2020 ILXCTF.com Illinois Track & Field Previews - 2A Boys Sprint/Hurdle Events

By Michael Newman

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It was a 75% grade for Finnigan Schirmer of Marengo after last year’s state meet. He was looking for four wins. He “only” got three state titles. The disappointment in his face showed after he finished fourth in the 200 Meter Dash.

He would like to go for the sweep in his final high school season before he is off to attend the University of Minnesota this fall. Schirmer has seven all-state medals already. That is seven more than most of the athletes all-time have that have competed in this meet. It just showed the drive that this athlete has.

The number of athletes that have won the 110 High Hurdles, 100 Meter Dash, and 300 Intermediate Hurdles is slim. If he adds the 200 Meter Dash, he is one of the few that will achieve such a tough task.

Who challenges Schirmer in the Hurdles?

The event is wide-open – after Schirmer, Jamarriante Burgess of East St. Louis-Senior, and Steven Harris of Cahokia. All three athletes had seasonal bests under 14.3. There are no other athletes back that went under 15-seconds. Harris was only seven hundredths of a second behind Schirmer. Burgess clipped a hurdle halfway through the race and finished a frustrating ninth. All three should be together push each other under 14-seconds.

It is the same story in the 300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles with the same three athletes. The state final was spectacular with Schirmer edging Burgess by 12 hundredths of a second. Harris was third running 38.31. There closest runners in the group behind these three are more than 2.5 seconds behind.

The three are the top hurdlers in this state. What could happen in May in Charleston in these two races could be talked about for years to come.

Who Challenges Schirmer in the Sprints?

Finnigan Schirmer is the defending champion in this event having run 10.62 in his finals’ win. He has the fastest returning time by over two tenths of a second. Three other athletes that made the finals in 2019 are back. The one athlete that I would keep an eye on is fourth-place finisher Kaleb Brown of St. Rita. He ran 10.84 last year as a freshman to earn that all-state finish. His second year should be faster than his first.  Keegan Cullison of Plano and Devin Wills of Mascoutah are the other all-state finishers looking for the gold this season.

The 200 Meter Dash was the toughest challenge for Schirmer last year. It will be again in 2020 with six all-state finishers returning. What was so fascinating in last year’s race that only 22 hundredths of a second separated the top five finishers. Top returning runner Marcus Lampley ran 21.58 in that race with Jeremiah Hamilton of Urbana eight hundredths back and Schirmer just one hundredth of a second with Hamilton. Willie Johnson of East St. Louis-Senior was just a tenth of a second back in fifth. Any of those four athletes could end up the winner. Schirmer is hoping that it will be him.

A Tough 400

This is the toughest of all events number-wise with the top eight finishers all back. East St. Louis-Senior teammates Willie Johnson and Marcus Lampley were at the head of the class last year and will be the runners to watch again in 2020. Johnson ran 47.65 to capture his state title. Johnson getting close to second is a good possibility. Lampley had a 48.17 best. That time figures to drop as well.

Jerry Harper of Rantoul is the one runner in this event that has a realistic chance to capture a top two finish. Harper had a 48.51 second best in his third-place finish. We could see him also run under 48 seconds sometime this spring. The next group is more than a second behind these three.

An Early Relay Look

Could East St. Louis-Senior sweep the three sprint relays? Chances are that the Flyers will. They return all four runners from the team that won the 400 Meter Relay. Rantoul may have the best chance of getting within half a second of Eastside. The same will hold true in the 800 Meter Relay. The Flyers finished third in last year’s final but return three of their four runners. It could be a little tighter with Rock Falls, Tinley Park, Rantoul, and Urbana their closest competition.

One of the top finishes from last year’s state meet was the 1600 Meter Relay when East St. Louis-Senior and Eureka ran in the 3:18’s separated by only 39 hundredth of a second. Both teams return three runners meaning we could have the same kind of close finish at the end of May.

Top Returning Class 2A Boys Sprint/Hurdle Event Athletes

100 Meter Dash

200 Meter Dash

400 Meter Dash

110 Meter High Hurdles

300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles