State championships will be on the line this weekend for the girls in Illinois and the Class 1 and 2 schools in the state of Missouri.
The IHSA Girls State Championships will be held from Thursday to Saturday at O’Brien Stadium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. The Cahokia Comanches will be attempting to win a third consecutive Class 2 state championship.
Cahokia won its Class 2 sectional last weekend in Springfield with 124 points. The Comanches qualified athletes in nine individual events and three relays, including six sectional champions.
The Comanches’ top individuals were LaQwasia Stepney and Mariya Hudson. Stepney won sectional titles in the long jump, 100-meter high hurdles and 300-meter low hurdles. Hudson finished first in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes and second in the long jump.
Jayla Crosby was second in the 100-meter high hurdles while Tamadja Rodgers was second in the triple jump. The Comanches also finished second in the 4×200- and 4×400-meter relays and third in the 4×100.
East St. Louis will be sending a host of athletes to Charleston after winning the sectional title at Belleville West last weekend. The Flyerettes qualified athletes in eight individual events and two relays. Rokelle Stanley was the top individual with sectional titles in the 100-meter high hurdles and 300-meter low hurdles. Jazzmine Poole was first in the discus, Jariah Turner was first in the 400-meter dash and Evangeline Harris was first in the shot put.
The Flyerettes’ other qualifiers were Ahmia Dorsey in the triple jump, Nicquayleeontea Moore in the 100, and Turner in the 200. East Side also won the 4×400-meter relay and finished third in the 4×200.
Other top state qualifiers from the metro east include O’Fallon’s first-place 4×100 and 4×200 relays and their second-place 4×400. Edwardsville finished first in the 4×800, Katie Mans of Alton was first in the high jump, Seleyia Wilson of Belleville East was first in the 800 while Abby Koran of Edwardsville was first in the 1,600.
The Missouri Class 2 state championships will be held in Jefferson City on Thursday and Friday. The boys from Cleveland Naval Jr. ROTC will challenge for a team trophy with individuals from six events and all four relays headed to the state meet. James Allen (800), Antonio Nelson (high jump), Kelsey Cole (long jump and triple jump) were sectional champions. Norman was also second in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles while Allen was second in the 400.
Brentwood will be led by Kaylon Jenkins, who won the 200, the 400 and ran on the Eagles’ first place 4×100 and third-place 4×200 relay teams. Other boys state qualifiers include Daniel Dailey of Valley Park (100, 200), Zach Burton of Maplewood (first in 100), Rasheed Ricketts of McKinley Classical (long jump, triple jump) and Maplewood’s 4×400 and 4×800 relay teams.
The Class 2 girls state qualifiers are Jayda Buchannon of Maplewood, who was first in the 400 and 800; Janice Lemon of Medical and Bio Science (400), McKinlee Morris of Crossroads (first in shot put) and the 4×100 relay from Medical and Bio Science.
