By Michael Newman

mike@dyestat.com

It seemed that the Collinsville Invitational Saturday came to a screeching halt when Ja’Mari Ward (Cahokia HS) hit the pit after his first attempt in the Triple Jump. A hush went through the crowd as Ward grabbed his knee with a severe painful look on his face. In his first attempt in the Triple Jump, as he took off on his left foot, an agonizing yell came from him. Medics rushed quickly to treat the nation’s best horizontal jumper. (Read the story from Dean Cripple in the Belleville News Democrat along with video).

48 hours later, prospects look pretty good for a quick recovery for Ward. The prognosis is that his knee cap slipped out of place.

“His knee cap slipped out of place. The medics at the meet put it back in place and ice was applied,” Cahokia Coach Leroy Milsap said. “He is walking around and feeling a lot better. The answer for him is ice and rest so that he can return in two weeks at sectionals.”

Ward’s injury overshadowed the performance by East St. Louis-Senior in the 800 Meter Relay. The Flyers ran the best time ever for an Illinois High School team when they ran 1:25.64 for over a three second victory.

With the weather finally feeling spring like, there were a ton of performances that are worth acknowledging. Here are some of the top performances from the last weekend. You can read more about the action in the Conference Meets across Illinois.

Collinsville Invitational

This was one of the top meets in the state this weekend headlined by the injury by Ja’Mari Ward in the Triple Jump and East. St. Louis-Senior’s sizzler in the 800. Ward’s jump with injury (47-3) still won the event ahead of teammate Anthony McRoberts’ 46-10 ¾ effort. Ward also won the Long Jump. He only took two attempts but leaped 24-7 for the win. Kenny Roberson (East St. Louis-Senior) jumped a personal best 23-8 ½ (IL #4) to finish second.

East. St. Louis-Senior swept all four relays on their way to winning the team championship with 92 points. Defending 3A champion Edwardsville was next with 88 ½ points. Five time 2A defending champion Cahokia was third with 88 points. The Flyers ran a seasonal best 7:56.23 to win the 3200 Meter Relay just ahead of Cahokia (7:57.69). Springfield finished third (8:03.59) behind a 1:55 anchor leg by Heath Warren.

The second relay win by the Flyers came in the 400 Meter Relay when they crossed the line in 41.63. It is currently the best time in the state. Belleville West was next (42.43) followed by O’Fallon (42.74) and Edwardsville (42.74). Eastside finished their sweep running 3:17.75 to win the 1600 Meter Relay ahead of Cahokia (3:20.82).

In their race two weeks ago, Ja’Mari Ward and Adam Nelson (Triad HS, Troy) recorded the same time with Nelson winning by thousandths of a second. It was not that close this time for Nelson. Well…on the other hand…

Nelson won the 100 Meter Dash in this meet (10.69, IL #4) by only two hundredths of a second ahead of Ward. Deshon Buchanan (Belleville West HS) finished fourth in that race but came back to run 22.21 for the win in the 200 Meter Dash.

Chris Conrad (O’Fallon HS) was the winner in the most competitive distance race in this meet. The junior ran 1:54.74 (IL #5) to win the 800 Meter Run ahead of Lyons Township’s Vince Zona (1:55.40, IL #13).

AJ Epenesa (Edwardsville HS) went over 200 feet for the second time this season when he threw 203-11 to win the Discus. Sam Sikon (Carbondale HS) was over 63 feet again in a meet when he had a 63-1 put to win the Shot Put. Anthony McRoberts (Cahokia HS) and Darryl Sullivan (Marion HS) both cleared 6-11 in the High Jump. McRoberts won on fewer missed.

Vermillion County Meet

A small meet that had one state ranked performance. Boy was it a great run! Jon Davis (Oakwood HS, Fithian) came back from a 1:54 / 4:15 double the week before to run a state’s best in the 1600 Meter Run (4:05.81). It is currently third best nationally. It was a solo effort as he won by fifty seconds.

Bill Jackson Invitational @ Lockport

Huntley won the team title with 208 points followed by Lockport (200 points) and Sandburg (148 points). Athletes found the conditions extremely agreeable with temperatures near 75 degrees with very little wind.

Derrius Rodgers (Lockport Township HS) had a great meet on his home track winning both the 100 and 200 Meter Dash. Rodgers ran 10.60 (IL #2) to win the 100 ahead of Sandburg’s Ayo Abiona (10.84). Rodgers looked just as strong in the 200 running 21.42 (IL #3) ahead of Huntley’s Jeremie Allen (21.88). Rodgers ran the second leg on his team’s 800 Meter Relay as Lockport ran 1:27.62 (IL #4) to win the event ahead of Huntley (1:28.56) and Plainfield East (1:29.06).

Sandburg’s Torpy brothers were in control of the Class A 800 and 1600 Meter Races in this meet. Sean Torpy ran 4:12.31 to win the 1600 Meter Run. He won by ten seconds ahead of Plainfield North’s Jack Sebok (4:22.15) and Fremd’s Danny Peterson (4:24.80).  Chris Torpy dominated the 800 Meter Run with a 1:52.97 winning time (IL #2). Keagan Smith (Huntley HS) ran 1:58.03 to finish second in that race. Earlier in the meet, Smith was part of Huntley’s quartet that won the 3200 Meter Relay (7:57.21) just barely ahead of Sandburg (7:57.84).

John Meyer (Lockport Township HS) was comfortable in his home ring and that resulted in two wins. Meyer was under 60 feet but still had a 59-5 effort to win the Shot Put by more than seven feet. He also had a 168-5 throw to win the Discus. Luther Newburn (Hillcrest HS, Country Club Hills) is jumping with more and more confidence which is showing in his meet performances. Newburn jumped 23-3 (IL #5) to win the Long Jump. He came back to jump 47-8 ½ to win the Triple Jump. It is his fourth performance over 47 feet in that event this season.

Conant Cougar Classic 

Michael Edwards (Zion-Benton HS) perhaps put up the top performance of the meet as he ran the state’s best time (48.54) to win the 400 Meter Dash ahead of Rock Island’s Doug Wilson who ran 48.76 (IL #4). The 800 Meter Run had four runners dip under 1:57 in the Class A race. Torrian Haughton (Maine East HS, Park Ridge) ran 1:54.80 (IL #6) to win by eleven hundredths of a second ahead of Thomas Mosley (Zion-Benton HS). Leyden’s Mati Szelazek (1:55.80) and Minooka’s Soren Knudsen (1:56.70) finished third and fourth.  Knudsen came back to run 4:17.04 to win the 1600 Meter Run just ahead of Prospect’s Matt Cozine (4:17.65, IL #11).

The sprint relays did not disappoint either. Rock Island ran 42.16 (IL #5) to win the 400 Meter Relay ahead of Zion-Benton (42.65) and Proviso West (42.78). Zion-Benton ran 1:29.26 to win the 800 Meter Relay with Rock Island (1:29.35) and Proviso West (1:30.15) close behind. Zion-Benton also picked up a win in the 1600 Meter Relay running a seasonal best 3:20.56 (IL #4).

Tyler Foulks (Rock Island HS) and Justin Wolz (Minooka HS) traded places in each race of the 100 and 200. Foulks took the win in the 100 (10.82) just ahead of Wolz (10.93). It was Wolz that won the 200 Meter Dash with a personal best 21.95 just seven hundredths of a second ahead of Foulks.

Lake County Invitational

Lakes won the county championship with 88 points. Warren Township scored 75 points to finish second. They were led by three individual wins by Cameron Ruiz. He started in the field events jumping 23-2 ½ (IL #7) to win the Long Jump. He also jumped a personal best 46-1 (IL #9) to win the Triple Jump. Ruiz led a 1-2 finish for Lakes in the 400 Meter Dash as he ran 48.95 (IL #7) to finish two hundredths of a second ahead of teammate Brandon Thiel (48.97, IL #10).

Cooper Jazo (Lakes HS, Lake Villa) cleared a seasonal best of 15-1 to win the Pole Vault.  In an extremely close finish in the 800 Meter Run, Robert Kuhlmann (Lakes HS, Lake Villa) ran 1:55.34 to win the race just one hundredths of a second ahead of Brian Griffith (Lake Zurich HS).

Jack Aho (Grayslake Central HS) ran alone in running 4:14.71 to win the 1600 Meter Run ten seconds ahead of Highland Park’s Brett Davidson (4:24.41) and Jon Rosenfeld (4:24.90). It went to the wire in the 3200 Meter Run as Stevenson’s Jared Borowsky ran 9:30.91 to win less than a second ahead of Grayslake Central’s Matt Aho (9:31.37).

Gavin Hoch (Lake Forest HS) picked up two wins in the hurdle races. The first one was close as he ran 14.63 to win the 110 Highs by seven hundredths of a second ahead of Antioch’s Landon Keefover (14.70).  Hoch came back to run 38.24 to win the 300 Hurdles by more than a second ahead of Keefover.

Kane County Championships

Connor McCue (West Aurora HS) tuned up for his conference meet by running a state’s seasonal best 1:52.72 to win the 800 Meter Run almost four seconds ahead of Geneva’s Brian Kuehl (1:56.26). McCue came back to win a tactical 1600 running 4:25.50 for the win more than a second ahead of Batavia’s Shane Knanishu (4:26.92).

Justin Taormina (Geneva HS) picked up a double win running 10.81 to win the 100 Meter Dash eight hundredths of a second ahead of Brandon Cruz (Kaneland HS, Maple Park). The same outcome occurred in the 200 Meter Dash as Taormina ran 22.14 for the win just ahead of Cruz’s 22.39.

In his first season of track & field, Camron Donatlan (West Aurora HS) is being one of the top athletes in the High Jump. The sophomore cleared a personal best 6-9 (IL #3) to win the event. Davion Cross (West Aurora HS) jumped a personal best 48-6 ½ (IL #3) to win the Triple Jump ahead of teammate Chris Walker (46-5 ½, IL #8).

DuPage County Championships

In a close three school battle, Wheaton North came away with the team championship with 108 ½ points. Wheaton-Warrenville South (102 ½) and York (96) finished second and third. Wheaton North used their depth in their win as they did not win any of the 18 events.

Mitch West (Montini Catholic HS) was one of the stars of the meet as he won two individual events and helped Montini win two relays. West won the 100 Meter Dash (10.89) followed by running 22.38 to win the 200 Meter Dash. He anchored Montini to a win in the 400 Meter Relay (42.70) ahead of Glenbard North (43.10) and Lake Park (43.14). West also anchored Montini to a win in the 800 Meter Relay (1:29.02) almost two seconds ahead of Wheaton North (1:31.01).

Tyler Kirkwood (Waubonsie Valley HS, Aurora) took advantage of almost perfect conditions to pick up a pair of wins in both hurdle races. Kirkwood ran a personal best 14.31 (IL #4) to win the 110 Highs ahead of Glenbard North’s Jace James (14.83). The two athletes came back in a good 300 Hurdles race. James had the advantage as he came off the curve with Kirkwood closing. James hit the second to last hurdle which Kirkwood took advantage of. Kirkwood won (39.02) just ahead of James (39.55). Tom Ansiel (Wheaton-Warrenville South HS) continues to show improvement in the Pole Vault after starting the season with only a 13-6 personal best. He cleared 15-7 in this meet (IL #2) to win the event.

York swept all four distance races. Their 3200 Meter Relay ran 8:05.01 for the win by nine seconds ahead of Wheaton-Warrenville South (8:14.54). Max Denning pulled away from teammate Jackson Bode on the final lap to run 9:43.35 to win the 3200 Meter Run. Bode finished second in 9:46.67. Liam Hill came from fourth in the final lap to win the 800 Meter Run (1:58.18) just ahead of Naperville Central freshman Thomas Shilgalis (1:58.48). Robert Tomaska moved away from the pack in the final 200 meters to win the 1600 Meter Run (4:25.32). Jon May (York HS, Elmhurst) passed Jordan Hennings (Wheaton North HS) in the final 20 meters to capture second place. York also won the 1600 Meter Relay (3:25.24) just ahead of Waubonsie Valley (3:25.56).

Chago Basso (Lake Park HS, Roselle) continued to impress on his home rings. He won the Shot Put with a 60-5 put. His teammate Dylan Scherich achieved a seasonal best (58-7, IL #9). Basso came back to throw 179-4 to win the Discus ahead of Wheaton North’s Dan Webber (174-7).

McCarthy Memorial Invitational @ Hinsdale Central

Middle distance races and close finishes were the norm at this meet. Irwin Loud (Oak Park-River Forest HS) pulled away to win the 1600 Meter Run (4:15.47, IL #6) just a second ahead of Hinsdale Central’s Blake Evertsen (4:16.49, IL #9). It was closer in the 800 Meter Run as the first three runners finished within a second of each other. Antonio Davis (Bloom Township HS, Chicago Heights) edged Sean Lonergan (Oak Park-River Forest HS) by three hundredths of a second for the win (1:54.95, IL #9 – 1:54.98 IL #10). Robby Prescott (Downers Grove North HS) ran a personal best 1:55.62 to finish third.

Hinsdale South was in control throughout the 3200 Meter Relay running 7:54.30 (IL #4) to win the event ahead of Hinsdale Central (8:07.11) and Downers Grove North (8:08.24). The 400 Meter Dash was also close as Brandon Gage (Oak Park-River Forest HS) ran 49.53 to win the race by three hundredths of a second ahead of Lincoln-Way North’s Nick Miranda (49.56).

Tim Holt Invitational @ DeKalb

In this small six team meet, Antonio Tate (DeKalb HS) took advantage of his home track and the nice weather giving him some state ranked performances. Tate started by running 10.69 (IL #4) to win the 100 Meter Dash. He came back to run 21.62 (IL #5) in the 200 Meter Dash to win ahead of teammate Aljuwan Smith. The two were also part of their team’s quartets that ran 42.32 (IL #9) to win the 400 Meter Relay. Tate also picked up a win in the Long Jump (22- ½).

Darius King (Moline HS) captured both weight events. King had a 54-4 ½ effort to win the Shot Put. He also threw 163-1 to win the Discus. Izaiah Webb (DeKalb HS) cleared 15-0 for the first time this year to win the Pole Vault.

Pete Reiff Invitational @ Hoffman Estates

Declan Rustay (Hoffman Estates HS) is only a sophomore but he is a sprinter that does not run like one. He captured an individual win along with helping his team get two fast realy times. He won the 100 Meter Dash (10.79, IL #9) ahead of Metea Valley’s Alonzo Taylor-Jones.  Rustay was part of his team’s quartet that ran 42.75 to win the 400 Meter Relay just ahead of Metea Valley (42.81) and Glenbard West (42.89). Hoffman Estates also ran 1:28.96 (IL #11) to win the 800 Meter Relay.

Keep an eye on Pat Mikel (Glenbard East HS, Lombard) the next couple of weeks. He is on the rise in the sprints. The senior ran 48.85 (IL #6) to win the 400 Meter Dash. Jordan Cagigal (Metea Valley HS, Aurora) ran 49.18 to finish second.  Jelyn Hill (Hoffman Estates HS) was a double winner jumping 23 – ½ (IL #10) to win the Long Jump and clearing 6-5 to win the High Jump.

Northern Illinois Invitational @ Beloit College

A small meet but with a huge performance. Deion McShane (Freeport HS) finished second last year in the IHSA State Meet in the 300 Meter Hurdles as a freshman. He dropped a huge time in that event. The sophomore ran the state’s fastest time (37.04) to win the race by more than four seconds. That time is currently tied for 13^th nationally. Let’s keep an eye on him the next few weeks. He could set the IHSA State record in Charleston at the end of May.