The recent Al Joyner Classic in East St. Louis was a great event for a number of reasons.
The annual all-boys track and field invitational for years been one of the elite events in the country at the high school level, and this year’s event didn’t disappoint the spectacular crowd that turned out at Clyde Jordan Stadium.
Earlier this month, Al’s sister and East St. Louis Olympic great Jackie Joyner-Kersee hosted her annual invitational meet, which brought many of the area’s top girls to the East Side. This time, it was Al’s turn as the Olympic gold medalist from 1984 came back home.
The event and its coordinator, longtime cross country and track coach Leonard Manley, have to be saluted. His work is unmatched as a coach and athletic director. Manley, along with Sodexo, Sportsprint and the East St. Louis School District 189 Board of Education, worked together to pull off another successful meet.
The hometown crowd in East St. Louis was also in rare form, cheering on like it was a football game against the rival Edwardsville Tigers on a night when the leaves are falling.
But as the clouds dissipated and the sun came out, Flyers’ thin-clad head coach Roscoe Whitfield made great use some of Darren Sunkett’s football stars on the track. The Flyers ran away from the rest of the competition as they won the meet with 198 points.
All-State quarterback Detchauz Wray and outstanding wide-out Keonte Minor put on a show in the sprinting events. The two gridiron stars led the way in the 4×100-meter relay (42.3) and blowing open the filed in both the 4×200 and 4×400 relay races. In addition, Wray, who is leaving next month to compete for the starting QB job at New Mexico, also won the 100m.
It was the first time during the outdoor season the hometown crowd had seen the Flyers’ thin-clads this year. East St. Louis is one of the top teams in the state again under coach Whitfield.
Another great family affair at the event was the effort turned in by Dominique Manley, a senior at Collinsville High School who is one of the premier distance runners in the state and Metro East. He is also the grandson of Leonard Manley.
Manley, last week’s St. Louis American Prep Athlete of the Week, won the 800-meter run with an outstanding time of 1:56.6, and the 1,600 in a winning time of 4:38.8. It was the first time all season that the younger Manley had run the 1,600.
Dominique put on a show that made both the Flyer athletic director and grandmother Manley proud, especially in the Joyner Classic.
What a night it was at the Al Joyner East St. Louis Classic. Everybody went home happy. The Flyers coming away victorious in front of the hometown fans, with Al and Jackie once again giving back to the youth of East St. Louis. Dominique did his thing in front of family in the event. East Side athletic director Leonard Manley coordinated another great classic, in addition to watching his grandson roll to win medals.
What a night on the track in East Boogie!
