ROCKTON—It was the days of leg warmers and parachute pants the last time that the Hononegah track and field team wasn’t represented at the state championship.
The Indians’ 4x400 relay and hurdler Coen Lee ensured that the tradition would be upheld for at least another season as both will compete at the IHSA 3A Track and Field Championships on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill. beginning on Friday.
“We have a streak at our school since 1989 that we've had at least one individual or relay qualify for state,” head coach Mark McLarty said. “So, I'm glad that we're able to do that again. This is the first time since 2017 we had a 4x400 qualify, and it's the first time we had a hurdler qualify since 2008.”
The last Hononegah hurdler to compete at the big dance? Nic Haab, who is now the boys soccer team’s head coach and on the track and field coaching staff.
Now Haab, who went on to compete with the University of Illinois, will get to work with a rising star in the event. Just a sophomore, Lee quickly found his groove in the 110-meter hurdles and the 300 hurdles, both of which he will compete in at state.
“A lot of times as freshmen, you come in and we try people in different events,” McLarty said. “We tried hurdles last year and he was pretty average to start with, which you would expect. And then as the season went on, he kept getting better and better. Unfortunately he got hurt, so he missed the tail end of his season.
“And then this year we thought, 'Okay, he's going to get better.' But we didn't realize he was going to get as good as he is now.”
Lee qualified by finishing fourth in the 110 hurdles at the sectional meet with a time of 15.22 seconds.
He has won the event three times this season and placed second three times, one of which was a 14.99 PR at the 56th Annual Prospect Boys Joe Wanner Invite.
“It's crazy, I didn't expect to break 15 (seconds) in the 110 at all,” the sophomore said. “I've PRed by five whole seconds in the 300 since freshman year. I wasn't that good freshman year, but I'm just surprised how far I've come.”
Lee completed the 300 hurdles in 40.55 seconds at Huntley, and he has finished in the top three the last three times he’s ran the event. His PR came at the Northern Illinois Invitational, where he finished in 40.36.
“Coen is the best sophomore in school history, ahead of that guy right there,” McLarty said motioning to Haab. “He's breaking all his records right now.”
Lee cited his running mechanisms as a reason why he has been performing a bit better in the 300 than in the 110.
“I think it's because I can open up my stride a bit more,” Lee said. “I'm a better 200 runner than I am a 100 runner, so I guess it's just natural for me.”
McLarty added there is a killer work ethic within the sophomore that has helped him consistently post great time after great time.
“Coen has been very consistent with training,” he said. “So, week after week, he just keeps putting down good training blocks. And that has just gotten to the point where he's now at the kind of times that puts him among the best in the state.”
Lee said that his teammates helped him grow his freshman year after “I did hurdles in middle school and I was never good at it.”
“Last year, I had super cool mentors that made me want to stick with it,” he continued. “I'm not the fastest dude, but I'm glad I tried hurdles because it was just a sweet spot for me.”
And while even Lee is surprised by the jump he’s made, he doesn’t want it slowing down.
“I'm super stoked, I didn't think I was gonna make it this far in my sophomore year,” Lee said. “I'm hoping to make finals in both my 110 and 300 race. It's gonna be a bit of a long shot, but I'll just do what I can and see where that gets me.”
The 4x400 team of Anthony Otero, Sam Haag, Gavin Brady and Cristian Lobato ran a 3:26.59 to place second at sectionals behind first-place Belvidere North (3:24.16).
Not bad for a group that was competing with each other for the first time this season.
“We were having a hard time coming up with that relay because the guys who were supposed to be in it were either sick or injured,” McLarty said. “We just kept going down the list, and Gavin Brady was the one we put in there.”
While Hagg and Otero were mainstays on the relay all season, Lobato, who ran the 4x100 and 4x200 throughout the year, had competed on it just once before sectionals. And Brady had gotten injured in the indoor season and just returned the week before the conference meet.
“The dude goes out, runs a 51 second split and that got us to the point where we're going to get the top two,” McLarty added. “And if we can keep that dang kid healthy he is going to be potentially one of the best athletes we've ever had in this school.”
“He hadn't been practicing all year like we had,” Lobato said. “It was a little nerve wracking to throw him in there, but in the end he competed better than anybody else could have done in that position.”
Brady’s strong time set up the speedy anchor Lobato to surge ahead into qualifying position.
“I came out not as fast as I usually do, but I held on,” Lobato said. “And I had a really strong kick in the end and passed up the guy in second by a lot.”
The ability to compete at such a big stage with so many unknown variables speaks to the bond the Indians have with each other.
“If you don't connect with your teammates then you're gonna have less trust in them,” Lobato said. “And the rest will fall apart. A good friendship will improve the team a lot.”
The junior also credited Hagg and Otero with stepping it up this season to turn the relay into an elite one.
“They've always been great 400 runners, but this year I've really seen them grow in their races,” Lobato continued. “In that 4x400 race, it came down to Anthony. Because it's his last year, so he gave it his all.”
And while McLarty is proud of this group for making it to the ultimate goal, he also knows they are capable of performing at a high level in Charleston.
“We don't want to go there and just be happy with how we perform,” he said. “We want to make sure we actually go there and perform at our best. Regardless of what that places us with the other teams, it is what it is. But if we go down there and give our best performances and come out with some PRs, that's great.”
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