Standout Tyran Lyons of Cahokia showing proof that his team is the heavyweight champion of Illinois track and field (Colin Boyle image)
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There is good news and bad news for the state of boys track and field in Illinois. The good news is Cahokia is heavily favored to win their fifth state this weekend inside of O'Brien Stadium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University. The bad news is the Comanches are expected to extend their dynasty another year past 2016, when the likes of superstar Ja'mari Ward, Tyran Lyons, and a fleet of other well oiled moving parts will be seniors.
Don't attempt to feed your wild side-
The imposing Leroy Millsap is the captain who has total control of his ship. Nothing happens without him saying so. Nothing. It doesn't matter if you are the team manager or an emerging legend of track and field. This guy sounds like a power hungry merchant right? Well, to the young men that he is responsible for day in and day out that extends six plus months out of a year, Millsap is more than a track and field coach. If you are lucky enough to spend time around him and his team, you will notice the mentor, the father like figure that he has become. It's about love for the kids and making sure they learn life lessons at the end of the day. This is what athletics is supposed to teach us.
As great as Cahokia has been, the Comanches have not escaped the clutches of onlookers, pundits, and cage rattlers who tried to see if they can spot a chink in the armor. At the Triad Sectional, Cahokia won the meet scoring a whopping 163 points. Second place Harrisburg tallied 52. In that meet, Millsap's troops qualified all four relays and 14 individual slots. If all goes right they should be able to threaten the 99.5 point total from a few years ago. No Illinois boys team has ever scored 100+ in a state championship. As good as the team performance was, Millsap was not happy. And then there was speculation on his kids efforts. In Millsap's own words:
"I'm sure every sectionals had their share of problems. However, ours was at Triad High School. The runways are very short. For long jump as an example, you stand at the very end of the runway with one foot in the sand just to get close to your run-up approach. Now think for a moment, if the runways are too short, how do you make adjustments for the triple jump? We could only take five steps! To be safe I told my jumpers to jump from behind the board, and if the jump hit the qualifying standard, don't jump again."
"In the case of the high jump, it is all uphill and graded so the water runs off in case of rain- no consideration for the athletes. I think before schools are assigned a sectional meet, the IHSA needs to certify the facilities; they need to make sure all specifications are up to standard. If not, then they cannot host."
Coach Leroy Millsap and Ja'mari Ward (Pierre Nealon photo credit)
Operation Ja'mari Ward in the field-
The jumps will be must see if the projected massive fans come in droves to see Ja'mari Ward jump could actually see. "The state meet has had problems," said Millsap in reference to getting optimal viewing spots. "Case in point, the long and triple jump on the end where the bushes block the view of coaches and fans."
Imagine if the nation's #1 long jumper did not qualify for the state meet? Ward afterward only jumped a paltry 21-9.5 to place second. But wait a minute. Naked scores can be deceiving. Very deceiving. Millsap said he told his ace to take one jump. One good jump and qualify. That's it. "Wait till Friday," said Millsap. Just in case any of you forgot how good Ja'mari Ward is check this out: BAM!
No one in Class 2A is going to leap 24-feet let alone 25-6 like Ward is capable of every time that he touches the board. Good luck all competitors.
Fans who travel to the state championship want to see a show. But for a show to happen all parties be willing participants. Ward is going to need competition. Millsap has already said he is not going to let his pupil take all of his jumping attempts if he doesn't have to. Ward has a long post-season up and coming against the nation's best. He will be attempting to make the USA junior team and beyond. So if you want to see six jumps in the LJ and TJ get this young man some competition.
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Pole Vault: Arthur Atwell (Jr., Geneseo) is the classification leader at 15-1. He took it light by just qualifying in his season round. A nice quartet of jumpers touched 14-0 at several sectionals. Watch for Tristan Ballinger (Jr., Stanford-Olympia), Vaughn Hobart (Jr., Pontiac), Austin Lowry (Sr., Harrisburg), and Jacob Wells (Sr., Monticello)
High Jump: Darryl Sullivan (Jr., Marion) is the co-leader at 6'10" but Noah Adams of Meridian resides in Class A. Sullivan will have his hands full though. Jack Curtis (Sr., Glenbard South) will be in the weeds ready to snipe Sullivan for the win. Curtis is one of the state's most versatile athletes.
Sam Sikon (So., Carbondale) had been quiet most of the outdoor season after his 60' effort from the indoor season. The #2 rated Sikon cleared 60' in May at a f/s meet with a monster 61-1.75. He is also the sectional leader. In the discus throw, competitor Kane Carrigan (Jr., Harrisburg) leads the classification and section with a toss of 177-5.
The Comanches expect to be a blurr to the competition in the relays (Colin Boyle image)
Track action-
4x800 relay (Ray Lewis preview): .
The defending champions, Lansing (Illiana Christian) ran a quick 7:46.38, setting the 2A state record… however, they will not return to defend their title, so a new champion will be crowned this year. The field is pretty open as it stands so whoever makes the biggest jump to the state scene will come out on top in the 4x800.
Metamora: Last year’s fifth place team has the fastest time in 2A this year, running 7:55.70 at the Macomb Sectional. John Mangold (Sr., 1:57.30), Jake Gillum (So., 1:57.92) and Nick Bradshaw (So., 1:59.18) have all run under two minutes for the Redbirds and make them a strong candidate to win this race. Mangold (800) and Gillum (1600) are entered in other events in this meet as well.
Cahokia: Illinois’ best overall track team also held the top 2A 4x800 mark for most the season, running 7:56.02 in early May at the Marion Freeman Invite in Missouri. Sophomore Chris Stanley has Cahokia’s time 800 time this year (1:57.64), and also qualified in the 400. Cahokia always scores as many points as possible at state so look for Coach Leroy Millsap to allow his 4x800 time to compete for an event win.
Normal (University): finished second behind Metamora at the Macomb sectional and is the third and final 2A team to notch a 4x800 time under 8 minutes (7:58.18) this year. Senior Bruno Alexander has been the top 800 performer for the Pioneers (1:57.04). Last year, Normal U-High finished just 3.4 seconds outside of All-state range. They return a full team of four from last year, so don’t expect them to settle for the same result.
The Field: Rochester ran the fastest qualifying time outside of the Macomb sectional, with an 8:01.50 at the Lanphier Sectional. Taylorville finished 2nd just behind (8:02.22). These schools, along with Geneseo, Highland, Burlington Central, Johnsburg, and Rockford (Christian) has all run under 8:05 and will be racing to run as far under 8:00 as possible to secure points at the state meet.
4x100: Cahokia has the #1 time in the state at 41.30 and classification best 41.86. Coach Millsap believes he has a quartet that can go 40.80 if assembled right. They may get that chance at New Balance Outdoor Nationals if all goes well. But in the meantime, the goal is to secure a spot in the Illinois state final and then score major points. Ja'mari Ward usually leads off for his squad in between jumps. It's a nice break for the super athlete. Chicago Phillips has a strong team as well. In football, the Wildcats finished runner-up in Class 4A. Many of those fast and skilled players are on the track team. Senior Dwayne Collins will lead the way for his squad who blazed 41.89.
4x200: Cahokia is once again the team to beat. The Comanches come in with a season best 1:27.19 achieved during the sectional round. It also happens to be the third best time in the state behind Plainfield East and Plainfield North- both 3A schools. It is not certain of the personnel for the state prelims, but you can bet a group of very fast guys will be on it. Chicago Phillips is the defending champion and will be fighting hard to keep their top spot. Galesburg is here too. The Streaks will be a threat if star junior Josh Eiker is on it. Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) and Champaign Centennial are teams to watch out for.
4x400: Is this a broken record? No. Cahokia for a third time in a row is the favorite to win or lose. The Comanches do not like to lose the 4x4 relays. Don't expect them to give in now. Burlington Central is the #1 seed coming into Charleston at 3:22.54. Cahokia is the overall state leader with a 3:17.78 mark. They could possibly dip into the 3:15 range if pushed. The chance of that happening is slim... to none. Good bye say the Comanches!
Josh Eiker leading the way (Colin Boyle image)
Josh Eiker could be the man of Charleston-
When you think of the Galesburg track and field team, the name Josh Eiker automatically recalls. The junior Eiker is a premier sprinter in the state of Illinois. He was the only stateside sprinter who qualified and competed in the junior national championships in Oregon last summer. Eiker has made his name in the 100 and 200 dashes over the past season or so to say the least. The times that he has outputted this season are something of note like the 10.42 (just ahead of Sycamore senior speedster Dion Hooker's 10.43) and the 21.02 legal wind effort recorded at the Macomb Sectional. The match up against Hooker could be epic and give Illinois some much needed respect in the short dashes. It would be great to see times go under 10.40.
Hurdle help is welcomed-
Lucas Ege (Sr., Burlington Central) placed third in the 110HH last spring and won the 300H variety. It was said then that this is a kid to be watch in 2015. Those predictions so far are true. Ege has a sectional best 14.45 which is just ahead of Cahokia senior Korrion Session. But Session has run a wind legal 14.09. We will see these two stallions duel all weekend long. In the 300s, Ege is the sectional and classification leader. He is also the defending state champion here as well. It will be interesting to see how things shake out over the weekend between him and Session. Let's throw in freshman Deion McShane of Freeport. Can the newcomer handle the pressure that state brings?
Distance previews by Ray Lewis (Milesplit IL student contributor):
3200m-
Last year, Joe Singleton ran away from Simon Thorpe and the rest of the field to win in 9:19.48. Six of the All-Staters from last year do not return, including the top four, so there will be a lot of turnover in the event. Here are a few of the guys who will be making an impact:
Luke Beattie: The Woodstock senior, who hails from an accomplished running family, is the state leader in the 3200 with a 9:22.26 at the Fox Valley Conference Meet. Beattie was pulled along in that race, and he will look to see if he can win from the front, entering this race with the fastest time of the year. Beattie finished less than two seconds from scoring in the 3200 last year.
Alex Keeble: Winning the Mattoon Boys sectional gave the junior from Mahomet-Seymour the fastest qualifying time in 2A with 9:23.89. He is also the top returner from last year, finishing fifth in the state.
Colin DeYoung (Jr., Lansing (Illiana Christian): Is another all-state returner. He finished 7th in the event after winning the slow heat, and this year will run the fast heat and try to win that heat. DeYoung has the third fastest 2A 3200 with his Hillcrest Sectional victory in 9:26.50.
Evan Mitchell (So., New Lenox (Lincoln-Way West): Is the top sophomore in 2A (2015 3200 timewise) and is the final 2A runner with a sub-9:30 this year (9:27.86 at Lincoln-Way West’s home meet on May 1st).
Shane Williamson (So., Vernon Hills): Is the fastest cross country runner in 2A track, having beaten everyone but the Hofferts at Detweiller in November (14:37 for 3 miles). Williamson’s fastest 3200 times came indoors at Illinois Top Times, with a 9:32.85. Williamson came up big on the championship stage in the fall and he will hope to do the same this weekend.
Philip Copeland (Sr., Dunlap, 9:31.57); Eli Hill (Sr., Normal U-High, 9:36.50 and all state-runner last year), Jack Franklin (So., Normal U-High, 9:36.93), and Walmer Saavedra (Jr., Chicago (Lindblom), 9:37.15), among others, are all runners fighting for all-state spots.
800m-
J.D. LaFayette from Normal U-High set the current 2A record in the 800 at last year’s meet, a blazing fast 1:51.48, winning by nearly four seconds. The 800 in 2A this year is a little more wide open, especially since only one All-State runner returns from last year’s race, but we have seen plenty of fast times already this year.
Connor Stine (Sr., Stanford (Olympia) qualified with the fastest 800 in 2A this year, an IL #11 1:54.44. He has improved greatly since last year, when his PB 1:57.15 got him a 9th place point at Charleston last year. Stine’s qualifying time is almost two full seconds faster than anyone else in the race so he is the slight early favorite.
Josh Cable (Rochester) has the third fastest 800 time for a freshman in the entire country, with his 1:55.72 performance at the Central State 8 Conference meet on May 15 (and was ranked #1 in the country as well earlier this year). Someone as ultra-talented as Cable can always win the race but he will have an experience disadvantage compared to some of the other guys. No matter; he is going to be around for a while.
Jake Wantland,The Morris senior has the outside alley in Heat 2, and ran the second fastest qualifying time with a 1:56.33 at the LaSalle-Peru Sectional. Wantland has shaved a lot of time off his 800 over the course of the last year (almost 5 seconds of improvement since indoor season) and rides a strong outdoor season into the state championships.
Connor Hickey, the senior from LaSalle (Peru) has run 1:56.55 this year and has run under 2:00 four times during the outdoor season. He has also made great strides of improvement, taking nearly five seconds off his time since the 2014 outdoor season. After missing qualifying last year by one spot, he will look to capitalize on his appearance in Charleston this time around.
The Field: The event remains completely wide open so many guys including Trevor White (Sr., Highland, 1:57.06), Jake Vanderwell (Sr., New Lenox (Lincoln-Way West), 1:57.42), Sean Zerrusen (Jr., Effingham, 1:57.24), Nick Wondaal (Jr., Lansing (Illiana Christian), 1:57.34) and John Mangold 1:58.93 will be heading up the pack challenging for a state title and the remaining all-state positions. This remains the most wide-open race in distance events in 2A and 3A so it should be fun to watch develop.
1600m-
Last year, Ben Mohrdieck of Vernon Hills won this race in 4:20, and I will be shocked if this year does not produce an even faster winning time. There are some seriously talented runners who have qualified at the top of this event and I expect the 2A 1600 to be incredibly competitive.
Lance Mueller, the senior from Waterloo has the fastest time in 2A this year (4:19.26), and almost ran an identical time to qualify for the meet by winning the Triad 1600 in 4:19.30. Mueller is an all-state cross country runner and a 1:57.09 800 runner as well so his talents converge in the 1600 here and this makes him a real threat in this race. Mueller failed to qualify for the final heat last year and he will be motivated to improve greatly on that next year.
Salvatore Flight: Last year’s fourth place finisher is also the highest placing returner this year, and the only All-State finisher in this year’s field. Flight (Sr., Fenwick) has recovered from a collarbone break that sidelined him most of cross country to run 4:20.26 indoors, the fastest 2A mark that time of year. Flight hopes to use his strength in kicking races and big-race experience to win the championship this year.
Brenner Webster (Sr., Salem (Community) broke out with a huge 7 second PR and was nipped at the line by Mueller at Triad, running 4:19.34, the second fastest 2A time this year. An improvement that sharp suggests he has more room to grow, and he won’t want to lose to Mueller in the same fashion he did last week.
Alexander Bruno narrowly broke 4:20 (4:19.99) to win the Macomb sectional and clock the #3 time in 2A this outdoor season. Bruno also has one of the fastest 800 times of athletes entered in this race (1:57.04) and the curve of his improvement this outdoor seasons suggests that he is primed for a strong performance at EIU.
The Field: These four guys will undoubtedly be tangled up in a tight race for the state championship but the rest of the field shows incredible 1600 guys as well. Ben Flowers (Jerseyville (Jersey) is just a sophomore and has run 4:21.75, the #4 2A time. Austin Kintz (Jr., Kaneland, 4:22.32), Jake Gillum (So, Metamora, 4:24.09), Nick Fiene (Sr., Lansing (Illiana Christian), 4:24.61), Ashton Hyatt (Jr., Champaign (Central), 4:24.97) and Matt Carr (Jr., Limestone (Community), 4:25.00) provide a lot of depth in this event and any of those guys can take this event. This is going to be a great meet.