Sprinter becomes dual threat
These days Elijah Johnson is focused on setting goals, extending his limits.
Last year the Milwaukee Washington junior raised his academic performance in school, joined the track team and by year’s end was among the best 100-meter runners in the state.
He didn’t, however, come close to making it out of the regional in the 200, so during the off-season, he took aim at getting stronger in that event. The work paid off as he qualified for state in that event as well.
On Friday, Johnson will be among a number of athletes who will be racing for a spot in the finals of both the 100 and 200 on the first day of the WIAA state track and field meet at UW-La Crosse’s Memorial Stadium.
How a guy goes from placing seventh in the regional — the top four advance — to being one of the top seeds in the event at state this year is simple.
“Last year I wasn’t pushing myself," he said. "This year I had the mind-set that I’m going to push myself. I’m going to make it in the 200. That was one of my main goals.”
That sheds some light on the mentality of one of the area’s rising stars of track and field. When he steps into the blocks for the 100 prelims, his fifth-place finish last year will make him the No. 2 returner in the field behind defending champion L.O. Johnson of Waunakee.
The workaholic, as Washington sprints coach Theo Carney describes him, is scratching the surface of his potential in the sport, and Johnson is working like a guy who knows it.
“He never misses a day of practice,” Carney said. “He always wants to work and now he’s working on becoming a leader for the other kids in practice, calling the kids making sure they get there on time.”
City Conference track and field lacks the depth of past years, but Johnson is among a handful of male sprinters from the league who could make an impact at state.
Riverside junior Chris Sykes will join Johnson in the Division 1 100 field. His season-best time of 10.97 ranks 17th on the state honor roll compiled by athletic.net. In Division 2, Obama School of Technical and Career Education senior Donovan Howard will arrive in La Crosse fresh off his top times of the season in the 100: 11.22 in the regional and 11.12 in the sectional.
And in the relays, Milwaukee Hamilton's 400 team and Milwaukee Riverside’s 800 team are seeded third with what are their best times of the season 42.52 and 1:28.22, respectively.
Johnson, who runs with the Milwaukee Mustangs during the off-season, has the ninth seed with a time of 11.08 in the 100 and the sixth seed in the 200 (22.25). The 200 time is his fastest of the season. His top time of 10.95 in the 100 came at the City Conference meet May 16.
“I definitely could have done better," he said, "but for the most part I feel good, relaxed."
Last year Johnson entered state as the No. 11 seed and easily outperformed that standing.
To get back to the final this year, he’ll have to advance out of a heat that includes Johnson as well as Wauwatosa East standout Lewis Huenink, Classic 8 champion Alex Lesperance of Waukesha North and Stoughton senior Sam McHone, who has the third-best time (10.84) in the state this season.
This year, with a year of off-season work on the track and in the weight room under his belt, Johnson has a chance for a better showing.
Maybe it will be good enough to join the likes of Marshall's Bryant Brown (2016), King's Maurice Simpson (2015), Riverside's Jalen Gille (2010, '11) and Vincent's Centrell Miller (2008-'09) as standouts from the conference who won a state sprint title in the last decade.
“My thing is to make sure you believe in yourself,” Carney said. “That’s the main thing. If no one believes in you, make sure you believe in yourself.
"Don’t ever quit. My motto with him as with anything is a winner never quits and a quitter never wins. If he sticks with that and believes in himself, he’ll come out on top regardless of whatever he does in life.”