Oreoluwa Sobodu, Dundee-Crown boys track and field chasing history

His kicking started at a young age, with an old-school toy substituting for a soccer ball.

“I remember playing soccer with a tin can, with my neighbors,” Oreoluwa Sobodu said.

It’s about the only memory the Dundee-Crown junior has of living in Nigeria, where he was born and lived until he was 4, when his family moved from West Africa to the U.S. Nigerian natives Adee and Victoria have raised their four children in Carpentersville ever since.

Oreoluwa Sobodu – pronounced Aw-RAY-oh-luwa SHOW-bow-do and known as “Oreo,” like the cookie, by his friends – no longer plays kick the can. He’s booted soccer to the curb, too.

“I played soccer when I was younger, boys club,” Sobodu said. “I wasn’t the most skilled. All I did was kick the ball in front of the other team and run past them.”

He’s still kicking, still striding and still running past people. His kick and blazing speed will be on display again Friday, when he and his teammates compete in the Class 3A Boys Track and Field State Meet in downstate Charleston.

The 180-pound Sobodu, who’s tall for a sprinter at 6-foot-3, qualified for state in four events in the Hoffman Estates Sectional on May 22. He won the 100-meter dash (10.67 seconds), set the school record in the 200 with a winning time of 21.79 seconds and anchored the Chargers’ 4x100 (41.77, first) and 4x200 (1:29.02, second) relays.

While Sobodu is chasing the school record in the 100 and looking to earn berths in Saturday’s finals in his individual sprint races, D-C’s 4x100 relay is seeking the program’s first state championship. The Chargers finished second to Edwardsville in Charleston last year with Torrion Bell, Terrion Spencer, Kali Freeman and Sobodu. D-C was third in 2023 with Karsten Shonukan, Spencer, Freeman and Henry Kennedy.

“When I was a freshman, watching those guys was a big deal to me,” Sobodu said. “The very next year, I’m on that [4x100 relay] team now. It was a big jump freshman year to sophomore year, a lot more pressure. It got to me [mentally] at state. I was shaking before I got that handoff [in the final].”

A physically stronger and more confident Sobodu is more ready for the challenges that await him at state this time.

This year’s 4x100 relay that won the sectional title also feature sophomore Anthony Spain and seniors Spencer and Eddie Bailey. The runner-up 4x200 relay, which finished fourth at state last year, also included Spain and juniors Kyle Brents and Gavin Fernstrom. Brents earned a return trip to state in the high jump, as well.

“I feel like we have a chance to finally make history and be a state champion in the relays,” Spencer said. “This year I feel like we’re stronger.”

Sobodu, for one, is faster.

His breakout season also has included two Fox Valley Conference Meet records, as he ran 10.67 seconds in the 100 and anchored the 4x100 relay in 41.60 seconds. By finishing first in the 100 and 200, he became only the third D-C athlete to win two events in the meet.

“He took another step in the offseason,” Chargers coach Matt D’Angelo said. “He really committed to the craft, to lifting, to getting stronger, to getting faster. He’s taken it to that next level, and that’s a tribute to the work he’s put in.”

Sobodu’s commitment to increasing his speed included choosing not to play basketball, after playing as a freshman and sophomore, to focus on track-specific lifting. D’Angelo has seen Sobodu embrace a leadership role.

“I’m just trusting my coaches, trusting the process,” Sobodu said. “That’s what’s brought me here.”

Franklin Alrich’s school-record time of 10.65 seconds in the 100 (set in 2004) is in jeopardy of falling Friday. Breaking the record is a goal for Sobodu, whose personal best is 10.67, but his main priority is advancing to Saturday.

Funny, because last year, he says, the 100 was probably his weakest race. And while his height works against him when it comes to his block starts, which he calls “horrendous,” he has emerged as a state-medal candidate.

“This year, [the 100] is probably my best one,” Sobodu said. “When I was a sophomore, my form would break down around the 70- or 80-meter mark. I started falling over. That’s what happened in the finals [at state]. When I’m chasing somebody, I use too much force, and that’s why I fall forward. This year I’ve been running way more calm.”

Spencer says he has noticed his teammate’s commitment level. Sobodu’s growth also includes academics, as he has raised his GPA to 3.1 and is taking AP classes.

“He has a good work ethic for his age,” Spencer said. “He doesn’t slack around. He’s not a kid who you have to worry about in school. He’s just someone we can count on.”

It’s been a season of fun and record-setting performances for the Chargers, and their star sprinter and former tin-can kicker is indeed having his kicks.

“I feel the No. 1 reason we do well is because of the connection we have as teammates,” Sobodu said. “I’m hoping for great things to happen [at state].”