It’s certainly no secret to West Aurora track coach Cortney Lamb.
Plenty of good athletes walk the halls of the high school where he works on West New York Street. Achieving success often depends on convincing those athletes to come out for his sport.
A case in point?
Consider the journey of junior Kewon Marshall.
Sorry, make that Class 3A high jump state champion Kewon Marshall.
The 6-foot-1 Marshall last weekend cleared 6 feet, 8 1/4 inches on his second attempt to win the event at Eastern Illinois in Charleston.
That feat — and the Class 2A state titles won in the 400 and 800 by Aurora Central Catholic senior Patrick Hilby, a Wisconsin recruit — highlighted the area’s performances at O’Brien Field.
After the medal ceremony at midfield, Marshall celebrated by doing a series of flips that covered nearly the length of the football field.
“It was just the spur of the moment,” Marshall said. “All the excitement hit once I got off the stand.”
West Aurora’s Kewon Marshall (15) goes up for a layup against Oswego East during a Southwest Prairie Conference game in Aurora on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. (Mark Black / The Beacon-News)
He had been joined there by teammate Terrence Smith, a 6-4 junior who took a sixth-place medal in the event by clearing 6-4 3/4.
Both high-flying athletes are also teammates for the Blackhawks in football and basketball.
“Terrence and I have been good friends since fourth grade playing travel basketball,” Marshall said. “We always push each other beyond our limits. We know we’re capable of doing so.”
Marshall and Smith competed in track as freshmen, then opted to focus on travel basketball during the spring as sophomores. But it’s not like Lamb and his staff didn’t know what they had.
“We battle AAU quite a bit in the spring,” Lamb said. “Most of our athletes are multisport guys, and we try to work around AAU. Track is often the second or third sport for them.
“Kewon jumped in one or two meets for us freshman year and placed second to a state medalist at indoor conference. He was a natural.”
It’s why Lamb and his staff, which this spring included Paul Kieffer for the first time as an assistant for the high jump and pole vault, kept trying to sell the talented duo on the sport.
“Cortney knew I had high jumped in high school,” said Kieffer, a longtime varsity basketball assistant. “Kevon and Terrence are both natural athletes. They just needed a little work on form.”
West Aurora’s Kewon Marshall (15) takes a jump shot in the lane as Joliet Central’s Jaylin Murphy defends during a Southwest Prairie Conference game in Aurora on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. (Jon Langham / The Beacon-News)
Marshall opened the indoor season by winning conference with a personal-best jump of 6-10 3/4, breaking the indoor meet and program record established by 2018 graduate Camron Donatlan, a three-sport athlete and two-time outdoor high jump state champion for West Aurora.
“I hate to keep comparing him to Cam, but there are similarities,” Lamb said.
Marshall also qualified for state in the long jump but scratched from Friday’s prelims in that event.
“Long jump is not his favorite thing, but he was being a team guy scoring points for us at the sectional,” Lamb said. “He was focused on high jump at state.”
Donatlan’s 7-foot outdoor record still eludes Marshall.
“I can clear it if I get my form down correctly,” Marshall said. “I’ve gotten close, just not close enough.”
Early indoor success this past season inspired him.
“I realized I was going to be doing big things,” Marshall said. “I’ve always had hops — got my first dunk in a game freshman year playing against Joliet West.”
Next on his list? Earning all-conference in football and basketball.
Marshall caught 13 passes for 217 yards last season, including big-game catches against Yorkville and playoff opponent Edwardsville. He also saw spot duty at defensive end.
“He’s one of those kids who could play in a lot of spots,” West Aurora football coach Nate Eimer said. “A great athlete who should be even more involved this year.”
In basketball, Marshall emerged early as a valuable sixth man, often sparking a team that graduated nine seniors with his energy.
“He can rebound, defend,” West Aurora boys basketball coach Michael Fowler said. “He’s an athlete who can finish at the rim. We want him on the floor and will need him every game.”
There’s definitely promise, especially after track season.
“Winning state has shown me that anything is possible,” Marshall said. “But the only thing it changes for me is more recognition.”
