Photo: Finnigan Schirmer winning the 100m Dash at the IHSA 2A State Meet (Laura Duffy Photo)

By Michael Newman

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Charleston, Ill – Marengo’s Finnigan Schirmer had done the four events of the 110 High Hurdles, 100 Meter Dash, 300 Intermediate Hurdles, and the 200 Meter Dash a number of times during the season. He explained that those times were done in 50 degree weather. The weather in Charleston was a different animal on this weekend with temperatures in the high 80’s on Friday and middle 80’s on Saturday.

This was different weather. This was different pressure considering this was the IHSA State Championships.

It looked like the athletes might get a break on Saturday as a chance of rain was possible. The day started out overcast and drizzle hitting the fans at O’Brien Field. That dissipated and the sun started to beam down heating up the track and the athletes.

It seemed not to bother Schirmer. Two ice baths after his prelims and plenty of stretching got him ready for this challenge. He would be one of the favorites in all four events. He won his heats on Friday but did not have the fastest prelim times. Having the fastest time only mattered on Saturday.

Schirmer would have the challenges from Freeport’s Jaden Johnson and East St. Louis’ Jamarriante Burgess who had faster prelim times in the 110 High Hurdles. Schirmer, who is not known for a fast start, was even with his competition at 50-meters. He then exploded over the final hurdles with the win (14.22). Steven Harris of Cahokia ran his best race of the season running a 14.29 best to finish second. Johnson finished sixth (14.88) and was in disbelief. Burgess crashed into a hurdle ending his title chances.

Instead of resting in the tent, Schirmer went to get his medal. “I could have waited and gotten the medal later or done it then,” Schirmer said. “It did not matter to me”

Schirmer had the confidence he needed to get his day rolling. He had the second fastest preliminary time behind Leondre Pollard of Thornridge. Pollard exploded out of the blocks in the finals. Schirmer got off to his usual start. By 50-meters the two runners were even. At 80-meters, Schirmer was gone. He ran a personal best of 10.62 to win the 100 Meter Dash. It was his second state title within a span of 30-minutes. Pollard was next (10.78) followed by Staunton’s Carson Rantanen (10.84).

“I knew the race in the 300 Intermediate Hurdles would be tough,” Schirmer added. “Burgess would be running tough after his 110 race. So would Johnson”

This is the first year that Schirmer has run the 300 Intermediate Hurdles. It did not seem like he was running like a novice. He had the lead entering the final three hurdles with Burgess, Harris and Connor Wagner of Burlington Central putting the pressure on Schirmer. He persevered over the final hurdle holding off Burgess for his third state championship of the day (37.71). Burgess ran a personal best to finish second (37.82) ahead of Harris (38.31) and Wagner (38.68).

His start hurt Schirmer in the finals of the 200 Meter Dash. He was a distant fifth coming off the curve and would have to work to get the win. He closed the gap but came up 12-hundredths of a second of the win. Pollard exacted a little revenge in getting the win (21.55) just edging Marcus Lampley of East St. Louis by just three hundredths of a second (21.58). Jeremiah Hamilton of Urbana finished third (21.66) followed by Schirmer (21.67). Schirmer kneeled after the race head down. He wanted that fourth win.

“When the race (200-meters) started, I knew it was going to be hard, but I knew I could do it,” Schirmer said after his day was complete. “I just tried to go harder and harder. My legs were full of lactic acid. I gave it all I got.”

East St. Louis-Senior soars to 2A state title

It was designed that way. East St. Louis Coach Barry Malloyd had designed it that way backloading the events at the end of the meet. By the time the Flyers had progressed to the 800 Meter Relay, they stood in fifth-place in the team standings. By the time they crossed the finish line in winning the 1600 Meter Relay, East St. Louis had the state championship with 84 points. Marengo, based off the 36 points scored by Finnigan Schirmer, finished second with 42 points. Mahomet-Seymour finished third with 40.5 points. Rockford Christian (31 points) and Dixon (30 points) finished fourth and fifth.

The Flyers started off strongly in the 400 Meter Relay. Anchor runner Willie Johnson was given a big lead when he received the baton. He zoomed down the grandstand straightaway for the win (41.81) holding off Rich Central (41.99).

The order changed in the 800 Meter Relay when Rich Central ran one of the top races of the day and fastest of all classes when the Olympians ran 1:26.68 to win the finals ahead of St. Rita (1:28.16) and East St. Louis (1:28.37).

After that event, that is when the Flyers’ points started to mount up. Johnson again pulled away down the homestretch to win the 400 Meter Dash (47.65) with Lampley pulling ahead of Rantoul’s Jerry Harper to finish second (8.17) with Harper at 48.51. 18 points for Eastside.

Burgess’ second-place finish coupled with the fifth-place finish from Andrew Johnson in the 300 Intermediate Hurdles gave their team another 13 points. Lampley and Johnson scored another 13 points in the 200 Meter Dash.

Johnson had little time to recover as he would anchor his team’s 1600 Meter Relay. He had work to do as he got the baton in second and would have to run down Eureka’s Micah Senior. Johnson caught Senior in the final 10-meters to give his team the win (3:18.13) ahead of Eureka (3:18.51). 54 points in the final five events sealed the deal for a state trophy going back to the Metro St. Louis area.

2A Distance Roundup

It was a day of finality, a day of fantastic finishes in this classification.

It started in the 3200 Meter Relay. The name of the game for Rockford Christian’s first three runners was to stay close to the lead so that their anchor Riley Wells could challenge for the win. The challenge for the other teams was to get as far away from Rockford Christian by the time their anchor runners got the baton.

Dixon and Burlington Central did that opening up close to a 75-meter lead on the rest of the pack. Wells got the baton in third with hopes of catching the lead.

The deficit was too much for Wells to make up. He would have to settle to solidify his place in third. Colin Grady of Dixon and Adam Kries of Burlington Central challenged each other for the lead in the final 200-meters. It was Grady that had the edge in the end as the Dukes took home the state championship (7:55.24) ahead of Burlington Central (7:56.07). Wells held on to get Rockford Christian third (8:06.68) ahead of Stanford Olympia (8:07.38).

Wells was not at 100% heading into the 800 Meter Run. He cited after the meet that he had a calf injury but did not use it as an excuse. It was the final individual race that Wells would run on the “Big Blue Oval”. It was just one more time for Wells to show his magic. He still had one more card yet to play.

Wells was in ninth when he passed the first 400-meters in 59 seconds. He had more than a second to make up and eight runners to pass led by Saint Viator’s Patric Natindim. Wells made his move one last time. With 100-meters left, Wells was with the leaders. In another 50-meters, he was in the lead. He captured his third career state championship at this distance (2 in 1A, 1 in 2A) crossing the line in 1:56.02. It was not the time that he wanted. It was the championship that counted the most.

The heat on the track did change the strategy in the 3200 Meter Run. The pace was extremely slow as a pack led by Mathias Powell of Mahomet-Seymour, Garrett Dixon of Monticello, and Dawson Smith of Rock Falls passed 1600-meters in 4:53.1.

Powell picked the pace up the next two laps running 72 seconds for each. Smith dropped off the pace in lap seven as Powell threw in a 64.9 second circuit with Dixon trying to hold on. The Mahomet-Seymour senior made on more surge entering the final lap losing Dixon.

Powell won his second state title of the year running 9:24.15. Dixon was next in 9:27.92. Smith finished third (9:35.30) holding off Richland County’s Braden Nicholson who finished fourth (9:35.88).

Powell ran the last 800-meters of the race in 2:07.1. His final 400-meters was 62.2 seconds.

“I remembered what happened last year (when Adam-Gilbreath-Glaub passed him to win the state title),” Powell said afterwards. “I was not going to let up at the end.”

Powell looked tired in the final laps of the 1600 Meter Run as he was in ninth entering the final lap. He ran a 61 second final 400-meters to finish third.

Elias Bergman of Illinois Valley Central wanted this race. He started pushing the pace about a kilometer opening up a three second lead entering the final lap of the race. Daniel Chen of Illinois Math & Science Academy, who finished third in this race last year, started to close the gap.

“I didn’t think I was going to get him (Bergman) as I came off the curve,” Chen said. “I thought this is my last high school race. Go for it.”

Chen put his head down with hopes of catching Bergman. He did with 15-meters left.

It was a sight to see. Chen lifting his arms to the sky in exhilaration screaming in disbelief as he crossed the line in disbelief in winning a state championship. Chen’s time (4:20.91) was less than a second ahead of Bergman (4:21.32) with Powell third (4:23.76).

2A Field Events

Powell picked up 17 of Mahomet’s 17 points. Hunter Hendershot picked up 20 in winning both weight events. Hendershot defended his title in the Shot Put achieving a new personal best of 62-1.25 for the win. Athan Huelskamp of Saint Viator (58-7.50) and Tyler Sudduth of Rich South (57-5.25) finished second and third. Hendershot had finished third in last year’s finals of the Discus. After throwing 170-5 in Friday’s prelims, Hendershot improved by close to 12 feet as he threw 182-4 for the win. Huelskamp threw 177-6 to finish second.

The biggest surprise of the meet came in the High Jump. Trevor Heffren, only a freshman, had only jumped 6-2 during the indoor season. He cleared 6-6 in his sectional meet. Heffren, Zach Pluff of Freeburg, and Terrence Hargrove of East St. Louis all had cleared 6-6 and moved up to 6-7. Hargrove and Pluff cleared on their second attempt. Heffren kept it interesting clearing on his final attempt at the height. That was the moment that Heffren needed. The freshman cleared 6-8 on his first attempt with Pluff clearing on his third attempt. Hargrove missed all three attempts at 6-8. Heffren cleared 6-9, also on his first attempt, to seal his first of what could be many state titles.

Chandlar Ifft of Prairie Central entered the competition in the Pole Vault when only three other athletes remained. Ifft cleared on his first attempts at 15-0, 15-6, and 16-0 to easily win the state title. Dayton Black of Charleston was second (15-3) followed by Jadon Elliott of Troy Triad (15-0).

Ryan Curington of De La Salle had the lead after the prelims and extended it in the finals jumping 23-0.75 to win the Long Jump. Brayden Forrest of Dixon jumped 22-4.75 to finish second.

Khalil Ross of Springfield Lanphier extended his lead in the Triple Jump in the finals jumping a personal best of 46-9.50 to win the state championship. Kai Baumgartner of Champaign Central jumped 45-3.25 to finish second.