By the time you get to be a senior in the Evanston track program, the bar is set a little higher as far as expectations go.
Dallas Amos is ready for a bigger role.
The senior speedster proved that Friday night at the Central Suburban League South indoor championship meet, capturing first place in the 400-meter run and adding a crowd-pleasing finish to the last race of the day, the 1600-meter relay, at New Trier’s new indoor facility.
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An exhausted Amos collapsed at the end of the relay run after sparking the Wildkits to a winning time of 3 minutes, 38.7 seconds. His come-from-behind effort was among the highlights as Evanston moved up in the standings following a disappointing third place indoor finish in 2024 and placed second with 97.83 points to 143 for champion New Trier.
Justin Johnson (200 meters) and Enijel Shelton (shot put) earned individual titles for ETHS but it was Amos’ effort in the final race that will linger in the mind of ETHS head coach Don Michelin.
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A win in the 1600 relay always leaves a sweet taste in the mouth of the veteran coach and the late decision to add Amos to that lineup turned out to be the correct call.
Amos replaced Amani Christian on the relay just minutes after a false start knocked him out of the open 200 race. Earlier, he had ruled the 400 in 51.29, one of the top performances in the state of Illinois this season and just off his season best of 51.03.
“Just call it a coach’s decision,” Michelin said after the unit of Deshawn Priester, Milo Porter and Mynard Blake teamed with Amos to beat out runner-up Glenbrook North (3:40.14). “Dallas is such a super guy. He was Downstate and ran on that blue track (at Eastern Illinois University) last year outdoors and got a chance to see the big picture. Now he’s doing all the things that are necessary to be a champion.
“He gives you 100 percent every time out, in practice or in meets. His 400 tonight was outstanding (1.2 seconds quicker than the next finisher). He was on the list of five or six guys available for the relay, and after he didn’t make it in the 200, he wasn’t upset when I told him he was going to run the relay.”
The opportunity to make up for the team’s disqualification in the 800 relay was motivation enough for Amos to summon up a second wind. He needed every breath to secure the 1600 victory.
“It feels good, but I didn’t know if I’d make it,” Amos admitted. “I just felt like since we didn’t win that 4 x 200 that I didn’t want to Coach or the team down. So I just pushed through.
“This year I want it to be a bigger year because it’s my last. I’m pushing myself a lot harder compared to my freshman year. I didn’t really have a strategy in the 400 --- I just ran. I just gave it my all.”
Shelton lived up to his No. 1 seed in the shot put with a winning toss of 16.96 meters --- approximately 55 feet, 7 inches --- and has consistently been in the 55-foot range during the indoor portion of the season.
The senior standout will be among the Wildkits who should earn invitations to the Prep Top Times invitational set for Illinois Wesleyan University next Saturday --- along with Johnson (60 meter dash and 200), high jumper Jaden Jean-Paul, and Amos (400) and Priester (400). That invite serves as the unofficial indoor state meet as most of the state’s top competitors participate.
“I’m excited to win it, but it was strictly business for me tonight,” said Shelton. “I just had to win, because that’s what I came here to do. This year I have the mindset to just do what I have to do. I feel like I’m more focused in meets and I’m more focused in practice, too.
“The indoor season was great while it lasted --- I had an amazing time --- but I’m just worried about the outdoor season. I’m learning new things from the coaches that I’m hoping to carry with me to the outdoor season.”
Johnson, a sophomore, and New Trier junior Dylan Nemerovski were both clocked in identical times of 23.02 in a photo finish in the 200 and shared the title in that race. Johnson also ran second in the 60 dash in 6.96, behind only one of the top times indoors in the nation this season, a 6.85 by New Trier’s William Landwer.
Also scoring top three individual finishes for the Kits were Sam Froum, third in the 3200 in 10:00.32; Ryan Rice, third in the 60 hurdles in 8.52; and Jean-Paul, tied for third in the high jump at 1.83 meters.
