ago. Hillcrest (42.43) has the fastest sectional time with Rich Central (42.48) close behind. They are the only three teams that qualified that have run under 43-seconds. Morgan Park has run 43.07 but have the tradition of running great at state in this event. Lanphier, Montini Catholic, Mascoutah, Urbana, and Peoria are some of the other schools to watch.

4x200 Meter Relay

The times in this event are slower than normal with only three schools having run under 1:30. Cahokia enters with the fastest 2A time (1:29.18) followed by Morgan Park (1:29.58) and Peoria who has the fastest sectional time (1:29.96). Urbana, Hillcrest, and Rich Central all have the talent to challenge for the state win. Perspectives IIT Math and Science, Mascoutah, Lanphier, and Illinois Valley Central could surprise in the top five.

4x400 Meter Relay

Who else but Cahokia in the final event of the day? Cahokia has won five out of the last six state championships and could do so again on Saturday. The Comanches have the best 2A time (3:19.70) with Brandon Roberson and Chris Stanley part of it.

Five schools have times under 3:25 in this field with Waterloo, Erie, Dunlap, Geneseo, and Thornridge all with the talent to challenge Cahokia. Metamora and Freeburg could be the surprise teams in this race.

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