2022 IHSA Boys State Track & Field Championships - Class 3A Storylines to Watch

 

Photo: Micah Wilson looks to repeat as 3A 3200 champion (Kevin Dorsey Photo)

 

By Michael Newman [email protected]

 

The 3A State Meet begins Friday afternoon with its preliminary session. There are 10 teams at least that could challenge for a trophy led by Minooka and Batavia. You can read more about the teams in this article.

 

There are a number of “once in a lifetime” athletes that will participate in this meet. Years from now when we look back at the races, the jumps, the throws, we will remember how remarkable the performances were. That is how good this meet could be.

 

Here are some of the storylines that tell why once in a lifetime can be true.

 

Returning State Champions

 

Daniel Watcke - Hinsdale (Central)

 

It is more reality than myth when you watch Daniel Watcke run a race on the track. Watcke rose to legendary status only as a sophomore last season in the 800 Meter Run. Whether it was running in Palatine or running the fastest Illinois time ever for a sophomore for two laps, if you find out that he will be racing at a meet, you rush to be there.

 

He has said in the past that there is a time to go for a time and a time to race. He is a student of the race tactics. Watcke ran a tactical race in last year’s state final running 1:54.24 to win the state title. He then came back nine days later in Chicago to run that 1:50.34 in winning.

 

This could be a weekend to win instead of running fast. My guess is he will run five races during a 24 hour period. The one thing about the 800 Meter Run in this classification that on paper, some of the top runners are missing whether on running another event or not making it out of sectionals. Watcke will be the favorite in this race but will have company in the front. Watcke and Brett Wasick of Bolingbrook went head to head last week at Lockport were Watcke won by only two hundredths of a second. Wasick felt it was like to be close to the Hinsdale junior in that race. It will benefit him if they meet in the finals on Saturday. There are a number of runners that will be near to the front including all-state runners Ryan Schreiner of Wheaton North and Brian Hiltebrand of Glenbrook South along with up and coming Caleb Levy of Warren Township. Watcke is a throwback of the runner of way back when. He knows the runners against which he will run. He produces a race plan and executes it. When asking either of his coaches Jim Westphal or Noah Lawrence what his race plan will be, they will honestly tell you that they do not know. He just goes out and runs.

 

He is a student of running so t earn his doctorate at the next level. We get two more state meets to see him do Watckesque type of things on the Big Blue Oval. That is a thing I will treasure.

 

Micah Wilson - St Charles (East)

 

Micah Wilson is a runner that trusts the process knowing he will be in the front at the end of the year when it counts the most. In his junior track season, Wilson ran at Distance Night in Palatine where he finished ninth in the 3200 Meter Run. A month later at the IHSA State Meet, Wilson ran the final 800-meters in 2:07.8 to pull away from the field to become a state champion in the 3200 Meter Run. It happened last fall during the cross-country season. Wilson finished fifth at the Peoria Invitational against a great field. A month later back at Detweiller Park, Wilson controlled the race and again pulled away to win his state championship.

 

Wilson trusts the process and the coaching that his coach Chris Bosworth sets for him. He is the leader of his team but leads by example and not words. Wilson, who will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison this fall, traveled out to Arcadia and ran under nine-minutes for the first time (8:57.40) but finished ninth in the seeded race. He currently has the third fastest time in the state for the 3200 Meter Run. He has showed that he is peaking at the right time by running 4:15.09 (3A #8) to win at this conference meet. We will talk about how loaded the 1600 Meter Run field could be. Wilson qualified in that race. He is also in the 3200 Meter Run where the top runners in the 3A list Nick Falk of New Trier and Ryan Watts of Edwardsville will be in the field. Luke Wiley of Warren finished second last year in the race will be part of the field along with George Cahill of New Trier.

 

The thing is, Wilson has been there before and will be up front again. He is a state champion, and no one can take that away from him. He is a champion also in life. No one can take THAT away from him.

 

Kyle Clabough - Yorkville

 

We did in the introduction of this preview state there were once in a lifetime athletes in this field. One of those athletes that we will see outside of O’Brien Field in EIU’s Shot Put rings is Kyle Clabough. The senior, who will also attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison this fall, took advantage of the COVID-19 season that was not in his sophomore season and honed his craft in the ring. He competed in club meets that were being held that summer instead of a state meet taking his best of 53-11.75 to an end of year best of 58-3.75.

 

He has taken his competing to the next level in the Shot Put where he has gone undefeated in the past 27 high school meets over the last two years. It is one of those progressions that not too many people in the history of this state can brag about especially at the level that he is at. He ended his junior year with the state championship in the Shot Put. His best last year was 65-5.75. He went past 60-feet in 11 of his 12 Shot Put events he competed in during the 2021 season. He is peaking at the right time this spring with an Illinois best and seasonal best of 62-9.5 at the Rock Island Sectional last week. He is currently ranked #26 in the United States. It will take another great performance to keep his win streak going as well as defending his state championship. Alex Sohn of Normal Community could be his chief competition. Sohn had a 61-7 personal best from his conference meet two weeks ago. He is a foot away from Clabough. Paulo Gennarelli of St. Charles North and Cooper Cerese of Lake Park are close to 60-feet and could join Clabough and Sohn in the 60-foot club and also contend for the win.

 

Rob Pulliam - Moline

 

In the heat of the moment at last year’s 3A State Meet, an improbable state champion stepped forward. Rob Pulliam wore the underdog role heading into the finals in Charleston with distinction. He was the one athlete that took advantage of the warm conditions. While other athletes were pilling up misses, Pulliam was easily clearing them. He cleared his first five heights on the first attempt including the 6-7 height that won him the state championship. Then he went after going higher and achieving personal bests. Pulliam missed on his first two attempts at 6-9. His third attempt he slightly brushed the bar but still cleared the height to achieve a new personal best. He went to 6-11.50 where he had three missed attempts. I am sure he will use that moment when he gets to those heights in Saturday’s finals.

 

This field in the 3A High Jump is just as tough as a year before. Pulliam looks up to the challenge. He cleared his seasonal best of 6-6.75 to win his sectional meet at Rock Island last week. He had the highest 3A sectional clearance. Jonovan Findley of Normal West cleared 6-9 at his conference meet two weeks ago and is the Class 3A list leader. Matt Cless of Evanston, Charlie Nolan of Normal West, and Chris Taylor of Normal Community look to be the athletes that will challenge for the High Jump Championship. Pulliam could also be one of the favorites in the Long Jump where he qualified for state in that event. Pulliam has jumped 24-1.25 (3A #2) at his conference meet and could pick up a state title.

 

The Gold Standard

 

The most hyped event of the Boys State Meet is the 4x800m Relay that opens the meet. It deserves the hype. It deserves that distinction. The event (then the 4x880y) was first contested in 1976 when Thornton ran 7:38.0 to win. 5 of the top 10 performances in Illinois all-time occurred in that race.

 

The Gold standard in this event has been Sandburg. The Eagles have won state titles in the event in 2015, 2016, and 2018. They have qualified for the state meet 13 out of the last 15 times. A Sandburg relay team has recorded a time under 8-minutes every year since 2006. It is part of their distance program’s culture. They would like to have one more state title.

 

This year’s race could be the greatest in the history of Illinois State Meets. It starts with last week at the Lockport Sectional. Hinsdale Central’s team of Aden Bandukwala, Grant Miller, Kyle Doorhy, and Colby Revord ran 7:42.15 to win the sectional title. Sandburg was close with their quartet of Sean Marquardt, Declan Tunney, Trent Anderson, and Brock Rice ran 7:42.42 to finish second. Those times are #2 and #3 currently in the United States.

 

So, what could happen on Saturday?

 

You have four teams this season that have already run under 7:50. Hinsdale Central and Sandburg along with Minooka and Downers Grove South have done that. Top 10 teams this year Lane Tech, Oswego, Naperville Central, York, and Edwardsville will all have a say on who could finish in the top five. It could take 7:55 or faster to just make the finals. I don’t even want to guess what it will take to win on Saturday in what we could have in perfect running conditions.

 

Sandburg’s 2016 team ran 7:37.36 to set the state meet record. I am trying to grasp what the time could be. It should be under 7:40. Hinsdale Central ran their sectional time without 800m State Champion Daniel Watcke. I doubt we see him in the prelims on Friday but who knows.

 

All I know is this race will be special.

 

Three instead of two

 

The first year that the IHSA implemented a waterfall start for the 3200 Meter Run and 1600 Meter Run. In that year in the Girls prelims, 42 runners in Class 3A had qualified in the 1600 Meter Run. They only ran two preliminary heats where 21 runners each toed the line for the race. What a mess.

 

I knew what we were heading for last week when 8 runners qualified from each the Lockport Sectional and Rock Island Sectional in the 1600 Meter Run. 40 runners total qualified in that event. Oh no.

 

The IHSA Meet management made the right decision on Friday afternoon to run three heats in that event instead of two. Three heat winners plus the nine next fastest times. It can’t go tactical especially how fast the runners are in this event.

 

7 of the 14 runners in Heat 1 have run under 4:20 this season. Ryan Watts of Edwardsville has the fastest 3A time this year (4:12.41). Riley Newport of DeKalb at 4:13.69 (3A #3), Declan Tunney of Sandburg at 4:14.50 (3A #4) lead that heat. Balin Doud of Oswego, Geordan Patrylak of Edwardsville, Owen Forberg of HL Richards, and Camryn Viger of Plainfield South are also sub 4:20 runners.

 

Heat 2 is led by Micah Wilson of St. Charles East at 4:15.09 (3A #8), Colby Revord of Hinsdale Central at 4:15.74 (3A #9), and Nicholas Falk of New Trier at 4:17.09 (3A #13). Following them will be Zachary Balzer of Minooka, Tim Neumann of Downers Grove South, and Alexander Das and Parker Nold of Oswego East. 7 runners also under 4:20 in that heat.

 

The final heat could be a dynamite race. George Cahill of New Trier has the fastest seasonal time at 4:14.77 (3A #5), Luke Noren of Naperville Central at 4:14.90 (3A #7), and Roy Lewellyn of Downers Grove North at 4:15.78 (3A #10). Marcellus Mines of Joliet West was all-state last year as a freshman. He has missed most of this season due to an injury. He is coming on strong having the fastest sectional time last week (4:16.55) and will be a threat in this race and the finals. He has a #11 seasonal time. Ethan Summer of York, Hunter Whitney of Lane Tech, Angel Solis of Waubonsie Valley, Aidan Simon of Loyola Academy, Luke Wiley of Warren, and Joey Furlong of Barrington are part of this loaded third heat. 10 runners under 4:20.

 

What will be the last time in? I am not even going to try to guess on that. I believe we have never had 24 runners that have run under 4:20 in heats of the 3A 1600. The prelims will be great. I can’t imagine how the finals will be.

 

Duncan going for the double

 

The end of the 2021 did not end that Joshua Duncan of St. Charles North wanted it to be. He finished 13th in the finals of the 100 Meter Dash pulling u near the end due to an injury that forced him to scratch out of the 200 finals.

 

The scenario has changed this spring. Duncan has a chip on his shoulder that is driving him to do some great things. His indoor season was great. His outdoor season is even better. He did have wind to his back in last week’s sectional on his home track. He still went out and ran 10.31 to win a high stakes 100 Meter Dash ahead of all-state runner Reece Young of Wheaton-Warrenville South who ran a 10.40 time. Those times are the fastest two times in the state. Duncan came back to run 21.24 in winning the 200 Meter Dash.

 

Marcellus Moore ran 10.31 in winning the 100 at the 2018 to set the meet record. Duncan has also run 10.52 at the Kane County Championships almost three weeks ago. Young and Nathan Shapiro of Glenbrook South are the only runners under 10.6 this year. Shapiro also ran his time last week in his home sectional. Tyler Colwell of Minooka is running with a chip having false started last year. He ran 10.63 to win last week at Rock Island and will be a threat for the state title.

 

Duncan is the favorite in the 200 Meter Dash and could get close to Anthony Moorman’s 20.89 State Meet Record. He has run 21.10 this year with the top time in the state. Colwell, Scot Parker of Batavia, and Sean Beihoffer of Prospect all ran fast times last week and could challenge Duncan.

 

Passing the stick successfully

 

It seems that always something happens in the sprint relays in the Friday preliminary heats. It happened one week earlier this year in sectional meets. Minooka, who ran the state’s fastest time the week before in their conference meet, fumbled the baton in the 4x200m Relay and they lost their chance to qualify for state in the 4x200m Relay. Prospect, who entered with the second fastest state time in the 4x100m Relay, did not finish their sectional race not qualifying for a trip to Charleston.

 

The blink of an eye the strangest things can happen in a relay. The teams that qualified quartets to Charleston hope that it does not happen.

 

Homewood-Flossmoor has the top state time of 41.43 in the 4x100m Relay and are the only team under 42 seconds heading to Friday. That should change Friday afternoon. Naperville North ran the fastest sectional time (42.14) and will be in the hunt for the win. Minooka has run 42.02 and is also one of the favorites. Wheaton-Warrenville South, Batavia, Downers Grove South, and Champaign Centennial will also be teams to watch for.

 

Prospect responded from the DNF in the 4x1 to run the fastest time in the state in the 4x200m Relay. The Knights ran 1:27.29 at Glenbrook South and leads this field. Homewood-Flossmoor, Batavia, Downers Grove North, Crete Monee, Warren Township, and Plainfield North lead what should be a loaded relay field.

 

It will be all about the defending champion Hinsdale Central in the 4x400m Relay anchored by defending 800m Champion Daniel Watcke. Their time of 3:21.44 at Lockport last week is almost a full second ahead of Batavia who ran 3:22.35 in their sectional. Evanston, Champaign Centennial, Minooka, Glenbrook South, and Lockport will be teams to keep an eye on.

 

Hurdles to Cross

 

Gabe Czako of Lockport and Jalen Johnson of Metea Valley at the beginning the year were the top two returning runners in both hurdle races. It looked to be that way as the season progresses. Some were not noticing the progress that Collin Forrest of Minooka was making. It came to a near culmination last week at the Rock Island Sectional when he ran the state’s fastest times in both events. His 14.13 time at Rock Island is two tenths of a second ahead of Johnson who has run 14.33 and Czako who ran 14.40 last week in his sectional. That field is deep with Sam Burns of Niles West, Michael Campbell of Rolling Meadows, and Saiheed Jah all having seasonal times under 14.60.

 

Six runners have run under 39-seconds in the 300 Meter Hurdles again led by Forrest. His personal best in that race was 38.23. Ian Kelley of Oak Park-River Forest, Nathan Shapiro, Czako, and Campbell are all under 38.72. Johnson ran 38.87 last week and will be a threat for the win.

 

Class 3A Meet Tidbits

 

The 400 Meter Dash is wide-open. Konrad Sacha of South Elgin leads the field with his 48.95 sectional time. Jonah Fallon of Batavia was within two hundredths of a second of Sacha in that race and will chase after the title. Dominik Balenda of Prosepct is the only other runner in the field that has run under 49-seconds. Runners also to keep an eye on include Vorn Ellis of Evanston, Foster Shelbert of Naperville Central, Josh Pugh of Yorkville, Maxwell Mitchell of Neuqua Valley, and Jacob Hohmann of Batavia.

 

Nathan Shapiro is the straw that stirs the Glenbrook South team title hopes. He leads the field in the Long Jump with a state leading 24-4.25 mark. Rob Pulliam of Moline jumped 24-1.25 in his conference meet and will be a threat for the win along with Jacob Bostick of Palatine, Toriano Tate of DeKalb, Aarion Jackson of Edwardsville, and Desmond Horton of Lake Park.

 

Horton finished second in last year’s state meet in the Triple Jump. He jumped 48-0 last week at Glenbard North and will be one of the favorites. Charlie Nolan of Normal West jumped 48-2.75 last week at O’Fallon and leads the field. Edwardsville’s Jordan Brooks and Malik Allen, Jalen Buckley of Batavia, Caleb Wright of Oswego, and Devon Neal of Wheaton North are some of the athletes to watch for.

 

Arnie Grunert of Lincoln-Way East set the standard in the 3A Pole Vault when he cleared 16-8.75 two weeks ago at the Southwest Suburban Conference Championships. Tim Gale of Schaumburg, Charles Cruse of Normal Community, and Nicholas Fortino of Batavia are the only athletes that have cleared 15-feet or better. Christian Sobecki of Oswego, Braden White of Springfield, and Josh Meister of Oak Park-River Forest are some of the athletes to follow.

 

Lucah Jones of Lake Park unleashed a huge 192-5 throw at the DuPage County Invitational on May 7 to become the top throw in Class 3A. Jones is in the state field in the Discus. David Mun of Vernon Hills and Maverick Ohle of Naperville Central are the only athletes in the field over 180-feet.