Want to purchase today's print edition?Here's a map of single-copy locations.
Meet the first-teamers on our 19th All-Area Boys' Track and Field team:
Jackson Barrett
Tuscola senior Long distance/middle distance
Why he made the first team ... Barrett, The News-Gazette’s cross-country Runner of the Year last fall, came oh so close to winning a pair of individual state titles on the track, with a runner-up finish in the 3,200-meter run behind teammate Will Foltz and a fourth place-finish in the 1,600, just a couple seconds off the lead pace. The Illinois commit helped the Warriors to a second-place team finish in Class 1A.
He needs tickets to see ... the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Before he competes, he eats ... his grandma’s oranges.
His dream career is ... a professional runner.
His favorite school subject is ... geography.
His favorite athlete is ... Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
His favorite movie is ... “Invincible.”
If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Alexander the Great, Nikola Tesla and Julius Caesar.
Three things on his bucket list are ... attending the Summer Olympics, break 14 minutes in a 5K and running a 100-mile race.
Quincy Carter
Argenta-Oreana junior Jumps/sprints
Why he made the first team ... Carter solidified himself as one of the best overall jumpers in all of Class 1A, finishing fifth in the high jump and sixth in triple jump at the state meet. In the area, his top high-jump mark of 6 feet, 5½ inches trailed only Centennial’s Voldy Makabu, and his best triple jump of 43 feet was only behind Tuscola’s Kam Sweetnam. Carter has set himself up for an impressive senior year.
He needs tickets to see ... the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Before he competes, he eats ... a Kit Kat.
His dream career is ... a state trooper.
His favorite school subject is ... history because he enjoys learning about things that happened before he was born.
His favorite athlete is ... Gianmarco Tamberi.
His favorite movie is ... “Billy Madison.”
If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... LeBron James, Livvy Dunne and Dabo Swinney.
Three things on his bucket list are ... getting a full-ride scholarship to jump at a Division I school, visiting Ireland and competing in the Olympics.
Will Foltz
Tuscola senior Long distance/middle distance
Why he made the first team ... Heading into the final lap of the Class 1A 3,200 final, Foltz bolted away from teammate Jackson Barrett to claim an individual championship in 9 minutes, 18.86 seconds. He also placed eighth in the 800-state final and ran the second-fastest 1,600 time in all of 1A during the season. Foltz is running at Southern Illinois University next year and played a big part in Tuscola’s state runner-up team trophy.
He needs tickets to see ... the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Before he competes, he eats ... a McDonald’s quarter pounder and drinks a Celsius.
His dream career is ... managing a big urban construction project.
His favorite school subject is ... history.
His favorite athlete is ... Simeon Birnbaum because a lot of people compare them and he’s “the best high school track athlete of all time.”
His favorite movie is ... “The Shawshank Redemption.”
If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Neal Garrison, Gerry Lindgren and Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
Three things on his bucket list are ... running a 100-mile ultra marathon, winning an NCAA cross-country title as a true freshman and visiting Antarctica.
Demarion Forman
Monticello senior Throws
Why he made the first team ... Forman did something no other Class 2A athlete ever had in the state discus prelims, launching a throw of 193 feet, 11½ inches for a 2A state meet record and a state championship. He only lost two discus competitions all season, finishing second in both, and he broke the Sages’ record in the event seven times. Forman also snuck into the shot put state final and placed 12th.
He needs tickets to see ... the Olympics.
Before he competes, he drinks ... a lot of water.
His dream career is ... owning a business and becoming his own boss.
His favorite school subjects are ... his shop classes because he loves getting his hands dirty and learning new things.
His favorite athlete is ... Troy Polamalu.
His favorite movie is ... “Bee Movie.”
If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Mansa Musa so he could learn from them and build relationships.
Three things on his bucket list are ... making the 2028 Olympics, winning the 2028 Olympics and traveling a lot.
Zane Hoffman
Ridgeview/Lexington freshman Sprints
Why he made the first team ... Hoffman is one of the area’s best sprinters and still has three years of high school competition to go. He tied teammate Braydon Campbell in the Class 1A state 100-meter dash prelims with a personal-best time of 10.94 seconds for the last spot in the finals. Hoffman went on to take that spot and finish eighth. He was also a relay warrior, running on all three of the Mustangs’ state-placing sprint relays.
He needs tickets to see ... the Super Bowl.
Before he competes, he drinks ... coffee, a Monster Energy and water.
His dream career is ... a heavy equipment operator.
His favorite school subject is ... geography.
His favorite athlete is ... Noah Lyles.
His favorite movie is ... “The Jungle Book.”
If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Usain Bolt, Noah Lyles and Bailey Zimmerman.
Three things on his bucket list are ... attending the Olympic track and field meet, deep-sea scuba diving and visiting Norway.
Riley Hogan
St. Thomas More sophom*ore Pole vault/hurdles/sprints
Why he made the first team ... Hogan’s pole vault of 14 feet, 6 inches at the Spartan Classic in St. Joseph gave him the best mark for the event in the area by 2¾ inches, and he retained that top spot for the rest of the season. He went on to finish third at the Class 1A state meet, clearing 14-0¼ and losing out to a 1A state meet-record vault of 17 feet by Bloomington Central Catholic’s Isaiah Whitaker.
He needs tickets to see ... a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert.
Before he competes, he eats ... a Jimmy John’s No. 4 and a granola bar.
His dream career is ... a Marine raider special operator.
His favorite school subject is ... math.
His favorite athlete is ... Tim Tebow.
His favorite movie is ... “Gladiator.”
If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Jesus Christ, his Great-Grandpa John Leon and his Grandpa Ron Hogan.
Three things on his bucket list are ... pole vaulting in college, running an ultra marathon and visiting the island of Malta.
Josiah Hortin
Tuscola senior Middle distance/long distance
Why he made the first team ... The News-Gazette’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year, Hortin’s highlight of his high school career came as he crossed the finish line first in the Class 1A state 800 final in 1 minute, 51.98 seconds, just three-quarters of a second off the 1A state meet record. The Louisville signee also finished third in the 1,600 and ran the fastest 3,200 time in all of 1A this season (9:05.86) to lead the Warriors to a second-place team finish at state.
He needs tickets to see ... the 2028 Olympics.
Before he competes, he eats ... Jimmy John’s and drinks a Celsius.
His dream career is ... a Division I college track and cross-country coach.
His favorite school subject is ... English.
His favorite athlete is ... LeBron James.
His favorite TV show is ... “Snowfall.”
If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Mike Tyson, Kenenisa Bekele and Morgan Freeman.
Three things on his bucket list are ... attending the NCAA men’s basketball championship, going to the NBA Finals and traveling to Spain.
Ayden Ingram
Bismarck-Henning/ Rossville-Alvin senior Jumps/sprints
Why he made the first team ... Ingram was a Jack of all trades not only during the track and field season, but across his entire high school athletic career. The football and basketball standout was also the lone Blue Devil to qualify for the Class 1A state track and field meet, doing so in four events. Ingram made the high-jump finals, placing sixth, and finished 10th in the 200, 14th in the 400 and 17th in the long jump.
He needs tickets to see ... a Golden State Warriors game.
Before he competes, he eats ... oranges.
His dream career is ... a professional athlete.
His favorite school subject is ... math.
His favorite athlete is ... Stephen Curry.
His favorite TV show is ... “The Big Bang Theory.”
If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry and Kobe Bryant.
Three things on his bucket list are ... graduating college, having kids and being successful.
D’Mario Jackson
Danville freshman Sprints
Why he made the first team ... Jackson finished the season as the area’s top sprinter with area-best times of 10.78 seconds in the 100 and 21.61 seconds in the 200. He finished top three in each of his individual races leading up to the Class 3A state meet. While he didn’t have the same dominating success at state — finishing seventh in the 200 and 14th in the 100 — he set himself up for a bright next three years.
He needs tickets to see ... a gospel concert.
Before he competes, he drinks ... water or Gatorade and eats pasta.
His dream career is ... becoming a top track athlete or going to the NFL.
His favorite school subject is ... math.
His favorite athlete is ... Odell Beckham Jr.
His favorite movie is ... “WALL-E.”
His favorite TV show is ... “My Wife and Kids.”
If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Michael Jackson, Odell Beckham Jr. and Beyonce.
Three things on his bucket list are ... bungee jumping, seeing Noah Lyles run in person and snowboarding.
Voldy Makabu
Centennial junior High jump
Why he made the first team ... Makabu came the slightest of margins from defending his Class 3A state high-jump title, settling for second place after tying West Aurora’s Kewon Marshall at 6 feet, 8¼ inches and going back to previous jumps. Makabu did, however, clear 6-11 at the Twin City Championship, which moved him into top 10 in the nation for the event at the time. He’ll continue chasing that elusive 7-foot mark next year.
He needs tickets to see ... the Olympics.
Before he competes, he drinks ... a nice, cold Gatorade.
His dream career is ... going to the NBA.
His favorite school subject is ... math, by far.
His favorite athlete is ... Ray Allen, “the best three-point shooter of all time.”
His favorite movie is ... “Love Don’t Cost a Thing.”
If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... NBA YoungBoy, Kobe Bryant and Christina Milian.
Three things on his bucket list are ... making $1 million, spending a month in Bora Bora and getting an NIL deal.
Dominic Martin
Ridgeview/Lexington senior Hurdles/jumps/sprints
Why he made the first team ... There’s talk of Martin potentially becoming a decathlete at Southern Illinois University next year, and his results show why. Martin almost single-handedly put Ridgeview/Lexington into the Class 1A state team championship picture, winning titles in the 110 hurdles (14.41 seconds) and 300 hurdles (38.87) and taking second in the long jump (22 feet, 2½ inches) and fourth in the 200 (22.30).
He needs tickets to see ... Lollapalooza.
Before he competes, he eats ... a grape Uncrustable.
His dream career is ... an astronaut.
His favorite school subject is ... math.
His favorite athlete is ... Usain Bolt.
His favorite movie is ... “Interstellar.”
If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Michael Jordan, Jay-Z and Thomas Jefferson.
Three things on his bucket list are ... going to space, living in a mansion and owning a yacht.
Tyler Miller
Westville senior Hurdles/sprints
Why he made the first team ... Miller was right on the heels of Ridgeview/Lexington’s Dominic Martin in the Class 1A state 300 hurdles final and eventually took runner-up honors, less than a second behind with a time of 39.81 seconds. Miller had the second-best hurdles showing of any area athlete at the state meet, also finishing 12th in the 110 hurdles, just outside of the finals.
He needs tickets to see ... the Super Bowl.
Before he competes, he eats ... some type of carbs, like pasta or rice cakes, and drinks a Liquid I.V.
His dream career is ... an Illinois state trooper.
His favorite school subject is ... strength and conditioning.
His favorite athlete is ... Michael Jordan.
His favorite movie is ... “Spider-Man.”
If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Adam Sandler, Luke Bryan and Theo Von.
Three things on his bucket list are ... graduating college, traveling and earning money.
Preston Seals
Rantoul senior Sprints
Why he made the first team ... Seals only lost one 100-meter dash race before the Class 2A state meet, where he finished 22nd with a time of 10.94 seconds. His personal-best time of 10.78 came two weeks before that at the El Paso-Gridley Last Chance meet, which also tied him with Danville’s D’Mario Jackson for the area’s best time. Seals also had one of the area’s best 200 times at 22.03 and took 21st at state.
He needs tickets to see ... the Super Bowl.
Before he competes, he eats ... honey.
His dream career is ... having his own business.
His favorite school subject is ... physical education.
His favorite athlete is ... Christian McCaffrey.
His favorite movie is ... “Goodfellas.”
If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... family members from hundreds of years ago.
Three things on his bucket list are ... being successful, traveling the world and enjoying life.
Brysen Vasquez
Salt Fork senior Sprints
Why he made the first team ... Vasquez had high hopes for his senior season, looking to claim individual glory after contributing to the Storm’s back-to-back Class 1A state team titles the last two years. He made the finals in the 400- and 200-meter dashes, running Vermilion Valley Conference records in both earlier in the season, but an injury held him back in the finals, and he took home ninth place in both events.
He needs tickets to see ... Rolling Loud.
Before he competes, he eats ... rice cakes and drinks a Pedialyte.
His dream career is ... a fitness influencer.
His favorite school subject is ... economics.
His favorite athlete is ... Quincy Wilson.
His favorite TV show is ... “Rick and Morty.”
If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Donald Trump, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesus Christ.
Three things on his bucket list are ... visiting Greece, making $1 million and earning his International Fitness and Bodybuilding Pro Card.
Zach Piatt is a prep sports reporter at The News-Gazette. He can be reached at zpiatt@news-gazette.com.
