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2019 ILXCTF IHSA Track & Field Previews - 2A Boys Sprints/Hurdles EventsPublished by
By Michael Newman
Five new champions will be crowned in the 2A sprints and hurdles this spring. Some of that has to do with East St. Louis-Senior not competing last year in the state series. The Flyers were prohibited to compete by the IHSA due to an altercation that some of the members of the team were involved at the Southwest Conference Meet. The addition of the athletes from Eastside will make things even more interesting when we get back to the state meet. My guess this team has something to prove. Here is a look of what we could see this season in the three 2A Boys sprint events and the two 2A hurdle events. We also will take a look at what we could see in the three sprint relays during this preview.
100 Meter Dash Top Athletes from 2018
Outlook – It could come down to Sean Tyler or Finnigan Schirmer that will come away with the title as the fastest sprinter in 2A. The two lead two other athletes that earned all-state honors last May. Tyler had a season’s best of 10.68. He ran 10.86 in the finals to finish third. Schirmer had a breakout sophomore season qualifying for state in this event as well as the 110 High and the 200 Meter Dash. Schirmer finished six hundredths of a second behind Tyler in the finals while finishing fourth. Carson Ratanen (6th) and Nic Davey (9th) are the other finalist returnees and will challenge for a higher finish. Darreon West, Johnnie Caswell, Ryan Currington, and Keegan Cullison are among nine athletes back that ran 11.0 or faster last season. Keep an eye on the indoor season. We may get a clue of who may have the jump on the rest heading into the outdoor season.
400 Meter Dash Top Athletes from 2018
Outlook – No faces will step into the spotlight in this event with Jerry Harper, who finished fifth in the finals, and Davon Bolden, who placed seventh, are the only all-state athletes back. All eyes should be on Willie Johnson has the fastest returning 400 time running 48.80. Johnson was one of the East St. Louis-Senior athletes that did not get to run last year. The junior will take advantage of the state races in May. Five other athletes return that ran under 51-seconds last spring. Damonta Taylor and Melcom DeJesus lead that group that could have visions of running in the 49 second region this outdoor season.
200 Meter Dash Top Athletes from 2018
Outlook – Three sprinters are back that have under 22-second times on their 2018 resume. Justin Houston has the fastest (21.78) but did not make the finals. Finnigan Schirmer finished last year’s state meet by placing third in the finals. Schirmer had a 21.83 seasonal best. The return of East St. Louis-Senior means we could see Marcus Lampley challenging for the state title. He has a 21.89 best from last year. His teammate Anthony Bartley among the top 10 athletes back and will challenge for a place in the finals. Leondre Pollard (4th), Nic Davey (5th), and Darreon West (8th) were all-state last year and will look to repeat that effort. Ryan Curington and Sean Tyler are some of the other athletes to watch in the final sprint event of the state program.
110-Meter High Hurdles Top Athletes from 2018
Outlook – Finnigan Schirmer could have his sights on a sub-14 time in this event. His coming out party at state was spectacular with three all-state performances. He finished fourth in the finals and has the best returning time back (14.12). There are two other athletes that made last year’s finals. Jaden Johnson (5th) and Steven Harris (6th) both had times under 14.9. Stuart Adkinson and Brayden Forrest both ran under 15-seconds last spring but failed to advance to the finals. That should not happen in this state meet. Noah Fulcomer finished eighth in the 1A finals. The Rockford Christian senior could be a surprise on the higher level. Andrew Johnson ran 15.20 in this event last year. His senior season could be fruitful as he should be running at the state meet with a time well under 15-seconds.
300-Meter Intermediate Hurdles Top Athletes from 2018
Outlook – An open event for up to 12 athletes could win a state title. All have graduated that finished in the top four in last year’s finals. Jaden Johnson, who finished fifth, leads three other all-state athletes back. Stuart Adkinson (6th), Noah Williams (7th), and Lanard Harris (8th) made it to the podium in 2018. They would like to make that trip again in 2019. Connor Wagner has the fastest time amongst the returnees (39.53) with Steven Harris just seven hundredths of a second behind him. Andrew Johnson ran 39.91 last year but could be among the favorites along with Nate Hollingsworth who had a 39.79 best. This will be a close event. The top eight returning athletes are within half a second of each other.
4x100 Meter Relay 2018 Champion – Chicago Heights Marian Catholic – 42.27
Early Outlook – We could see some new quartets in front of this event in 2019. Defending champion Marian Catholic graduated all of their state quartet. None of the other teams that made the finals have more than two runners back with Mascoutah, Decatur MacArthur, and Montini Catholic the lead teams. East St. Louis-Senior did not have a horse in the field last May but will be among the top teams. Their quartet had a seasonal best of 42.91. There are a number of teams that just missed the finals that will be itching to get to Championship Saturday. Thornridge, Urbana, Troy Triad, Sterling, Prairie Central, Rockford Boylan, and Columbia all had prelim times under 44 seconds and return three runners from those teams. One of these quartets could end up as state champions. Rockford Christian finished third in 1A and has two runners back from their quartet. The Royal Lions ran 43.10 in the finals.
4x200 Meter Relay 2018 Champion – Chicago Heights Marian Catholic – 1:27.57
Early Outlook – The same scenario applies in this relay. Marian Catholic ran the same quartet as they did in the 4x1 which all graduated. Rich Central finished third in the finals and returns three from a team that ran 1:28.23. Urbana did not finish in last year’s finals but also return three. Mascoutah, Burlington Central, and Eureka all made it to the finals and will be looking to climb up in the podium. Rockford Christian finished second in the 1A finals with a 1:29.64 time. They return two from that squad. Prairie Central and Montini Catholic are some of the other teams that could finish in the top five.
4x400 Meter Relay 2018 Champion – New Lenox Providence Catholic – 3:19.28
Early Outlook – Burlington Central finished second with two returning runners. Eureka finished third and return three from that quartet. Both teams ran under 3:22 in the finals. Rockford Christian could also be a factor in this event. They ran 3:23.67 in the 1A Finals to finish second and will return two back from that team that includes 800 Meter Run champion Riley Wells. Geneseo and Rantoul return the bulk of their quartets and could challenge for the state title. Thornridge will be loaded. They return all of their runners for a team that got disqualified in the prelims. The Falcons have the talent to win this event. LaSalle-Peru and Chicago Mt. Carmel are other teams that could make their presence known in this event. More news |
