Boys Track and Field: Minooka has plenty of opportunities to rack up points

Minooka's Collin Forrest runs away from the field to win the 110-meter high hurdles at the Southwest Prairie Conference track meet on Wednesday at Plainfield South. Forrest also won the 300 hurdles and was part of the winning 4x200 relay.

Plenty of programs send large contingents to the IHSA Boys Track and Field State Meet.

Very few of those same teams, however, have many of their athletes seeded in the top 10 of their event after the sectional round.

One of those few teams is Minooka, which qualified athletes in 10 individual events and three relays, with eight of those qualifiers posting efforts that got seeds inside the top six and two more among the top 10 seeds.

As such, Minooka looks well positioned to be in the mix for a team trophy at the event and seems to be in a horse race based on seeds with Batavia, which places most of its strength in the relay events, to take home the team championship. Other squads that look to be in the mix are Hinsdale Central, Glenbrook South and Edwardsville.

Teams receive points deescalating from first to ninth place, and while the seeds aren’t the end all be all of how the meet will play out, they often provide a pretty good gauge. With eight entrants positioned to score points and a couple more who are more than capable of moving up a few notches to possibly add more points, keep an eye on Minooka.

The brunt of Minooka’s points likely will come in the sprints and hurdles.

Collin Forrest is the top seed in both the 110-meter high hurdles and 300 intermediate hurdles, by a somewhat comfortable margin. If he’s able to complete that sweep, that will provide a wonderful foundation for Minooka’s run for the title.

Tyler Colwell is seeded fourth in both the 100 and 200, while teammate Cael Hiser is seeded sixth in both of those same events.

Emerson Fayman is the sixth seed in the 800 and the Indians’ 4x800 relay is the No. 4 seed, while the wild cards for Minooka might be in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays, where the Indians are fractions of a second behind what it might take to get a few unexpected points.

Although Minooka appears to be the only area team in the mix for a team trophy, plenty of area individuals are in good position to take ownership of high spots on the medal stand.

Leading the way is Joliet West’s Marcellus Mines, who enters the 1,600 as the No. 1 seed in the event. Mines’ 4:16.65 effort at the sectionals was the state’s best effort, and while several runners clocked in quite close to Mines’ time, he clearly looks like one of the favorites.

Bolingbrook's Brett Wasick during the 800 meter event at the IHSA Sectionals on Thursday, May. 19, 2022, at Lockport.

Bolingbrook’s Brett Wasick is the second seed in the 800 and probably is itching for another chance at top-seed Hinsdale Central’s Daniel Watcke, who edged him by two hundreths of a second at the sectional.

Lockport’s Gabe Czako is the No. 2 seed in the 110 hurdles and is the No. 7 seed in the 300 hurdles, and the area has a number of other contenders that enter the state meet seeded in the top five: Lincoln-Way Central’s duo of Jake Macowiak (long jump) and Caden Simone (3,200), Lincoln-Way East’s Artie Grunert (pole vault) and Plainfield North’s 4x400 relay team.

In the Class 2A ranks, leading hopes for medal stand appearances are Providence’s Ryan Ondrasek (300 hurdles, No. 3 seed), Morris’ Myles Johnston (100, No. 2 seed) and Joliet Catholic’s Adrian Washington (long jump, No. 5 seed).

The area’s lone Class 1A athlete seeded in the top 10 is Reed-Custer’s Vander Dransfeldt (pole vault).

Class 3A Local Qualifiers

Bolingbrook

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
Brett Wasick8001:53.792nd

Joliet West

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
Marcellus Mines16004:16.651st

Lincoln-Way Central

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
Caden Simone32009:20.915th
Jake MackowiakLong Jump7.07 meters5th

Lincoln-Way East

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
Nolan Rogers32009:25.807th
Peter Weygandt300 hurdles41.3420th
Peter WeygandtHigh Jump1.90 meters6th (tied)
Arnie GrunertPole Vault4.42 meters5th
Dedrick RichardsonLong Jump6.94 meters12th

Lincoln-Way West

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
Austin Rowswell40050.5823rd
Jake RyanPole Vault4.31 meters6th (tied)

Lockport

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
Gabe Czako110 hurdles14.402nd
Gabe Czako300 hurdles39.187th
4 X 400 relay3:23.807th
Cole SilzerShot Put15.21 meters33rd
Jalen FalconLong Jump6.83 meters19th

Minooka

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
Tyler Colwell10010.634th
Cael Hiser10010.716th
Tyler Colwell20021.764th
Cael Hiser20021.876th
Emerson Fayman8001:57.656th
Zachary Balzer16004:20.0614th
Collin Forrest110 hurdles14.131st
Collin Forrest300 hurdles38.231st
4 X 100 relay42.5510th
4 X 400 relay3:24.1510th
4 X 800 relay7:54.614th
Andrew UndesserPole Vault4.16 meters11th (tie)
Malik ArmstrongLong Jump6.75 meters26th

Plainfield East

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
4 X 100 relay42.6314th

Plainfield North

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
Dylan Gramley10059.0520th
Dylan Gramley20022.0210th
4 X 200 relay1:28.565th
4 X 400 relay3:24.6916th
4 X 800 relay8:00.0716th
Colin WojtkiewiczShot Put16.51 meters17th
Mason DelaneyHigh Jump1.90 meters6th (tied)

Plainfield South

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
Brian Stanton20022.3324th
Gabriel King40050.2217th
Camyn Viger16004:19.8512th
Ethan Reynoso16004:23.4129th
4 X 400 relay3:24.4614th
Kyle EppensteinPole Vault4.16 meters11th (tied)

Romeoville

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
Joel AnyanHigh Jump1.85 meters22nd (tied)

Class 2A Local Qualifiers

Coal City

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
Christian Micetich300 hurdles40.557th
Collin DamesShot Put14.06 meters24th

Joliet Catholic

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
Josh Board10011.0416th (tied)
Adrian WashingtonLong Jump6.82 meters5th
HJ GrigsbyLong Jump6.45 meters15th (tied)

Morris

AthleteEventSectional time/distanceSeed
Myles Johnston10010.622nd
Myles Johnston20022.5118th
Kaden Welch16004:35.7214th
Matt Clark16004:36.3916th

Providence

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
Jude Horak40050.8114th
Ryan Ondracek300 hurdles40.073rd

Class 1A Local Qualifiers

Dwight

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
4 X 400 relay3:36.7925th

Reed-Custer

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
Vander DransfeldtPole Vault3.71 meters10th (tied)

Seneca

AthleteEventSectional Time/DistanceSeed
Carter ThomasDiscus39.97 meters32nd



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