Boys track & field: Third trip to Charleston was the charm for Rock Falls state champ Marcum

ROCK FALLS – When Matthew Marcum began his track & field career at Rock Falls High School, he didn’t expect to win a state championship, especially not in the 300-meter hurdles – an event he wasn’t interested in initially.

But after making it to the IHSA Class 2A State Finals as a junior, he knew he had what it took to bring home a state title the following year.

As a senior in 2022, that’s exactly what Marcum did. Running a 39.59-second time at the state finals in the 300 hurdles, he secured his long-awaited state championship medal and took his place at the top of the podium in Charleston.

For a historic senior season, Marcum is the 2022 Sauk Valley Media Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year.

Other local boys tracksters of note this season were Dixon senior Dre Jackson (2A shot put); Newman’s 4x800 relay team of Jacob Donald, Wyatt Widolff, Thomas Powers and Lucas Simpson; and Morrison’s 4x400 team of Justice Brainerd, Brady Wolf, Thomas Dauphin and Alex Anderson, who all finished fourth in the state finals in their events; and Sterling’s Dale Johnson, who won a pair of medals (9th in 2A 1600, 5th in 2A 4x800 with Jordan Britt, Thomas Holcomb & John Cid).

As a freshman in 2019, Marcum started out as the anchor for the Rockets’ 4x100 relay team, and quickly left a strong impression on his coaches. Head coach Eric Bontz, who coached Marcum all four years, said his special talent was apparent right way.

“I remember watching him run his first time running track as a freshman at Westwood [Fitness & Sports Center]. I told my assistants I knew we had something special in him,” he said. “Obviously, I didn’t know he’d become a state champion. He’s always been very mentally strong, and he had some athleticism. He had very good muscle endurance and was able to run with our top guys basically right off the bat as a freshman. He was on the school’s record-breaking 4x100 team, and he anchored it for us. From an early age, we always knew we had something special with Matthew.”

After competing at the Sterling Night Relays his freshman year, Marcum said he, too, recognized that track & field was a sport he could really excel at.

“I was beating the juniors and seniors, and I was like, ‘I want to keep doing this. I want to keep getting better at this,’ " he said.

Throughout his first high school season, Marcum steadily improved.

In May of 2019, he found himself competing in the state finals with teammates Elijah Johnson, Keyon Wolber and Adrian Ibarra. The 4x200 relay team took seventh with a time of 1:30.03, but it wasn’t really a disappointment, as they weren’t expecting to make it that far in the first place.

“I didn’t think we would [make it to state],” Marcum said. “Like no one thought we would freshman year. It was kind of one of those things where it just happened, and we were shocked and surprised.”

Freshman year was also when Marcum was approached by assistant coach Tom DePasquale, who suggested he compete in hurdles.

“I remember my freshman year, Coach D. was like, ‘You should do hurdles because you have long legs.’ And I remember being like, ‘I am not doing that. That’s stupid. I don’t want to do that,‘ ” Marcum said. “And then I started running them, and I was like, ‘OK, this actually isn’t that bad.’ And then it just kind of got more and more intense as it went, and I liked that.”

In 2020, Marcum’s sophomore year was completely wiped out due to COVID-19, but in 2021, he hit the ground running – literally and figuratively – in the 300 hurdles.

Marcum’s junior campaign saw him reach the state finals and place sixth in the event, clocking a time of 39.56. But as a self-described perfectionist, he wasn’t satisfied.

In the offseason he went back to work, doing everything he could to improve for next year. Adding size and strength were points of emphasis this year.

“I lifted a lot more this year, which I think helped, because last year, I was scrawny, I was little,” Marcum said. “But now I’m more built and more physically mature.”

The commitment to the weight room paid off, and Bontz was thrilled to see Marcum reap the rewards with a state championship.

“The kid is a true champion. He puts in all kinds of extra work even outside of what we do for him as coaches,” Bontz said. “He’s always out at Westwood. Got very interested in the weight room and started putting in a lot of effort there. He just did a lot of things right. He was very conscious of his diet and making sure he got enough sleep. Doing all the things that champions do.”

This season in particular, Marcum dealt with a lot of inclement weather. Whether it was too cold to compete outside, or there were rain or lightning delays, it didn’t bother the Rockets’ hurdler too much.

In fact, having fewer meets was somewhat of a motivator.

“Honestly, it wasn’t bad because with less meets, I was more motivated to be like, ‘I really have to do it now,‘ “ Marcum said. “I didn’t have as much cushion as I usually do.”

A support system of coaches and family members also fueled Marcum in his state title run this year.

“My coaches, obviously, because I always want to impress them and show them that what they’re doing for me is really helping,” Marcum said. “This is a basic answer, too, but my family because they’re always there for me, and they’re always watching me and supporting me, and pushing me to do my best.”

With his Rock Falls track & field career in the books, Marcum ranks first all-time in the 4x100 relay and second in both the 300 hurdles and 400-meter dash.

This fall, he’s taking his considerable talent to Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, a four-year private Catholic college with a Division II track & field program.

“I’m going to go there to study biology, and then get my bachelor’s in that, and then hopefully get my master’s in environmental science,” Marcum said. “My running there is going to be the 400 hurdles, because that’s what it changes to in college, and then probably the 400 and the 4x400. And maybe the 800. So I’m excited for that.”

Bontz expects Marcum’s success to follow him to Dubuque.

“I think he’s going to do really great,” he said. “At college, they run the 400 hurdles instead of the 300, and Matthew’s always been a very good finisher, probably the best closer I’ve ever had. I think the extra 100 will actually be very beneficial for him.”