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DS IL 2015 Season Preview – 2A Boys Sprints / HurdlesPublished by
Hooker and Eiker will push each other faster; Ege the athlete to beat in the hurdles
By Michael Newman
On State Finals Saturday last May in Charleston, the 2A sprints were controlled by Demoria Harris (Dunbar Academy, Chicago) when he won the 100 and 200. Dion Hooker (Sycamore HS) and Josh Eiker (Galesburg HS) were left in the shadows. With Dunbar Academy now in 3A for the 2015 season, it takes away the possible battle between these three heavyweights at Charleston.
Hooker and Eiker will be two of the main attractions in the 2015 2A sprint scene. Hooper was a surprise his sophomore year when he won the state title at the 200 Meter Dash. Eiker followed the same path as Hooker in his sophomore year. He shocked some by running top five Illinois times in the 55 and 60. He followed up outdoors by setting the 2A record in the 200 Meter Dash in his preliminary heat at the state meet. He finished second in the 200 final and fourth in the 100. The sprints are deep in 2A. With these two athletes leading the way, watching these races should be spectacular.
Lucas Ege (Central HS, Burlington) missed winning the 110 Meter Hurdles by seven hundredths of a second finishing third. He did come back to dominate the 300 Intermediate Hurdles winning by almost a seconds. He will be the athlete to watch in the two 2A hurdle events this year.
The relays? The question will be how strong again will Cahokia be in the three relays. They have already started the season running 3:21 in the 1600 relay at the Arkansas High School Invitational in the middle of January. In fact, they had three teams that were 3:30 or better. They have the depth to makes things extremely difficult for other 2A schools this season.
Here is a look at the individual events in the sprints and hurdles. We will also give you any idea of the schools to watch in the three relays this year.
100 Meter Dash
2014 State Top Returnee – Dion Hooker – SR – Sycamore HS – 2nd 2A
Preview – Even without defending champion Demoria Harris not in this event, the 100 will be loaded this season. Six of the nine finalists are back led by Dion Hooker. The Sycamore senior had to wait a couple of minutes after the finish of the race before seeing that Harris beat him by one hundredth of a second. We already mentioned that Josh Eiker was a surprise in the 2A sprints. Another athlete that could be put in this category is Jarrell Jackson (Marengo HS) who finished third two hundredths of a second ahead of Eiker. Both athletes will be challenging for the title in Charleston this May.
Hooker (10.63) and Eiker (10.67) were the only 2A athletes under 10.7 in the 100 last season. The next closest athlete was Adam Nelson (Triad HS, Troy). The junior had some big wins last year including the Herrin Sectional and the Belleville West Invitational. He did not have a good state final finishing ninth. He has the talent and potential to challenge for the top this year. Franklin Hunt (Rich Central HS, Olympia Fields), Malik Brooks (Southeast HS, Springfield), and Jack Curtis (Glenbard South HS, Glen Ellyn) are other sprinters to watch out for this spring.
200 Meter Dash
2014 State Top Returnee – Josh Eiker – JR – Galesburg HS – 2nd 2A
Preview – It should be Josh Eiker vs. Dion Hooker part two in this event. Eiker set the IHSA 2A record in the prelims last year only to be defeated by Demoria Harris in the finals. Eiker will be hungry for the win in this event. Hooker finished fourth in that race. He would like to get back hi state championship that he won in 2013.
Franklin Hunt was the only other 2A athlete besides Eiker and Hooker returning to run under 22 seconds last spring and should be a threat for the top of the podium. Ty Seager (Wheaton Academy HS, West Chicago) finished seventh last season. The junior has the potential to run under 22 seconds and challenge for a championship. Dontae Adams (Harlan Academy, Chicago), Jack Curtis, Adam Nelson, and Daryl Jackson (Lanphier HS, Springfield) are some of the athletes to watch for this season.
400 Meter Dash
2014 State Top Returnee – Will Moore – SR – Metamora HS – 5th 2A
Preview – This could be the event of opportunity in 2A this spring. Will Moore is the only state finalist back in the 400. Moore also has the fastest returning time in the event along with Tyran Lyons (Cahokia HS). Both runners ran 49.58 during the 2014 season. Lyons did not make it out of the prelims. He could be a threat to win the state title this May.
Wide open could be an understatement for this event. We could see a new face enter and come away with the title. Only nine runners in 2A have run faster than 51 seconds. Corbin Crim (Harrisburg HS), David Shadid (Notre Dame HS, Peoria), and Dominick Giovannelli (Glenwood HS, Chatham) are a few of the runners to watch for this spring in the 400.
110 Meter High Hurdles
2014 State Top Returnee – Lucas Ege – SR – Burlington Central HS – 3rd 2A
Preview – Lucas Ege returns to this event to finish what he started last season. He missed the state championship by seven hundredths of a second settling for third. He should be one of the favorites in this event. He peaked at the right time last year running under 15 seconds in his last four meets. He was also undefeated in the High Hurdles. His only blemish came in that state meet race.
There is a drop off after the first three returning athletes. Korrion Session (Cahokia HS) is the only other all-state athlete back. He finished fifth behind Ege at state. His PR (14.58) is only nine hundredths of a second slower than that of Ege. The two will push each other for the state championship. Kalvin Johnson (Centralia HS) is the only other athlete coming back that is under 15 seconds. He could also be a threat in this event. Drew Pranka (Princeton HS) and JD Gieson (Dixon HS) are some of the other athletes that I would keep an eye on this upcoming season.
300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles
2014 State Top Returnee – Lucas Ege – SR – Burlington Central HS – 2014 2A State Champion
Preview – Lucas Ege has the potential to break the sixteen year old IHSA overall record of 36.77 by Jon Schweighardt at this year’s state meet. His improvement was amazing last season in route to breaking the 2A record. He dropped his time down from 39.04 at the Crystal Lake Central Invitational at the beginning of May to his 2A state record time of 37.34 at the end of the month. He has the potential to get that record. Will there be anyone pushing him? Kalvin Johnson would be the best bet. He did run 38.44 during last season. He had the fastest time in the prelims. In the finals, he was second as he approached the final hurdle. He stumbled over it finishing ninth. He could be the one threat to Ege. Korrion Session and Aaron Cable (Rochester HS) are the only other finalists back. Cole Deming (Hillsboro HS) could also be a threat. In the 1A finals last year, he finished sixth. He has the sixth fastest returning time. Also watch for JD Gieson, who ran 39.40 last year, as someone that could crack into the top five.
4 x 100 Meter Relay
2014 2A State Champion – Cahokia HS – 42.23
Preview – The 2014 final of this event was a wild ride. First Sycamore false started. Then during the race, Kaneland was disqualified for passing out of the zone. It was a crazy final as Cahokia held off Demoria Harris and Dunbar for the championship.
Dunbar is in 3A and will not be a part of this event. It could come down to Cahokia and last year’s third place team Galesburg to battle for the relay crown. Both teams return all of the quartets from last year’s race. Galesburg will be powered by Josh Eiker. Cahokia will once again have Ja’Mari Ward a part of the squad. Jacksonville could be tough with three back. Burlington Central only has two back led by hurdle specialist Lucas Ege. They do have a deep sprint squad that could make them a threat. Also watch for Springfield Southeast, Troy Triad, and Dunlap in this event.
4 x 200 Meter Relay
2014 2A State Champion – Chicago Phillips HS – 1:28.43
Preview – Cahokia returns three from last year’s 2nd place team and looks like the team to beat in this event. Kaneland has two back led by Ben Barnes. They could be a threat to capture the title. Galesburg will again be tough. Josh Eiker leads all of the quartet back that finished sixth in 2014. They should be a factor in the championship.
Rich Central returns all of their quartet led by Franklin Hunt and will be a threat to comes across the line first. Champaign Centennial, Troy Triad, and Burlington Central would be among the other teams to watch this season.
4 x 400 Meter Relay
2014 2A State Champion – Cahokia HS – 3:17.66
Preview – The Comanches have the strength to repeat in this event. Even though only two runners are back from last year’s state champ, Cahokia showed their depth by running 3:21 at the Arkansas High School Invitational in the middle of January.
There might not be a team that will come close to them this season. The team that pushed them last year (Kaneland) graduated all of their quartet. The remaining top seven teams only have one or two runners back that ran in the finals. Peoria Central, who finished ninth last year, returns all four of their runners that had a season best of 3:25. It will be interesting to see what teams will step up during this campaign. More news |
