Brickner, Green repeat as state champions, El Paso-Gridley shines in Class 1A
- Jonathan Michel
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
CHARLESTON — Peoria Christian’s Trae Brickner and Illini Central/Delavan’s Coriell Green are the exact definition of the word “athlete.”
Brickner was a key cog on a Chargers soccer team that had its winningest four-year stretch in program history and a lights-out shooter on the basketball court, helping lead both teams to state berths within the last two years.
Green is always competing for Delavan too as the junior is a state medalist in cross country in the fall, a reliable presence on the basketball team in the winter and a regular starter on the Panthers’ baseball team in the spring — on top of track and field.
Both can add ‘two-time state champion’ to their lengthy resumés as Brickner defended his title in the Class 1A 300-meter hurdles and Green did likewise in the Class 1A 800 meters at the IHSA State Finals in boys track and field on Saturday.
“It means a lot with it being my last race, I wanted to finish my high school career off well and I think I did that,” Brickner said.
Brickner entered as the favorite by a small margin after winning Thursday’s prelims in 38.43. He outdueled Ridgeview/Lexington’s Zane Hoffman down the stretch, just like he did in his sectional meet last week, crossed the line in a personal-best 37.87 and let out a triumphant yell toward the heavens after crossing the finish line.
He put up the blazing-fast time despite hitting three hurdles too.
“Coming into today, I knew [Hoffman] was going to want it so the plan was to get out fast like I usually do and then once I hit the 150-meter mark, it was just go, go, go, don’t lay off the gas at all so it was really special,” Brickner said.
“At the beginning of the year, I set a goal for myself to get under 38 seconds so it feels really good to accomplish that in the last race.”
Brickner finished third in the 110-meter hurdles earlier in the day, but excels the most in the 300. He’s won the event in each of the last 19 events that he’s competed in, dating back to mid-April of 2025.
However, hurdles events are far from his only strong suit. Brickner also put up strong performances during the season in the 100, 400, shot put, discus, high jump and long jump.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, he is moving on to compete in the decathlon at Cedarville University. The Chargers’ man of many talents won the decathlon at the AAU Junior Olympic Game and USA Track and Field’s Region 7 Junior Olympic Championship last summer.
He credits his coaches, Susan and Phillip Fox, for recommending the idea of competing in it early in his high school career.
“Ever since then, it’s been a really good fit to try and do everything and I’ve learned to love it a lot and excel at it,” Brickner said.
Saturday’s performance added to his legacy of being arguably the top athlete to ever walk the halls of Peoria Christian. But Brickner wants to be remembered as more than just a soccer, basketball and track and field star.
“I’d say I want people to remember me by not just my athletics, but the different parts about me, such as being nice, I’d love to be remembered by that or to represent God well on the track,” Brickner said. “If people can remember me that way, I think that’d be really special.”
Green trades in bat and glove for gold medal and different jersey
Green holds a rare distinction among Illinois track and field athletes to win a state title in two different jerseys.
Last year, he sported a purple and white-striped Delavan jersey but defended his title wearing the black and gold of the Illini Central Cougars, who Delavan joined a co-op with before the season.
While the name on the front of his jersey may have switched, the joyous emotions of winning a state title were still the same for Green.
“I'm blessed to have the opportunity to come out to have a new boys team, going from four boys to a team full of a full bunch of boys,” Green said. “I'm so blessed and so happy to have that opportunity.”
Green sat back in the first 500 meters, but pulled ahead in the last 300 meters against a talented squad that included Dwight’s Joe Faris. Faris used the same approach, but Green overtook him with his raw speed for the win.
“He pushed it right at the 500 with 300 to go and we kind of both went out, and then after I passed him, I was ready to go,” Green said.
Green’s winning time of 1:55.46 last year would have only netted him fifth place this year, but the fast Panther shaved nearly four seconds off of it and crossed the line in 1:51.83. His performance essentially equaled his personal best after running a 1:51.81 in mid-May.
“As soon as I turned around to look at the time, I was like, 'Dang it! Are you kidding me?” Green said, smiling. “I was hoping to at least beat it by a hundredth but we tied it right on today.”
Green was perhaps one of the only athletes in the entire field on Saturday to compete in the playoffs in two different sports in the same week. After a regional semifinal loss in baseball to Tremont on Wednesday, he quickly shifted gears and was able to put 100 percent of his focus on winning a state title in track.
“It's been a lot of early mornings getting my runs and workouts done, including a couple days driving to Mason City to run on a nice track”, Green said. “After that [baseball loss] knowing that I was done with school and baseball is over, I was ready to come this week ready to compete.”
El Paso-Gridley brings home state trophy
El Paso-Gridley used a balanced final day to finish third in the Class 1A team standings with 29 points. Sprinter Braden Gibson capped off his junior year with a second-place finish in the 100 (10.64) and took fourth in the 200 (21.79). Distance runner Weston Hodel ran a 9:41.56 to take fourth in the 3200 and ran a 4:33.95 to finish 11th in the 1600. Harlin Toillion had a breakout performance in the discus, throwing 160 feet, 8 inches to grab bronze and Jayvion Maxon grabbed 12th in the high jump after clearing 6 feet and a three-quarters of an inch. EPG’s 4x100 took eighth (43.27) and its 4x800 took 11th (8:27.14).
Peoria Christian used Brickner’s performances to finish 13th with Illini Central/Delavan just one spot behind them, thanks to Nick Glisson finishing fourth in the 400 (49.27) and 12th in the high jump (6’0.75) and its 4x800 took 12th in 8:30.52.
Elmwood/Brimfield's Darwin Herman took bronze in the 800 by clocking in at 1:53.78, Aiden Faulkner finished sixth in the 1600 in 4:26.27 and the Trojans’ 4x800 took seventh (8:11.99) to help the team finish tied for 18th overall.
Illini Bluffs’ 4x800 kicked off the day with a third-place showing (8:00.42) and its 4x400 wrapped up the day with a 3:26.36 mark to take eighth. Princeville also ran the 4x400 and took seventh in 3:25.94 while Jacob Bosch finished ninth in the 800 (1:56.73). Tri-Valley freshman Evan Brown put a bow on his strong freshman season by taking third in the 400 (49.13) and Fieldcrest’s Micheal Beckett was eighth in the triple jump with a mark of 44 feet, 5.5 inches. Tremont’s Everett Henderson was 10th in the 800 (1:56.76) and Heyworth’s Jeffrey Klawitter was 12th in the long jump (21’5.25).
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