It's finally here.  The Illinois Boys State Track and Field Championship is finally upon us.  Despite windy, cold and wet conditions over the course of the outdoor season, the weather finally looks perfect just when it's needed most.  As the top athletes assemble in Charleston this coming weekend, speculation abounds over most of the events.  Will Dan Block throw 210 feet in the discus, can Kraig Appleton break the state record in the 300m hurdles and how about Chris Derrick having a shot to win both the 1600m and 3200m?  Those are the questions, add in nearly a dozen more, competitive fields all around and a tight team battle and we have the making of one of the best state track and field championships Illinois has ever seen.  Start getting excited and check out our AA state preview.

Boys AA State Preview

Boys AA State T&F Championships: IHSA Page / Qualifiers / MileSplit Meet Page

Teams to Watch - East St. Louis (Sr.), Cahokia, York, Springfield Lanphier, Palatine, Waubonsie Valley, Belleville East.

Track Events

100m Dash - In a state that seldom gets a top national sprinter, this year's field is deep and will be one of the most watched events. While it remains to be seen if anyone can really dip under 10.60 FAT, there are plenty of athletes that can run between that time and 10.80. Leading the charge will be defending state champion Demarcus Brooks (Springfield Southeast). Brooks won the title as a junior last year and will be looking to run even faster this year.

The team perspective is what makes this race even more intriguing. State title contenders Javaughn Tabbs (East St. Louis), Earnest Winters (Cahokia) and Jacob Mitchell (Springfield Lanphier) will all be looking to scrape out points for their squad, while focusing on win this individual title. Winters is the most experienced and consistent of the bunch, but Mitchell and Tabbs have come on strong late in the year.

Nick Neuman (Lincoln-Way East) is another name to watch for. The Michigan-bound senior really broke onto the top-level sprint scene last year during summer club competition. Since then Neuman's taken his game to another level and will be right in the mix for a state title.

Athletes to Watch: Demarcus Brooks (Springfield Southeast), Javaughn Tabbs (East St. Louis), Nick Neuman (Lincoln-Way East), Jacob Mitchell (Springfield Lanphier), Earnest Winters (Cahokia), Jonathan Majors (Thornwood), Kayode Adegoke (Bolingbrook).

200m Dash - Perhaps the most surprising result to come out of last weekend's sectional championships was Darien Donald's (Cahokia) enterance in the 200m dash.  While Donald has run this event very successfully in the past, he has been pushed towards the open 400m dash and the relays the past two years.  It seems like the coaches of Cahokia have finally decided to take his stellar career one step further and see just how fast he can be in this event.  Donald's enterance in this event could be the "X-factor" that Cahokia needs to overtake East St. Louis.  With Earnest Winters in the field as well for Cahokia, the squad should be looking for perhaps 10-16 points out of this event.

Along with Winters, four other finalists from '07 return.  Demarcus Brooks (Springfield Southeast), Kayode Adegoke (Bolingbrook), Roger Jones (Belleville East) and Warnether Banks (Springfield Lanphier) all have the potential to pull off victory.  Much like the 100m dash, this field is DEEP.  Nick Neuman (Lincoln-Way East) and John Fox (York) are two others to watch as well, both having oustanding seasons thus far and Fox giving his York squad one of their best chances to score big in the individual events.

Athletes to Watch: Demarcus Brooks (Springfield Southeast), Earnest Winters (Cahokia), Darien Donald (Cahokia), Kayode Adegoke (Bolingbrook), Nick Neuman (Lincoln-Way East), Roger Jones (Belleville East), John Fox (York), Warnether Banks (Springfield Lanphier).

400m Dash - What a difference a year makes.  Looking at last year's state final in the 400m dash, this year's event looked to be fairly impressive with four returnees.  While Darien Donald (Cahokia) returns after his runner-up performance last year, primed and ready to win a state title this time around, the three other state finalists from '07 didn't make state this year.  Jacob Arnold (Plainfield South), Jawon Jackson (Aurora West) and Mario McCottrell (East St. Louis) are all no shows, but athletes like Chris Watts and Fernando Castillo (Morton) have plenty of space to shine now.

While Donald is expected to pick up a big ten points for Cahokia here, East St. Louis will try to minimize his impact with their own sprint tandem of Javaughn Tabbs and Greg Edwards.  Both athletes had big sectional performances, running in hand timed marks of 48.3 and 48.4.  While those are times proabably a second or so off of Donald, they certainly aren't that far off of anyone else in the entire state.  The surprise of the day would be if East St. Louis outscores Cahokia in this event.

Athletes to Watch: Darien Donald (Cahokia), Chris Watts (Proviso West), Fernando Castillo (Morton), Javaughn Tabbs (East St. Louis), Greg Edwards (East St. Louis).

800m Dash - It's hard not to conceed the state title to defending champion Mat Smoody (Palatine) when he's won this event every time out for the past two years.  It's hard not to conceed the title when he's run the fastest time of the year by nearly a second and wasn't challenged in the process.  However, this is the reason state is run and surprisingly the field is shaping up incredibly well to challenge not only Smoody, but also have one of the deepest fields seen in years.

With such notable mid-distance stars as Jeff Stapleton (Willowbrook), Graham Farnsworth (Wheaton North) and Sean Wiggan (Waubonsie Valley) up top, this race promises to be extremely fast right from the gun.  Barrington junior Ryan Mangone tends to take out races at a furious pace, while Kyle Engnell tends to be a closer.

All the cards are on the table now and with athletes like Randall Babb (W.W.-South) and Ryan Phebus (Burlington Central) waiting to be truly tested as well, it shouldn't surprise anyone if there are five or six athletes under 1:53, with one or two athletes cracking the 1:51 barrier. 

Athletes to Watch: Mat Smoody (Palatine), Randall Babb (W.W.-South), Jeff Stapleton (Willowbrook), Kyle Engnell (Lockport Twp.), Sean Wiggan (Waubonsie Valley), Ryan Mangone (Barrington), Ryan Shannon (Fenwick), Graham Farnsworth (Wheaton North), Ryan Phebus (Burlington Central).

1600m Run - Who's running what?  Who's doubling back from the 3200m run or 4x800m relay?  Is anyone actually going to be fresh?  Is the pace going to go out fast or slow?  Is Derrick fast enough to pull off the win or can Havel finally win a state title?  Is Jeff Thode the next Ian Cronin, coming out of nowhere to win the state title? 

Those are only a few of the questions that have surrounded this year since mid-season.  Derrick, Havel, Thode, Nick Holmes (Limestone), Chris DeSilva (St. Charles North), Tom Achtien (York), all these athletes have the foot speed, all of them have strength, but will any of them be fresh enough to pull off the victory.  With fast times promised in the 3200m run and 4x800m relay, all of these athletes will be doubling back and looking to earn an individual state championship. 

Honestly, this race is ripe for an upset, kind of like how Tom Robbins upset Evan Jager last year, mostly because Robbins was fresh and ran a tactically perfect race, while Jager doubled back from the 3200m.  If any of the top athletes (i.e. Holmes or Havel) decide to stay fresh for this event, expect a fast pace early on but an even faster pace over the last half of the race, with one mad dash to the finish.  Do not doubt that this could be the most entertaining distance event of the day.

Athletes to Watch: Chris Derrick (Neuqua Valley), Jeff Thode (Conant), Nick Holmes (Limestone), Kevin Havel (Hersey), Chris DeSilva (St. Charles North), Chase Kadlec (Wheaton North), Kyle Engnell (Lockport Twp.), Tom Achtien (York).

3200m Run - 8:37.  That's what it would take for someone to set a new state record in the event.  That type of time is certainly incredible and nearly impossible to reach.  However, speculation has been thrown about for a while now that Chris Derrick (Neuqua Valley) might take a crack at the record.  After running an 8:49 closing 3200m at the Arcadia Invitational, where Derrick ran a top five U.S. all-time mark for 5,000m, it seems reasonable that with another two months of training a state meet effort near 8:40 is possible.

However, breaking 8:40 means running two 4:20 miles back to back and Derrick's PR in the 1600 is just under 4:13.  The Stanford-bound senior has shown incredible strength for the past two years, even challenging Jager last year at state.  It remains to be seen what exactly he'll do.

His Stanford teammate next year, but rival this year, Kevin Havel (Hersey) and Nick Holmes (Limestone) seem to be his chief competition.  Both athletes are looking for state titles on the track and both have shown talent on the track this spring.  Holmes won the IPTT 1600m run in record time, taking the race from start to finish, while Havel beat two Foot Locker finalists at Prospect earlier in the outdoor season while breaking nine-minutes for the first time.  Can they give Derrick a go?

While those three are expected to bang it out, the best race may come to see who finishes 4-9.  Nate Troester (Lincoln-Way East) has shown strength all year in his 3200m races, breaking 9:20 numerous times and never really being challenged in the event all the way to the wire.  Juniors Steve Sulkin (York), Danny Pawola (Neuqua Valley) and Kyle Gibson (Naperville North) could wage an epic battle, as well as who has top bragging rights going into the cross country season next fall.  All three are capable of running 9:10 or so, it's just a matter of getting out fast enough. 

Athletes to Watch: Chris Derrick (Neuqua Valley), Kevin Havel (Hersey), Nick Holmes (Limestone), Nathan Troester (Lincoln-Way East), Steve Sulkin (York), Kyle Gibson (Naperville North), Danny Pawola (Neuqua Valley).

110m Hurdles - With defending champion Tyler Sipes (Bloomington) in the field and running extremely well as of late, the race for first is a little bit smaller than many thought in this event earlier in the year. Sipes is the pre-state favorite of course, but there are plenty of others who will challenge the Rend Lake-bound senior.

'07 ninth place finisher junior William Lindsey (Thornton) is one of those competitors. With Saturday state experience and a handful of very fast times behind his name this season, Lindsey seems the likely challenger to Sipes. The other top junior is Maurice Lyke (Hillcrest), who won ran one of the top five seed times heading to state and ran well all season long.

Ryan Miller (East St. Louis) plays a key role in this event as well, where he is counted upon to score some big points for his Flyers squad. Illinois-bound Shawn Ledbetter (Moline) and Dan Hagberg (Burlington Central) are both consistent hurdlers and both should make the final.

Athletes to Watch: Tyler Sipes (Bloomington), William Lindsey (Thornton), Shawn Ledbetter (Moline), Ryan Miller (East St. Louis), Dan Hagberg (Burlington Central), Maurice Lyke (Hillcrest).

300m Hurdles - Remember back in 1999 when Kyle Erickson (York) and Jon Schweighardt (W.W-South) ran stride for stride in the 300m hurdles at state, with Schweighardt nipping Erickson at the line 36.77-36.78? Well, in case you don't, the race was an epic battle against the top two long hurdlers of all-time in Illinois. The crowd went wild and the race would hands down be on a list of the top ten races ever at state.

While the anticipation isn't quite as extreme for this weekend's 300m hurdles, the state record Schweighardt set is certainly in jeopardy. Junior Kraig Appleton (East St. Louis) is the star of the event, winning the event as a sophomore and now looks to repeat and run a state record this weekend. Appleton ran 36.6h at sectionals last weekend, which when converted (add .24) ranks him in the U.S. top ten, and less than a tenth of a second behind the record.

Appleton is the clear-cut favorite, but others have a chance to win if Appleton falters even a small bit. Last year's runner-up Tyler Sipes (Bloomington) is entered in the event. Sipes hasn't shown the same long hurdle strength he showed last year, but on state weekend anything can happen. Martin King (Oswego) is another one to watch after running 38.24 earlier in the season. Then come Mike Milton (Mascoutah), Ryan Miller (East St. Louis) and Exzaybion Jackson (Cahokia). While Miller and Jackson aren't the stars of the event, if either or both make the final it could have a dramatic impact on the team scoring.

Athletes to Watch: Kraig Appleton (East St. Louis), Tyler Sipes (Bloomington), Exzaybion Jackson (Cahokia), Ryan Miller (East St. Louis), Mike Milton (Mascoutah), Martin King (Oswego).

Field Events

Long Jump - Vernon George (Zion-Benton) broke out nationally last summer, leaping so far that he was one of the top performers nationally heading into the '08 season. While George went through most of this season without putting up truly incredible marks in the event, it seems that the senior finally showed his best stuff, clearing 24-03 at sectionals, ranking him first in the event heading into Friday's prelims.

While George is the state favorite, finalists like sixth place Tim Williams (Palatine), third place Roger Jones (Belleville East) and eleventh place Justin Lawrence (Oswego East) may have something to say about who takes home the gold medal. All three athletes have shown the talent necessary many times over the past two years for what it takes to win a state title. Josh Kimberly (Rockton Hononegah) and Quinton Musgrow (East Moline United) are two others who've lept over the 23-06 mark, while Sam Ojuri (Barrington) leaps consistently enough to perhaps earn a top four finish.

Athletes to Watch: Vernon George (Zion-Benton), Justin Lawrence (Oswego East), Sam Ojuri (Barrington), Tim Williams (Palatine), Roger Jones (Belleville East), Josh Kimberly (Rockton Hononegah), Quinton Musgrow (East Moline United).

Triple Jump - Since 1992 every state champion in the AA boys triple jump has cleared at least 48-10. That is a simply fantastic statistic, but one that could be put to rest this year. Heading into the state meet this weekend only one athlete has broken 48-00 all season, and that was Willis Gragg (Springfield Southeat), who jumped his PR. While various athletes like Ty Kirk (Rolling Meadows), Julian Mayfield (Rock Island) and Quinton Musgrow (East Moline United) have all cleared 47-00 at some point this season, jumping near the 49 foot barrier is still a long ways off.

The favorite in the event is Ty Kirk. Reports indicate that the senior was diagnosed with mono only a few weeks back and is taking it as easy as possible during the week, gaining all the energy he can for his weekend competitions. After taking second in '07, Kirk will be looking for his first state title. Tim WIlliams (Palatine) is another state returnee, placing eleventh in 2007. Williams has shown great consistency in this event all season and will look to score some big team points here.

Athletes to Watch: Ty Kirk (Rolling Meadows), Tim Williams (Palatine), Willis Gragg (Springfield Southeast), Kenderick McRath (Cahokia), Julian Mayfield (Rock Island), Quinton Musgrow (East Moline United).

High Jump - Will someone clear 7-00 at the state meet this year? While the IHSA records indicate that no one has cleared 7-00 at the state meet since 2005, it indicates even more strongly that no one has cleared 7-01 at the state meet since 1994. The main challengers to the seven foot barrier seem to be Kenderick McRath (Cahokia) and Mykhail Chambers (Urbana). McRath cleared 7-00 earlier this season and will be looking to win the big ten points for his squad. Chambers seems to be stuck at 6-10 this season, winning the Illinois Prep Top Times meet, but coming up just short of clearing 7-00 numerous times over the past year.

If both athletes falter there are nearly a dozen athletes who could pick up where the other left off. Matt Newman (Buffalo Grove) and Cheldon Brown (Springfield Lanphier) have been incredibly consistent all season long, while Patrick Fenderson (East St. Louis) and Nick Busch (Palatine) look to score maximum team points as well.

Athletes to Watch: Kenderick McRath (Cahokia), Mykhail Chambers (Urbana), Matt Newman (Buffalo Grove), Cheldon Brown (Springfield Lanphier), Derek Severson (Lincoln-Way East), Aaron Petty (Naperville Central), Patrick Fenderson (East St. Louis), Daryl Rice (Belleville East), Kendrick Branch (Rockford Jefferson), Nick Busch (Palatine).

Shot Put - While not as incredible as perhaps a 200+ foot throw in the discus, Dan Block (Lake Park) will hope to improve upon his 63-05 shot put PR this weekend at state. If Block does so, it would be incredibly difficult to see anyone else coming even remotely close. Block's cleared 60 feet a few times this season, making him the only AA competitor to do so this season. Behind him will be his close rival Brett Einbecker (Waubonsie Valley).

The Illinois-bound Einbecker threw a personal best toss of 59-08 at sectionals last weekend and looks to be riding a wave of momentum heading towards Charleston. Bobby Kapustka (Glenbard West) seems to be as well after his big throw of 58-04 at sectionals. Keep an eye on London Davis (Cahokia) as well, who'll be looking for some big team points for Cahokia and has the experience under his belt to really exceed in the pressure-filled state field after finishing sixth last year.

The breakout performer of the whole meet might just be George Weed (Springfield Lanphier). Weed finished tenth in the event in '07, while throwing 59-05.50 earlier in the season. The Springfield Lanphier athletes always seemt to peak well at state, meaning don't be surprised to see Weed score some big points for his team while clearing 60 feet for the first time.

Athletes to Watch: Dan Block (Lake Park), Brett Einbecker (Waubonsie Valley), George Weed (Springfield Lanphier), London Davis (Cahokia), Bobby Kapustka (Glenbard East), Matt Kennedy (Prospect).

Discus - 200 feet. That is a distance that had never been thrown in the discus throw before this season. Dan Block (Lake Park) shattered that barrier earlier in the season, proving that he is one of the top throwers nationally. Last year's state champion in the event looks to repeat and push the state record even further. With a handful of throws at or over 200 feet, Block seems to have found the right technique to really let it fly.

However, Brett Einbecker (Waubonsie Valley) will not let Block out of his sights. At the Upstate Eight Conference Meet a few weeks ago Einbecker lost to Block by less than four feet, despite Block throwing 201 feet. With Einbecker finding his momentum at the right time of the season the battle between these two big men will be one to watch all weekend long in Charleston.

Behind Block and Einbecker comes one of the deeper fields ever seen in the event. A handful of competitors, including Marcus Popenfoose (Huntley), Phil Christensen (Kaneland), Cornelius Watkins (Waukegan) and George Weed (Springfield Lanphier) have all thrown over 173-00 feet this season. Such depth creates even more excitement and one certainly cannot discount the performance of London Davis (Cahokia), who comes in ranked eighth off his sectional performance and could score some big team points in this event.

Athletes to Watch: Dan Block (Lake Park), Brett Einbecker (Waubonsie Valley), Marcus Popenfoose (Huntley), Cornelius Watkins (Waukegan), George Weed (Springfield Lanphier), Phil Christensen (Kaneland), London Davis (Cahokia).

Pole Vault - In the history of the state less than twenty athletes have ever broken 16-00 outdoors in the pole vault. Well, state favorites Mitchell Erickson (Marian) and Mick Viken (Rolling Meadows) are already on the list, while junior Josh Winder (Plainfield South) should join those ranks this weekend. During the indoor season all three broke 16-00, with Erickson and Viken vaulting over the 16-06 barrier. Since then Viken obtained a stress fracture, Erickson has vaulted 16-10 and Winder has struggled a bit to break 16-00 again. Erickson should be the pre-state favorite, but any of these three could win it on the right day.

After the big three the talent drops significantly. Sophomore Logan Pflibsen (Streator Twp.) seems to be incredibly consistent, clearing 15-00 numerous times this season, while Peter Geraghty (Oak Park-River Forest) has a chance to soar over 15-08 and push 16-00 as well. With so much talent in the field first and second missed attemps are key.

Athletes to Watch: Mitchell Erickson (Marian), Josh Winder (Plainfield South), Mick Viken (Rolling Meadows), Logan Pflibsen (Streator Twp.), Peter Geraghty (Oak Park-Rive Forest).

Relays

4x100m Relay -Four returnees, a first place finish in '07 and a strong season behind them, Springfield Lanphier has all the good necessary to win this event.  However, nothing is guaranteed at the Illinois State meet.  It will be interesting to see how teams like Lanphier, East St. Louis and Cahokia stack this relay.  Generally each team has 1-2 big guns in it just to make sure they score optimum points here.  The 4x1 gives teams a lot of momentum for the rest of the meet, so keep an eye to see who explodes out of the blocks both Friday and Saturday.

Teams to Watch: Cahokia, East St. Louis, Springfield Lanphier, Bolingbrook, Belleville East.

4x200m Relay - East St. Louis and Springfield Lanphier, who finished 2-3 last year in the final of this event, return their entire squads and could produce some of the nation's fastest marks based on who they load up into this event.  Cahokia's depth and York's strength give two more hyper competitive squads in the field, while Oak Park-River Forest and Belleville East each have strong 1-4 legs.  This event is always a hard one to read and is generally dominated by the squad that puts on a tough and rugged anchor leg.

Teams to Watch: Cahokia, York, Springfield Lanphier, East St. Louis, Oak Park-River Forest, Belleville East.

4x400m Relay - After last year's state record set in the 4x400m relay by East St. Louis, it will be hard for this year's field to match the excitement.  Oh wait, there are numerous teams that could win this year's event, meaning it should be even more exciting than last year since it was decided fairly early on that East St. Louis was the dominant force.

Ten seperate teams ran under 3:22 at sectionals, while five teams ran under 3:21.  The two obvious favorites are the two teams most likely to win the team titles in East St. Louis and Cahokia.  These squads are experienced and have monster anchor legs in Kraig Appleton and Darien Donald.  However, teams like Zion-Benton and Palatine have the firepower to take home a state trophy in this event as well.  Both Z-B and Palatine have strong legs throughout, including two hammers that can get the job done.

York looks for big points here as well, but didn't run their fastest line-up at sectionals since sprint star John Fox ran the two short sprints and two shorter relays.  If he runs on it then the Dukes have to be considered one of the clear-cut favorites.  Waubonsie Valley will challenge as well and have two star runners as well on the squad.

Teams to Watch: East St. Louis, Zion-Benton, Palatine, Waubonsie Valley, Cahokia, York.

4x800m Relay - While few really elite marks have been posted in this event so far this season, the field of teams in the 4x800m relay is deep.  Looking at the list of qualifiers, honestly, any one of nearly ten teams could win this race.  Few teams have a real top-tier type 800m body at the end of their relay, as in a 1:52-53 type guy.  Wheaton North and Waubonsie Valley both have those type of guys, but is the rest of their relay strong enough to get it to them at the end near the lead?

York is a contender yet again.  It comes as no surprise that the Dukes are in contention to win this relay.  With Tom Achtien on the relay anything is possible.  Both Conant and St. Charles North have great legs from top to bottom, and both have strong anchors in Jeff Thode and Chris DeSilva.  Between those five squads mentioned above a few teams at or under 7:45 is a possibility.

However, the darkhorses can certainly shine in this event as well.  Perennial 4x8 power Prospect is poised to make a run at a top three finish yet again.  This coaching staff really knows how to get it done and will have their guys ready when they are toeing the line Friday.  Hersey, while not a darkhorse, shows strength throughout the relay, but one bad leg could knock them right out of contention.  However, if all their athletes are on and running their best, this is a team that has just as good a chance as anyone else to creep up the latter and win.

If experience is any indication then Wheaton North has the edge.  This team has four seniors all poised to make their last state meet their best one.  If any squad has the "we belong here but are being completely overlooked" mentality that is most certainly Lake Forest.  Lake Forest ran 7:55 at the Lake County Championships earlier in the season and have a very experienced squad back.  This squad should be on a mission after being the first non-final qualifier last year after running 7:51.43 in the prelims.

Teams to Watch: Wheaton North, York, Hersey, St. Charles North, Conant, Prospect, Waubonsie Valley, Lake Forest.

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