2020 ILXCTF.com Illinois Track & Field Previews - 3A Boys Sprint/Hurdle Events

By Michael Newman

[email protected]

The five events in this classification are open for those that want to win a state championship this spring in 2020. We thought we would have a state champion returning for his senior season. Marcellus Moore’s lasting image of his high school career came last year in the finals of the 200 Meter Dash when he still won the state title overcoming a hamstring injury.

A month later, Moore made the decision to forgo his senior year of high school track and field to graduate early and attend Purdue University entering this school this January. Moore is already making some noise on the collegiate running the eighth fastest time ever at Purdue in the 60 Meter Dash (6.72).

The Athlete That Steps Up To Earn the Sprint Crown

The look on the face of Collinsville’s Jermarrion Stewart was hard to forget. The mix of anguish and surprise shot across his face as Marcellus Moore held him off by seven hundredths of a second for the Class 3A 200 Meter Dash final.  

Good things come to those who wait. Stewart’s patience and learning through all of his competitions should pay off this spring.

The focus will be on this Collinsville senior this spring as he is the top returning all-state athletes of the four that are back. His season’s best of 10.49 is two tenths of a second faster than the pack led by Xavier Curtis of Glenbard North. AJ Henning of Lincoln-Way East and John Bickel of Andrew are the other state finalists from last year that return.

It will be interesting to see which athlete that takes the big step up this season. 16 athletes are back that have run 11-seconds or faster in the 100 Meter Dash.

Stewart should be the big favorite in the 200 Meter Dash as his best time of 21.24 is more than a half second ahead of that from Xavier Curtis. Marshall Ellis of Homewood-Flossmoor, who finished seventh in the finals last year, is the other returnee with Stewart and Curtis.

Tyrone Clark of Oak Park-River Forest, Marlon Wordlow of Thornwood, and Sacrad Michelin of Evanston are some of the athletes that I would watch for in this event.

Could Stewart go after the state title in the 400 Meter Dash?

It is a possibility. He did not run that event in his junior season in 2019. He does have a personal best of 48.84 that he achieved his freshman season. He was all-state that year (2017) when he finished fifth. This is just something to mull over this season.

There are five all-state athletes back ready to step into the state championship spot that Jason Thormo held the last two years before he graduated and moved to the University of Illinois. Three of those athletes ran under 49 seconds last year led by Khullen Jefferson of Thornton Fractional South who finished fourth last year.

The Lockport duo of Kyle Langellier and Michael Walkosz finished 5/6 in the finals and would love to sweep the first two places this year. Marlon Wordlow finished ninth last year but will be a threat in the front.

The Puzzle That is the Class 3A Hurdles

You sit at the kitchen table with pieces of a puzzle that you have to put together. That is the same feeling that I get when looking at the two Class 3A Hurdle events as we head into this 2020 season. It’s confusion trying to make sense of what could happen.

The one thing that can be determined in the shorter of the two hurdle races is that Daylin Williams of Homewood-Flossmoor should step into the top spot. Williams finished fourth in the finals last year. He improved from 14.49 at the end of the state meet to 14.26 at the end of the club season last summer.

Williams’ time is 35 hundredths ahead of that from Kalil Johnson of Evanston Township. Johnson was a sophomore that ran 14.90 to win his sectional but did not qualify for the state finals. He did drop his time down to 14.61 during the summer club season. We will see how that growth translates to this track season.

Mychah Spells of Andrew finished seventh and is the only other all-state athlete back. Eldrick Surheyao of Champaign Centennial is the only other athlete back besides the above mention that has a seasonal best under 15-seconds.

It is a clean slate in the 300 Intermediate Hurdles. No all-state athletes back. A chance for so many to claim the top prize. KeiJhuan James of O’Fallon has the fastest returning time (38.96) and the only athlete back with a time under 39-seconds.

It tightens up after that with seven more athletes under 40-seconds. Onyi Ukaobasi of Geneva leads that group.

First Look At The Relays

Crete-Monee was the team to watch last year as they set a new state record in the prelims in the 400 Meter Relay, then winning in the final. The Warriors also finished third in the 800 Meter Relay. It might be tough for CM to repeat with two athletes back. The same holds true with Homewood-Flossmoor that won the 800 and finished second in the 400. The Vikings also return two athletes.

The team that will be watched is Oak Park-River Forest that finished third in the 800 Meter Relay and was disqualified in the 400 Meter Relay on a bad final exchange. Three athletes are back ready to claim the top prize.

Bloom Township, Prospect, and Andrew are some of the team that I would keep an eye on as well in these two short relays.

Lockport Township returns three athletes from last year’s second-place 1600 Meter Relay and should be the favorite in that race. It is nice to have two sub-49 second 400 runners like Kyle Langellier and Michael Walkosz. Batavia could be a team to watch along with Bloomington. I know that there will be more teams jumping to the front.

Remember, we are only in February.

Top Returning Class 3A Boys Sprint/Hurdle Event Athletes

100 Meter Dash

200 Meter Dash

400 Meter Dash

110 Meter High Hurdles

300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles