2023 IHSA State Track & Field Championships – Class 1A Boys Teams

By Michael Newman

The chase for the Class 1A team title is really up for grabs. It might be Judah Christian that could take home a trophy if Daryl Okeke wins the four events that he is entered in (See 1A Storylines). It means the first team to 40 points wins the state title for one of these teams.

Here are 10 of the teams to keep an eye on in this meet.

Decatur St. Teresa – 14 Total; 10 Individuals, 4 Relays

Outlook – The Bulldogs have the numbers in the right places to win a state championship. St. Teresa qualified in 14 events and could score in seven points. All four relay teams qualified for Charleston in this meet. They could be among the top three teams in both the 4x400m Relay and 4x800m Relay in this meet. The Bulldogs have the fourth fastest time in the 4x1 and sixth fastest in the 4x2 hopefully bring them more points in those events. Royce Harper will be a part of some of those relays. He also will be one of the favorites in the Triple Jump. Caleb Kernaghan will be a part of the two longer relays. He could be among the favorites in the 800 Meter Run. Evan Cook could be all-state in the 3200 Meter Run. Christian Brilley could also pick up points in the 300 Meter Hurdles.

Tuscola – 9 Total; 7 Individuals, 2 Relays

Outlook – The Girls teams have brought home trophies from Charleston. This could be the time for the Boys school to bring back some hardware. Tuscola qualified in seven events and could score in five of those events. Chris Boyd is one of the top weight men in Class 1A. He could bring home some big points in the Shot Put and the Discus. The bulk of the Warriors’ points could come from their distance events. Jackson Barrett could be one of the favorites in both the 3200 Meter Run and the 1600 Meter Run. Josiah Hortin should get his team points in both the 800 Meter Run and the 1600 Meter Run. Will Foltz could be all-state in the 3200 Meter Run. There is not much wiggle room for mistakes for this team. The quality that they have puts the Warriors in trophy contention.

Newton – 12 Total; 8 Individuals, 4 Relays

Outlook – Having four relay teams qualify for the state will help the Eagles in the prelims and the finals. Newton qualified in 11 events and could score in six of those events. The 4x8 team could start them out with big points as they are among the top five sectional teams. They will need great prelim races in the other three relays to reach the finals. Parker Wolf could end up with big points in all three sprint events. Owen Mahaffey will be one of the top runners in the 400 Meter Dash. Mahaffey and Wolf could get the team big points in that event. Jacob Wickham could be in the top five in both the Shot Put and the Discus.

Eureka – 13 Total; 9 Individuals, 4 Relays

Outlook – The Hornets are in a good position to finish in the top five or even finish with a trophy. Eureka qualified in 12 events. They could score in six of them. Charlie Bardwell has been one of the top runners in the 800 Meter Run. He could pick up big points. Bardwell will also run in the 4x8 and 4x4 who could score in both relays. Lance Wiegand is among the top five athletes in the high Jump. He could be one of the big scorers in that event. Andrew Perry was among the top 12 runners in the 3200 Meter Run Sectionals. A good race from this junior gets him all-state status.

Madison – 6 Total; 4 Individuals, 2 Relays

Outlook – The Trojans need a good Thursday of prelims to get to the finals considering the limited entries that they have in this meet. Madison qualified for state in five events and could score in all of them. The bulk of their points will come in the sprints. De Byron Boyd was one of the top five sectional qualifiers and could contend for the title in the 100 Meter Dash. Boyd has the top sectional time in the 200 Meter Dash along with Kaylon Bursey in the top seven. The two could put up big points in this race. Boyd and Bursey will play a big part in the relays. Madison is ranked second in the state this season and fourth seasonally in the 4x200m Relay. They have to get the stick around the track and could pick up big points in the finals. Earnest Davenport made it into state in the High Jump. It would not be a surprise if he finishes as all-state.

Colfax (Ridgeview) – 10 Total; 7 Individuals, 3 Relays

Outlook – The Mustangs have the numbers to challenge for a trophy after winning the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Sectional. Ridgeview advanced from sectionals in eight events. They could get points out of five of those events. They should score big points in the three relays that they qualified in. The Mustangs were in the top seven in the 4x1 and have the fastest sectional time in the 4x2. Their sectional time puts them #4 in 1A. Ridgeview could get big points in both of those events. The top seven teams in the seasonal rankings are within one second of each other in the 4x4. Ridgeview is one of those teams. Anything could and will happen in that race. The Mustangs could finish high in this race. Brayden Campbell should be a part of all three relays. He could also be all-state in the 100 Meter Dash. Dominic Martin is one of the top five athletes in the Triple Jump. He should provide points in that event along with being part of the team’s success in the relays.

Winnebago – 8 Total; 5 Individuals, 3 Relays

Outlook – The Indians could bring home some more hardware in this wide-open state meet. Winnebago advanced in eight events and could bring home points in five of those races. All of their work will need to be done on the track. Bago has no qualifiers in the six field events. Supreme Muhammad will be the main qualifier for his team. The junior ran the fastest time in Class 1A (21.79) in the Big Northern Conference Meet and will be one of the favorites in this race. He is also entered in the 100 Meter Dash where he ran the fifth fastest time in that same meet. Bago ran their fastest times in the relays with Muhammad as anchor. Their 4x1 is currently ranked tenth in 1A, second in the 4x2, and seventh in the 4x4. Winnebago may have a decision to take Muhammad out of one of the individual events and place him in a relay. It is a hard decision either way.

Rockford (Christian) – 10 Total; 8 Individuals, 2 Relays

Outlook – A traditional fixture in the top five at state. The Royal Lions could again be in the hunt for a trophy. Rockford Christian has entries from the Oregon Sectional in 1o events. They could score points in five of those events. Bjorn Carlson was all-state in the 400 Meter Dash last season and should repeat that on Saturday. Carlson has the third fastest time in Class 1A this season. Aidan Sosnowski anchored RC to the state title in the 4x8 last year. He should be all-state in that event. Sosnowski did not run in the relay at Oregon. He could be a factor in it if he iis placed there. Weston Forward should be one of the top five finishers in the 3200 Meter Run. He could also get points for his team in the 1600 Meter Run. Camden Rosche could be among the top five athletes finishing in the Shot Put.

St. Joseph-Ogden – 14 Total; 10 Individuals, 4 Relays

Outlook – Could the Spartans finish in the top five in this meet? The chances are good to be in contention for a trophy after winning the Westville Sectional. St. Joseph-Ogden advanced in 12 events with the possibility of scoring in five of those events. Brock Trimble is peaking at the right time and could be among the top finishers in the Discus. Charlie Schmitz cleared a personal best last week in the Pole Vault. He is in position for an all-state place. Carson Maroon is entered both in the 1600 Meter Run and the 3200 Meter Run. He could score in each of those events. The Spartans are ranked #9 in the 4x2. It would not be a surprise if they score in that event. Logan Smith is one of the top 15 in the 300 Meter Hurdles. It would be a bonus if Smith advances to the finals.

Catlin (Salt Fork) – 9 Total; 6 Individuals, 3 Relays

Outlook – Salt Fork and Cowden-Herrick both scored 44 points to tie for the state title last year. They would like to repeat a state title except for the tying end of it. The Storm advanced in eight events from last week’s sectional. They could score in five of those events. They will need big points in the two weight events. Garrett Taylor is the defending champion in the Discus and again will be the favorite in the event. Taylor also is one of the best in the Shot Put. He figures to be among the top three. He could also win the event. Nathan Kirby I would not count out in the 110 Meter Hurdles where he could finish among the top five. Their 4x1 team has the third fastest time in Class 1A and could pick up some big points in that event. Their 4x2 is ranked among the top 10 in that event and should be in the mix for a top six finish.