By Les Winkeler, The Southern  

CHARLESTON – Centralia junior DeVantre Whitelow introduced himself to the Illinois track community in a big way Saturday, sweeping the Class 2A sprints. 

This is Whitelow’s first full season of track. 

Whitelow ran a 10.82 100 meters, nipping Kelvyn Park’s Brian Carter by .04. He got Carter by a more comfortable .18 in the 200 meters. Whitelow’s winning time was 21.77.  

“I was confident about it,” Whitelow said of his 200 meter victory. “I just had to push as hard as I could.”  And, although he won by just a fraction of a second, Whitelow said he felt he had the race in the bag coming out of the turn. ”I knew I had a finishing stride, like a fourth gear,” he said. “I kicked it in.”  Whitelow’s victory thrilled a vocal fan base in the stands.  ”That’s my family from Centralia and Chicago,” he said, flashing a big grin. “I probably couldn’t have done it without them. I im-pressed them. They didn’t know I had it in me.” Despite winning two state titles in his first appearance at Charleston, Whitelow was remarkably composed.   ”I guess it hasn’t hit me yet,” he said. “I guess when I get home and see those signs …” 

 Whitelow’s freshman and sophomore seasons were cut short by hip injuries.   ”This is his first full season,” said Centralia coach J.J. DeMattei. “I think he can get better.” 

 The day’s other Class 2A highlight was Carbondale’s performance in the 800-meter relay. The team of Jeremy Lomax, Karl Borgsmiller, Kendell Edwards and Seth Erickson finished second in 1:27.92. 

 Thornton Fractional North won the event in 1:27.59.   ”We had pretty good handoffs,” Borgsmiller said. “That’s the fastest we’ve ever run. We did the best we could. I’m proud of the way we ran.”   Borgsmiller said Lomax got the team off to a good start and Erickson put the finishing touches on the race.  ”He got them on the curve,” he said.  Erickson was Carbondale’s lone individual entry in the state finals. He placed sixth in the 200 meters at 22.44. 

 The only other 2A entries were Carbondale’s 400-meter relay team (seventh) and Centralia’s 800-meter relay team (sixth).  Country Club Hills won the 2A team title. Cahokia finished tied for second. 

 Lake Park won the 3A championship.

SHS sets relay record; Lions’ Farley wins shot

 from Springfield by MARCIA MARTINEZ

CHARLESTON — Less than 1½ hours into the Class 2A State Boys Track and Field finals Saturday, the city of Springfield had claimed a pair of championships at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium.

The Springfield High School Senators took the 4×800-meter relay title with a record-setting performance, and Lanphier junior Kevin Farley stunned the field with a win in the shot put.

SHS’ 4×800 team of sophomore Michael Simon, senior Matt Havey, junior Nick Moore and senior Justin Lee won in a 2A state meet-record 7 minutes 47.92 seconds, bettering the mark of 7:51.85 set by Galesburg last year.

SHS was in third place with 100 meters to go when Lee ran to the outside, took off and pulled away from the field. Oak Forest was runner-up in 7:49.01.

“I thought on our best day that we’d maybe run 7:45 or 7:55,’’ SHS coach Trae Cotner said. “I never thought 7:47. That time could have put us right there in 3A. Everything fell together with Havey coming on and getting a second shot (after a stress fracture canceled his cross country season) and Nick Moore running great.

“For Michael to lead off and outkick all the pure 800 runners to hand off in first, then Justin wanted to win that for his teammates. He sacrificed himself in the open 800 for that.’’

Strong effort
Farley also rose to the occasion. He claimed the shot put championship with a personal-record throw of 56 feet 7.

“We say go out there, put that first throw out there and put the pressure on everybody else,’’ Lanphier coach Mike Garcia said. “That’s exactly what he did.

“I never would have believed he’d be a state champ two years after we got him out for track as a freshman.’’

Farley later placed fifth in the discus with a personal-record throw that measured 154-4.

Lanphier has left the state meet with at least one state title every year since 2006. Farley’s win gives the Lions seven state titles in five seasons.

The Senators’ victory is the first championship for a SHS relay since 1913.

Simon, Havey, Moore and Lee ran splits of 1:55.8, 2:01.3, 1:57.9 and 1:52.7.

“When I saw Nick come around, make up ground with 100 to go and get right in the pack, I was getting antsy,’’ Lee said. “I was ready to take off. I knew if he was there it would be a race.

“They all tried to take off with 300 (meters remaining). I just kept with the move and with 200 I set myself up and got to the outside. We were all packed up with 100 to go, then when I broke out and took off everybody in the crowd just came to their feet. That last step when no one was around me, a smile hit my face. I’m so speechless about that race. We all did exactly what we were supposed to do. Running it was exciting. I would love to see what it looked like. Hopefully, I can see it somewhere.’’

Lee earned a third-place medal in the 800 to go with the third-place medal he won at the Class 2A state cross country meet in November. In the 800 finals, he finished in 1:58.08. Lee’s rival, Jerseyville senior Ryan Todd, won in 1:56.15.

Late bloomer
Farley’s performance was impressive for someone who never participated in a sport prior to high school. He went out only for track and field after Garcia asked him to during gym class his freshman year, and Farley has since joined the wrestling and football teams.

“The first thing I did ever in my life was shot put and discus,’’ Farley said. “Now, it’s my junior year and I’m three feet away from the school record. That’s a big deal for me.’’

“I didn’t think I was going to place at all. I came in (ranked fifth). Our trainer told me, ‘It doesn’t matter what happened yesterday. Today is a new day.’’

Farley threw nearly four feet farther in the shot put finals than he did in Friday’s preliminary.

“If you work hard and have some ability, you don’t have to be an eighth-grade star or phenom,’’ Garcia said. “I’m really proud of him to have done it. He is what sports are all about. He’s a good student. He’s a hard worker. He’s a three-sport athlete. He doesn’t specialize in track. He does three sports and participating in those three sports has paid off. He can still get better. We’re going to try to get him to a higher level.’’

Springfield and Lanphier shined in the finals, whereas Chatham Glenwood found high finishes hard to come by. The best Glenwood could muster was fifth-place finishes in the 4×400 and 4×200 relays as well as senior Caleb Cox’s tie for fifth in the pole vault.

By Randy Sharer

CHARLESTON — Kelly Curran turned mission impossible into a stroll in the park and helped Central Catholic High School earn its third trophy in three years at the 38th girls state track meet Saturday.

The Notre Dame recruit did what no girl in state meet history has, winning the 800-, 1,600 and 3,200-meter events to lead the Saints to second in Class 1A with 45 points. Only Byron’s 46½ kept Central from defending its 2009 title. Eureka’s 44.33 points nipped Sherrard (44) for third.

“Kelly just looked phenomenal,” said Coach DeWayne Griffin, whose 2008 team took third.

Griffin labeled Curran the best female athlete in school history.

“Notre Dame is getting a special athlete,” he said. “These girls she beat run all year long.”

Curran also helped her 1,600 relay place seventh to provide three key points. The Saints moved up when Walther Lutheran fell in the closing meters.

“If we get eighth (in that relay), we’re not even in second,” said Griffin, who also got a state title from freshman pole vaulter Sarah Bell. “I told her all year she’s the best vaulter in Class 1A in the state.”

Curran’s three wins helped the Pantagraph area collect seven in 1A. Sophomore Kalla Gold won the 400, fainted on the awards stand, but recovered in time to anchor Eureka’s winning 1,600 relay. Eureka also won the 800 relay and took second in the 400 relay.

“I was having a heart attack,” said Eureka coach Don Samford after Gold fainted. He rated the trophy the toughest to win of the four the Hornets own. “We had so many girls step up.”

Curran’s school year included a state cross country individual title, her second, and a state basketball crown.

“The great Catholic school I go to has provided a lot of support,” she said. “The team aspect of everything has really been encouraging.”

Curran regained the 3,200 title she won as a sophomore by clocking 11 minutes, 12.03 seconds, almost eight seconds ahead of the runner-up.

“I kind of tried to hold back and run a paced 3,200,” said Curran, who didn’t crack the top 10 until the last half of the race.

Ninety-five minutes later she returned for the 800. She led the 12-girl field, half of which was made up of area runners, through a 65.1 first lap. El Paso-Gridley freshman Julie James made a late rush, but Curran had another gear the final 100. The official timing system failed, but the Pantagraph’s manual time had her in a school record 2:12.0, which ranks sixth in area history.

“She definitely made me work,” Curran said. “Julie James is a great runner.”

A hundred minutes later in the 1,600, Curran paced herself as she did in the 3,200, passing the first 800 in 2:44.4, but finishing in 2:25.2 for a 5:09.75 that put her well clear of GCMS runner-up Sydni Meunier (5:16.27).

“We kind of went out at a slower pace than I thought we would,” Curran said. “I just kind of pushed myself at the 800.”

Curran ended with a 59.9 anchor leg for the seventh-place 1,600 relay (4:06.75) that included Bell (61.1), Emily Beoletto (61.2) and Cristin Neill (64.6). The Saints also got two points for eighth in the 800 relay (1:48.56) thanks to Bell, Kayla Shanks, Neill and Beoletto.

“Being so close to first (in the standings) is a little bit of a disappointment, but knowing that we only had six girls come down here it’s a really good accomplishment for all of us,” Curran said. “There are only a few of us leaving so they’ll be really good in the years to come.”

By Randy Sharer 

CHARLESTON — Four years ago, Bloomington High School girls track coach Roland Brent saw the makings of a powerful squad featuring Kelly Steffen and Condia Smith.