8 - The Boys 4x8

 

By Michael Newman

 

We continue have some fun with this event. The tradition of the 4x800m Relay started when it was contested in the IHSA State Meet for the first time in 1976 when Thornton High School ran 7:38.0 to win the 4x880 yard Relay in what was considered one of the best races ever in IHSA history.

You can read more about it here.

ALL TIME 4x800m RELAY LIST 

The 4x800 starts the day on State Finals Saturday and even though it is the first event on the meet schedule, it is the most anticipated race of the weekend.

We will look at each class and the quartets that qualified for the finals along with some schools that could be factors this May. Schools are listed by place within classification.

 

Class 3A

1 – Sandburg – This event has become more of the lore and history of this great distance program. Sandburg won their fourth state title in the team’s history last year. The Eagles should again be among the top teams in Class 3A despite with only one runner back from the finals’ quartet. Nevertheless, Sandburg will find the runners to compete for a top place. Trent Anderson was the team’s third runner in the relay and will become one of the runners this team will depend on. Grant Giblin ran in the prelims last year and will be counted on more in 2023 in this event. Giblin and Anderson both had strong seasons on the cross country course last fall with Giblin finishing sixth, Anderson seventeenth both all-state. Ibrahim Tineh ran 2:02 last spring and could be in this quartet along with Luke Atzman and Evan Diemling.

 

2 – Hinsdale Central – This team is deep in talent. They did not run Dan Watcke in this event at state so that he could concentrate in the open 800. The Red Devils finished second in Charleston. We know what they did a month later in Oregon as they won the Nike Outdoor Nationals setting a new all-time state best. Central returns three runners from the state team losing Colby Revord to graduation. Aden Bandukwala has emerged as one of the top runners in the state after winning the Class 3A State Title at Detweiller Park. Bandukwala ran 1:52.29 on the second leg of the national race. Watcke anchored with a 1:50.79 split. Michael Skora dropped his time down to 1:55 last year. Watch for it to drop even further as the year progresses. Grant Miller was under 1:59 last year and should contribute to this quartet again. Kyle Doorhy ran 2:00 last spring and could be the team’s fourth runner. Junior Maxwell Lowe ran 2:05 as a sophomore last spring. Lowe’s improvement last cross-country season should cross over on the track possibly in this event.

 

3 – Downers Grove South – The Mustangs surprised some by finishing third in Charleston after leaving the prelims with the fastest time. It might be a rebuilding year for South with three of the four runners on the quartet having graduated including Tim Neumann who is now doing big things at MIT. Shane Hosty ran a 1:59 split in the state finals is the only other runner coming back. Josh Poeschel had a cross country season in the fall. He ran under 2:05 last spring and could be counted on in this event. There are a number of seniors that could step up including Carter Smott, Nolan Crooks, and Jeffrey Spirek. I would not count this team out in this relay in 2023.

 

4 – Lane Tech – It was no surprise that Lane Tech finished fourth in last year’s state meet especially with the season that they had. The Indians ran under 8-minutes four times. They ran 8:00 indoors indicating they would make noise during the outdoor season. What resulted was their performance in the state meet. Lane does lose two runners from their state quartet. A big question to watch is how Hunter Whitney is recovering from an injury that sidelined him most of cross-country season. The senior ran 1:57 last spring and was a key runner in the group especially having an all-state performance in the 1600 Meter Run. William Archer was the anchor on the state team and also returns. Their distance group is deep and could include Will Kozlowski, Anan Bauman, and Sam Osorio. Kozlowski could give the relay a boost having run 2:01 last year.

 

5 – York – It was not thought at the beginning of 2022 that the Dukes could make it back to state in this event. Somehow, someway, they did advance to Charleston, made the finals and finished fifth with a quartet that included a converted pole vault athlete, distance runner that missed cross-country and all of indoor track, a runner who did not make the relay card the year before, and a runner that had an up and down senior season. Even without their top runner Ethan Summer who concentrated on the 1600 at state, that quartet found a way. This event is part of the state’s history of the event having held a national and state all-time bests at one time. York only returns Aidan Hill who ended last year running 1:56 even though he was new to the distance. Daniel O’Shaughnessy had a good fall and should step up in this event along with Luke Lestina who missed last track season due to an injury. Another senior, Payton Bryk, stepped up last fall and could give this team a boost. Just like last year, I would not count this team out.

 

6 – Naperville Central – A team that has the talent to capture a state title in this event like they did in 2019. The Redhawks return three runners from last year’s state team and are deeper after those three. Luke Noren emerged his junior year as a state class distance runner having run 1:56/4:14. Noren ran a 1:55.74 split in the state final race. Foster Shelbert is one runner to keep an eye on as he enters his junior season. Shelbert anchored his team to a fifth place finish in the 4x400m Relay at state. He qualified for state in the 400 Meter Dash. After the regular season was over, Shelbert went out to run 4:24.31 at Magis Miles. He has already started this season with a 4:23 time in a time trial. He was the anchor at state for this team. He could do some big things in this upcoming season. Samuel Barnard ran under 2-minutes last season and will be part of the team’s success. Julian Brozek and Tyler Browning also had 2022 times under 2:04 and will play a part in this quartet at some points over the next couple of months.

 

7 – Downers Grove North – It was no surprise that the Trojans finished seventh last year. It will be no surprise that they will be among the top teams in the state again in 2023. The core of this relay was in the cross-country top seven that finished third at Detweiller Park and made it to the Nike Cross Nationals. All four runners are back from the state quartet. Three runners were sophomores in last year’s race including Ryan Eddington who had a 1:56 split in the finals. Caden Weber and Zach Bender are part of this Class of 2024 that will be difference makers in this relay. Leo Gartlan was on that relay and will give this team a boost. Topher Ferris could also be someone you see in this quartet. Ferris ran 4:21 for 1600-meters last spring.

 

8 – Oswego – An eighth-place finish last year by the Panthers could be tough to repeat especially losing their top three runners in the 800 Meter Run to graduation. Two runners are back from that relay with Brady Nelson had a 1:59 split and will be one of the top runners along with fellow senior Jett Breed who has already run 1:59 indoors this winter. Matt Padilla, Orion Parnell, and Stephen Lundy could also be a part of this relay.

 

9 – Marist – The Redhawks were one of the surprises in last year’s finals and took advantage of the Saturday opportunity finishing ninth to earn all-state honors. Danny Olsen, their lead off runner last year, is the lone returning runner of that state team. It could be a rebuilding year for this quartet with Frankie Wagner and Vince Moreno, who ran between 2:10 and 2:15 in 2002, their top runners back.

 

10 – Hersey – Two of the four runners on their state team have graduated. Liam Naughton and Cameron Donner were the sophomores on last year’s team and will be the core for this season’s quartet. Aidan Nishimura and Alonso Froylan are some of the runners you could see in this relay. The Huskies once again will have a good chance to Charleston and the IHSA State Meet.

 

11 – Chatham-Glenwood – The Titans did make the finals at state last year after running a season’s best of 7:57.30 at the O’Fallon Sectional. Glenwood ran 8:03 in the state prelims, 8:06 in the finals to finish 11th overall. Two runners are back from the state quartet led by Drew Verenski and Eli Morsch. Verenski will be a key to the team. He did run a 1:58.45 split at state. It was best for the team. He chose not to run cross-country last fall but will be back for track according to coach Mike Garber. There is good depth to choose from with Morsch, Lleyton Turk, Will Patzia, Carter Simmons, and freshman Brady Moser all possibilities to be on this quartet. The Titans should be faster than last year. Where Glenwood places we will see.

 

12 – Palatine – Another team that I would keep a close eye on in this event. They will miss their top 800 runner Riley Beasley who graduated. The Pirates do return everyone else led by cross-country all-state runner Mason Krieg. Andy Hansen and Jack Casaccio are back from the relay and give this team a strong nucleus behind the elder Krieg. Freshman Alex Krieg did some great things last fall. That should continue on the track for him and possibly in this relay. Carter Hayes and Christian Keller could also give this team a boost.

 

Finals /Prelims Cutoff >>> 8:04.04/8:04.28

 

Plainfield South – The Cougars did not qualify for the state meet with their 2022 season’s best of 8:05.48 coming in their conference meet in the middle of May. They enter this track season with a ton of momentum with them heading into this track season after winning the Class 3A State Championship at Detweiller Park. The quartet from last year’s conference relay are back led by xc all-state runner Camyn Viger. The senior started out his season early but strong in January having run 1:54 for 800-meters and 4:19 in the 1-mile run. Ethan Reynoso, Owen O’Shea, and Gavin Borger were all part of that 2022 relay. If you add BJ Sorg to the mix, they have five runners back that have times of 2:02 or faster for splits or the open 800 Meter Run. If they decide to load up this relay, the Cougars should be one of the top three teams in Class 3A.

 

Minooka – The Indians did make it to the state meet last year but did not run their top quartet in the prelims. Still, Minooka ended up running the fourth fastest time during the year in Class 3A, 7:48.99, at the Southwest Prairie Conference Meet. Zachary Balzer is the sole returning runner from that 2022 team. Balzer does have a 1:57.37 800 to his credit from last year. That time should drop considerably this spring if he is in this relay. He would be a good anchor runner for Minooka to have. This team does have some big meet experience from last year which will benefit them in 2023. Juniors Caleb Kies, Liam Anderson, Jax Todd, Caleb King along with Max Balkema all had times under 2:06 last year. We should see improve within this group to the point of seeing them on the line for State Finals Saturday.

 

Oak Park-River Forest – The 2023 season for the Huskies will be a continuation of the cross country season which was a continuation of last track season when this group started to takes their first steps up. OPRF did make it to state last year with a season’s best of 7:56.76 at the Proviso East Sectional. They did not advance to the finals. They should when they get to May. The Huskies will miss last year’s top 800 runners Lou Delano and Ryan Leonard who have since graduated. They do have a deep group ready for this season’s campaign. Liam Newhart proved to be the top 3A cross-country runner in the state even though he finished second at state. It will be interesting to see how low his times drop especially in this event. Michael Michelotti stepped into the spotlight last year running 4:21 for 1600-meters last year. The sky is the limit for him this spring. Daniel Johnson and Roan Egan had times under 2:02 last year and again should be watched. Senior Owen Augustine and junior Mariano Escobedo should also contribute to this quartet.

 

Waubonsie Valley – A young team that could make some noise in this event this spring. They ran 7:58.33 to qualify for the state meet from the Rock Island Sectional. There are no Names that you would recognize on the top of the rankings but do have a solid group of four (or more) runners that could be running 2-minutes or faster by the time they get back to the sectional meet. Gavin Ebenezer ran 2:00 at his conference meet in 2022 and should see his times drop. Austin McInturff, Zac Self, and Zach Hayden all had times under 2:09 as sophomores. Those bests should drop even more as this year progresses.

 

O’Fallon – The Panthers do not get the recognition that most of the Chicago area schools get. This team from the Metro St. Louis area will be a squad to watch for this season in this event. O’Fallon is a young team returning three runners from their state qualifying team that ran 7:59.17 in their own sectional. Zach Thoman had a strong freshman track season including running 1:58 for 800-meters. Eli Greenstreet, Nathaniel Boston, and Robert Wocking all had times under 2:09 as underclassmen last year and are ready to make the next step up. Dylan Ybarra ran 4:19 for 1600-meters, 1:59 for 800-meters, and 9:21 for 3200-meters last year. I think we will see him in the individual distance events. But he is a nice ace card to hold to put him in if necessary. This is an all-state caliber team.

 

Class 2A

1 – Lincoln – When you have as your anchor runner as the state champion at 800-meters in this event, then there is a nice security. Lincoln with Garrett Slack running a spectacular 1:51 anchor leg to give his team the state title. It will be different in 2023 with Slack graduated and just Brenden Heitzig and Jude Toft back from that relay. It will be interesting to see if the Railsplitters will pursue what they did a year ago especially with Heitzig a possibility to be all state in the two long distance events. Luke Jones could be moved in to give this team a boost.

 

2 – Payton Prep – This Chicago Public League School team was the only other 2A team in the state meet to run under 8-minutes as the Grizzlies ran 7:55.09 to finish second. Payton also got some great experience in June by finishing 11 in the event at the Nike Outdoor Nationals. The potential is there for this team to take the next step up in Charleston. Evan Rainville and Ritvik Viniak are back from those teams giving Payton a good nucleus to build from. There are four runners that ran under 2:10 that could contribute including Max Kollmeyer, Aidan Hu-Lowenthal, and sophomores Tristan Zhu and Ryan Murray.

 

3 – Marion – There are many options that the Wildcats could go to improve on their third-place finish from a year ago. Three runners are back from that state team that ran 8:04.86 in the finals. Hayden Lees, Mekeye Lomax, and Sean Hudspath all ran splits between 2:00 and 2:01 in the finals race. The improvement in the last year of Dylan Nalley could give this team a boost. It is most likely he will run in the 3200, where he finished fourth last year, and the 1600 Meter Run. Nalley could be the one runner that could take this team to the top. Benja Stone could also give this team a boost especially after a strong cross-country season.

 

4 – Fenwick – Two runners are back from last year’s fourth-place state finish for the Friars. Grayden Rill looks to be back at 100% in his final track season after injuries slowed him down last fall. He anchored Fenwick with a 1:56.41 split in the state finals. Teammate Dean O’Bryan, who was the team’s third runner, also returns for his senior season. Christian Kline could also be a part of this quartet. This team will be a work in progress where we will see where this team is at by the end of April.

 

5 – Sterling – This is a team that could contend for a state title in this relay depending what direction that Dale Johnson goes this spring. Johnson ran 9:37 for 3200-meters and 4:27 for 1600-meters as a sophomore last year. Johnson, who finished second in last November’s 2A State XC Meet, is capable of finishing high in both events. Johnson anchored the Golden Warriors to a fifth-place finish with a 1:59 split. Jordan Britt and Thomas Holcomb are the other returning runners from that team. Owen Anderson who ran 2:05 as a sophomore last year should also contribute in passing the baton.

 

6 – Mahomet-Seymour – This could be a rebuilding season for the Bulldogs in this event. Only sophomore Blake Dillman is back for this team that ran 8:09.24 and finished sixth in the state finals. Dillman ran 2:04.9 on his second leg. It could a young team with freshmen Augustus Gaudio, Henry McMurry, and Emmett Kearns possibly being in this foursome.

 

7 – Northridge Prep – It could be somewhat of a reloading year for the knights with all-state 800m athlete Mark Masaka, who was the anchor for the team, having graduated. Max Elder is the only runner back from this all-state relay team. Elder had a 2:03.5 third runner split in the finals. Brady Kataoka, James Barder, John Kipp, and CJ Pronek could be some of the runners that you see in this quartet this spring.

 

8 – Bethalto Civic Memorial – A team that I could see finish in the top five at the end of May in Charleston. Justice Eldridge, Lucas Naugle, and DJ Dutton are all back from the all-state team from a year ago that finished eighth. With their anchor runner Aslan Henderson having graduated, the Eagles could turn to Jackson Collman to step into the anchor spot. Collman showed great improvement this last fall earning all-state honors in the 2A State race at Detweiller Park finishing 17th overall. Collman was all-state last spring in the 3200 Meter Run and could place again in that event. If not Collman in the quartet, it could be 400-runner Jorden Serafini that might step in.

 

9 – Mascoutah – The Indians have been within the mix in all the relays over the past decade. Mascoutah was 10th in the prelims, then moved up to 9th in last year’s state finals. Two runners are back from that team with their top runners from last year, Lance Miller and Sam LaJoye, having graduated. Ian Moll is one of the returning runners. Ayden Ellsworth is a 400 specialist but ran a 2:03 leg in the state finals. Another 400 runner, Kanoa Owens, has similar times as Ellsworth at that distance and could step in. Sophomore Elijah Pounds is another runner that we could see in this relay for Mascoutah.

 

10 – Urbana – The Tigers just missed all-state by 49 hundredth of a second in finishing 10th in last year’s finals. Three runners are back from that group with Julio Angrave, Kelenna Onyemere, and Jack Lusakembi.  Jackson Gilbert is the 2A defending champion at 400-meters. He did run 1:57 at Distance Night at Palatine last April. He might be someone you could see in the state finals. Urbana also has a talented junior group of Cordero Sims, Cedric Sabin, and Hudson Coady that could step into one of the four relay positions.

 

11 – Sycamore – It is one of those things to always see Sycamore a part of the finals in this relay. The Spartans made the 2022 finals finishing 11th overall. Half of their quartet from last year graduated. They do have a good group back with Caden Emmert leading the way. Emmert was all-state in the 800 last year finishing eighth with a 1:56.94 time. He ran a 1:58.87 leg to open the relay putting Sterling in second. Naif Al Harby anchored last year and again should be a part of this group. We could also see Corey Goff, Jake Rundle, and Ethan Solfisburg part of this relay.

 

12 - Taylorville – The Tornadoes were part of the state finals field in this event finishing 12 overall. Three runners are back led by Owen Morgan who ran 4:40 for 1600-meters in his sectional race. He ran the second leg and had the fastest split (2:03.54) of the four runners. Will Turvey, Brenton Good, and Jack Chesser should all be a part of this team’s 2023 relay quartet.

 

Finals / Prelims Cutoff >>> 8:24.67 / 8:26.24

 

DePaul College Prep – The Rams missed the finals in last year’s prelims by just over two seconds while placing 14th. This group is on a roll especially after winning the Class 1A State XC title last November. Charlie Richardson ran 2:01 last spring and has started his season running 2:36 for 1000-meters a couple of weeks ago. William Beebe, Bryan Malkowski, Nelson Mitchell, and Bodi Ward have showed improvement over the past year and will give this quartet a boost.

 

Burlington Central – The Rockets came away with a season’s best of 8:13.80 in qualifying for the state meet out of the Rochelle Sectional. Three runners are back from that team including Leighton Dietz and Joseph Kowall who should be two of the team’s top 400 runners this season. Alex Hinkleman was also part of the state qualifying team. Logan Karottu could also be a part of this quartet.

 

Sandwich – The Indians just missed making the state finals by two seconds and finishing in the 13th place position. This is a young team that shows promise with three runners from the state team coming back. Wyatt Miller showed improvement last fall and should dip under 2-minutes in the open 800. Max Cryer, Dayton Beatty, and Josh Schaefers give this team a good nucleus to build from.

 

Class 1A

1 – Rockford Christian – Teams may come and go in this event in Class 1A. Every season by the end of the year you see the Royal Lions as one of the top teams in whatever classification that they are in. Rockford Christian proved that once again winning their second state title in this relay. The other state title came in 2016. The win came from a gutsy anchor leg from Aidan Sosnowski who ran a huge personal best of 1:57.52 to get his team the win. Sosnowski is the only runner back from the state winning quartet. Seniors Tyler Nalley and Noah Shook could be runners you see in this quartet as well as Reece Wesselin and Andrew Kurien.

 

2 – Elmwood – The Trojans are another team that you traditionally see near the front in this relay. A 1:53.05 anchor leg from Thomas Harmon brought Elmwood from fourth on the final leg to a second-place finish. Harmon has graduated.  Junior Isaiah Hill may step into the spot having run 1:59 for the open 800 as a sophomore in 2022. Brendan Williams was on the state team and is the only other runner returning. Mika Nelson, Daniel Yeagle, and Reed Florey, all sophomores, could step into one of those four spots.

 

3 – Harvest Christian Academy – Could this pack of Lions come away with a state title after finishing third in last year’s finals? This team has the talent to claim a state title with three runners returning. Daniel Winkelman doubled in the 800 and 1600 at state and ran a 1:54.97 anchor leg to get his team from fifth to third in this event. David Peterson ran a 1:59 split on his leg and is also back. Jimmy Bernaeyge was the team’s lead off runner and also returns. Freshman Luca Bryja along with JJ Gonnam could also contribute in this relay.

 

4 – Sterling Newman Central Catholic – This will be a team we will have to wait until the end of April to see how good they can be. The Comets return Lucas Simpson and Wyatt Widolff from last year’s team. Sophomore Zach DeForest and junior Lucas Schaab both ran 2:18 last year and are possibilities in the first four runners. This team will be young with all of their top four projected to be underclassmen.

 

5 – Decatur St. Teresa – The talent is there for the Bulldogs to improve on last year’s fifth-place finish. It could be a state championship with this team especially with all four runners from last year back. Caleb Kernaghan just missed making the finals of the 800 by one spot. He responded on the following Saturday to run a 1:56.59 anchor leg for his team. His brother Cameron ran a 2:01 split in that state race and gives this team a strong 1-2 punch in this quartet. There is talent and this team is deep that could have Martin Velchek, Evan Cook, and Gus Striglos and some meets a part of this quartet.

 

6 – Williamsville – The Bullets finished sixth but was only seven seconds away from a state title. Williamsville could finish higher than what they did last year with three of last year’s quartet coming back. Nolan Bates, Drew Mirabile, and Avery Glasgow give the team a good nucleus in this relay. Bates is the fastest of the returning group with a 2:00.07 split in Charleston. Daniel Giacomini or Jonathan Janssen could be this team’s fourth runner by the time we get to the sectional meet.

 

7 – St. Joseph-Ogden – Another traditionally strong team in this event. The Spartans return two runners from that state team. Juniors Spencer Wilson and Carson Maroon are the two runners back that this relay will be built around. Isiah Mock is a runner that we should see in this quartet. Freshman Lance Retz, Mason Guido, Kyler Swanson, and Holden Jones are also possibilities in this event.

 

8 – Trenton-Wesclin – It could be tough for the Warriors to better last year’s finish with just their second runner Cole Gruenke the only runner returning. 400 Meter Run specialist Matthew Evans might step up into this relay. Lucas Haas and Jack Pfeffer look to be the lead candidates to step into this relay.

 

9 – Rock Island Alleman – A team that could challenge for a top five finish in this event. The Pioneers welcome three back from a team that just earned all-state honors by finishing ninth. Noah Britton give Alleman a strong runner as anchor. The junior had a best of 2:01.96 last year and a 1:58.89 split in the state race. Fellow juniors Danny Darrow and Ben Milner give the team a solid second and third runners. Brendan Pasmore, who ran in the 400 in the sectionals, could be the runner to fill out this quartet.

 

10 – Eureka – The Hornets missed all-state by less than a second last year finishing 10th overall. That should not happen this spring when they get to Charleston. All four runners are back from the 2022 relay with Charlie Bardwell leading the way. Bardwell showed improvement during the cross-country season setting him up for a tremendous senior season on the track. Bardwell ran a 1:58 split in last year’s state race. Carson Lehman along with seniors Gabriel Gerber and Luke Rinkenberger gives this team a strong relay and a relay with big meet experience.

 

11 – Newton – The Eagles should step up in this relay with all four runners back from the state qualifying team. Newton had a season’s best of 8:19.46 in a home invitational at the end of April. Owen Mahaffey and Luke Weber were under 2:05 last year and lead this group. Luis Zavala and Nick Shamhart are a strong core to this quartet. Parker Wolf could also be a part  of this relay at some point this spring.

 

12 – Tuscola – A team who has their top five 800-meter runners all coming back. Their season’s best time of 8:19.94 came from when they qualified for state from their own sectional. Josiah Hortin and Jackson Barrett ran within a second of each other during last cross-country season. Hortin earned all-state honors at Detweiller Park. Riley Nolan and Logan Wallace also ran last May on this team. Will Foltz showed improvement last fall and should better his 2:13.4 time at this distance to help the team.