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2017 IHSA Boys State Track & Field Championships Preview - 3A Events

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Illinois IHSA Outdoor State Championships   May 24th 2017, 4:57pm
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By Michael Newman, ILXCTF.com Editor

[email protected]

 

There are so many great storylines in this 3A meet. Don’t blink because you could miss one at O'Brien Field.

It starts in the field events with John Meyer going after the meet record in the Shot Put. Zachery Bradford has a chance to break Luke Winder’s Pole Vault State Meet record. Both athletes are only juniors.

Marcellus Moore, the talented freshman, steps onto the center stage at the IHSA State Meet where he could be in charge of the sprints.

The distance events will be great once again with a talented group of athletes that could push a fast 3200 Meter Run race at the beginning of the meet. We could also see Travis Anderson make history in the 110 Meter High Hurdles.

Here is a look at each of the events in the 3A meet beginning Friday afternoon.

 

FIELD EVENTS

Shot Put

John Meyer has been a man on fire in this event. In his last three meets, Meyer has a 65-4.5 mark, 66-6 two weeks ago at this conference meet, then a monstrous 67-2 throw to win his sectional. That throw is the second best all-time in the state behind Jeremy Kline’s 67-3 throw in 2011. The junior could surpass Jermaine Kline’s 66-5.75 IHSA State Meet Record along with the state best throw. He should also win his second straight state championship.

Meyer is more than four feet ahead of Ethan Hanson of Fremd who has a 62-11 best this season. Chago Basso of Lake Park is the only other athlete past 60-feet and could challenge Hanson. One athlete that I would keep an eye on is Edwardsville’s AJ Epenesa. He finished second last year with a 60-4.5 throw. He has only a 56-11.5 best that ranks him eighth in 3A. I would watch out for him. He could unleash a huge throw to get himself into the top three. Barrington’s John Steffan and Brad Warman, Justin Braskett of Harlem, and Billy Matzek of Prospect all have throws over 57-feet and will push for all-state positions. Jamir Gibson of Zion-Benton and Cal Widener of York could be surprises in this event.

Discus

This event is not as clear-cut as it seems. AJ Epenesa is the defending champion, holds the IHSA State Meet record, and has the best throw in the state this season (204-1) in the middle of April in Granite City. Since that throw, Epenesa has only a 184-7 best heading into this meet. He is not a lock as the favorite in this event, but has the talent to unleash a long one like we have seen many times before.

Epenesa has the third best sectional throw. John Meyer had the best throw last week (184-7). Eric Fox of Ottawa has a season’s best of 189-9 and continues to improve every meet. He could be a factor in this event. Chago Basso had a huge 184-2 throw in his sectional and could also challenge for the win. Brian Keyes of McHenry, Bruce Wachowski of Edwardsville, and Jamir Gibson are other athletes to monitor this weekend.

Long Jump

This is a talent loaded event with eight athletes in this field past 23-feet this season.  The mystery man out of all the qualifiers is Dimiri Lomnick of Buffalo Grove who jumped a sectional and state best of 23-11.75 last week. His previous best was 22-3 at the Mid Suburban League Championships the week before. I am guessing that there was a little assistance from the wind in that Fremd Sectional. He will need another 23-foot plus jump in order to win.

Davion Cross of West Aurora jumped 23-8 last week a Hoffman Estates and is one of the favorites. Cameron Ruiz of Lakes is the defending champion and could repeat this weekend. His 23-7.25 jump at Fremd shows that he could be ready to win. Tony Rolfe of Chatham-Glenwood has a 23-3 seasonal best and could be in the state championship conversation. Jean-Luc Soglohun of East Moline United jumped 23-9.25 in April but has jumped one foo shorter in every meet since including his 22-0 sectional best last week. Will Akers of Batavia jumped a personal best 23-2 last week and could be a surprise in this event. I would also watch for Doug Howard of Naperville North, Camron Harrell of Bradley-Bourbonnais, and Ayo Abiona of Sandburg to challenge for an all-state placing.

Triple Jump

Davion Cross unleashed a 48-11 jump that is the best in the state. He is a foot ahead of the rest of the competition. Diamond Anderson of Hinsdale South jumped a 47-10 personal best last week and could contend for the state title along with Tony Rolfe who jumped 47-9.5 last week. Thomas Saggau of Lyons Township continues to improve having improved his personal best to 47-4.5 last week. Any of these athletes could win the state championship.

Cameron Ruiz is the defending champion in the event and is in the same position as last year. He jumped 50-0 last year to win. He has a seasonal best of 47-0 his spring. You know he is capable of getting that big jump. Torrey Deal of Granite City, Jean-Luc Soglohun, Jonathan Wilburn of Evanston Township, Kevion Polk of Rockford Guilford, Damani White of Downers Grove South, and Jordan Gumila of Plainfield North are capable of finishing in the top five.

Pole Vault

Defending champion Zachery Bradford of Bloomington again is the big favorite in this event. The junior is among the top ten in the nation with his 17-0 clearance at the Big 12 Conference Meet. He is more than a foot ahead of the rest of the field with Tom Ansiel of Wheaton-Warrenville South his closest competitor. Lucas Weaver of Providence Catholic, Cam Wright of St. Charles North, and Sam Peschke of Crystal Lake South have all cleared 15-1 and could challenge Ansiel for second. Brennan Loughran of Minooka has been hot clearing 14-10 at his conference meet. He could go over 15-0 in this meet. James Estrella of Prospect, Ethan Koval of Lake Park, Blake Neville of Edwardsville, and Nick Krella of Batavia are some of the athletes that could challenge for an all-state placing.

High Jump  

There is no real favorite with five athletes at 6-8 or higher led by defending state champion Camron Donatlan of West Aurora. The junior has the best 3A mark in the state clearing 6-9 at the Upstate Eight Conference Meet. Torrey Deal, Batavia’s Jay Hunt and Peter Rudelich, and Bloom Township’s Frank Massey all have cleared 6-8 and could challenge for the win. Michael Shafis of Prospect, Peter Willis of St. Charles North, and Lawrence Knish of Wheeling all have gone 6-7 or better and can be threats for the state title.

 

SPRINTS/HURDLES

110 Meter High Hurdles

Travis Anderson of Edwardsville missed almost a month due to injury. His first race back at the Moline Sectional last Friday, he ran the state’s fastest time of 13.64. Anderson is the defending state champion in this event and the favorite to win it again. Jace James of Glenbard North has run 14.19 and is Anderson’s closest competition. Antioch’s Landon Keefover ran a 14.25 personal best last week at Huntley and could challenge James for second place. Edwardsville’s Matt Griebe has showed improvement this season with his personal best lowering to 14.48. He has a chance to finish in the top five.

Delano Anderson of East St. Louis-Senior and Jayvious Johnson of Harlem both have times under 14.5 and could be among the top five in the finals. Albert Yen of New Trier, Joe Keys of Downers Grove North, and Paris Elbert of Thornton, and Matthew Lewis-Banks of Homewood-Flossmoor could also challenge for an all-state placing. Donovan Turner of Neuqua Valley could be a surprise in the event.

100 Meter Dash

It could be a freshman leading the way. Marcellus Moore of Plainfield North has been fantastic his outdoor season going undefeated at this distance. He has run 10.48 the past two meets. His 10.48 at sectionals was run in the opposite direction to take advantage of the wind. He leaned at the wrong finish line slowing down. He still ran 10.48.

There is talent galore in this event. Cary Lockhart of Bloomington has run 10.51 while Hoffman Estates’ Declan Rustay has a 10.56 season’s best. Both will challenge Moore for the win. Robert Ogbuli ran 10.57 behind Moore last week and could be among the challengers for a top spot. Tony Rolfe, Camron Harrell, Myles Gascon of Neuqua Valley, and Dubem Anikamadu of Huntley all have run under 10.7 this spring. Any one of them could finish in the top five. Jermarrion Stewart of Collinsville is another freshman to watch in this meet. He has run 10.70 this season. He could also find his way to the finals. Josh Eiker ran 10.34 to set the meet record in las year’s prelim. Moore could break it this weekend in his first state meet.

400 Meter Dash

Deante Anderson of East St. Louis-Senior has the fastest 3A time (48.36) in an event that could be wide open with any of ten athletes capable of winning. Six qualifying runners have run under 49-seconds this spring. Anderson’s teammate Willie Johnson has run 48.72 and could win this event along with fellow freshman Jermarrion Stewart who has run 48.96. Quemarii Williams of Danville has been a surprise this year having run the second fastest 3A time (48.70) last week at his sectional. Do not be surprised if he wins. Avery Lyons of Bloomington and Luis Cossio of Barrington also have the talent to bring home the gold medal.

Brad Garron of Evanston Township has run 49.60 this season but has the talent to run under 48 seconds. Nick Miranda of Lincoln-Way East, Gavin Jaime of Providence Catholic, Brandon Gage of Oak Park-River Forest, and Mikael Boyd of Bloom Township all are talented and have a good chance to make the finals. Brandon Adams of Minooka has been injured most of the season but won his sectional out of Lane 1. He could be the surprise athlete in this event.

300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles

This will be a wide-open final with no real favorite. Jace James advanced to last year’s finals where he false-started. The Glenbard North senior enters his meet with the fastest 3A time in the state (37.81). Vince Divenere of Glenbard West has come on strong he past two meets winning the WSC-Silver title and then last week winning at Lake Park ahead of James. He could be a factor in this event.

Delano Anderson and Travis Anderson were separated by only eight hundredths of a second with the East St. Louis-Senior Anderson winning. Both will be in contention for the state championship on Saturday. Jaden Jackson of Fremd edged Palatine’s John Elischer at the Fremd Sectional. Either or both could dip under 38-seconds in this event. Joe Keys and Matthew Lewis-Banks have both been under 39-seconds this season. Both could come away from this even with all-state honors.

200 Meter Dash

Marcellus Moore has the fastest time in the state (21.28) but he will have company up front. Camron Harrell ran 21.36 to edge Cary Lockhart by one hundredth of a second at the Danville Sectional. Brad Garron ran 21.44 at Niles West last week. He could also win this event. Declan Rustay ran a seasonal best of 21.67 on his home track last Friday in frigid conditions. How fast can he run in temperatures near 80 degrees on Friday and Saturday?

Devonte’ Tincher of Edwardsville failed to make it to state in the Long Jump and his team’s 400 Meter Relay. He has the sixth fastest sectional time (21.71) that could be a difference maker in this race. Dubem Anikamadu ran 21.70 last week and could play a factor in the finals. Trevore Sanders of Collinsville and Tyler Elmore of Bolingbrook are some of the other runners that I would keep an eye on.

 

DISTANCE EVENTS

3200 Meter Run

Four of the elite runners in the state (two seniors and two juniors) take to the track where we could see a winning time under nine minutes. Soren Knudsen of Minooka has the fastest time in the state running it with no help (8:55.70). Clayton Mendez of Whitney Young ran 9:01 indoors, then ran 8:59.46 to win at Distance Night in Palatine. Danny Kilrea of Lyons Township ran 9:00.81 at Arcadia in April. He has run under 9:10 six times indoors and outdoors. Jack Aho of Grayslake Central ran 9:02.81 at the Lake County Meet at the beginning of the month. He is ready to join the sub-nine club on Saturday.

I don’t think this will be a sit and kick strategy. Mendez and Kilrea would not allow it. I think these four runners will pull away from the pack. I would have said Irwin Loud of Oak Park-River Forest would be part of it. His 9:25 sectional time most likely will put him in the first section of the event in which he would have to do all the work to get close to nine minutes.

Evan Mitchell of Lincoln-Way West, Nick Laning of Barrington, and Alex Makrounis of Hoffman Estates all have run under 9:20. If they run smart, we could see personal bests from them. Zach Kinne of Neuqua Valley, Caleb Washington of Shepard, Josh Rodgers of Geneva, and Loud could all place in the first nine.

I would be shocked if the pace is slow unless the temperatures are too hot or the winds too high. The runners that will be up front should make this an honest pace. I think we get close to 8:50 for the win in this race.

800 Meter Run

Charlie Kern of York has run under 1:54 twice this season with 1:53.03 the best time in the state. He could be the favorite in this event if he chooses to run his race. The junior also advanced in the 1600 Meter Run at Lake Park and could run that race instead. He could run both. We will have a better idea what his plan is Friday afternoon.

Chris Conrad of O’Fallon ran a seasonal best 1:53.61 to win at Moline and could be Kern’s chief competition. Brian Kuehl of Geneva has a 1:54.06 best and could challenge for the front. Arthur Santoro of Jones College Prep has run 1:54.86 twice this year. He could be a factor if this race becomes a tactical race since he has good finishing speed. Antonio Davis of Bloom Township also has good end of race speed if the race goes out slow. He has a 1:55.00 best this spring.

Wes York of Waubonsie Valley finished second at Distance Night in Palatine recording a 1:55.02 time. He could be he surprise in this race if he keeps himself out of positioning trouble. James Riordan of Prospect could be a factor if he is not in Prospect’s 3200 Relay. If he runs fresh, he could be in the hunt for the win. Will O’Keefe of Granite City, Franky Romano of Edwardsville, and Jon Prus of Crystal Lake South are some of the runners we could see challenging for all-state spots.

1600 Meter Run

Where do we start in this event? Jack Aho has top time in the state (4:12.05) in winning Distance Night in Palatine. He will be doubling back from the 3200 Meter Run with Clayton Mendez, Soren Knudsen, Danny Kilrea, and possibly Irwin Loud. Knudsen has a best of 4:13.53 at Prospect. He ran a 9:19 / 4:16 double last week. The two factor athletes in this race could be Lake Zurich’s Brian and Kyle Griffith that will be coming back from the 3200 Meer Relay. Brian has the second fastest time in the state (4:12.93) while Kyle has the fifth fastest (4:14.51). Vince Zona of Lyons Township could be a key in the race. He ran 4:16.34 for a full mile and could be the runner that wins this race.

Dylan Jacobs of Sandburg ran a solo 4:13.57 at his conference meet two weeks ago and could be a threat in this race. Alex Tam of Libertyville pushed the pace at Prospect before Knudsen took over. Tam ran 4:15.87 in that race. Andrew O’Keefe of Granite City ran 4:16.37. Zach Albrecht of Jacobs ran 4:17.55 at his conference meet two weeks ago. The two sophomores have come on strong his spring and could be surprises in this race.

Charlie Kern used a strong kick at the WSC-Silver Championships to win (4:16.22) ahead of Downers Grove North’s Alec Danner (4:16.97). Kern is a mystery whether he runs this race, the 800, or both. Danner could also be a surprise. Danny Peterson of Fremd and Reese Jordan of Maine South would be runners also to keep an eye on.

It will be interesting to see what kind of strategy is used in the finals. Last year it was Sean Torpy kicking it in off a slow pace. It will be tough to get into the finals. It could take 4:17 or faster to make the group of 12.

Could we see a 3200 / 1600 winner in his meet? It could be Knudsen or Mendez both who have great finishes. It could also be Aho who pushed the pace at the start to beat Mendez at Illinois Top Times. This race is up for grabs. Too many talented runners to crown just one champion.

 

RELAYS

4x800 Meter Relay

There are three teams that I would watch for in this race. Lake Zurich ran the state’s fastest time (7:46.91) at Fremd last week defeating the hos school by seven seconds. The Bears have the big three of Matt Pereira along with Brian and Kyle Griffith to push this team. I could see this squad close to 7:40 in the finals. Lyons Township finally put their line-up together a the WSC-Silver when they ran 7:47.93. They have a good quartet led by Vince Zona who be the best “closer” out of all the teams.

Prospect has the tradition of running great at state and placing high. Even though they have the ninth fastest time in the state run last week at Niles West (7:54.59), I think the Knights could be a threat especially if they have James Riordan part of the quartet. Fremd defeated Prospect at Wanner Knights and then two weeks ago at the MSL Championships. They have run 7:52.97 and will need strong legs from Danny Peterson and Ed Worthem to get this team close to the front.

Neuqua Valley cruised to the Naperville North Sectional title (7:53.17) while not putting the petal all the way to the metal. Isaiah Robinson and Jake McEneaney lead this experienced team that could be a threat for the win. Hinsdale Central, Oswego, Glenbrook North, and Sandburg would be teams that I would keep an eye on. It could take 7:53 to 7:54 to make it to the finals. It could take 7:40.4 to win the championships.

4x100 Meter Relay

This race will be a barn burner with six schools having run under 42-seconds heading into his meet. The key loss was Edwardsville not advancing out of their sectional with a 42.00 seasonal best. Homewood-Flossmoor and Bloomington produced the top times in the state last week at the Danville Sectional with Homewood-Flossmoor’s 41.49 tops and Bloomington just a tenth back. The Vikings have a balanced squad led by Joshua Bridges and Jesuseun Adeyiga that could lead this team to the title. Bloomington has Cary Lockhart anchoring which is a huge advantage for them.

Plainfield North ran a strong 41.67 to win at Naperville North last week using freshman Marcellus Moore on the second leg to give the Tigers the led and he advantage going into the final two legs of the race.

Yorkville is underrated but deadly used great stick passes to get them to their 41.86. Lincoln-Way East and Huntley cannot be ignored in his event. East St. Louis-Senior has run only 42.12 his season but could dip under 42-seconds if their passes are right-on. Collinsville won a Moline ahead of East St. Louis-Senior and Edwardsville and could challenge for the win especially with Trevore Sanders and Jermarrion Stewart part of their quartet. Hoffman Estates, with Declan Rustay on the team, has only run 42.38 this season. They will be under 42-seconds in his meet. Bolingbrook, Thornton, Deerfield, and Neuqua Valley are also threats to make the finals and possibly the top five.

4x200 Meter Relay

Bloomington has the advantage in this race running under 1:27 twice including 1:26.61 to win the Big 12 Championships having Cary Lockhart on their anchor leg. With the weather not the best this season, I think we could see some big drops in times this weekend.

Wheeling opened some eyes running 1:27.52 to win ahead of Deerfield at Niles West. Hoffman Estates ran 1:28.22 at the beginning of May with Declan Rustay anchoring. They are a good team that could run under 1:27. Glenbard West was just two tenths behind Hoffman Estates in that race and could surprise on Saturday. There are nine schools between 1:28.5 and 1:29.0 with East St. Louis-Senior, Edwardsville, and Homewood-Flossmoor part of that group. Keep an eye on Plainfield North who won their sectional race in come from behind fashion when Marcellus Moore ran a 21.6 anchor into a 20 MPH wind. If the Tigers are close, Moore could be the difference maker in this event. Also keep an eye on St. Charles North and Prospect who have sneaky good teams that could surprise some.

4x400 Meter Relay

This could be a great final race on Saturday with Bloom Township and East St. Louis-Senior the teams headlining this event. Bloom ran the state best at Danville (3:17.32) and have a strong core led by Antonio Davis and Mikael Boyd. East St. Louis-Senior ran 3:17.34 at Moline. The Flyers are the defending state champions in the event and have four different runners in their quartet this season led by Delano Anderson and freshman Willie Johnson. Both could push each other to times near or under 3:15.

Bloomington ran 3:20.65 behind Bloom last week and could be in the mix up front. Homewood-Flossmoor, Oak Park-River Forest, Lyons Township, Batavia, and St. Charles East all have the talent to challenge for a top three finish. Hinsdale Central, Neuqua Valley, and Downers Grove North are teams that should not be discounted.

It is going to take 3:20.2 or fastest to get to the finals in his event. This is a deep and talented group of teams that will push each other to some fast times.

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