Tony's Take: National Championship Weekend Shined Bright On Illinois

The Bloom trio of Jelena Rowe, Hannah Morris, and Kierra Griggs caused major damage in Greensboro (Andrew Schmitt photo credit)

Opening shots have been fired-

Even when I'm not working I'm working. I was not officially on work assignment in Seattle for the Brooks PR Invitational or in Greensboro, North Carolina at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals. I was still there in spirit via webcasts and people on the ground. Back here in Chicago land it was a gorgeous father's day weekend which was filled with sun and excitement. I hope you all had as much fun as I did hanging with family and friends. 

I like to call this past weekend championship weekend because it is the last true time a great collection of high school kids will compete with their authentic school mates before calling it a season or career. Brooks, Adidas, and especially New Balance are mega giant shoe companies who in general operate as a business first. They sell shoe and apparel. They can appeal to the kids and their parents with minimal effort, but it's nice that they sponsor track and field championships as a caveat in response to their good deeds.

It was good to see some new teams and individuals at New Balance though the numbers were lower this season than in the past. York or Kroy are not new faces to NBON but it's been a few years since the boys and girls have competed on the big stage. First off, it did not go well for York Saturday evening in the 4x800 relay. The Dukes were selected to compete in the championship section based on their 7:46 seed time from state. Unfortunately lead off man senior Max Denning did not get an opportunity to fully strut his 1:55-56 ability. Denning was near the leaders and inching up to the leaders at the 500m mark when he tripped and fell hard to the track. The baton flew out of his hands like a frisbee over to the stands. By the time he retrieved the baton he was out of the race. The result was a 2:09 leg and the opportunity of a great season finish down the toilet bowl. Sophomore Charlie Kern finished with a 1:54 split and the overall time was 8:02.46... the turn around on Sunday was vastly different. York competed in an event they have done well in the past- the Distance Medley Relay. The Dukes got out well and out of trouble from the gun. Kern was in a battle after having the lead on the 1600m anchor. The final result was a second place finish in 10:03.32. Kern anchored the US #5 squad with a blazing 4:10.65. His leg was a legitimate carry since it covered the full distance.

Chicago Heights Bloom Township coach Andy Schmitt is a technology teacher so it's no surprise for me to hear from him time to time. Coach Schmitt kept me abreast of his girls all season long. I told him in 2015 when they were an emerging team they could challenge for a state championship trophy. Although they fell a little short several of his talented girls stepped up. This year Jelena Rowe, Hannah Morris, and Kierra Griggs did more than step up. Arguably this trio is the best in Illinois. Rowe has excelled in volleyball the past several years but this time the shift may go toward high jumping in college after winning an exciting competition. Rowe leaped a state best 5'10" which is also US #6. She went on to attempt 6-feet for the first time in her career. The ultimate goal will be get up and beyond in 2017. Morris was the second outstanding Trojan performer who led all jumpers in the long jump after the first round with a monster 20-1.75. It turned out to be her best effort. The US #12 all conditions effort proved what coach Schmitt had predicted earlier during the indoor season for his pupil. He told me she has all the talent in the world but only needed to be consistent. It appears as though he is correct about Morris who won also won the state championship. Finally, pre-2016 predictions indicated that Griggs was destined to go under 55 seconds. It did not happen during the IHSA season. Griggs did not give up though. Griggs glided the fast North Carolina A&T University track to a second place 54.97. The time placed her 15th overall in a very tough field. Griggs will now trot off to the University of Nebraska this fall with the second fastest mark in the state.

Don't forget about the consistency of Kathleen "KD" Young (Jr., Warrensburg-Latham). The shot put/discus thrower has simply become one of Illinois best. She finished third at the NBON in the shot with a 50-5.5 toss. Young was excited about her performance which turned out to be another 50-foot plus effort. Check out her interview here with Milesplit Illinois: Young interview

The incomparable Jaimie Robinson (Jr., Homewood-Flossmoor) wanted to make sure she was heard in her specialty known as the triple jump. Robinson took all six jumps which contained two fouls but quality efforts. It was the final attempt that netted a sweet personal best 41-10.5 and third overall. Robinson's legal jump is #1 in Illinois and #2 all conditions as well as #3 all conditions all time as an Illinois performer.

Karson Lecomte blisters the anchor leg in section 1 for the Prospect Knights

Prospect sneaks the big guys-

Everyone that knows me knows that I love the 4x800 relay. I coach middle-distances at my high school and the 4x8 is the center of the universe for our program. It is the mix of speed and distance that captures me and it should capture any coach who dabbles their chops in this great event. I remember taking my kids to NBON two years ago with a master plan. But let me tell you that we planned out the attack eight months prior to what we wanted the season to end. We were in the school cafeteria and I had the kids write down goals. But the big goal I wrote down for them was "7:40." I could see their eyes get big as the sky and almost dazed. 'You have to think big and I believe we can do this,' I recalled. We finished the indoor season with the #1 time in the state. We blitzed through the outdoor season and into the state finals with ease. But when we got there we finished 7th. This was the year that Neuqua Valley had the super team and everyone's favorite. I'm not saying we would have won if all things clicked the way they were supposed to, but 7:47.52 was a big disappointment. The guys accepted their 7th place all-state medals and said to me in passing: "we are not done..."

I wonder in looking back if Prospect endured the torturous feeling like we did in knowing there would be a two week wait until Nationals to get self redemption. My guys took only one day off and that was Sunday. We met on Memorial day to work out and rebooted our mindset. We got to Greensboro three days ahead our meet to acclimate. We completed all of our runs in the midst of the prime North Carolina heat. The boys were focused. They got in the championship race and the were ready. The finished sixth overall in one of the deepest races in meet history. The time 7:39.76 was like hitting the jackpot! Although I said earlier our goal was to run 7:40 I know there was doubt. I had some myself but I never showed it to the guys. They responded and accepted their All-American medals honorably.

When I saw Prospect entered in the meet I thought "ok." And then they were placed in section 1 with a 7:48 seed time was crazy. This means the championship section 2 was the real deal. Prospect coach Mike Stokes is a master on the 4x8 as he has produced many all-state squads over his storied career. The Hall of fame coach gave a 4x8 relay presentation at the ITCCCA Clinic earlier this year. I liked the way he mapped out his championship season. One thing he left out this year was competing beyond the state meet. Hmm... at NBON the Knights got down and dirty in the first section with aggressive openings by each leg. It seemed to me they ran unconventional by going after the lead a bit hurried. Maybe the intent was to stay in the race as much as possible and give their strong anchor senior Karson Lecomte a chance to bring home a great effort. Lecomte quickly assume the lead and blazed home with a 1:50.44 split. The 7:41.48 won the section and applied serious pressure on the favorites in section 2. Four teams ran ahead of the new MSL all time record holders and US#10 Knights. It was a great feeling for coach Stokes who shortly there after who gleefully reminded me how well his team performed.