Peterson, Gorsage, Johnson win state titles in impressive showing from Central Illinois 3A squads
- Jonathan Michel
- 46 minutes ago
- 4 min read
CHARLESTON — Class 3A poses plenty of challenges in track and field, especially at the state meet.
Three Central Illinois athletes were up for the challenge against some of the top competition the state had to offer at the IHSA State Finals as Dunlap’s Patrick Peterson, Washington’s Ben Gorsage and Peoria High’s Malik Johnson all won state titles as part of the area’s nine-champion haul.
Not only did each of them win, but they all put up the best mark of the season across the entire state on Saturday.
“Pure joy,” Gorsage said. “I mean that's all I was thinking about is I'm so happy to do this. I love running, love competing, so being a state champion on top of that is just amazing. I love it, no matter what place I get.”
Understanding his own strengths played a massive role in Gorsage winning his title and it helped him mark his first time ever running a sub-1:50 800.
Going up against prelim top seed and cross country state champion Owen Horeni of Yorkville, Gorsage slingshotted around the final curve in the 800 meters and gassed his opponent down the final stretch to win in 1:49.88.
That came just over a week after Horeni beat Gorsage to win a sectional title.
“I let Owen get out way too hard, like he opened up way too big of a gap for me and I wasn't able to close it,” Gorsage said. “My goal for this race was just to stick as close to him as I could, because I did not want to let him get away, because I knew if I was in reach of him, I could get him with my kick.”
Gorsage had plenty of great competition to go up against all season leading up to the Class 3A State Finals, including Metamora’s Zach Born, who won the Class 2A 800 on Saturday.
“Through the running, we’ve become friends,” Gorsage said. “When I beat him, it's great, but last year he was beating me all the time, but I wasn't mad at him for beating me. It's a friendly enough rivalry that I'm happy for both of us.”
Gorsage is just a junior and has an opportunity to defend his title, and more next season,
“Two-time state champ and to go and set a state record,” he said of his goals next season. “I was only like point one off there.”
Peterson resets to eclipse 200 feet in discus
Dunlap’s Peterson got a lesson in turning the page quickly on Saturday.
The star sophomore, who owns several of the top marks in the nation in both throwing events this season, came off a a heartbreaking runner-up finish in the shot put and had to push the reset button quickly before competing in the discus.
He did, and came away with a throw of 201 feet and five inches on his final throw to beat his personal best by six feet and Collinsville’s Shane Box by just under 10 feet.
“Composure,” Peterson said. “After shot put and bawling my eyes off, I really wanted it, but I knew if I let my emotions get the best of me, I would crumble. I just got to embrace the pressure. I can't look at it too hard.”
“I knew I had to give it my all, I knew I had to do my best,” Peterson said. “Shot put just didn't work out as well, but discus, I got it done.”
That mark was also good enough for the 15th-best discus throw in the nation this year. Peterson boasts an incredibly high ceiling with two more years left in an Eagles uniform.
“I’m absolutely happy,” Peterson said. “I know I got more work to do and I’m on a great track to do good.”
Johnson settles into future home with clutch performance
There are technically no buzzer-beaters in track and field, but Peoria High’s Johnson swished a triple at the horn to win the Class 3A triple jump.
Johnson carried the top mark heading into the day after Friday’s prelims of 47 feet and one inch. He remained on top until the sixth and final round when Homewood-Flossmoor’s William Bundy beat Johnson’s distance by half an inch.
“He kind of started celebrating, so I'm like, ‘Oh yeah, I got to do this,’ and I just kind of popped it off, no nerves, nothing,” Johnson said.
On the senior Lion’s final jump, he shut Bundy’s door as soon as it opened by jumping 48 feet, 4.5 inches to win gold. Johnson is the first Peoria High track and field athlete to win a state title since Joshua Augusta in the Class 2A shot put in 2013 and the first Lions triple jumper to win a state crown since John Crowner all the way back in 1895.
“It felt amazing,” Johnson said. “I saw my mom watching me, my coaches were there, it just felt amazing.”
The state title marks Johnson’s second of the season after he won at the Illinois Top Times Indoor Championships in March. And he did so at his future home as he’ll join his Peoria High teammates Cameron Gunn, who finished tied for fifth in the high jump on Saturday, and Melvin Jenkins at Eastern Illinois University to suit up for the Panthers in the fall.
“I just kept working,” Johnson said. “I knew it wasn't over, I just kept working, got in the lab…I just felt like when I got here, I got to make it happen.”
Rounding out Class 3A
Elsewhere in Class 3A, Bloomington’s Jamari Randolph had a busy day in three events. He finished second in the 300 hurdles (36.70), seventh in the 110 hurdles (14.42) and anchored Bloomington’s 4x400 relay that placed eighth in 3:19.48. Normal West’s Damir Harris turned in an eighth-place finish in the 200 of 22.09 and the Wildcats’ 4x400 took seventh in 3:18.33. Dunlap’s Marvin Jordan III tied for 10th in the high jump by clearing 6’4.
While they didn’t compete in a specified class, Richwoods’ James Maughan and Juno Maughan came away with hardware in the wheelchair competition. The former won the discus with a throw of 39’3 and the shot put with a throw of 16’3.75. The latter placed second in the shot put (14’7.75) and fifth in the discus (21’4).
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