Upload a Photo Upload a Video Add a News article Write a Blog Add a Comment
MessageReportBlock
Blog Feed News Feed Video Feed All Feeds
 

Folders

Featured (118)
Misc News (1227)
All (388)
All (4440)
 

 

Distance Storylines to follow in the 2022 IHSA Boys Sectionals

Published by
Illinois IHSA Outdoor State Championships   May 18th 2022, 2:43pm
Comments

 

 

Distance Storylines to follow in the 2022 IHSA Boys Sectionals

 

 

By Michael Newman [email protected]

 

 

This week we start the Boys runners quest to get to the state meet starting Wednesday with their sectional meets. There are so many storylines that we will discover this week in the distance events.

 

Here is a look at the distance events in the 36 sectionals that will take place across the state over the next three days.

 

Class 3A

 

Qualifying Standards: 800-1:57.75; 1600-4:23.68; 3200-9:29.30; 4x8-8:02.59

 

Lockport Township (Thursday)

 

This is the toughest of all 3A distance sectional meets. The question will be how many qualifiers will come from in these four talent laden events? The 800 Meter Run could be a mini-preview of what we could see next week in the state meet. Defending 3A Champ Daniel Watcke of Hinsdale Central has the top time in the state (1:52.91) and leads this field. Brett Wasick of Bolingbrook ran 1:53.79 (3A #2) to finish behind Watcke at Distance Night in Palatine and will be a factor in this race. Brock Rice of Sandburg won his conference meet with a 1:54.97 time (3A #3T) and will be challenging in the front. Ryan Eddington of Downers Grove North has a time under the qualifying standard and could drop his personal best down from 1:56.85 (3A #15). Samuel Barnard of Naperville Central also has a chance to make it to state. Hinsdale Central will have Watcke on their relay card in the 4x800m Relay but will he run in the event on Thursday? The Red Devils ran 7:53.30 indoors with Watcke anchoring. They could still run under 7:50 without Watcke in this sectional. Naperville Central, Sandburg, Downers Grove South, and Downers Grove North all have times under or near the state qualifying standards. Al five teams should be under 8-minutes in this race.

 

Declan Tunney of Sandburg has run 9:07.29 (3A #4) this season and will be the big favorite in this sectional in the 3200 Meter Run. His seed time is almost 30 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Gabe Ryan of Naperville North, Topher Ferris of Downers Grove North, and Nicholas Keeling of Naperville Central are runners you could see go under the qualifying spot. The field in the 1600 Meter Run is LOADED. Nine runners have gone under the qualifying standard and have seasonal bests all under 4:21. Tunney is entered in this race with the top seed time of 4:14.50 (3A #4). Luke Noren of Naperville Central at 4:14.90 (3A #6) and Colby Revord of Hinsdale Central at 4:15.74 (3A #8) had great races last week in their respective conference meets and could drop their times even more. Downers Grove North’s Roy Llewellyn and Caden Weber, Tim Neumann of Downers Grove South, and Michael Skora of Hinsdale Central all have times under 4:20 and will be factors in this race. Marcellus Mines of Joliet West missed most of the season due to an injury suffered during the end of the cross country season. The sophomore was all state last year. He ran 4:19.77 to win his conference meet showing he is ready for the state series. Sean Marquardt of Sandburg and Joey Puccillo of Downers Grove South are also possibilities to qualify.

 

St. Charles North (Thursday)

 

This sectional is also distance tough. Two-time state champion Micah Wilson of St. Charles East leads the field in the 3200 Meter Run. Wilson, who won this event at last year’s state meet, will be the big favorite with his 8:57.40 (3A #3) time. Nathan Lehman of Geneva, Quintin Lowe of Batavia, and Dylan Angel Lainez of South Elgin you could also see qualifying. Riley Newport of DeKalb won the 1600 Meter Run at the DVC Championships with a 4:13.69 time (3A #3). Wilson, who qualified for this event for state last year, has a 4:15.09 (3A #7) personal best from his conference win and will challenge Newport for the win. Quintin Lowe, Michael Atkins and Nathan Virginelli of Wheaton-Warrenville South, and Brady Ahern of Geneva will challenge for a qualifying spot. DeKalb, with Newport as their anchor, is the top seed in the 4x800m Relay. They will be pushed by Batavia for the win in this event. Alex Boyden of DeKalb leads the field in the 800 Meter Run. Quintin Lowe is also entered in this event and could be in the top two if he runs in this race. Joseph Xotla of St. Chares East, Zayne Luteyn of St. Charles North, Seth Kunio of West Aurora, and Rameez Abrar of Metea Valley should also be watched for in this event.

 

O’Fallon (Thursday)

 

Ryan Watts of Edwardsville enters the 3200 Meter Run with the second fastest 3A time in the state at 8:54.09. He will be the big favorite in this race with Dylan Ybarra of O’Fallon more than 30 seconds behind in seed times. Both Watts and Ybarra are also entered in the 1600 Meter Run. Watts has the fastest 3A time entering this meet at 4:12.41. Teammate Geordan Patrylak along with Ybarra have run times under 4:20. All three could qualify if they run close to their entered times. Patrylak will anchor the Edwardsville quartet that will be challenged by O’Fallon and Chatham-Glenwood in the 4x800 Meter Relay. Edwardsville has run 7:56.63 (3A #6) ahead of the O’Fallon time of 7:59.22 (3A #8) and Chatham-Glenwood’s time of 8:00.96 (3A #12). Belleville West has run 8:06.15 this spring and is within three seconds of the 8:02.59 qualifying time. Three runners under two minutes are entered in the 800 Meter Run led by Samson Desalines of Chatham-Glenwood and his 1:57.08 (3A #18) time. O’Fallon freshman Zach Thoman and Trey Peterson of Collinsville also have a chance to qualify.

 

Grayslake Central (Thursday)

 

Luke Wiley ran on Warren Township quartet that ran the second fastest time in the state at the Lake County Invite with a 7:51.42 time. He is not on Warren’s relay card in this event. Wiley is doing the 3200/1600 double. His New Balance Indoor National time of 9:02.22 leads the field in the 3200 Meter Run with Joey Furlong of Barrington, who has run 9:13.47 (3A #6) outdoors, should also qualify. Dylan Myers of Lake Zurich, Kimi Vesely of Warren Township, and Mukal Verma of Palatine are close to the qualifying time and could also be in position to qualify. Wiley is also the top seed in the 1600 Meter Run along with Furlong who are both under 4:20 this season. Ali Faiz of Libertyville and David Lara have seasonal bests that are under the qualifying time. Bryan Vale of Grayslake Central is within tenths of a second of it. Grayslake Central’s Trey Sato and Cole Boudreault of Lake Zurich are close to qualifying. Seven runners making it out of this sectional in this event is not out of reach. Caleb Levy of Warren Township is having a breakout junior season having run 1:55.35 (3A #5) in the 800 Meter Run. Teammate Maxwell Zeisler and Riley Beasley of Palatine will also be in the mix to qualify. Levy could be part of his team’s 4x800m Relay who are easily the top seed in this sectional. There are a number of teams between 8:14 and 8:19 that could qualify in the second spot including Palatine and Barrington.

 

Rock Island (Thursday)

 

Minooka enters this sectional in the 4x800m Relay with the state’s fastest time (7:48.99). Oswego at 7:56.12 (3A #5) and Oswego East at 8:00.66 (3A #11) have times under the state qualifying standard. Plainfield North, Plainfield South, Plainfield Central, and Neuqua Valley are all possibilities of qualifying for the trip to Charleston. The 3200 Meter Run field is deep with five runners that have gone under the state qualifying time of 9:29.30. Oliver Burns of Plainfield North at 9:23.24 (3A #16), Oswego’s Ethan Forsell and Benjamin Huey, Noah Schalliol of Neuqua Valley, and Dylan Maloney of Plainfield South are all within five seconds of each other. Zac Close of Neuqua Valley and Jacob Tukker of Waubonsie Valley could be close or under the state time. Five runners have times under 2-minutes in the 800 Meter Run. Logan Veloz of East Moline United, Minooka’s Emerson Fayman and Cole Kics, Jack Stillmunkes of Yorkville, and Jaeger Norton of Moline could be part of the two (or more) qualifiers to advance to state. This field in the 1600 Meter Run is also deep with as many as seven runners a possibility of getting that state meet trip. Zachary Balzer of Minooka leads the field with his 4:17.07 (3A #12) time. Angel Solis of Waubonsie Valley ran a school record of 4:18.80 in his conference meet and could also challenge for the win. Camryn Viger of Plainfield South, Parker Nold and Alex Das of Oswego East, and Robert Glenn of Neuqua Valley all have times under the 4:23.68 qualifying time. Ryan Palmer of Neuqua Valley, Ethan Reynoso of Plainfield South, and Jackson Ward of Washington are all close to making it to state.

 

Glenbrook South (Thursday)

 

Nick Falk of New Trier enters this sectional in the 3200 Meter Run with the top time in the state with an 8:53.44 time. Teammate George Cahill has run 9:11.13 (3A #5) and should also qualify. There are three runners in the 9:36 range with Joey Karlesky of Maine South, Bora Celiknal of Niles West, and TJ Garland of Prospect that could be within reach of the state qualifying standard. The 1600 Meter Run is deep in talent with six runners under the state qualifying standard. There could be as many as nine runners that could qualify. Falk at 4:17.06 (3A #11) and Cahill at 4:17.55 are the top two seeds. Spencer Werner of Loyola Academy has been slowed by injuries this spring only having run in three meets in May. He did win the Chicago Catholic League title last Saturday and is a returning all-state runner. I would not count him out. Like I said, this field is deep with Aidan Simon of Loyola Academy, Connor Oiler and Liam Naughton of Hersey, Nate Wehner of Highland Park, Lucas Moskovitz of Deerfield, and Lukasz Iwanowski of Maine East all have a chance to punch their tickets to Charleston in this event. Seven runners qualifying in the 800 Meter Run? That is also a possibility in this sectional if the pace is right. Brian Hiltebrand of Glenbrook South has run 1:56.32 (3A #10) and will be one of the favorites in this event along Patrick Jamieson of New Trier. Evan Morris of Deerfield has been coming on strong the last two meets and could be a factor in this event. Casey Gibbons and William Simon of Loyola Academy, Will Huddleston of Maine South, and John Ihrke of Glenbrook North all have season best times under 2-minutes. The 4x800m Relay is wide open with five teams between 8:04 and 8:08 with Deerfield at 8:04.35 the top seed. None of these teams are under the state qualifying standard yet. They could be Thursday after this race. Prospect, New Trier, Glenbrook South, and Hersey all will be in the hunt for a qualifying spot. Even Loyola Academy who has an 8:18.50 best could make it if they load their relay with Werner and Aidan Simon part of that quartet.

 

Huntley (Wednesday)

 

This is a sectional where we could just see automatic qualifiers advancing. Will Gelon of Prairie Ridge is the top seed in the 3200 Meter Run and will be challenged by Karson Hollander of Crystal Lake Central and Ian Barnes of Cary-Grove for one of the two qualifying spots. The top five runners in the 1600 Meter Run are separated by only five seconds. Caden McNulty of Belvidere North with a 4:27.97 best has the top seed with Gelon and Brandon Lawson of Rockford Guilford with seed times under 4:30. Doug Martin of McHenry could be a surprise qualifier in this race. Hampshire ran 7:59.32 (3A #9) to win the Fox Valley Conference 4x800m Relay last Friday. They are the big favorite with Jacobs, Crystal Lake Central, and Huntley all challenging for the second qualifying spot. All three teams have times between 8:10 and 8:11. Mitchell Dalby, who will anchor Hampshire’s relay, has the top time in the 800 Meter Run (1:58.38). Charlie Kucz of Huntley and Miles Lang of Rockford East appear to be his chief competition.

 

Berwyn-Cicero Morton (Wednesday)

 

This could be a good distance sectional with a few of the race expected to exceed more than the two automatic qualifiers. Marist and Lyons Township both have seed times of 8:13 and will challenge for wins in the 4x800m Relay. Host Morton is the chief challenger for one of the two qualifying spots but seven seconds behind the two teams. Landan Gillespie of Kenwood surprised some when he finished second at the Chicago Public League Championships with a 1:56.34 time (3A #11). He leads the field in the 800 Meter Run by over four seconds ahead of Michael Ferrell of Lyons Township and another two seconds ahead of Jack O’Brien of Riverside-Brookfield. Morton should have a sweep in the front of the 3200 Meter Run as teammates Daniel Chavez and Alex Bacci, who pace each other in their races, should advance. Chavez has the top time at 9:18.12 (3A #11). Finn Gallagher of Lyons Township and Louie Leahy of HL Richards may get close to the 9:29.30 auto qualifying time. There are three runners entered in the 1600 Meter Run that have seed times under the IHSA qualifying time of 4:23.68. Owen Forberg of HL Richards has the top time in this race at 4:19.06 (3A #22). Jake Phillips of Marist and Daniel Chavez are entered both with state qualifying times. Nicholas Strayer of Lyons Township could also get under the qualifying time.

 

Glenbard North (Thursday)

 

Ethan Summer of York has been doing well in the last month with is time in the 1600 Meter Run having run 4:16.75 (3A #10) last Friday at the WSC-Silver Meet. He will be the big favorite in this race with Michael Labno of Fremd along with  Michael Miller and Jack Hatlestad of Glenbard West looking to either making it under the standard or qualify in the second spot. Summer is a possibility on the team’s 4x800m Relay that currently has the #4 time in Class 3A (7:56.06). Wheaton North at 8:09.10, Glenbard West, and Fremd will challenge for the second spot. Ryan Schreiner of Wheaton North was all-state in the 800 Meter Run last year and is ready to make a return trip to Charleston. Schreiner has the top time in this sectional at 1:54.97 (3A #3T) and is the favorite in this race with Anthony Nitti of Glenbard West, Theodore Cunningham of Fremd, and Emmet Doyle of York all possibilities of qualifying for state. There are only three runners in this 3200 Meter Run Sectional that have times under 10-minutes. Jeff Luka of York was a state qualifier last year and could go back to state with a top seed time of 9:28.80. Ryan Zydek of Wheaton North or Kevin Diedrich of Willowbrook should challenge for the second qualifying spot.

 

Proviso East (Thursday)

 

Lane Tech has the top seed in the 4x800m Relay with their 7:53.51 time (3A #3) that they ran at Arcadia in April. Oak Park-River Forest is under the state qualifying standard and will push Lane Tech in this race. St. Ignatius Prep is also a possibility of qualifying for the state meet. Yasir Hirsi of Mather is the only runner in the 3200 Meter Run that has a time under the qualifying standard. There could be as many as three runners that could make the state trip including Liam Newhart of Oak Park-River Forest, Sam Berlinghof and Alan Menninger of Jones Prep, and Tedros Mekonen of Senn. Michael Polizzi of Taft at 1:56.80 (3A #14) and Emmett Kennedy of Lane Tech are the top two runners in the 800 Meter Run. There could be as many as five runners that could qualify in the 1600 Meter Run led by Lane Tech’s Jack Klein and Hunter Whitney. Michael Michelotti of Oak Park-River Forest, Berlinghof, and Hirsi are among the runners that you could see in the front.

 

Thornton Township (Wednesday)

 

The feature race in this sectional 3200 Meter Run. Caden Simone of Lincoln-Way Central has run only four 3200-meter races this season. All of those times are under 9:21 including his 9:15.31 that he ran to win indoors at Batavia Distance Madness. Nolan Rogers of Lincoln-Way East should be the other qualifier. He has a best of 9:25.06. There are no other runners under 10-minutes in this event. Homewood-Flossmoor has the big advantage in the 4x800m Relay with a seed time of 8:15.57 almost 10 seconds ahead of Lincoln-Way East with Lincoln-Way Central another six seconds back. Dane Ivancevic of Homewood-Flossmoor and Jeremiah Lanum of Bradley-Bourbonnais both have seed times of 4:28 and will challenge for the win in the 1600 Meter Run. Homewood-Flossmoor has the top two seeds in the 800 Meter Run with Denzel Lee at 1:58.28 and Habtamu Epley at 2:00.64. Eric Marquez of Eisenhower is another two seconds behind the Vikings’ runners.

 

Class 2A

 

Qualifying Standards: 800-2:00.80; 1600-4:31.13; 3200-9:53.65; 4x8-8:16.81

 

Metamora (Wednesday)

 

Wilson Georges of Limestone has the fastest 2A times in both the 800 Meter Run and the 1600 Meter Run heading into this week’s sectionals. He also has an 8:56 solo time trial in the 3200 Meter Run two weeks ago. He could have doubled for state. He is just focusing on the 1600 Meter Run. His best time of the season of 4:11.79 is the fastest time in the state and almost 20 seconds ahead of the field led by Owen Dare of Olympia who has run 4:30.20. Three runners will challenge for two spots in the 3200 Meter Run. Morton’s Chase Sauder and Keegan Anderson along with Trey Socha of Peoria Notre Dame have times between 10:07 and 10:09. Dare and Ryan Rice of Normal University are the top runners in the 800 Meter Run. The two runners lead the field by three seconds with Rice entering the meet with a 1:58.70 (2A #12) time. Normal University is the top team (8:28.90) in the 4x800m Relay and will be challenged by Olympia, Metamora, and Peoria Notre Dame.

 

Mascoutah (Wednesday)

 

One runner that will be missing from this sectional is 2A State Cross Country Champion from this past fall Alex Partlow of Carbondale. The senior last raced on this track on April 15 winning the 1600 Meter Run. An injury has sidelined him for the rest of the season. Partlow will attend the University of Illinois this fall.

 

Gavin Genisio of Benton will be one of the runners to watch in this Wednesday sectional in both the 800 Meter Run and 1600 Meter Run. The enters the field in the 800 Meter Run with the top seed at 1:56.02 (2A #3) and has the fastest seed time by over four seconds. Trey Mygatt of Mt. Vernon and Sam LaJoye of Mascoutah will contend for qualifying spots. Genisio will be the big favorite in the 1600 Meter Run. He ran 4:16.78 (2A #3) to win the Distance Night in Palatine in April and is the top runner in that field. Joe Schwartz of Waterloo has run under 4:20 with his 4:19.07 time (2A #4) run at Collinsville on May 7. There are a number of runners that could also qualify in this event including Ethan Hogan and Calvin Range of Columbia, Dylon Nalley of Marion, and Lance Miller of Mascoutah. Schwartz, Nalley, and Hogan all have exceeded the state qualifying time in the 3200 Meter Run this season and will look to do it again in this sectional. Schwartz enters the event with the top seed time of 9:24.90 (2A #5). Nalley ran 9:30.30 (2A #7) last Friday at his conference meet. Mascoutah won the team title last year based on their strength in the relays. This will hold true in the 4x800m Relay where Mascoutah has a best of 8:09.56 (2A #3) this season. Marion is the favorite to qualify in the second spot.

 

Tolono Unity (Thursday)

 

All four distance events should be great in this meet. Garrett Slack is having a great track season and should punch his ticket to next week’s state meet. The senior has the fastest 2A time in the state (1:53.98) and is the top seed in the 800 Meter Run. Sam Atkinson of Mt. Zion has run 1:56.10 (2A #4) will be the one runner to push Slack. Jonah Singer of Mahomet-Seymour and Brooks Julian of Richland County could also make that Charleston trip in that event. The 4x800m Relay is wide open with the top four teams within two seconds of each other. Urbana is the top seed with Mattoon, Lincoln, and Champaign Central all pushing for the win. Julian Baker of Mt. Zion is the only runner in this sectional under 10-minutes in the 3200 Meter Run with a 9:45.89 seed time. There could be six runners chasing after the final auto qualifying spot led by Sam Lambert of Urbana and Brock Davee of Mattoon. Brenden Heitzig of Lincoln has a 4:22.47 time (2A #6) that will lead the field in the 1600 Meter Run. Julian Baker has run 4:28.40 and could make it in. Joseph Scheele and Kyle Notziger of Mahomet-Seymour along with Cale Smith of Decatur Eisenhower could also advance to state.

 

Belvidere (Thursday)

 

Michael Schumacher of St. Viator is a good bet to qualify in both the 3200 Meter Run and the 1600 Meter Run in this sectional. Schumacher has run 9:22.48 indoors this season. He has the top time in the 3200 Meter Run by almost a minute ahead of the rest of the field. His time of 4:18.86 is ahead of the 1600 Meter Run field by almost 20 seconds that is led by Ishan Patel of Woodstock and Max Elder of Northridge Prep. Peyton Whitehead of Lakes has run 1:58.41 (2A #9) and Lucas Doland of St Viator has run 1:58.62 (2A #10) in the 800 Meter Run and should challenge for the win. Rowan McDonnell of St. Viator and Mark Masaka of Northridge Prep could also advance to the state meet hitting either the time or auto qualifier. Northridge Prep has a seed time 10 seconds ahead of the rest of the field in the 4x800m Relay. Woodstock and Boylan Catholic are their closest competitors.

 

Kankakee (Wednesday)

 

This sectional will be a tune up for two-time defending champion Drew Rogers of Herscher as he will be the big favorite in both the 3200 Meter Run and 1600 Meter Run. Rogers’ seasonal best and 2A lead in the 3200 Meter Run (9:07.24) is almost two minutes ahead of the rest of the field. His time of 4:14.55 (2A #2) in the 1600 Meter Run is 30 seconds faster than the rest of the field led by Daniel Kasperan of Marian Catholic and Rocco Cipolla of Evergreen Park. Ben Morgan of Herscher has run 2:07.91 and is the top seed in the 800 Meter Run. Cody Dziallo of Agricultural Science and Bryan Johnson of Marian Catholic will look to be one of the two qualifying runners. We could see Rogers run in the 4x800m Relay considering the strength of this sectional. Herscher is the top seed (8:50.95) with Marian Catholic at 8:54.51 its closest competition.

 

Rochelle (Wednesday)

 

Yusuf Baig of Burlington Central should flourish in this sectional with possibilities of qualifying in both the 3200 Meter Run and 1600 Meter Run. Baig ran 9:17.56 (2A #3) at Distance Night in Palatine and will be the big favorite in this event. Dale Johnson of Sterling has run under the state qualifying standard. Ryan Kries of Burlington Central is within a tenth of a second to it. Baig and Johnson look to be the favorites in the 1600 Meter Run. They are ahead of the rest of the field by more than 13 seconds. Both runners have seed times of 4:27. Caden Emmert of Sycamore leads the field in the 800 Meter Run with a 1:57.1 seed time. Nolan Allen of Kaneland and Thomas Holcomb of Sterling will be in the hunt for the second automatic qualifying position. Sterling is under the state qualifying time in the 4x800m Relay with an 8:13.29 time (2A #4). Sycamore and Kaneland will also be in the front on Wednesday.

 

Troy Triad (Thursday)

 

Bethalto Civic Memorial will have a clear advantage in the 4x800m Relay. They enter the sectional with an 8:09.44 time (2A #2) ahead of the field by almost 30 seconds ahead of East St. Louis-Senior, Troy Triad, and Taylorville. The top six runners in the 800 Meter Run are within three seconds of each other. None of these runners have run under the state qualifying standard. Ryan Gustafson of Rochester is the top seed (2:02.60). Jackson Collman of Bethalto Civic Memorial has the top time in the 3200 Meter Run. His time of 9:42.74 is over 30 seconds ahead of Andrew Pace of Triad. Collman and Pace are entered in the 1600 Meter Run and are 10 seconds behind the top seed Justice Eldridge of Bethalto Civic Memorial. The Civic Memorial sophomore ran 4:28.00 at the Collinsville Sectional.

 

Plano (Friday)

 

Patrick Hilby of Aurora Central Catholic is having a breakthrough sophomore season and it shows in his times especially in the 800 Meter Run. Hilby has a time of 1:56.51 (2A #5) that leads the field in this sectional. Kody Danko of Streator at 1:58.32 (2A #8) will push Hilby in this race. Armando Acosta of Aurora Central Catholic and Wyatt Miller of Sandwich should also be watched for in this event. Sandwich is the top team in the 4x800m Relay at 8:18.58 (2A #8) and ahead of Aurora Central Catholic by 16 seconds. The 3200 Meter Run could be a tight race with the top four runners within four seconds of each other. Connor Carlson of Marmion Academy and Matt Clark of Morris are the top seeds at 10:03. Clark and his teammate Kaden Welch are the top seeds in the 1600 Meter Run with seed times of 4:36 and 4:38. Finn Richards of Benet Academy is four seconds behind and could step into one of those top two qualifying spots.

 

DePaul Prep (Wednesday)

 

One of the top races in this sectional begins with the two top 5 2A teams in the 4x800m Relay. Payton Prep ran the fastest time in Class 2A (8:05.10) in winning the Chicago Public League Championships last Saturday. On the same day, DePaul Prep ran 8:13.49 (2A #5) in the Chicago Catholic League Meet. Mac Kittrell of DePaul Prep and Ritvik Viniak of Payton Prep are the top two seeds in the 3200 Meter Run. Kittrell has run 9:30.93 (2A #8) time with Viniak almost 30 seconds behind. The rest of the field is more than 20 seconds behind Viniak. Charlie Richardson and Ethan Castette of DePaul Prep are the top 2 seeds in the 800 Meter Run with time under 2-minutes. Payton’s Prep Elias Wilkin and Griffin Braunreiter both have run under 2:01 and could also make the EIU trip. Kittrell will double back in the 1600 Meter Run as the top seed of 4:27.60 (2A #12). Response Nshimiye of Sullivan and Owen Flom of DePaul Prep look to be the next runners to challenge for the second qualifying spots.

 

Fenwick (Wednesday)

 

Host Fenwick could clean up in the distance events winning all four events and qualify two runners in each of the three individual events. Fenwick has the top time of 8:14.10 (2A #6) in the 4x800m Relay ahead of Glenbard South and Elmwood Park by almost 30 seconds. Nate McKillop and Zac Dailey are the only runners that have run under 10-minutes and could lead a 1-2 sweep for Fenwick in the 3200 Meter Run. Glenbard South’s Jaden Frederick could be close to the two runners. Lee O’Bryan of Fenwick has run 1:57.91 indoors and 1:58.32 outdoors (2A #10T) to lead the field in the 800 Meter Run. Montini’s Tommy May and Grayden Rill of Fenwick could also make it to Charleston. Fenwick teammates Dean O’Bryan and Rill should go 1-2 in the 1600 Meter Run. The rest of the field is 10 seconds behind them in that event.

 

St. Rita (Thursday)

 

A Chicago based sectional where the distance events will only see automatic qualifiers advance. Lindblom is the top seed in the 4x800m Relay with an 8:35.89 time. Chase Pitre of De La Salle is the only runner under 2-minutes in the 800 Meter Run with a 1:59.71 time. Dion Ranson of South Shore International is his closest competition only two seconds back. De La Salle’s Gabriel Schonknecht has run 10:24.09 and is 30 seconds ahead of the field in the 3200 Meter Run. Pitre and Schonknecht are the top two seeds in the 1600 Meter Run.

 

Class 1A

 

Qualifying Standards: 800-2:02.83; 1600-4:39.80; 3200-10:12.64; 4x800-8:33.28

 

St. Joseph-Ogden (Friday)

 

Ryder James’ journey to two state championships starts at this sectional where he is entered in both the 3200 Meter Run and 1600 Meter Run. The Paxton-Buckley-Loda senior ran 9:18.31 and should be the overwhelming favorite in the 3200 Meter Run. Emerson Thorlton of Bismarck-Henning has run 10:02.30 and should qualify. Eli Mojonnier of Bismarck-Henning is back to defend his state championship in the 800 Meter Run. Mojonnier’s best of 1:57.25 (IL #3) is seven seconds ahead of the rest of the field that includes Keagan Busboom of Paxton-Buckley-Loda and Elijah Mock of St. Joseph-Ogden. The 1600 Meter Run should be great led by James who has the fastest 1A time this year (4:17.26) and Mojonnier who has the second fastest 1A time (4:21.48). This field is deep where six total runners could advance to the state meet. Watch for Charlie Mabry and Luke Stegall of St. Joseph-Ogden, Bryson Grant of Iroquois West, and Thorlton to try to run under the state qualifying time. St. Joseph-Ogden will be the big favorite in the 4x800m Relay having run 8:23.48 (1A #6) this spring. Bismarck-Henning is the second seed but are seeded 30 seconds behind the Spartans.

 

Hope Academy (Wednesday)

 

The 3200 Meter Run field is great with three of top four runners in Class 1A in the field. Akili Parekh of Latin School enters the sectional with a 9:21.77 (1A #2) time. Kieran Subra of Lycee Francais de Chicago at 9:33.22 (1A #3) and Ryan Hardiman of Latin School at 9:34.11 (1A #4) follow. The trio is 80 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. The quality is also there in the 1600 Meter Run led by Hardiman and his 4:20.98 time run indoors. Parekh at 4:23.91 (1A 4) and Subra at 4:30.79 (1A #15) are well under the state qualifying time in this event. Jason Gould of Wolcott is also under the time standard and could make the trip to Charleston. Julian Aske of Beacon Academy has a three second edge in the 800 Meter Run with his 1:57.95 (1A #4) run at Distance Night in Palatine. If Gould does not make it in the 1600 he could qualify in this race with the second fastest time in this sectional (2:01.08). North Shore Country Day at 8:59.94 has the top time entering the 4x800m Relay.

 

Tuscola (Wednesday)

 

Decatur St. Teresa leads the 4x800m Relay field with an 8:23.19 time (1A #5). Tuscola at 8:30.12 (1A #8) and Shelbyville could also qualify for state. There are four runners that have run under the qualifying time in the 3200 Meter Run. Henry Laufenberg of Urbana University at 9:53.33 (1A #12) and Logan Beckmier of Arthur-Lovington at 9:55.33 (1A #13) are the top two seeds. Dylan Howell of Cerro Gordo-Bement and Evan Cook of Decatur St. Teresa could also advance on time. Laufenberg and Beckmier along with Jace Green of Arthur-Lovington have times run below the state standard in the 1600 Meter Run. Green enters with the top seed of 4:27.66 (1A #10), Beau Edwards of Arcola leads the 800 Meter Run field as the only runner with a time under 2-minutes at 1:58.40 run Monday at the N/G Honor Roll Meet. Four more runners have possibilities of making it to Charleston led by Caleb Kernaghan of Decatur St. Teresa.

 

Kewanee-Wethersfield (Friday)

 

Thomas Harmon of Elmwood is entered in all three distance events along with being on the card for the 4x800m Relay. Which races will he run on Friday? The senior’s best event could be the 800 Meter Run where he ran a 1:56.20 time (1A #2) at Eureka at the end of April. His teammate Isaiah Hill has a 1:59.25 best and should qualify. The nest runners are over nine seconds behind him. Elmwood will also be the top seed in the 4x800m Relay with their best time of 8:36.1. They are almost 30 seconds ahead of the rest of the teams. Lowpoint-Washburn’s Luke Getz (10:32.29) and Colin Delagrange (10:33.09) are the top runners in the 3200 Meter Run. Harmon, a 10:33.4, is seeded third.

 

Fairfield (Wednesday)

 

This could be an exciting distance sectional. All four distance events to be extremely competitive. Isaac Stanford of Flora is having a great senior campaign having the fastest 1A time in the state in the 800 Meter Run (1:55.60). He has the top seed in the event by five seconds ahead of Seth Hamerski of Bluford Webber and Dylan Bledsoe of Pinckneyville who could both qualify. Stanford and Isaac Teel of Pinckneyville both have run under 4:27 and will face off in what should be a fast 1600 Meter Run. Stanford at 4:23.17 (1A #3) and Teel at 4:26.15 (1A #5) are 13 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Landen Swiney of DuQuoin is within a second of the state qualifying time and could also advance. Teel, Swiney, and Stanford head the 3200 Meter Run ahead of the rest of the field by a minute. Teel has the top seed time of 9:51.4 14 seconds ahead of Swiney. Pinckneyville, at 8:35.52, has the fastest time heading into this sectional 4x800m Relay. DuQuoin and Bluford Webber look to challenge for the second qualifying spot.

 

Maroa-Forsyth (Wednesday)

 

Three runners have gone under the qualifying time in the 3200 Meter Run this season and are only separated by three seconds. Isaac Crumrine of Riverton and Daniel Giacomini of Williamsville but have run 10:01. Haven Gronewold of Petersburg PORTA is just three seconds behind the two. All three runners with average races could all qualify to state. Brock Richards of Maroa-Forsyth is among the favorites in the 1600 Meter Run along with Crumrine and Avery Glascow of Williamsville. Nolan Bates of Williamsville has run 2:01.80 and is almost four seconds ahead of the rest of the field in the 800 Meter Run. Bates should anchor Williamsville in the 4x800m Relay. The Bullets have the top seed time of 8:33.73. Heyworth and Pleasant Plains are also expected to challenge for one of the two state qualifying spots.

 

Oregon (Friday)

 

Harvest Christian Academy has the 1A fastest time in the 4x800m Relay (8:15.29) and leads this sectional field. Rockford Christian is always competitive in this relay. They have run 8:26.11 (1A #7) having won indoors at Illinois Top Times. Daniel Winkelman of Harvest Christian Academy and Weston Forward of Rockford Christian are more than a minute ahead of the rest of the runners in the 3200 Meter Run. Winkelman ran 9:28.53 indoors and has a 9:41.05 outdoor best. Forward’s best time of 9:41.56 was also achieved indoors. Winkelman with a 4:19.78 seed time will be the favorite in the 1600 Meter Run. Teammate David Peterson and Forward are 16 seconds behind Winkelman but also under the state qualifying time. Aidan Sosnowski of Rockford Christian is the top seed in the 800 Meter Run with his 2:00.89 time. Peterson is also entered at this distance and is under state qualifying. Adison Elliott of Rockford Christian is within hundredths of a second of the qualifying time. Winkelman is also entered in this event.

 

Tremont (Wednesday)

 

Mason Stoeger of Fieldcrest is the favorite in both the 3200 Meter Run and 1600 Meter Run. Stoeger’s best time in the 3200 Meter Run (9:50.52, 1A #10) is 34 seconds ahead of the rest of the field led by Andrew Perry of Eureka. It will be closer in the 1600 Meter Run for the Fieldcrest senior. Stoeger at 4:27.49 (1A #9) and Noah Ludy of El Paso-Gridley at 4:29.21 (1A #14) are almost 20 seconds ahead of the entrants in the event. Ludy is also entered in the 800 Meter Run where he is seeded second behind Charlie Bardwell of Eureka (2:00.99). Eureka and El Paso-Gridley are the top teams in the 4x800m Relay separated by 11 seconds. Eureka’s top seed time is 8:30.61.

 

Chester (Wednesday)

 

Trenton-Wesclin ran 8:19.46 (1A #3) last week at Shelbyville in the 4x800m Relay and will be the favorite in that event. Nashville and Althoff Catholic appear to be the teams to challenge for the second and third spots. Gavin Hill, who could anchor Trenton-Wesclin in the relay, is the top seed in the 1600 Meter Run. Nick Fehr of Red Bud and Christian Rees of Steeleville should be in the running for the second place spot. Fehr has the top seed in the 3200 Meter Run with a 9:56.48 time. Hill is also entered in the 3200 Meter Run and could advance. If not, then watch for Grant Schleifer of Okawville who could also qualify. Rees, Fehr, and Ray Habeck of Nashville are the top three seeded runners in the 800 Meter Run. Rees’ best time this season is 2:00.86 (1A #13).

 

Rushville-Industry (Wednesday)

 

Miles Sheppard of Hamilton-West Hancock looks for the double win in his final high school sectional. Sheppard has the fastest 1A time in the state at 9:18.60. Cannen Wolf of Liberty will be the next qualifier. He has run 9:48.93 (1A #8). The rest of the runners in this event are nearly two minutes behind. It should be closer in the 1600 Meter Run. Sheppard has the top seed with a 4:26.4 time. Wolf (4:31.28) and Noah Stout of Hamilton-West Hancock (4:31.50) will also challenge for the win in this event. Isaac Jones of Astoria has run 4:43.1 this season and could also make it to Charleston if he runs over four seconds faster than his season’s best. Jones is the top runner in the 800 Meter Run having run 1:58.85 (1A #8) to lead this sectional. Tyler Bickerman of Rushville-Industry (1:59.48, IL #10), and Stout (2:00.84, 1A #12) are also a part of this fast field. Hamilton-West Hancock has run 8:49.6 and is the top seed in the 4x800m Relay.

 

Erie-Prophetstown (Thursday)

 

Tommy Murray of Riverdale will try for two wins in this sectional. Murray and Brock Loftus of Amboy spotlight the 3200 Meter Run. Murray’s top time of 9:49.81(1A #8) is 12 seconds ahead of Loftus seasonal best of 10:01.2. The gap is similar in the 1600 Meter Run as the Riverdale junior’s time of 4:26.15 (1A #5T) is almost 13 seconds ahead of teammate Landis Musser. The best race for Musser could be in the 800 Meter Run where he leads the race field with a 1:58.65 time (1A #7). His time is over three seconds ahead of Noah Britton of Rock Island Alleman and Elijah House of Bureau Valley. Rock Island Alleman has run 8:22.68 (1A #4) and is the top team in this sectional in the 4x800m Relay. Riverdale at 8:30.21 (1A #9) and Sterling Newman at 8:31.06 (1A #11) should also challenge for the sectional win.

 

Newton (Wednesday)

 

Three runners are within two seconds of each other in the 3200 Meter Run. All of those runners have run under the state standard time this season. Griffen Elder of Effingham St. Anthony, Nick Zwilling of Newton, and Austin Wesley of Robinson could all make the trip to state. Elder also has the top seed in the 1600 Meter Run with Zwilling within two seconds of the junior. Newton could sweep the top two places in the 800 Meter Run led by Owen Mahaffey and Luke Weber leading the way. That duo will be part of Newton’s 4x800m Relay that has run 8:19.46 (1A #2) this season. They are almost a minute ahead of the rest of the field that is led by Effingham St. Anthony and Casey-Westfield.

 

Virden-North Mac (Wednesday)

 

New Berlin at 8:58.59 lead the field in the 4x800m Relay ahead of Litchfield by 15 seconds. New Berlin could also sweep the first two spots in the 800 Meter Run led by Reece Butcher and Ben Hermes. Elijah Hoehn of Auburn is within a second of Hermes and could step into the second spot. Jacob Gutzman of Waverly and Camden Quarton are within 10 seconds of each other and almost a minute ahead of the rest of the field in the 3200 Meter Run. Both runners are in position to qualify. Quarton has a three second edge over Gutzman in the 1600 Meter Run. Will Meyer of Carlinville is within four seconds of the two and could find his way into the top two qualifying places.

 

Seneca (Wednesday)

 

Beecher (9:12.4) and Westmont (9:14.66) are the top two teams in the 4x800m Relay. Noah Luke of Chicago Christian and Christian Provost of Kankakee McNamara are the only runners that have run under 11-minutes in this 3200 Meter Run field. Luke is the top seed in the 1600 Meter Run with a 4:41.30 time. Ethan Lemkuil of Timothy Christian leads the field in the 800 Meter Run with a 2:04.64 seed time. The next runner in the event is nearly five seconds behind the Timothy Christian senior.

 

More news

History for ILXCTF - Mike Newman
YearVideosNewsPhotosBlogs
2024 528 19    
2023 1035 171    
2022 1049 193    
Show 11 more