Winnebago sprint relay titles lead way for Rockford at IHSA boys state track meet

CHARLESTON — The Winnebago sprint relay crew torched the blue track of Eastern Illinois University during the Illinois High School Association boys track and field state meet, hauling in two of the three state titles for Rockford-area athletes, and nearly snagging a third in the day's finale.

"That's just how we wanted to win," Winnebago's Michael Cunningham said of the two dominant wins. He was a key cog in the team's state championship in the Class 1A 4x100- and 4x200-meter relays, and he anchored a big push that nearly hauled in the third gold medal of the day, but Winnebago took a close second in the 4x400, the meet's final event.

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The Winnebago foursome of Cunningham, who also earned an eighth-place medal in the long jump, Owen Lightfoot, Supreme Muhammad and Eden Trotter-Krahn won the 4x100 in 42.92 and the the 4x200 in 1:28.48. Brandon Wiggan replaced Trotter-Krahn and that grouping rolled to a close second-place finish in the 4x400 finale, clocking a 3:23.97. Newton won in 3:23.24, but Cunningham nearly caught them down the stretch.

"What a day," Lightfoot said.

"We never doubted ourselves at all," Muhammad added.

Le-Win took third in the 4x100 relay and Dakota placed sixth as the local sprinters stepped up their game on the final day of the season. Dakota's Camden Foesch played a key role in that relay medal, and he then steamrolled his way to a third-place finish in the 100 dash with a time of 10.91 later in the meet.

"It feels good," Foesch said. "Finishing in third in state just feels good... Knowing this was my last high school race, and to be able to finish like this, it means a lot. Now it's on to my next race in life."

FULL RESULTS: Class 1A | Class 2A | Class 3A 

Winnebago finished in fourth place as a team, one spot away from a team trophy, edging Rockford Christian by a half point.

“We were so close to that state trophy, and the guys worked so hard for it,” Winnebago coach Joe Erb said. “What a great effort. What a greet team effort.”

Rockford Christian's Adam Santana took second in the 1A triple jump with a flight of 42 feet, 5 inches, and his teammate Bjorn Carlson passed three runners late in the 1A showdown in the 400 run, eventually taking third with a big push. It was the first time he broke 50 seconds, clocking a 49.84.

"With about 150 (meters) to go I decided to really go out hard," Carlson said. "I figured I'd go all out at the end, and that's what I did. I'm really happy with this performance."

Carlson also played a key role in the 4x400 for Rockford Christian as well. The Royal Lions came in third in the final event of the day, while Byron took seventh.

Rockford Christian won the area's other gold medal with a victory in the 4x800 relay in 1A with a time of 8:04.34. Those runners were: Jonathan Thomas; Adison Elliott; Ethan Walsh; and Aidan Sosnowski.

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Durand/Pecatonica got its first state medal in the throws from Grant Milbrath, who placed fourth in the discus with a throw of 164-2. He also placed sixth in the shot put with a toss of 51-3, where Lena-Winslow's Gage Dunker took ninth with a 49-1.

"I had a lot of fun out here," said Milbrath, who earned a personal-best distance in both events. "I really worked hard to get here, and I'm glad I can get a fourth and a sixth at state. It feels good."

Oregon's Daniel Dominguez took 10th in discus, missing out on a medal by one placement. Winnebago's Jakob DiPiazza made the finals but finished 12th. Harlem's Riley Lundgren earned a 10th-place finish in discus as well, his coming up in 3A.

Freeport's Bayley Pierce took sixth in the 300 hurdles in 40.86, nabbing the lone local medal for a 2A competitor. He hit the final hurdle hard, but it didn't slow him down as he passed two more down the stretch. He also placed 13th and just missed the finals with a time of 15.77 in the 110 high hurdles.

"I just wanted to see how many I could catch, and I was going to let hitting the hurdle slow me down," Pierce said after having that sixth-place medal wrapped around his neck. "I will definitely take that. That was a pretty good finish for me."

Boylan's Rasheed Johnson placed 15th in the 100 dash at the 2A level, just missing out on a finals' bid with a time of 11.16. Rochelle's Zach Sanford placed 15th in the shot put with a mark of 47-6.

Belvidere North took 17th in the 4x400 relay for the top local finish at the 3A level, with East coming in at 20th. The E-Rabs took 20th in the 4x200 relay as well, and 23rd in the 4x400.

Jefferson's Chauncey Jackson placed 12th in the triple jump, East's Javius Catlin took 15th in the long jump, Hononegah thrower Jacob Klink reeled in a 17th-place finish in the shot put, and Guilford's Brandon Lawson finished 31st in the mile, for the fourbest finishes in 3A behind Lundgren.

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Illinois high school track: Winnebago relays lead Rockford IHSA finals