We’re at Eastern Illinois University for the IHSA 3A Boys Track & Field State Championships, where dozens of schools from across Illinois, including Naperville Central, Neuqua Valley, Waubonsie Valley, Benet Academy, and Naperville North, compete for state glory. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.

Naperville Central’s Zoelen Terry wins the long jump

Let’s start at the sand pit. Neuqua Valley’s Daniel Robinson, coming off a sectional title, leaps 6.90 meters. That lands him in 8th place in the state.

But stealing the spotlight — Naperville Central junior Zoelen Terry. After a third-place finish at sectionals, Terry soars to the top at state with a jump of 7.07 meters, claiming the IHSA long jump title!

In the high jump, Waubonsie Valley’s Ishmaiah Elliot clears 1.88 meters — tying for 14th with Yorkville’s Taelor Clements. The champion in this event is Machi Nelson from Proviso West, who clears 2.05 meters to take home first place.

Naperville area schools perform well on the track at the IHSA Boys Track and Field State Championship

On the track, Naperville Central’s Lukas Probst gets the 4×800 started in the second pack. But it’s Downers Grove North — Will Surratt, John Courtney, Grant Schroder, and Philip Cupial — taking first place with a state-record time of 7:36.40, beating Sandburg’s 2016 mark. Central’s squad of Patrick Clune, Derek Williamson, and Manny Najera finishes strong in third place.

In the 4×1, Cooper McGinnis gets things started for Neuqua Valley. But it’s Homewood-Flossmoor’s team — Joaquin Jordan, Charles Dees, Myles Elliss, and Zion Morrison — crossing first with a blazing time of 41.00 seconds.

Running in the 3200-meter run are Benet’s Finn Richards and Neuqua’s Jesse Gudauskas. About midway through the event, it’s Ben Crane of New Trier High School keeping pace while leading the runners through this race. While Richards is still keeping pace from behind. In the last stretch of the 2-mile, it’s senior Ben Crane, coming down the final stretch to bring home the win with a time of 8:57.13. Neuqua’s Jesse Gudauskas takes 22nd.

The hurdles are up for the 110. Neuqua’s Cooper McGinnis is in the mix, but it’s a Belleville battle at the top. Jalyn Cole of Belleville West wins in 13.82 seconds, edging Daylin Donaldson of Belleville East by just .09. McGinnis takes fourth with a strong 13.98.

Neuqua’s Daniel Robinson returns for the 100-meter dash. But it’s William Landwer of New Trier taking the crown in 10.24 seconds. Zion Morrison of Homewood-Flossmoor and Clayton Lakatos of Edwardsville round out the top three.

Naperville North’s Edward Mumford runs a solid race in the 300 hurdles, staying in the mix throughout. Amari Williams of Wheaton Warrenville South finishes with a personal best of 36.94 to win it. Mumford earns All-State honors in seventh.

Patrick Clune and the Neuqua Valley 4×400 relay team secure top-three finishes

In the mile, Naperville Central’s Patrick Clune keeps pace early. Fremd’s Rory Gaan leads at the halfway mark, but it’s Tommy Nitz of Huntley who powers down the final stretch to win in 4:16.24. Clune grabs third place with a time of 4:18.04.

The final race of the day — the 4×400. David Garza leads off for Neuqua Valley, and the Wildcats keep it tight throughout. But it’s Evanston’s team — Deshawn Preister, Amani Christian, Anthony Honore, and Dallas Amos — finishing with a school-best 3:17.73. Neuqua Valley’s team of Garza, Rajan Anthony, Edward Mason, and Averi Smith placed third with a school record of 3:18.84.

At the end of an exciting championship, it’s New Trier High School claiming the state title. Naperville Central finishes in 8th, with Neuqua Valley close behind in 12th.

Penn State carries a commitment from top-ranked 2027 running back and composite five-star recruit Kemon Spell of McKeesport (Pa.) High School. He returned to Happy Valley on Sunday for an Elite Showcase camp, working under the direction of new Nittany Lions position coach Stan Drayton.

“It’s a great hire,” Spell told Lions247 of Drayton earlier this year. “I can’t wait to meet him and build my connection and work with him.”

View video highlights of Spell’s camp work above.

Considered his class’ No. 14 overall talent and No. 1 RB in 247Sports rankings, Spell rushed for nearly 1,700 yards and 24 touchdowns last season as a sophomore. Here’s the evaluation from 247Sports scouting director Andrew Ivins, who compared him to recent All-American Michigan star Blake Corum.

A mix between a tank and a jackrabbit, which is an extremely difficult combination to tackle. A naturally low-to-the-ground runner with true workhorse capabilities as he constantly bounces off defenders or cuts around them to find extra yardage. Spent much of sophomore campaign deployed as a fullback in a Wing-T offense. Ran absolutely wild in Pennsylvania’s WPIAL Class 4A playoffs with 280-yard and 274-yard rushing performances. Not a true burner, but can hit the gas when a crease opens up. Frequently thrashes forward at the first sign of contact and almost always seems to be falling forward. Tested reasonably well as a ninth grader at the National Combine in San Antonio and has impressed as a pass catcher on the offseason camp circuit. Fits the bill of a hard-nosed football player given the physicality he also flashes on defense while doubling as a cornerback. Must avoid setbacks, but projects as a potential impact player for a College Football Playoff contender that can move the chains while facing stacked boxes.

Spell has spent the last 10 months committed to Penn State. That pact has sustained for more than three months since Drayton replaced current Notre Dame assistant Ja’Juan Seider as leader of that PSU position group.

Spell reinforced his Nittany Lions commitment in late March following a trip to team facilities that featured a detailed discussion with Drayton and head coach James Franklin.

“My talk with Coach Franklin was awesome,” Spell told Lions247. “He sat down with me and my parents and talked about the love that he has for me and my family and how I will be treated — just like his kids. My relationship with Coach Drayton has gotten stronger and stronger. The more we talk, the more we go over things, I see something special in his eyes and I want him coaching me.”

Drayton most recently served as head coach at Temple but spent decades coaching running backs to elite success across college football. He won national titles with Florida and Texas, and produced an impressive list of individual standouts.

Eventual NFL stars Ezekiel Elliott (Ohio State), Bijan Robinson (Texas) and Brian Westbrook (Villanova) are among his most notable former pupils. Elliott and Robinson became top-10 draft selections, while Westbrook is a College Football Hall of Fame and Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame inductee. 

Prior to the hiring of Drayton, Spell dealt with some uncertainty regarding his spot in Penn State’s 2027 class.

“(Seider leaving) made me doubt my commitment, but when I talked to Coach Terry (Smith), Coach Franklin, (assistant running backs coach) Charles (Walker) and (recruiting coordinator) Chris Mahon, they told me they had me they had my back and showed me love,” he said in February.

Walker remains the Nittany Lions’ assistant running backs coach and helped work Spell through drills Sunday. 

Spell aims to follow the footsteps of fellow in-state running backs recruit who’ve enjoyed success in State College under Franklin. It’s a collection that includes Saquon Barkley, Journey Brown, Miles Sanders and Nick Singleton.

“It’s Running Back U,” Spell told 247Sports in April. “… I am going to put up the numbers and get a national championship. It is going to get me to the league as long as I produce, put the numbers up, have great attitude, have the film and have character.”

ACROSS THE STATE

AHST (Avoca) 60, Woodbine 51

Adair-Casey 75, Paton-Churdan 57

Algona Garrigan 53, Clarion-Goldf. 52

Ar-We-Va (Westside) 63, Charter Oak-Ute 61

Atlantic 67, Denison-Schleswig 44

BGM (Brooklyn) 59, Montezuma 41

Ballard (Huxley) 79, ADM (Adel) 47

Belle Plaine 55, HLV (Victor) 40

Bellevue 57, Midland (Wyoming) 56

Bellevue Marquette 51, Northeast (Goose Lake) 40

Belmond-Klemme 55, NE Hamilton 40

Benton Comm. 55, Wat. Columbus 43

Bettendorf 66, Clinton 38

Boyden-Hull 64, George-Little Rock 44

Boys Town, Neb. 74, C.B. St. Albert 37

Burl. Notre Dame 54, W. Burlington 42

Carlisle 70, Boone 63

Carroll 58, Dallas Center-Grimes 49

Cascade 53, Monticello 38

C.R. Xavier 51, C.R. Jefferson 41

C.R. Washington 54, C.R. Kennedy 38

C.R. Cedar Val. Christian 73, Lisbon 65

Centerville 63, Albia 39

Charles City 62, West Hancock, Britt 47

Cl. Creek-Amana 56, Independence 37

Clear Lake 72, Algona 68, OT

Colfax-Mingo 68, Gilbert 55

Colo-NESCO 56, Meskwaki Settlement School 54

Dav. Assumption 73, Muscatine 39

Des Moines Christian 64, Ogden 43

Dike-N. Hartford 49, West Marshall 47

Dub. Senior 45, Dub. Hempstead 25

Earlham 52, Panorama (Panora) 36

E. Sac County 72, So. Cent. Calhoun 29

East Union 64, Corning 42

Fairfield 60, Chariton 44

F. Dodge St. Edmond 76, Eagle Grove 38

Gladbrook-Reinbeck 46, Denver 32

Glenwood 87, Shenandoah 48

Granv. Spalding 62, Rems. St. Mary’s 44

Greene County 70, Saydel 57

Grinnell 85, South Tama 50

Harlan 62, C.B. Lewis Central 31

Harris-Lake Park 76, Southwest United, Minn. 37

Hudson 68, AGWSR (Ackley) 66

Interstate 35 (Truro) 80, Martensdale-St. Marys 65

Iowa City West 67, Iowa City High 34

Iowa Falls-Alden 53, Humboldt 37

Kee, Lansing 38, North Fayette 32

Keota 67, Iowa Valley (Marengo) 53

Lawton-Bronson 77, West Monona 52

LeMars 82, Storm Lake 65

Le Mars Gehlen 67, West Sioux 39

Linn-Mar (Marion) 65, Dub. Wahlert 41

Lynnv.-Sully 67, Tri-County (Thornb.) 15

Manson-Northwest Webster 69, Pocahontas Area 68, OT

Maquoketa 43, Anamosa 37

MFL/Mar-Mac (Monona) 82, Clayton Ridge (Guttenberg) 53

Missouri Val. 62, Westwood (Sloan) 41

Moulton-Udell 82, Schuyler County, Mo. 38

Mount Pleasant 69, West Liberty 31

Murray 85, Mormon Trail (Garden Grove) 47

New Hampton 79, Oelwein 64

Newell-Fonda 60, Sioux Central (Sioux Rapids) 35

Newton 49, Oskaloosa 35

North Linn 52, East Buchanan 20

North Mahaska 50, English Valleys (North English) 19

North Scott 47, Pleasant Valley 41

North Tama 67, Union (LaPorte City) 54

Northwood-Kensett 58, Central Springs (Manly) 42

Norwalk 55, Pella 52

Okoboji (Milford) 53, Sibley-Ochey. 47

PCM (Monroe) 60, Nevada 51

Pekin 64, WACO (Wayland) 58

Perry 69, Bondurant-Farrar 64

Preston 77, Calamus-Wheatland 53

Rems.-Union 76, Trinity Christ. (Hull) 62

Riverside (Oakland) 59, East Mills 38

Roland-Story 47, CMB (Baxter) 37

Ruth.-Ayrshire 49, Clay Cent.-Everly 15

Saint Ansgar 59, Riceville 52

Sergeant Bluff-Luton 55, Woodbury Central 53

Sheldon 59, Central Lyon 45

S.C. West 85, OA-BCIG (Ida Grove) 48

Solon 48, Dyersville Beckman 45

South Hamilton 62, North Polk 56

South O’Brien 43, HMS (Hartley) 35

Southeast Warren 63, Pleasantville 59

Spencer 54, Spirit Lake 51

St. Lake St. Mary’s 61, Alta/Aurelia 35

Starmont (Arlington) 50, Edgewood-Colesburg 41

Sumner-Fredericksburg 65, Postville 56

T. Cedars (Bussey) 61, Melcher-Dal. 47

Vinton-Shellsburg 55, Williamsburg 43

Wapsie Valley (Fairbank) 60, Grundy Center 50

Waterloo Christian 50, Cedar Falls Valley Lutheran 47

Waterloo West 53, Waterloo East 52, OT

Webster City 65, Hampton-Dumont 28

West Central (Maynard) 47, Valley (Elgin) 26

West Fork (Sheffield) 73, Rockford 48

Western Christian (Hull) 81, Estherville-Lincoln Central 47

Western Dubuque 69, W. Delaware 41

Woodward Academy 59, Madrid 46

AREA GAMES

Perry 69, Bondurant-Farrar 64

PERRY, Ia. — Torry Brelsford scored26 points with 14 rebounds for Perry.

===

Norwalk 55, Pella 52

NORWALK, Ia. Senior Carson Miller made a layup and was fouled with 1second remaining to break a tie and lift Norwalk. Miller scored 18 of his game-high 25 points in the second half. Jordan Pingel scored 19 points to pace Pella.

===

Colfax-Mingo 68, Gilbert 55

COLFAX, Ia. Senior Vaughn Wilson, scoreless in the first half with foul trouble, scored all 16 of his points in the second half in a win. Jordan Knock paced Gilbert with a game-high 18 points.

===

Carroll 58, Dallas Center-Grimes 49

GRIMES, Ia. Carroll’s Akot Riak scored 12 points in the victory. Nick Drucker scored 16 points and had six rebounds for Dallas Center-Grimes.

===

Newton 49, Oskaloosa 35

NEWTON, Ia. Sophomore Tyler Wood had 22 points, a career high, with four 3-pointers. He has 16 3-pointers in his past three games for Newton.

===

PCM (Monroe) 60, Nevada 51

MONROE, Ia. — The sixth-ranked Mustangs (19-1) avenged their only loss of the season by jumping out to a big lead against visiting Nevada.

Ethan Kain led PCM with 21 points and helped clinch at least a share of the Heart of Iowa Conference title.

===

Des Moines Christian 64, Ogden 43

URBANDALE, Ia. — No. 8 Des Moines Christian hit 13-of-22 from 3-point range on senior night, knocking off Ogden for the second time this season.

Jared Jones led the Lions (20-2) with 22 points.

===

Ballard (Huxley) 79, ADM (Adel) 47

HUXLEY, Ia. — Five players scored in double-digits for the Bombers (14-5), who hit nine 3-pointers in their second win over ADM of Adel this season.

The District 3 softball postseason is now wrapped up, but not after local stars shined on the diamond in key moments.

• Sign up for PennLive’s daily high school sports newsletter

Fans have a chance to select their favorite performer from the past week here.

Voting will run rom Sunday at noon to Tuesday at noon.

Ayahna Fleisher, Susquenita — Fleisher tossed seven innings, allowing three hits, no runs and two walks while striking out three and lacing a double in the Blackhawks’ 2-0 win over Kutztown to capture the 3A district title on Tuesday.

Addison Harpster, State College — Harpster pitched eight innings, allowing one hit and no runs while striking out 17 batters in a state-qualifying 1-0 win over McDowell on Tuesday.

Sydney May, Cumberland Valley — May tossed a seven-inning shutout in a 1-0 semifinal win over Wilson, then, on Friday, struck out eight allowing one run, while launching the game-winning two-run homer in the sixth inning of a 2-1 district title game win over Chambersburg.

Landry Murray, Trinity — Murray tossed seven innings, allowing six hits, one run and walk while striking out five in Trinity’s 3-1 win over Littlestown in the District 3 3A third place game.

Bree Paetow, Chambersburg — Paetow went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, a double, a triple and a steal in a 7-2 win over Central Dauphin on Tuesday, and added another hit and three steals in the 2-1 district title game loss to Cumberland Valley on Friday.

Karsyn Peifer, Red Land — Peifer launched a two-run homer in the Patriots’ 7-5 win over Greencastle-Antrim in Thursday’s District semifinal, and laced the lead-giving seventh-inning hit in Friday’s 6-2 district title win over Solanco.

Kindal Rice, Greencastle-Antrim — Rice went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs in an 11-0 win over Twin Valley in the District 3 third place game on Friday.

Isabela Rodriquez, Central Dauphin — Rodriquez launched a homer and snagged six put outs in centerfield in a 3-1 win over Wilson in the District 3 third place game.

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.

Listen to the Pa. High School Football Report podcast

Every story ends.

Highland Park baseball coach Jason Newburger reflected on that truth Saturday when one of the Giants best seasons in recent memory came to its conclusion.

“This is an unbelievable group of kids, and we’re going to miss those six seniors for sure,” he said. “The worst part about playoff baseball is at some point it ends, whether you’re winning a regional title, a sectional title or a state title. The saddest part about this time of the year is that we’re not coming back to practice on Monday.

“We’re going to miss these guys a lot, especially the seniors, but the future is bright for the Giants due to the leadership of the last couple senior groups we had.” 

With a 5-2 loss to the sectional’s No. 2 seed, Libertyville, on Saturday in Hoffman Estates, No. 7 Highland Park’s 24-win season came to a close.

The Giants (24-11) dominated the Central Suburban North Division, winning 13 straight games to start league play en route to the division title. Their 24 wins were the program’s most since 2009, and they placed six players on the All-CSL North team, including the division’s player of the year, senior Ben Lichtenfeld.

Against potent Libertyville (31-4), the Giants hung tough. The Wildcats scored a run in each of the first three innings to take the early lead, while their starter, Chase Lockwood, kept Highland Park’s bats at bay.

Libertyville’s two-run home run in the fifth was a big blow to the Giants, who finally found a spark in their final at-bats.

Lichtenfeld and JT Killeen reached base to start the rally, and then back-to-back RBI doubles from Trent Harradine and Patrick Feder got Highland Park on the scoreboard. Not only that, the successful stretch brought the game-tying run to home plate.

But a full comeback was not meant to be.

“We don’t quit,” Lichtenfeld said. “We knew it was our last inning and we gave it our all.”

The late effort was nothing new to Newburger.

“It’s not surprising for this group,” the coach said. “The character of our group I’d put up against any high school team in the country. Our six seniors have really led this program, helped lead it last year and then coming back this year. I can’t say enough about this group.”

The Giants also played Libertyville tough in a 1-0 loss in early May.

Seniors Lichtenfeld pitched a complete game two-hitter in the Giants’ regional-opening win and then played infield on Saturday. Lichtenfeld and senior infielder Charlie Cohen were named to the All-CSL North team. Lichtenfeld was the division’s player of the year.

The senior leader pointed to the team’s defense as a key to this year’s success, and that starts, he said, with chemistry.

“Our chemistry is so good,” the senior said. “We’re all great friends who all like to come to the field every day. It’s fun to play with each other every day.”

Highland Park’s other All-Conference selections highlight the program’s bright future. Sophomore shortstop and pitcher Simon Rose and junior third baseman Harradine, pitcher Cooper Casdin and catcher Josh Midanek all earned the honors.

“More baseball with this group will always be fun,” Newburger said. “I would take them any day of the week. It’s a great group. We have a lot of good kids in our baseball program, and we’re just fortunate to be cast with coaching these guys.” 

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.

It’s regional final time for High School baseball as Waubonsie Valley comes as the underdog holding the 10 seed after knocking off Naperville Central, hoping to bring home a second straight regional plaque. The Warriors take on three-seeded West Aurora, who is coming off a come-from-behind semifinal win over Neuqua Valley. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.

We’re scoreless in the second inning as Blackhawk pitcher Jake Niedzwiedz shows why they earned that top three seed with a punchout to retire the side.

West Aurora gets a spark in the third inning. Eliseo Liscano hits one through, and that results in ducks on the pond for the Hawks.

Nick Lambert for the Warriors puts a stop to that by getting a strikeout of his own, and this game remains scoreless after three innings.

Warriors bats come alive in the fourth

Josh Hung starts the fourth inning with a swing that puts the ball into shallow left field for a single. Hung scores later on a Ryan Lucas double to give Waubonsie a 1-0 lead.

The Waubonsie bats are just getting started as Nate Cerilli rips this ball way out to deep left field, which gets down for a hit. Danny McGuigan and Ryan Lucas sprint across home plate, and it’s 3-0 Warriors.

Up next is Seth Neilson, who pokes one, this time into right field, and here comes Cerilli himself for another run for the Warriors.

We go to Shane Torres, who puts some firepower on the swing. The ball goes far enough to give Hiroshy Wong the ok to score, and it’s a 7-0 lead for the Warriors, still in the fourth.

Yes, we’re still in the fourth, and yes, the Warriors are still hitting. Ryan Lucas batting for a second time tallies one of two RBIs in this inning. The green and gold explode for 11 runs in the fourth inning alone.

Strong hitting helps Waubonsie to IHSA baseball regional title

The rest of the bench comes in for the fifth inning, and players like Chris Leigh want to hop in on the hit parade.

Two on, and Ryan Quinn brings them in with one of fifteen team hits in the ballgame. This performance helps Waubonsie Valley take home another baseball regional title with a 15-0 win over West Aurora. Nick Lambert tosses a five-inning shutout on the mound. Up next is the two seed Lockport in the semifinals on Wednesday night under the lights.

For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!