Coach Leroy Millsap (right side) and his Cahokia Comanches will be going for their sixth straight state championship this spring (Colin Boyle photo)
Boys High School Track and Field 101 is simple: Be intense every time out while giving it your all on the battle field and have fun. The 2016 season could be another bang out year from top to bottom. 2015 was one of the best in IHSA history in terms of the state championship as a number of great performances were put up. In the aftermath several long standing all time records were shattered. The boys 400m fell by the wayside courtesy of Kahmari Montgomery (Plainfield Central) with a chilling 46.24. The Cahokia 4x100m and 4x200m tandems blazed 41.12 and 1:25.83 to make themselves the best of all time. We heard one prominent coach predict as many as a dozen or so records could fall this season. That assertion remains to be seen and we will have full chronicling such feats if it occurs.
The unofficial season will begin with The University of Chicago Track Club hosting their annual Ted Hayden Classic on December 19. It is essentially an all comers meet but it is one that draws a ton of kids and adults alike with the competition up to par. Texas A&M University and the University of Arkansas will follow with some intense competition that make you at times think it was championship season. A strong Illinois contingent usually partakes in the festivities down in College Station and Fayetteville.
-The synopsis below is a general overview of the sport. The classification breakdowns will come later in January.
-A good debate will be had as to who is the top overall team in the great state of Illinois. Is it defending 3A champion Edwardsville or the superpower Cahokia Comanches who won the last five 2A titles. Or could it be another team out there that we don't enough about? Cahokia head coach Leroy Millsap made it known that he would like to win a sixth title in a row because this team is his best one on paper.