2023 IHSA State Track & Field Championships – Class 2A Boys Teams

By Michael Newman

There should be a new Class 2A State Champion crowned when all is said and done late Saturday afternoon. It could be an “old-school” showdown between St. Louis area rivals East St. Louis-Senior and Cahokia who finished fourth and fifth in 2022.

Here is a look at some of the top teams to follow this weekend.

East St. Louis (Senior) – 17 Total; 14 Individuals, 3 Relays

Outlook – The Flyers have the talent to capture their first state title since they did in 2019. Eastside finished third and fourth in the past two state meets. East St. Louis had entries in 13 events. That could score points in eight events. Three of the events where they have entries that could have two athletes score. The team is quite deep. The Flyers will be the big favorites in the 4x400m Relay where they have a four second advantage ahead of the rest of the field. Both the 4x1 and 4x2 could also score some big points. Kenneth Buchanon and Devion Montgomery could both score points in the 200 Meter Dash. Montgomery and Quentin Stepney could both finish in the top six to earn double digit points in the 400 Meter Dash. Demarlynn Taylor will be one of the favorites in the 110 Highs. Both Taylor and Armonie Jones could score points in the 300 Hurdles. Taylor has the fastest time in Class 2A. Tyreque Baker could be among the top nine finishers in the Triple Jump.

Cahokia – 13 Total; 10 Individuals, 3 Relays

Outlook – The Comanche will rely on their strength in the field events to challenge East St. Louis for the state title. They finished fifth in last year’s state meet. Cahokia has entries in 10 events in nine events. A big bonus of points can start in the Triple Jump where Nicholas Deloach will be the favorite and Lorenzo Johnson-Cutler in the Triple Jump. DeLoach could score in both the Long Jump and the High Jump. Chase Crawford will be one of the favorites in the Shot Put and also will score points in the Discus. Keshawn Lyons could bring his team big points in both the 110 Highs and 300 intermediate Hurdles. The Comanche should finish in the top three in the 4x4. Their team could also score points in the 4x2.

Mahomet-Seymour – 9 Total; 7 Individuals, 2 Relays

Outlook – The improvement of some of their top athletes puts the Bulldogs in the hunt for a trophy. Mahomet-Seymour has entries from their sectional in eight events. They could score in seven of those events. DeAngelo Hughey will be one of the favorites in both the 200 Meter Dash and 400 Meter Dash and could score big in both. Blake Dillman could also score in the 400. Hughley will be part of both the 4x1 and the 4x4 . Mahomet could score in the top four in both. Robert Byron might be among the top five athletes in the Discus. Cole Marshall could be among the top nine in the Triple Jump. Ty Clark is among the top eight in the Pole Vault. He could surprise some in this event.

Mt Zion – 12 Total; 9 Individuals, 3 Relays

Outlook – The Braves tied for second in last year’s state meet. They could bring home some more hardware this weekend. Mt. Zion advanced qualifiers from 10 events. They could get scorers from five of those events. Kyle Hensley has the highest clearance in Class 2A in the Pole Vault. He will be one of the favorites in this event. Julian Baker could be an asset for this team in both the 3200 Meter Run and the 1600 Meter Run and score in both events. Sam Atkinson is focused on just the 800 Meter Run in this meet. He could pick up points for his team by finishing in the top five. The Braves scoring points in the 4x2 is a good possibility. Getting points in the 4x4 will give this team a big boost.

Sterling – 12 Total; 8 Individuals, 4 Relays

Outlook – A team that will surprise a lot of folks this weekend. The Golden Warriors could get some hardware this weekend. Sterling advanced entries from their sectional win in 10 events. They could score in seven of those events. Dale Johnson will be one of the top runners in both the 3200 Meter Run and 1600 Meter Run. He could finish in the top four in both of those races. Sterling has the fastest 2A time in the 4x8. That was with Johnson anchoring it. Do not be surprised if they still finish in the top nine. Dylan Doss will be part of the team’s success in the relays. He could also be all-state in the 200 Meter Dash. All of their three relays are all in the top 10. Two of those relays are in the top six. Sterling needs points in all three of those relays.

Marion – 8 Total; 6 Individuals, 2 Relays

Outlook – The Wildcats could get into the top four and itching to move into the top three by the end of this meet. Marion qualified in eight events and could score in seven of them. Having Dylon Nalley back at 100% health will be a huge plus for this team. Nalley could score in the top three in the 3200 Meter Run and the top five in the 1600 Meter Run. Sean Hudspath and Mekye Lomax could both score points in the 800 Meter Run. Marion has one of the top times in the 4x800m Relay and should be one of the favorites. Their 4x4 team is high powered and could finish in the top five. Jordan Beverly could get his team some points in the Discus.

Columbia – 7 Total; 7 Individuals

Outlook – It would not surprise me if the Eagles finished in the top five in this meet. Columbia has entries in six events. They could score in all of them. Ethan Hogan will be the favorite in the 3200 Meter Run and one of the favorites in the 1600 Meter Run. Calvin Range could score in the 800 Meter Run. It would be a boost if he advances in the finals in the 1600 Meter Run. Christian Kronk could be among the top five finishers in both hurdle races. Do not be surprised if Ben Scott is among the top finishers in the High Jump

Herrin – 6 Total, 4 Individuals, 2 Relays

Outlook – There is no room for errors if the Tigers want to contend for a trophy. Herrin advanced in six events from their sectional. They are likely to score in four of those events. They will need big points in all four of those events. Defending 100 Champion Chris Nelson will be among the favorites in both the 100 Meter Dash and 200 Meter Dash. Their 4x1 team is ranked fourth, their 4x2 team is ranked third. Big points are needed in both events. Kyrese Lukens can pick up points in both the 100 Meter Dash and 200 Meter Dash.