Jacksonville sends seven events to IHSA state meet, Titans shine
Jacksonville punched seven tickets to Charleston, led by Darren Henry’s three-event haul and Jeremiah Jackson’s 110 hurdles win. Jack Stanton’s pole vault finish added to the Titans’ surge.
Jacksonville turned the Troy Triad sectional into a launching pad, advancing seven events to the IHSA state meet and giving the Titans one of their strongest postseason statements in recent memory. The showing sent a clear message from Morgan County: Jacksonville is not traveling to Charleston with a small handful of qualifiers, but with a multi-event group that can make noise across the state series.
Darren Henry was at the center of it. Henry qualified in three events, a rare level of versatility that gives Jacksonville legitimate hope in more than one discipline when the IHSA boys track and field championships arrive in late May at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. His 2026 outdoor marks show why he matters so much to the Titans, with top efforts of 6 feet, 6 inches in the high jump, 22 feet, 4.5 inches in the long jump and 43 feet, 11.25 inches in the triple jump.
Jeremiah Jackson added another high-end result by winning the 110 hurdles at the sectional. Jackson’s 2026 outdoor profile lists a personal best of 15.42 in the event, and his impact has not been limited to one race. He also contributed in relay work, reinforcing the sense that Jacksonville’s state-bound group is built on athletes who can score in multiple places when the meet gets tight.
The depth showed up again with Jack Stanton, who tied for second in the pole vault. That result mattered because it pushed Jacksonville’s state picture beyond the headline names and into a broader team performance, one that included sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers and field-event athletes all carrying the program forward.
For Jacksonville High School, seven state-qualifying events is more than a strong day at sectional. It is a sign of a program peaking at the right time, with athletes like Henry and Jackson giving the Titans a chance to matter on the IHSA’s biggest stage. In a sport where depth often separates contenders from one-event stories, Jacksonville arrives in Charleston with both.
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