3A: OPRF, Neuqua Valley, Hinsdale Central, Edwardsville, and Homewood-Flossmoor Chase the Crown
Throughout the season, both Oak Park-River Forest and Neuqua Valley have made headlines as either STAR Team Rankings leaders, or Power Rankings leaders. The Huskies and Wildcats have done this on the strength of well-rounded programs with sprints and distance, relays, but especially choked-full field events with individual title potential for the programs.
Neuqua Valley is no stranger to competing for the track state title. The relatively young school has won twice, in 2018 and most recently in 2021. Their hopes this year rest on a bevy of individual title contenders, starting with Austin Belle (Sr.). Belle's best season ever has included 21.59 and 10.70 sprint bests, despite some time spent recovering from injury in the early phases of the outdoor season. Despite a narrow loss to Danny Eloe (Sr., Naperville North) at sectionals, both of his sectional performances of 10.77 and 21.83 show he's in form to challenge for those titles. He's not the only Wildcat that can win a title either. How about the outdoor season James Ammenhauser (Sr.) has had? His head-to-head battle with Cameron Williams at the DuPage County meet put Ammenhauser on top of the 3A LJ picture. His 7.18m (23-6.5) jump at sectionals gives him a pole position in the long jump, while is he also firmly in the TJ title picture as well.
Jake Landsdowne (Sr.) is also a strong scorer in both hurdles. He is the #2 seed in the 110h which is one of the few events with a clear favorite (Miles Granjean from Evanston) but should buoy Neuqua Valley's prospects even without a title win. Finally, Zac Close (Jr.) runs the 3200 on Saturday and is part of a wide-open event that could see any of the ten athletes win. His performance at the beginning of the meet may set the table for the Wildcats. They do also bring two relays, 4x100 and 4x200, headed by Belle and Tyrek Campbell (Sr.), that have the potential to finish top-4.
Speaking of relays, if it's relays you want, then it's relays you get with Homewood-Flossmoor. The Vikings have been historically dominant in the relays this year, especially the 4x100 where they are flirting with the 41.00 barrier. The 4x200 similarly is challenging for the title, which may take a 1:26 time. A bit of a surprise, however, was the 4x800 putting 7:52.9 on the board at sectionals. These points can be valuable, especially without other distance events on the event log for HF. The 4x400 is a 3:23 group that can win as well. The key relay legs are John Gore (Sr.), Robert Scott III (Sr.), and most crucially, Olusoga Adeyiga (Jr.). All three qualified in individual events but Adeyiga is the best candidate to make the finals in both races (100/200). There could be points for HF as well in the 300h with Myles Ellis (Fr.) and in the TJ with Aaron McIntyre (Sr.) and Savoy Howard (Jr.). The Vikings are firmly in the middle of trophy contention.
One of the only groups that can dethrone Homewood-Flossmoor is Edwardsville. Like HF, Edwardsville leans on a relay attack that will return almost every athlete next year. But there is no time like the present, and the young Tiger group will want a state title to defend next year. The 4x200 that ran 1:27.11 at sectionals last week represents the best performance in the state this year. The same group of Brnfre, Lakatos, Wilson, and Lane had also just run 41.52 in the 4x100, which isn't quite the 41.03 of HF from the SWSC Conference but puts them in the mix anyways.
The Tigers also qualified for the 4x400 which is 3A #2, 3:21.91 from the Collinsville Invitational. Two individuals to watch for Edwardsville are Malik Allen (Jr.) and Iose Epenesa (So.). Allen soared to a 47-3.75 leap last week at the sectional meet, about a foot better than Ammenhauser's qualifying mark. Allen is also joined in the TJ by Gino Montgomery (So.) who similarly jumped a best 45-5 at the sectional. Both represent major scoring potential. Epenesa is a rapidly improving candidate to make both throws finals, especially the DT where he spent most of the season at the top of the leaderboard and is currently 4th behind Maverick Ohle (Jr., Naperville Central), Reece Ihenacho (Jr., Cary-Grove) and Tyler Michelini (Sr., Lake Park).
The wildcard that will draw the most attention this weekend has got to be Hinsdale Central. Dan Watcke (Sr.) had a complex path toward his current event load. Entering the sectional meet, he had entries in the 800, 400, and 1600, as well as a few relay cards. By the time the meet was contested, Watcke elected only to run the 800, increasing his availability for the Red Devil 4x800 and 4x400 which are 3A state leaders with him (all conditions). Watcke, the all-time state leader in the 800 indoors, is the presumptive favorite in that event. That was the case last year too, however, before Brett Wasick (Bolingbrook) pulled a brilliantly executed upset. Central was runner-up in all three of 4x800, 800, and 4x400 last year, but trophy hopes this year will require pulling more event wins this time around. Central is limited in their other opportunities to score but looks to Aden Bandukwala (Jr.) as the best contributor to the Red Devil's cause. The 2022 3A XC state champion is entered in the 3200 and the 1600, where he has the potential to win both with personal bests of 4:12 and 9:15.
Having strength in every event is an aspiration for every track team, and Oak Park-River Forest has achieved that brilliantly in the 2023 season. The trick, however, is to convert that depth to scoring at the state meet, and the Huskies are quite aligned to do just that as our last major title contender. Start with Josh Meister (Sr.), who took down a loaded Pole Vault field at Top Times. Meister failed to make the final last year, but has improved to join the 16' club this year and has a real chance to take the pole vault title. The OPRF Field attack is also fortified by Kaden Garland (Jr.), who has thrown 57-11.75 this season. Like Meister, Garland missed last year's final but should be able to take care of business on Friday to put himself in the scoring position on Saturday. Shot is his stronger event but he can make the final in the disc as well.
Finally, an important field development for the OPRF title hopes has been the improvement of Kwabena Osei-Yeboah in the long jump. Only a sophomore, Osei-Yeboah produced mostly 21' jumps up until the WSC-Silver conference, where he popped a 23-1.5 jump to win his first conference title, then bested that to win the Proviso East sectional with a 23-6.25 jump. That replication bodes well for Osei-Yeboah who will be contending with the pressure of the state meet for the first time. Osei-Yeboah isn't the only sophomore who will be key for OPRF, either. Caleb Schulz (So.) broke out with a huge 100m win over elite competition at the SmithStrong Invitational. He's kept himself in the mix throughout the season and did qualify for the 200, but the 100 will be the event he can do the most damage in. He is the best overall seed with a 10.71 mark. Finally, XC runner-up Liam Newhart (Sr.) is entered in the 3200/1600 double and is joined by Nick Parrell (Sr.) in the 3200. The swift 9:17 duo performance helped both Huskies into the fastest of the three 3200 sections. Newhart needs to be considered as a serious contender to win, especially the 3200.
Five more teams round out the Top Ten entering the meet, with a small drop-off afterward: Joliet West, Champaign Centennial, Plainfield South, Naperville Central, and Normal Community. Joliet West is in the conversation on the strength of Billy Bailey Jr. (Sr.) in the 100, 200, and 400, and Marcellus Mines (Jr.) in the 1600. Bailey showed impressive strength in the triple at sectionals, particularly in the 400 with a 47.73 personal best. Mines is on the long list of 1600 contenders and was barely beaten out by Bandukwala at the Pete Struck 1600 after 3.9 laps of leading. Mines ran 4:12.57. Similarly, Centennial looks to Daniel Lacy (Sr.) in the triple. The recent EIU signee will test-run his future home with title hopes in all three sprints. The 21.26 he ran last week is his most impressive mark to date, but don't forget about the 47.37 he ran at his conference meet against Jackson Gilbert. Lacy is also likely to appear on the Charger 4x100 which is on the periphery of making the final.
Plainfield South is the defending cross country champion, so naturally, distance depth is their calling card for scoring potential. Camyn Viger (Jr.) and Ethan Reynoso (Sr.) happen to be the two fastest sectional performers in the 1600; 4:14 represents a best for Reynoso, but Viger did split 4:13.23 en route at Palatine. Dylan Maloney (So.) and BJ Sorg (Sr.) both can score in the 3200, but Sorg will have to do it out of section 2 of 3. Gavin Borger (Jr.) could make the 800 final, but watch out for Owen O'Shea (Sr.) who ran 1:58.8 in his first 800 back from injury.
The Cougars also will be shooting for the title in the 4x800. Finally, don't forget about Kyle Eppenstein (Sr.), an all-stater in the Pole Vault last year and a challenger to the PV crown in the deep field. Naperville Central is built at this meet like Plainfield South, distributing Luke Noren (Sr., 1600), Samuel Barnard (Sr., 800), and Foster Shelbert (Jr., 800, 400) throughout the meet in between the 4x800 and the 4x400 where all three likely will participate. They are boosted by Discus state leader and 2022 state runner-up Maverick Ohle, who crushed a 183-9.5 throw at the Plainfield North sectional. Ohle will have to contend with Alex Sohn (Sr., Normal Community), who leads the Ironmen charge along with Chris Taylor (Sr.), favorite in the long jump. Sohn is also a favorite in the shot put. The best scoring spot for Normal on the track is probably the 4x800, with a group that broke 8:00 for the first time at sectionals.
Some other teams that can ride breakout performances into the Top Ten are Downers Grove North, Lake Park, Crystal Lake Central, York, Yorkville, and Naperville North.
Every year, the 3A 4x800 produces national-caliber marks, and almost as often, produces iconic race moments and images. The storyline this year is simple: Does Hinsdale Central, all-time state leader, exert proper ownership over this event? The other event loads suggest Watcke but not Aden Bandukwala will appear on the relay, and Watcke would likely be joined by Kyle Doorhy, Grant Miller, and Michael Skora, a team that can still challenge the 7:40 mark. If it will take 7:40 to win, then just a few teams remain in contention: a fully loaded (and healthy) Plainfield South group might challenge that mark. Same for Downers Grove North, which has not quite put the relay at full strength together, but is charged up with 1600 state leader Ryan Eddington (Jr.). Naperville Central is another high-ceiling group that has already broken 7:50. Same goes for O'Fallon, who will need to decide who runs with Dylan Ybarra (Jr.) as a member of their state-leading team but is also in the 3200 and 1600. Even with the 3200, he may be available for the relay as he is in section 2 of 3. Other teams that have been strong this year and are strong bets to make it to Saturday are Glenwood, Lyons Township, OPRF, Downers Grove South, Prospect, Hersey, Conant, Lane Tech, Glenbard West, and surprise HF.
Edwardsville and HF will go at it in both sprint relays for dominance and with many of their legs focusing on the relays rather than the open events (especially Edwardsville) those groups will be ripe and fresh for amazing performances. A group that can disrupt the party in the 4x200 is York, who was the first group to break 1:31 indoors way back in February and then jumped down to 1:27.25 with the help of Joey Valeski and Cash Langley. Another is Dundee-Crown, who is dangerous with Henry Kennedy on anchor. The same goes for Danny Eloe and Naperville North, as well as Neuqua Valley with Belle and Campbell. Never count out relay powerhouses like Batavia and Minooka, as well as OPRF who have the additional task of accumulating points for a trophy.
The 4x400 has hibernated a little bit over the last few years, with just one team breaking 3:20 at state each year. That buck likely stops in 2023, during a year that has had over a half dozen amazing 4x400 showdowns throughout the state. Even more compelling is that so many trophy contenders look to have 4x400s running on Saturday afternoon. There are five 4x400 heats, so only four-time qualifiers will make it through. Hinsdale Central leads the state with a 3:19, but Yorkville and Josh Pugh (Sr.) are close on their heels and can also run under 3:20. The frequently mentioned Edwardsville and Homewood-Flossmoor units will be in the mix as well as Lyons, Grayslake Central, Grayslake North, and Prospect.
The distance fields represent some of the largest fields the state has ever seen, particularly in the 800. With 45 3200 runners, this created the odd quirk of two slower sections that will be contested before the 4x800 finals. This means only 15 of the 45 competitors will run the fastest section. Just missing that section were Ben Crane (So., New Trier), Sorg, and top 3200 returner Dylan Ybarra (Jr., O'Fallon). In addition to the contenders already mentioned, keep your eye on top seed Evan Horgan (Sr., Belvidere North), who also won the indoor 3200 in what must have felt like a solo effort. Vijay Krishnamoorthi (Sr., Conant) has been a piece on their 4x800, but will probably have to sacrifice that role in order to chase a 3200 title. Don't forget about Dylan Myers (Sr., Lake Zurich) either, who got the overall Distance Night 2 Mile title out of the second section.
The 800 runs in four large heats, with the heat leaders being John Ihrke (Jr., Glenbrook North), Aidan Hill (Sr., York), Eddington, and Caleb Levy (Sr., Warren). Levy is one of the best candidates to challenge Watcke in his most comfortable event, but it's Eddington who has most recently defeated Watcke head-to-head, that being in the conference 1600. The Naperville Central duo of Shelbert/Barnard is a strong pair, as is the CPS 1-2 of Michael Polizzi (Sr., Taft) and Landan Gillespie (Sr., Kenwood). Should Quintin Lowe (Sr., Batavia) contest the 800, he will be in the mix to make the final too.
The 1600 is the smallest distance field with 'only' 36 runners. It's quite the list of runners that can win the event: Newhart, Bandukwala, Mines, Trey Sato (Jr., Grayslake Central), Viger, Reynoso, Caden Weber (Jr., DGN), Riley Newport (Sr., DeKalb), Will Kozlowski (Jr., Lane Tech), Zachary Balzer (Sr., Minooka), and many more, who may aspire to win the event but will have their hands full just to get to the second day.
As already mentioned, Daniel Lacy and Billy Bailey Jr. are the stars in watch in each of the sprints, and they will get several cracks at each other. Austin Belle and Daniel Eloe join them in the 100 and 200 out of the Plainfield North sectional. Schulz is in the mix in the 100 and has beaten many of the top runners already, like Olusoga who could also win. Although Cael Hiser (Sr., Minooka) missed the 100 semifinals, he is still a finals contender in the 200. A breakout performer from the indoor season was sophomore Austin Rowswell (Lincoln-Way West), and his entries in the 200 and 400 mean that he will be fresh and ready to go in a loaded 400 field that also includes Josh Pugh, Ramontay Abram (Sr., Belleville West), Shelbert, and Dominik Balenda (Sr., Prospect). A couple of other names in the 200 to watch are Alassane Ba (Sr., East Moline United) who ran 21.64 +2.4 last week, and more significantly, Omar Mims (So., O'Fallon). Mims, just ran a wind-legal 21.7 as a sophomore, a top-25 mark in the country for that age group.
Miles Granjean (Sr., Evanston), remains the only sub-14 hurdler in the state this year from back in May. Lansdowne represents his best competition in the high hurdles, but Matthew Thomas (Sr., Danville), Marcus Caselberry (Sr., Stevenson), and Jonathan Tegel (Sr., Crystal Lake Central) should be close behind, as, of course, anything can happen in the hurdles. The 300 intermediate hurdles are quite a bit more open and have no Granjean. Ryan Schaefer (Sr., Glenbrook South) leads the class with 38.37, and Bryce Thomas (Sr., St. Charles North) isn't far behind. Caselberry and Lansdowne return to this event from the 110h to compete, and the field also adds Quinton Peterson (Jr., Lemont) and FVC rivals Carter Alvarado (Sr., Crystal Lake South) and Tegel. Expect the unexpected here.
Ammenhauser and Osei-Yeboah are the long jump favorites, but Robert Wagner (Sr., Oak Lawn Community) is a name that will be familiar in the jumps this weekend to watch, as is Dedrick Richardson Jr. (Jr., Lincoln-Way East). We know the name Brody Squires (Sr., Waubonsie Valley), who didn't make the final last year but could win it this year. DeAndre Kelly (Sr., Thornwood) and Lance Somerfield (Sr., Sandburg) round out the likely all-state group in the LJ. Names to add to the TJ watchlist are Vince Davero (Jr., DGN), Alec Crum (Sr., Batavia), DeAndre Neely (Sr., Grayslake North), and freshman Max Warner (Fr., Whitney Young). Warner has the shortest sectional mark of everyone in the field but might be setting the standard early in the first flight.
Taylor from Normal is the favorite in the high jump, but a crowded group that includes Schaefer, Wagner, Crum, Logic West (So.) and Julius Washington (Sr.) from Kenwood, McHale Hood (Sr., Huntley), Kosta Zografos (Jr., Wauconda), Marcus Kennedy (Sr., Brother Rice), and Voldy Makabu (So., Centennial). Kennedy, Wagner, and Taylor were all-state last year, as well as Khalil Thorps-Watt (Jr., Collinsville). Washington and Zografos finished outside the scoring on Saturday.
Like in 1A and 2A, the Pole Vault is a highlight event that features almost ten 15' clearers. Meister won the event indoors, but Esed Sengun (Sr., Schaumburg) has the highest outdoor clearance at 15-9. Andrew Undesser (Sr., Minooka) took down Meister and others at the Smith Strong Invitational and has gotten past 15-7 this year. Zachary Galvicius (Jr., McHenry), Eppenstein, Thomas, Heath Hawkins (Jr., Pekin), and Tyler Petersen (Sr., Bloomington) round out a group that could all be present well past 15'.