Kenwood senior Landan Gillespie is on his way to a victory in the 800m
RESULTS I PHOTOS I VIDEOS
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There was no doubt that youth sports advocate and civil rights pioneer Dr. Conrad Worrill was shining down on all of us during the second offering of the track and field invitational of his namesake. The adult lifelong dream of bringing a state-of-the-art facility to the city of Chicago since the 1980s became a reality several years ago. The correlation between participation, self-esteem, and output of fine performances was put on centerstage inside the cozy den. Last year there were seven elite performances, but this go around the number popped up to 27!
Chicago Kenwood boys defended their title with an all-around attack from the field to the track that netted 78 points- 17 more than Chicago Lane. The Broncos were victorious in three events: Landan Gillespie (800/1:59.47), 4x400r (3:33.76), and Julius Washington (HJ/6'5.5"). But it was a balanced attack that carried them and with a seasoned veteran lineup, it is sure to produce more invite wins and more as the season progresses.
Brandon Annang's coaches were ecstatic when the scoreboard lit up with a 60m victory in 7.10. They acknowledged the senior from Bloom Twp had worked hard during the off-season and deserved the win.
Kankakee's main man Jayon Morrow (Jr) finally debut his season and it was successful. Morrow's smooth demeanor is nothing like his feet on a banked Mondo track. Morrow is downright teacherous when in action. He cruised past Sidney Morris of Kenwood with ease to win the 400 in 49.67- IL#1. Several hours later, Morrow completed the double by taking the 200 with a beasty time of 22.04- IL#2.
Jaden Bossie (Sr., Chicago Mt. Carmel) took apart the 60HH field in an IL#2 8.42.
Grayden Rill (Sr., Oak Park Fenwick) did not mess with a solid 1600 field. He seized control of the race after the first two circuits and was basically on cruise mode. The time of 4:24.24.
On the girls side, Whitney Young and Kenwood have been the class of the city of Chicago for several years. Whitney Young are the defending 3A state champions and Kenwood are next up with the talent to dethrone them.
The challenging Broncos came up short by a point with 96 points but it was not for the heroic efforts by Asia Thomas. The superstar bolted her mates to a handful of wins. She equaled her state leading 60m in 7.48. It was especially exciting to see six of the seven finishers under 8.00- all of them are top 15 performers statewide!
Thomas was just warming up. She ran third leg on a blistering 4x200 relay leg that completely dismantled their competitors and clocked 1:41.52- one of the best times in the country and one that charts high on the all-time state list. But the final salvo was the Broncos winning the 4x400 relay in another early state best 4:07.21. Thomas circled the track solo in a whip-ped like 59.6 carry to close out the meet.
Other top rated performances: Naomi Bey-Osborne (So., Kankakee) made her presence known among the great flock of speedsters, winning the 400 (58.75) and 200 (25.30).
The 1600 was the spotlight distance race and Mia Kotler of Latin took charge right way. The standout sophomore used a first half in under 2:30 to cruise to victory in 5:06.72.