Rockford-area sprinters lead the charge as 47 local boys head to state track and field meet

The IHSA boys state track and field meet has finally arrived, and this is sure to be a big year for the Rockford-area contingent.

Especially the sprinters.

There were 47 different athletes from the Rockford vicinity that qualified for state in at least one event, and 22 relay teams from around Rockford. At least six of those individuals are elite sprinters with realistic medal hopes, and they are all part of sprint relay teams that will be shooting for top podium spots as well.

More Rockford-area track: Guilford sprinter Messiah Tilson advances to state in four events, to lead area boys stars

"I'm just all business when I get down to state; I'm just ready to run," said Winnebago senior sprinter Supreme Muhammad, the Class 1A defending state champion in the 200-meter dash who has six state medals all together. "It's time to go and add to that list of medals. Then, I'll go have fun after all the work is done."

So don't blink as the area's sprinters should highlight a big week in Charleston, whether it's in Class 1A, which starts with Thursday's preliminaries, or in 2A or 3A, which picks up with its prelims on Friday. It all culminates in Saturday's finals for all three classes.

Here is a look at the sprinting stars from the Rockford area in all three classes, and then the rest of the top-20 seeds to watch for:

Big year for Class 3A sprinters

In 3A, Guilford sprinter Messiah Tilson advanced to state in four events, while East sprinter Mechai Docket-Lewis and Belvidere North's Braeden Brown — a 400-meter runner, but he looks like he's sprinting — were among those who made it in three events.

East's 4x200 relay has the top seed out of all of the area's 3A sprinting stars, with a No. 2 seed headed in. That relay is manned by Docket-Lewis, Chris Tolliver, Javius Catlin and Jayden Green. And Auburn and North also made it to state in the 4x200 relay, while East, Guilford and North all advanced in the 4x100 relay.

There will be some medals doled out here.

Tilson is seeded 10th in the 200 and 14th in the 100 and will need to move up some to get into the top nine, which advances to Saturday's finals in each running event.

Jefferson now even has a good sprinter who can hurdles. The J-Hawks freshman, Janardie Turner, is seeded ninth in the 3A 110 high hurdles as the state prelims close in.

Supreme Muhammad and 1A, 2A stars

Boylan senior Rasheed Johnson is seeded No. 3 in the 200 dash and No. 8 in the 100 dash headed into the 2A state meet, and will be interesting to watch. And North Boone's 4x100 relay team is seeded 18th and has some work to do to advance to Saturday, especially up at the 2A level this postseason.

And then there's Muhammad, who could top them all, down in 1A, where he heads to state as the No. 1 seed (and defending state champion) in the 200 dash and No. 4 in the 100 dash headed in. He also has the Winnebago sprint relay teams poised for another run at titles as well.

Last year Muhammad, who won the 200 dash title and took second in the 100, also led the 4x200 relay team to a fourth-place finish and the 4x100 relay crew to a 10th-place finish (one spot off of a finals' berth). He helped both sprint relay teams to state championships as a sophomore, however.

This year, the Winnebago 4x200 relay team is once again seeded No. 1 headed to state, while the 4x100 crew is at No. 3.

"Our relay teams, these are a bunch of guys that have been around each other since eighth grade, and we've got some great chemistry," Muhammad said. "We're really excited to see what we can put together at state this year."

And one of the guys chasing down Muhammad all season long has been Lena-Winslow's Alec Schlichting. Le-Win has been on a tear, winning the team title at the conference and sectional meets. That continued as three Panthers advanced to state in more than one event, led by Schlichting, who made it in all four of his events.

Schlichting soared to state in both the 100 and 200, where he is seeded 25th with his sectional time, but he has a time that would have put him in the top 10 had he run it at sectionals.

Still he's ready for his best showing as a Panther this weekend.

"This week is just about preparing myself mentally, more than anything," said Schlichting, the sophomore who is seeded just three spots behind Muhammad in the 100 dash at state. "I've got a ton of confidence, and I'm ready."

Schlichting is also a key component to the two sprint relays — the 4x100, which is seeded eighth, and the 4x200, which is seeded ninth.

Milledgeville's sprint relay squads are in the hunt for medals this postseason, and sophomore Draven Zier is seeded 16th in the 200 dash. Oregon's Aidan Guida is seeded 20th in the 200 dash.

Some other top seeds to watch

Outside of the sprinters' realm, there are some other Rockford-area athletes to keep a close eye on this week in Charleston.

Winnebago's Nicolai Martino has a chance to run away with the title of the best distance runner in 1A track and field this season, kicking off the state meet with the top seed in the 3,200 run with a time of 9:44.55. He also has the No. 4 seed in the 1,600 run, and Le-Win's Ryan Pieper is No. 18 in the mile. And Martino's toughest 1A competition includes Rockford Christian's Weston Forward, seeded third in the 3,200 run.

His teammate Brandon Wiggan has the third seed in the triple jump, while Dakota's Conner Matthews is seeded 10th, Forreston's Peyton Crase is 12th, and Lutheran's Vontez Dent is 14th, all in the triple jump. Auburn's MyNes Murray is seeded fifth in the 3A long jump, and Winnebago's Myles Smith is seeded fifth in the 1A long jump, where Dakota's Tristen Alexander is l3th.

Le-Win's top thrower is Gage Dunker who is seeded No. 4 in the 1A shot put, while his younger brother Gannon is seeded 14th. Le-Win also has two other guys seeded in the top 20 in the discus: Tanner Kempel at No. 8 and Odin Stabenow at No. 11.

Rockford Christian high jumper Suubi Kyobe rolls into state seeded eighth in 1A, while Forreston high jumper Eli Ferris is at 16. Le-Win's Jake Schumacher is ninth in the 110 hurdles and 21st in the 300 hurdles, and Milledgeville's Parker Krogman is No. 12 in the 300 hurdles and the No. 18 seed in the 110 highs. Forreston's Lucas Nelson is seeded 20th in the 110 high hurdles, also in 1A, while Forreston also has all three relay teams seeded 18th or higher.

Rochelle's Andrew Nuyen already has the school record in the pole vault, snapping the 41-year old mark earlier this year with a clearance of 15-1, but now he wants more. He's seeded third in the 2A pole vault headed into state. Oregon's Leo Cardenas is seeded 12th in the 1A pole vault.

The defending 1A triple jump state champ, Max Milbrath from Durand/Pecatonica, has had to slide up to 2A this postseason. But he heads into the state meet with the No. 8 seed in the triple jump and the 25th seed in the long jump, and he's confident he can move up.

Other top-20 seeds from the area in 2A: Rochelle's Landon Mickley is No. 17 in the shot put and No. 21 in the discus; Boylan's Joseph Fiorenza is seeded No. 16 in the 800 run. Belvidere North's 4x800 relay crew is seeded 14th at 3A and Guilford is 19th, while Belvidere North's Jesse Kramer is seeded 19th in the 1,600 run.

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @JayTaft . Sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com . Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star .

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford-area sprinters lead the charge as 47 local boys head to state track and field meet