2A Boys Preview: The Traditional Goliaths Go After the Team Title: Unbelievable Individual Fields in 2A Open Track Events will Highlight the Meet
The team trophy storyline in 2022 for 2A was simple: after taking care of business on the girls' side, Kankakee Boys followed up with an utterly convincing performance of their own, winning the team title with 62 points. Mt. Zion and Mt. Vernon tied for 2nd with 34.
Many of these points came thanks to the dominance of Jayon Morrow (Jr.) who was runner-up in all three sprints as a sophomore. Morrow returns this year to grab at least one title of his own this year.
However, Kankakee looks much different this year, especially with Jyaire Hill having graduated early in preparation for his college football career at Michigan. Instead, it is now Kankakee who is playing catch-up to the traditional powers-at-be, Cahokia and East St. Louis. Both of these teams just missed the podium, and now are going on four years since either team won the title (the last was East. St. Louis in 2019, while both groups won the title in 2016). Cahokia and East St. Louis have brilliantly crescendoed into the favorite spots with build-ups during the outdoor season, on the strength of technical events and relays.
Although it is a close battle, Cahokia is installed as the slight favorite entering the meet. Cahokia can win the title on the strength of their field events, and the leaders of his attack are Chase Crawford (Sr.) and Nicholas Deloach (Sr.). Crawford is the state leader in the SP and mixes it up with the all-state throws in the DT as well. He looks to score somewhere in the 12-16 point range between both events. Similarly, Deloach is a triple jump favorite and looks to snag a few long jump and high jump points along with Jo'Viano Howard (Jr.). Lorenzo Johnson-Culter (Sr.) can also score in the TJ. The track attack is led by Keshawn Lyons (Sr.), a favorite in both hurdles events. Lyons acts as a key leg in the Cahokia relays that can score, especially the 4x200 and 4x400. Cahokia's ceiling for the meet hovers at around 60 points.
That 60-point total will make them hard to catch but East St. Louis has the next clearest path to that total. The Flyers are a real threat to win all three of the shortest relays, especially the 4x400 where they ran an eye-popping 3:19.61 at Collinsville in early May. You need individual stars to run a relay that strong, and for East St. Louis the quarter-miler stars are Devion Montgomery (Sr.) and Quentin Stepney (Sr.), both sub-50 runners who can score in the open event. Montgomery joins Kenneth Buchanon (Jr.) in the 200, and Buchanon also is in the 100, with shots at scoring in both. Of all those individuals, though, the best chance to score high is Demarlynn Taylor (Sr.), who leads the state (all classes) in the 300h. His points in both hurdles (as well as Armonie Jones (Sr.)) caps a dominant track attack that hopes to block rival Cahokia's title.
If both teams run up to their potential, it will be a race for third with Urbana in the lead. No one should be surprised that it is Illini signee Jackson Gilbert (Sr.) that leads the Tiger charge as a serious contender to win both the 400 and 200. Gilbert is on another level in the 400, bettering his time to 47.1 this month, but really made waves with his 21.24 200 performance at the Mattoon sectional. Gilbert is also on all four Urbana relay cards, so the Tigers have some flexibility with where their star can go. With the 400 on his plate, the 4x200 would be tough, so expect him in the 4x100 for certain and then likely the 4x400. Any of the relays become title contenders with him. This includes the 4x800, who ran 8:03 at sectionals and should be looking to score regardless.
Sterling hangs out in trophy contention on the strength of relays and distance. Their top scorer will be Dale Johnson (Jr.) in the 1600 and 3200. The 4x100 and 4x200, finals contenders, are headed by Dylan Doss (Sr.) and Cale Ledergerber (Jr.), who also may score in the LJ. Owen Anderson (Jr.) and Thomas Holcom (Sr.) put the 4x800 in position to qualify for Saturday. Johnson does not project to run on the relay that he helped to 7:53 (IL 2A #1) but likely will participate in the 4x400 and has run 3:25.
Then, the team picture gets pretty crowded. Chicago Heights (Marian) sprays Braydon Waller (Sr.) and Michael VanHootegem (Sr.) at the sprints and hurdles specifically, and both runners will score in their events. Waller makes the great 2A sprint picture even better and brings a wind-aided 10.56 100m sectional mark to lane 5 of the last 100 heat. VanHootegem is a contender in the 300h but certainly a favorite in the 110h (14.31).
Columbia's Ethan Hogan (Jr.) has been the best distance runner in the state this year, and one of the best juniors in Illinois history with 8:49 and 4:09 times. Hogan is, without a doubt, the favorite to win both distance events and put 20 on the board for Columbia. The class 2A meet record of 9:08.44 by Riley McInerney appears to be in major jeopardy, even if Hogan saves some juice for the 1600 (for the record, Donald Sage's all-time record of 8:42.89 seems safe). Hogan does have help from Christian Kronk (Jr.) in each hurdles race, Calvin Range (Sr.) in the 800 and 1600, and Ben Scott (Sr.) in the HJ. Columbia's ceiling is lower with fewer event entries but is in good shape to be top-5.
Sycamore has more chances to score high and looks to two long jumps in Pierce Reinhard (Sr.) and Aidan Wyzard (So.) for a gaudy base of points. Caden Emmert (Sr.) is also in the 800m mix and leads the Sycamore 4x400 team that can be competitive. Sycamore leads a group that includes Marion, Herrin, Aurora Central Catholic, Mascoutah, Mt. Zion, and Centralia that will fight for top-10 spots.
Defending champion Kankakee only qualified Dominic White (Fr.) and the 4x400 to state beyond Morrow, but his prospects in all three sprint events put Kankakee in the top-10 mix despite not returning enough to make a run at the team championship.
The previously mentioned Hogan is a major storyline for this meet. His season has been smooth and the peaks have been high. This is in contrast to the season that Dylon Nalley (Jr., Marion) has had, working back from injury and illness to return to the form that gave him an individual XC championship in the fall as well as a 14:03 3-mile best. Nalley did face off already against Hogan in both distance races, and put up formidable times of 9:16 and 4:25. Can Nalley find the magic from his XC season in a short time and challenge Hogan for the 3200 title?
Furthermore, the 1600 picture also adds Gavin Genisio (Jr., Benton), who has the state 1600 records for both the freshman and sophomore classes. Genisio struggled to handle Hogan indoors but showed he is ready to blast the 1600 with a 4:09 sectional performance that beat both Hogan and Nalley handily. He represents the best chance to take Hogan down in what should be a highly-anticipated 2A 1600 race. For their part, this race is may even better with Patrick Hilby (Jr. Aurora Central Catholic), Joe Schwartz (Sr., Waterloo), Grayden Rill (Sr., Fenwick), and Julian Baker (Jr., Mt. Zion).
With wins in the 800 at both Distance Night in Palatine and Top Times, Hilby is installed as the major 800 favorites. Palatine gave Hilby the competition he needed to push to a 1:52.32 all-time best. The versatile Hilby will be tough to beat, and Emmert, along with Payton Whitehead (Jr., Lakes), Kody Danko (Sr., Streator), and Reece Dusek (Sr., Dunlap) arranges behind Hilby.
Those distance races will be fantastic, but if any event group on Saturday will steal the show, it is going to be the sprinters in 2A. Waller, Morrow, and Gilbert make for must-see television and the fascinating narratives that bring each of them together in the final underwrite what will also be incredibly fast races. There are plenty of other sprinters who can beat them, however. Take first the defending 100m champion, sophomore Chris Nelson (Herrin), who is running his best at the right time (10.62 and 21.64 at sectionals). Deangelo Hughey (Jr., Mahomet-Seymour) made a name for himself during the indoor season but stayed quiet before also erupting at the sectional meet (48.04 and 21.47).
One of the great breakout athletes this year has been Nathan Hippard (Sr., Mascoutah), who himself joined the sub-6.90 club in the 60m at Top Times. Also, a name to watch for is Cameron Williams (Jr., Glenbard South). The junior, who has already committed to Notre Dame for football, is the state leader in the long jump with a soaring 7.41m leap (24-3) and is entered in the 100 and 200 as well. He is a star whose name will be remembered forever after this state meet.
The hurdles will feature VanHootegem, Taylor, Lyons, and Kronk. Van Hootegem would be the 110h state leader, if not for Ajani Rush (Sr., Hillcrest) who nipped VanHootegem at the sectional meet in a wind-aided 14.30. Throw Jaden Bossie (Sr. Chicago Mt. Carmel) in the 110h mix and this event should scrape 14.00 in a year that no one in the class has dipped below 14.3 yet. The 300h heavy favorites are Lyons and Taylor, with Taylor as the only athlete under 38 so far.
The amazing sprint depth in 2A will be equally reflected in the relays. The star power of Urbana, Herrin, and Mascoutah come to loggerheads with the depth of Mt. Vernon, Triad, East St. Louis, and Cahokia. A notable group is Triad, who ran 1:27 at the sectional meet and then followed the 4x400 with a re-run of the 4x100 to make it to the state meet with a 43.13 mark. East St. Louis the is no-doubt favorite in the 4x400, with Urbana, Cahokia, and Champaign Central in the mix. A team to watch could be Mahomet-Seymour, who ran 3:24.63 at the sectional meet without Deangelo Hughey. Does he make an appearance? Finally, defending 4x800 champion Lincoln toes the line as the favorite to defend their title. Marion ran 7:56 and has the best shot at defending Lincoln in the field. Champaign Central and Civic Memorial will be in the mix too.
A highlight field event is the Pole Vault. Unlike 1A, where there is a clear favorite, 2A features five 15' vaulters and three 16' vaulters that will continue to push each other late into the competition. The first to clear 16' this year was Paul Migas (Jr., Lakes) indoors, who has yet to return to that form during the outdoor season. Then came Cooper Schaad (Jr., Geneseo), runner-up to Migas at state last year, with a 16-1 clearance at Rock Island in April. But the state leader is Kyle Hensley (Sr., Mt. Zion). Hensley, third at state with a season-best barely over 15' in 2022, has exploded to multiple 16'+ clearances including 16-4.75 last week at the Mattoon sectional. Based on the recent history, Hensley is the favorite, but Migas and Schaad will make him work for it. Juniors Tony Keene (Harrisburg) and Daniel Eberle (Aurora Central Catholic) are the other 15' vaulters that can hang around until late in the competition with the other three. Furthermore, with such fantastic vaulters in 1A and 3A as well, how will this 2A group fare in comparison?
Where Chase Crawford is the SP favorite, the Discus favorite has to be JehChys Brown (Sr., Centralia). Brown actually won the SP in 2022, and is in the mix in that event, but is the season leader in the Discus this time around. He must hold off 2022 Discus champ David Russell (Jr., Illinois Valley Central), the only other 180' disc thrower this year. The 2A class record is 188-4 (57.41m) by Ryan Njegovan in 2013-either of these throwers could make it to that mark. If any of Crawford, Russel, or Brown struggle to put that big throw on the board, it could be Caleb Smith Salem (Jr., Salem) who sneaks in to grab a title in either event.