Boys Track and Field: Minooka dominates on the track, captures third straight Southwest Prairie title

PLAINFIELD – Collin Forrest clipped the third hurdle in his last race Wednesday and hit another hurdle at the turn.

Nothing, however, was stopping Forrest and his Minooka teammates on the track.

Forrest swept both hurdles races and ran on one of two Indians’ relays that set Southwest Prairie Conference meet records and ran the fastest times in Illinois this spring. Minooka swept the relays and won eight of the 12 races on the track, and parlayed that running brilliance into the program’s third straight conference title Wednesday at Plainfield South.

Forrest, seeded first in both hurdles races and boasting the third-fastest 110-meter hurdles time in the state, ran away from the field in the back stretch of the 300 hurdles in 40.85 seconds. He earlier ran untouched in the 110 highs in 14.51 seconds.

“I just feel great. I feel like my coaches prepared me for this,” Forrest said. “Got my practice reps, came out to show what I can do. I was supposed to win, and that’s what I did.”

Same for Minooka, one of the state’s premier teams, who scored 119 points to turn away host school Plainfield South (109) and Plainfield North (98). Oswego (81), Oswego East (62) and Yorkville (57) followed in fourth through sixth, respectively.

In between his two hurdles races, Forrest teamed up with Adrian Manning, Cael Hiser and Samuel Drey to take the 4x200 relay in a meet record and new Class 3A No. 1 in 1:27.74. A dynamite last handoff helped Minooka pull away from Plainfield North.

“We practice all week for that 4x2,” Forrest said. “We knew we had to come in here and run a fast time because Plainfield North is fast, too. We came in and did what we’re supposed to do. We still need better handoffs. We’ll fix that next week.”

The steamy conditions resembled what runners typically see at Charleston in late-May, ideal for hot times on the track.

Minooka wasted no time setting the pace. The 4x800 team of Cole Kics, Alex Forster, Emerson Fayman and Zach Balzer ran a meet record and new Class 3A No. 1 7:48.99. Runner-up Oswego also broke the previous meet record – but was well behind the Indians.

“We have to perform like that later in May when state comes around. We really are just using this to see how state feels,” Balzer said. “We know how to run by ourselves. That’s how coach trains us. You see the time on the board and you know you’re running against yourself.”

Like the Minooka runners, field standouts from Oswego and Yorkville with medal hopes later this month kicked off their postseasons with double wins.

Oswego’s Caleb Wright, fourth at the state triple jump last year, set personal records in both horizontal jumping events by winning the long jump (6.95 meters, 22 feet, 9.75 inches) and the triple jump (14.14 meters, 46 feet, 4.75 inches). The triple jump was also a school record.

Wright’s triple jump is now third-best in the state, according to Athletic.net, his long jump fifth-best.

“It’s nice to get some good weather. Good time to PR,” said Wright, who later took fourth in the 200. “The practice and the hard work that I put in paid off. I learned to not set goals with distances, just go out and do the best that I can. If I do that, good things will happen.”

Yorkville’s Kyle Clabough, who came in with the state’s No. 1 shot, won both the shot put (18.59 meters) and discus (42.06). The shot put left the Wisconsin recruit shaking his head afterward in frustration, despite the win.

“I’m not very happy because I know I can do a lot better,” Clabough said. “I’m in a big slump this year. I’m having big practice throws in the shot put, like 66 feet, but it hasn’t yet translated to meets. I’m glad I won but I threw further last year in this meet and I’m bigger and stronger now. Shouldn’t really be happening.”

On the track, Yorkville’s Josh Pugh broke a 33-year-old school record – and a Plainfield South facility record – with a 49.18 in the 400.

“Was trying to go for that meet record. Felt good, though,” Pugh said. “That’s probably the best block start I’ve had. I’ve got to accelerate on the curve a little faster, definitely had more energy at the end. Got the PR, though.”

In the 1,600, Joliet West sophomore Marcellus Mines – the lone returning All-Stater in the field – pulled away from the pack with a 63-second third lap for the win in 4:19.77.

It was just Mines’ second meet during outdoor season. He was unable to finish at state cross country with an injured tendon in his foot, then hurt the tendon in the other foot.

“That one wasn’t as bad, though,” Mines said. “All glory to God to get me back right and healthy, make a fast recovery.”

In the night’s most surprising race, Oswego East senior Darquel Sanders knocked off Plainfield North’s Dylan Gramley – who came in with the state’s third-fastest 100 time.

Sanders, running just his second 100 of the season, was clocked in 11.05.

“I didn’t run the other times because sometimes I wouldn’t be able to make the practices. I started to go to every practice, got into meets,” Sanders said. “Stretched before the race, had to warm my legs up, got a good start.”

Other wins included Minooka’s Balzer in the 800 (1:57.37), Hiser in the 200 (22.30) and the 4x100 (42.06) and 4x400 relays (3:23.02), Oswego’s Ethan Forsell in the 3,200 (9:32.76), Plainfield South’s Kyle Eppenstein in the pole vault (4.10 meters) and Plainfield North’s Mason Delaney in the high jump (1.95 meters).