Imani Butler
(Jorie Lewis photo) |
POST-DISPATCH BOYS TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Parkway North High sprinter Imani Butler reached his zenith the day he began using the 400-meter dash as a training device for all of his races, including the 100, 200 and 400.
"The 400 helped him get to the next level," Parkway North coach Dan Fortune said. "It made him concentrate more on his form, and he got stronger from the 400 on down. That's his biggest strength."
It's a strength that transformed Butler. He went from being an outstanding high school spinter to a great one. He went from dominating local runners to pulverizing the competition at the state meet. He leaped from one-dimensional dynamo on the short straight to sensation on the backstretch.
Simply put, he went undefeated.
And this Saturday, Butler will be at the Golden West Invitational in Sacramento, where the top high school seniors in the country will convene for an all-star competition.
It will be the final stop of a whirlwind senior year that has seen Butler break a local legend's record in one race and become the first runner in almost 20 years to sweep the 100, 200 and 400 at the Missouri Class 4 meet.
It all underscores why Butler is the Post-Dispatch All-Metro boys track athlete of the year.
Butler single-handedly hoisted unheralded Parkway North to a fifth-place finish at state, accounting for all of North's 30 points.
"I thrive off competition, and the competition has been good for me," Butler said moments after running the area's best 100-meter dash time, 10.28 seconds, at the McCluer North district meet.
At the state meet, Butler swept through the field like a tornado, with winning times of 10.60 (100), 21.17 (200) and 47.22 (400), the latter two of which were personal marks.
Sumner's Anthony Stafford, in 1985, was the last to achieve a sweep of the 100, 200 and 400. Coincidentally, Butler's coach, Fortune, achieved the same sweep in 1977 running for Ritenour High.
But Butler's most memorable performance arguably was at Washington University one gloomy May afternoon. That's when Butler took down a 36-year-old mark set by Ivory Crockett, once hailed as the world's fastest human.
Butler broke the Clayton Invitational 200 record of 21.3 set by Webster Groves' Crockett in 1968.
Butler posted a 21.2 amid a cold and misty day at Francis Field. Had the weather been better, Butler might have been quicker.
"Everybody was like, 'You broke Ivory Crockett's record,'" Butler recalled. "I didn't know who he was so I said, 'yeah, yeah.' I was just excited to break a record. When I found out who he was, I was just overwhelmed."
Although Butler's generation may be oblivious to Crockett's greatness - in 1974, Crockett ran a world-record 100-yard dash time of 9.0 seconds - Butler has designs on someday reaching the level of such contemporary international track stars as Maurice Green or Tim Montgomery.
Fortune, whose own promising career at Mizzou was derailed by injuries, sees nothing wrong with aspiring to be like Crockett.
"I think Imani needs to take one more step to be where Ivory was," Fortune said.
"Ivory was the man. Imani needs to get stronger, but his dream is (the) 2008 (Olympics), and I think by then he might be there. He has all the talent, and if he really wants it - and I know he does - if he has no injuries I see no reason why he can't be the next Ivory Crockett. But that's like having a dream of being the next Isaac Bruce or Torry Holt in football. You have to work at it to get there."
Work has never been an issue for Butler or twin sister Ayanna, both of whom run track and have grown up in a one-parent home. Each took away the redemptive qualities of a task-oriented mother.
Paula Burks, Imani's mother, works at the Siteman Cancer Center during the day, then retreats to the campus of Fontbonne University at night, where she is studying for a bachelor's degree in business administration. It's a tedious process, but one that will soon pay dividends:
After several years of attending school part time, Burks is just six credits shy of her degree.
Butler is headed to Central Missouri State University on a football and track scholarship.
"Once they made a statement that they didn't want to go to college because it took too long," Burks said.
"Now, they are understanding that if you work hard, you can accomplish your goals. Hopefully, I've been a good example that it may not come as quickly as you would like, but you should pursue your dream."
Said Imani: "Mom is the brains behind the operation. She's been there since I was 9 years old running summer track, making sure that I had everything that I needed. She kept me focused. She was the one who paid for all the meets I ran in as a kid.
"I just always knew that I had to keep working hard and with hard work comes success. It's just life. Sometimes you lose, sometimes you fail, but that's the only way you are going to know you're a success."
ALL-METRO BOYS TRACK
FIRST TEAM
Kelley Anderson
CBC senior
SPRINTS: Ran a spirited 100-meter final at state against Parkway North's Imani Butler, finishing in 10.65 to Butler's 10.60. Anderson also anchored CBC's 400-meter relay to a second consecutive Class 4 title (42.01). Launched season at the University City Invitational with a double-victory in the 100 (10.99) and 200 (22.71) and triumphed at the All-Catholic meet with a personal-best 100 (10.64).
James Butler
Ladue junior
MIDDLE DISTANCE: Butler won the 800 (1:57.53) and anchored Ladue's 3,200 relay to a Class 3 record (7:51.30), running a 1:52.9 split. He also anchored the 1,600 relay (3:22.99) to second at state as he helped Ladue to a runner-up finish in Class 3. But1er was consistently under the 1:57 mark in the 800, turning in a 1:56.20 at the Henle Holmes
Invitational and a 1:54.17 at the Mexico Sectional, which ranks second in the area.
Garett Jeffries
Marquette junior
LONG DISTANCE: A converted water polo player, Jeffries won the 3,200 (9:25.33) and finished fourth in Class 4 in the 1,600 (4:18.12). He also ran a leg on the Mustangs' fourth-place 3,200 relay (7:49.00). He was a district, sectional and state champion in the 3,200, and owns the area's fastest time (9:25.33).
Matt Harden
O'Fallon senior
HURDLES: Harden broke a 16-year-old record at the Southwestern Conference meet by posting a winning time for the
300 intermediate hurdles of 37.3. At the Illinois Class AA meet in Charleston, he won the 300 hurdles (38.12) and took seventh in the 110 hurdles (14.45). At the Marion, Ill., sectional meet, he won the 110s in a meet-record 13.8, which tops the area.
Jamaury Harris
De Soto senior
HORIZONTAL JUMPS: Had a spectacular state meet, winning the Class 3 long jump in an area-best 23-7, and taking first place in the triple jump (46-9¼). Also cleared 6-6 in the high jump. With reportedly limited practices in the
jumps, Harris may be a gem for a college program willing to gamble on his upside.
Stephon Harden
East St. Louis senior
HORIZONTAL JUMPS: Harden jumped an area-best 48 feet 11 inches in the triple jump at the Kansas Relays, and broke a meet record at the Al Joyner Classic, going 48 feet. The next day at the Kirkwood Invitational he jumped 47-2, also a meet record. At the Illinois Class AA meet, Harden was second at 48-9½. Harden has been invited to the Golden West Invitational set for Saturday in Sacramento, Calif.
Jon Reagan
Freeburg senior
VERTICAL JUMPS: A University of Illinois recruit, Reagan jumped 6-10 for the second year in a row, winning his second successive Illinois Class A championship. The 6-6 Reagan didn't lose a competition this season, jumping an area-best 6-11 at the St. Clair County Meet and 6-9 at the Belleville West Invitational.
Courtney Haywood
Hazelwood East senior
THROWS: For the second year in a row, Haywood finished second in Class 4, throwing a 172-8 in the discus, behind
Lee's Summit North's Chris Rohr, who set a state record (201-4). Still, Haywood hurled some colossal throws, going an area-best 185-9 at the Fred Lyon Invitational, and 184-5 at the Parkway South Patriot Classic, breaking a 16-year-old meet record (174-1½) set by Mike Wells of Fox. He also won an eighth-place medal in the Class 4 shot put with a toss of 50-11½. His 54-8½ earlier in the season is the area's fifth-best toss.
SECOND TEAM
Sprints: Tim Allen, sr., East St. Louis - Allen anchored East St. Louis’ triumphant 400 relay (41.71) and took fifth in the 100 (10.89). Despite not qualifying at sectionals, Allen ranked fifth among area 400 runners (48.4). He also had the area’s third-best 200 (21.37) and ninth-best 100 (10.66).
Middle distance: Myron Blockton. jr., Jennings - Blockton pulled a hamstring at the state meet after having qualified at the Mexico Sectional with the state’s top 800 time in both the Class 3 and 4 divisions - 1:54.08. Dominating 400 run[hyphen]
ner, especially on the Class 3 level, where his 47.3 trailed only Imani Butler (47.22) for top area honors.
Long distance: Kevin McNab, sr., Francis Howell North - Finished second in the Class 4 division of the 1,600 (4:14.7). Also posted area’s sixth best time in the 3,200 in 9:34.5.
Hurdles: Anthony Skinner, sr., Kirkwood - Skinner finished third in Class 4 in the 110 highs in 14.68 seconds. His 14.3 earlier in the season ranks as the area’s third best.
Vertical jumps: DeAlan Hicks, jr., Vashon - Despite having no jumping experience prior to this season, Hicks brought his vertical talents from the state-championship basketball team and won the Missouri Class 3 high jump with a leap of
6-6. His 6-8 jump earlier is the second best in the area.
Horizontal jumps: LaRay Washam, sr., Marquette - Another basketball player who tried track for the first time and became a quick study. His jump of 22-¼ won the state meet. His 22-10¾ at the Chaminade Sectional was the area’s second best.
Throws: Jon Habbe, sr., Nashville - Habbe topped his own personal-record by winning the Illinois Class A championship with a toss of 57-6, the scecond-best in the area.
THIRD TEAM
Sprints: Paul Chaney, soph, SLUH - For a sophomore, Chaney showed enormous poise at the Class 4 state meet. Chaney was sixth in the 100 (10.85), third in the 200 (21.58) and third in the 400 (48.46)
Middle distance: Mike Hartzell, sr., Washington - Hartzell was fourth in the 800 with a time of 1:55.87, the top finish by an area Class 4 runner. Earlier in the spring he turned in a 1:55.2, the fourth-best time in the area.
Long distance: Dan Hedgecock, jr., Ladue - A major cog in the Ladue wheel that rolled to a second-place finish in Class 3, Hedgecock overcame a broken ankle sustained in a jogging mishap last winter to finish third the 3,200 (9:30) and fourth in the 1,600 (4:24.19). He also ran on the Rams’ record-setting 3,200 relay (7:51.30).
Hurdles: David Shields, sr., Lafayette - A sensation at the Chaminade Sectional, Shields posted winning times in the 110 highs and the 300 intermediates of 14.52 and 37.97. At the Class 4 meet, he was eighth in the 110 and the 300.
Vertical jumps: Brian McGinty, soph., Chaminade -McGinty finished second in the Class 4 pole vault finals, soaring a stunning 14-3.
Vertical jumps: Ricky Saettele, sr., Lindbergh - Saettele settled for 12th in the Class 4 pole vault finals. But his 14-4 earlier in the season stands as the area’s best.
Horizontal jumps: Allen Brown, sr., Eureka -Brown won the Class 4 triple jump with a distance of 46 feet even. He took sixth in the long jump (21-3½). He will attend Culver-Stockton University on a football scholarship.
Throws: Sam Scroggins, sr., McCluer North - The University of Minnesota football recruit had a tough finish to his prep track career, falling short in the district qualifying round in the shot put. Nonetheless, his throw of 58-7 at the Patriot Classic at Parkway South is the area’s best.
