'It's a blessing': Peoria athletes say good-bye with style at IHSA boys track and field state finals
CHARLESTON — An Elmwood chess player made his move to win a state championship, while the Morton 4x200 relay team held the field in check on the way to its first boys state event title in 64 years.
Isaiah Hill, an Elmwood/Brimfield chess team member, made a calculated move in the 1600-meter run to win a state championship, while Morton's quartet won a boys state title for the first time in more than six decades at the IHSA boys track and field state finals Saturday in Eastern Illinois University's O'Brien Field.
"I'm a sit-and-kicker runner, like to sit back and hunt people down," said Hill, a senior. "Coach told me beforehand, wait for 200 and then make the move. It's the first state championship I've ever won, and I can say goodbye now to my high school career, rest easy."
IHSA boys track and field finals recap: Morton, Elmwood, Dee-Mack athletes win titles
Coming down the stretch, Hill looked strong and managed a big lead, twice glancing over his shoulder to check on the challengers behind him.
"I was looking for Josiah Hortin (Tuscola)," Hill said. "He took the 800 away from me when he made a move on me at the end. I wanted to make sure I knew where he was back there, and I was amazed he wasn't closer."
Horton won that 800 while Hill finished second.
Hill said he couldn't sleep the night before the races Saturday, that he was in his own head space. "But I pictured myself a champion," he said. "And now I am one."
'It's a blessing for us'
Morton sent Cole Rinkenberger to the line first in the 4x100 relay. Then Nyamedze Maison followed, then Kamden Aberle and anchor Chris Schaff. They slid to fourth and were not happy about it.
When the same lineup filled the blocks for the 4x200 relay, none of them had any idea of the historic significance of what they were about to accomplish.
"We were just mad," Schaff said. "You can't really process what's happening when you're out there. Then it hits you, that you just won the biggest meet in the state.
"It's important to show the kids who are going to come in after us what can be done, set a standard."
Details: Morton relay team wins school's first IHSA boys track and field title in six decades
To that end, Morton had not won a boys state track championship event since 1960, when famed North Central coach Al Carius won the mile as a high schooler for Morton. That's 64 years without a boys title.
"It's a blessing for us," Aberle said. "We didn't think we'd have a great relay team last year, and it gave us motivation for this season. For three of us, this was it, we're seniors, we're gone."
The Potters won it in 1:27.33, holding off Carbondale by one half-second.
Morton also finished third in the 4x800 relay with four different runners in the lineup.
As for Schaff and Aberle, they say their track careers are over, as they plan to attend Illinois Central College next year.
Hank hits the road
Hank Alvey, the dominating 6-foot-9 center from Illini Bluffs basketball team, finished sixth in the Class 1A shot put (15.78 meters) and second in the discus (49.04 meters).
His senior year was a character test, and the big man held up just fine after the Tigers basketball team lost an Elite Eight game to Winchester West Central in the Jacksonville Supersectional 82 days ago.
"I still think about that game," Alvey said. "I'm just never going to be over it. I loved that environment and that experience and I know it helped prepare me for college basketball.
Honor roll: Here are the top times, distances for Peoria-area high school track and field in 2024
"This is a big stage here, too, and I thought I was in a decent position. I had been throwing well in practice, showing progress. I PR'd here for the first time in two years and I felt pretty good about it. It's tough slipping back to second in the discus."
And with that, he was gone. Literally. Alvey and his parents had their car packed and they left from O'Brien Field on a 13-hour drive to Lehigh University, where he will play basketball — and maybe consider some track — next fall.
"I left it all out there," Alvey said. "I didn't get everything done that I wanted to. But I'm confident that I'm going on to bigger and better things."
In the Nick of time
Metamora senior Nick Walker finished ninth in the long jump at 6.62 meters, and tied for seventh in the high jump at 1.90 meters.
"I've been here three times, so I wasn't nervous," Walker said. "This state meet was good closure for me. I'm ready to move on (to the Illinois Wesleyan track team)."
All in the family
Eureka senior Andrew Perry ran to a fourth-place finish in the Class 2A 3200 in 9:23.77. He was 12th in the 1600.
"I got a medal, and I think that's great," Perry said. "Running is a lifestyle for me, for my whole family, it's what we do."
His sister, former Eureka star Anna Perry, now at Bradley University, was in the grandstand cheering him on.
"I started running when I was in seventh grade," Perry said. "I watched her compete and train and I know how to do this. It's fun for me."
Cicada situation bugged everyone
The cicadas were in full force all over O'Brien Field, and several runners said they were particularly plentiful and aggressive in the turn before the stretch.
They swarmed the podium ceremonies, and joined the races, too.
"That one turn was a bad place to be," Morton relay anchor Chris Schaff said. "They were all over me. I had some land on me and hitch a ride to the finish.
Every athlete: Every Peoria-area boys track and field athlete who advanced to the 2024 IHSA state finals
Around the track
Class 1A: Deer Creek-Mackinaw athlete Christopher McCaleb won championships in the wheelchair shot put (state-record 5.96 meters) and wheelchair discus (14.05 meters). He defeated one other athlete in each event. ... Elmwood's 4x800 relay finish ninth in 8:13.45. ... Illini West sprinter Ian Bentzinger was fourth in the 100 (10.79) and fifth in the 200 (22.34). ... El Paso-Gridley's Caleb Graham was sixth in the 800 (1:57.12), while teammate Dean Witzig was fourth in the 3200 (9:39.20) and ninth in the 1600 (4:34.47). EP-G's Marcus Czapar was fourth in the pole vault (4.30 meters) ... Annawan/Wethersfield's Karson Shrum was sixth in the 3200 (9:47.30). ... Nolan Orwig of Stark County was eighth in the 300 hurdles (41.87). ... Landon Hulsing of Bureau Valley was seventh in the discus (45.32 meters).
Class 2A: Metamora freshman Zach Born finished eighth in the 800 in 1:55.48. ... Morton senior Josh Weeks was seventh in the 3200 at 9:34.12. ... Olympia senior Keagan Uphoff was fourth in the 300 hurdles at :39.61. ... Metamora's 4x400 relay was ninth as Nick Walker, Ryley Claudin, Ben Roth and Zach Born logged a 3:23.80 run. ... Morton's quartet of Christian Harris, Boston Beyer, Yonas Wuthrich, Layton Knoop finished third in the 4x800 at 7:46.85, while Galesburg's Andrew Peterson, Luke Thomas, Dominic Cantarini and Plamedi Nseka were seventh (7:55.25). ... The Princeton duo of Payne Miller (17.28 meters) and Cade Odell (16.40) finished third and fourth, respectively, in the shot put. ... Eureka senior Pete Bressner was seventh in the high jump at 1.90 meters. ... Limestone junior Kamar Sanders was eighth in the long jump at 6.65 meters. ... Kewanee's Leocadio Gandarilla was eighth in the discus (47.61).
Class 3A: Pekin senior Heath Hawkins finished sixth in pole vault at 4.60 meters.
At the finish line
Morton was in a four-way tie for first place in the Class 2A team race after seven events had been scored Saturday. The Potters eventually finished 10th. … East St. Louis won the 2A title. Eureka finished 30th in 2A, Metamora and Olympia 42nd and Limestone 67th. … West Chicago Wheaton senior Canyon Roberts had a hamstring strain, but he ran the 110 hurdles anyway, carefully picking his way down the track and finishing last in just under 22 seconds. He wanted to do it for himself in his final state meet. And he wanted to make sure his team gained a point. Wheaton finished tied for 42nd. … Edwardsville and Oak Park River Forest finished in a tie for the Class 3A team title with 49 points each. … Pekin finished 55th in 3A. … Winnebago won the Class 1A team title with 57 points, edging Tuscola (54). Elmwood finished 10th (19 points).
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Roundup of Peoria athletes at 2024 IHSA boys track state finals
