The News-Gazette's 21st All-Area boys' track and field team: Jackson shines the brightest
Jul. 2—DANVILLE — For someone who thrives on speed on the track, D’Mario Jackson had one thought running through his mind the night of May 30.
And it didn’t involve speed.
This was after he wowed the crowd at the IHSA Class 2A boys’ track and field state meet in Charleston. Not just once. Not just twice. But three times.
First, the Danville junior sprinted down the light blue straightaway at O’Brien Field on the Eastern Illinois University campus. His time of 10.59 seconds in the 100-meter dash was good enough to cross the finish line first, just ahead of East St. Louis standout and Auburn running back commit Myson Johnson-Cook, and cross off the first of his state championship pursuits on this day.
Of the three races Jackson specializes in, the 100 sits in the middle among his favorites. His least favorite? Easy. The 400.
“That last 40 meters,” Jackson said with a laugh almost a month later, “is just a lot of pain.”
Couldn’t tell, though, with how he navigated his second race at the state meet. A race he ended up winning with a time of 47.53, almost a full second ahead of runner-up Logan Smallwood of Limestone.
By that point in time, Jackson had already achieved Danville history.
The Vikings had 15 individual state champions before this year’s state meet, spanning from Melvin Whitlock winning the first with a javelin state title in 1922 to Johnny Leverenz with the most recent one in 2014 with a 3A state title in the 800. But no multiple state champs in the same year.
Until Jackson continued his record-setting day. A day he wasn’t done making history.
‘Heart could not be happier’
He still had his favorite event, the 200, to run.
“I feel that event gives me enough time to build up to my top speed,” Jackson said, “but also not long enough for me to feel a lot of pain.”
He felt nothing but elation, albeit with a little pain given his grueling workload, after he won the 200 with a time of 21.33, four-tenths of a second faster than runner-up Jackson Heimsoth of Marengo.
Just like that, in about a two-hour span, Jackson had rewrote Danville history. His efforts alone helped the Vikings finish in a tie for fifth and his standout performance ended with him earning The News-Gazette’s All-Area boys’ track and field Athlete of the Year honor for the 2026 season.
“My heart could not be happier for D’Mario,” Danville athletic director Megan Mattingly said. “When I think of D’Mario, I think of a kid who is fearless, and the most respectful, hard-working young man. Life has not always been easy for him, and that is what makes his story even more special.”
A story that continues to reach new heights, but a story that also featured some rest on one of the most memorable days of Jackson’s life. A caravan of cars awaited Jackson once he arrived back in Danville with three first-place state medals draped across his neck, and after a mini photo shoot at Whitesell Field, Danville’s football stadium, rest arrived.
“I think I got some McDonald’s, and I was just living in the moment with my mom,” Jackson said. “We got home, I took a shower and laid right down. It was probably the best sleep I’d had in a while.”
‘I am deeply gratified’
Jackson didn’t grow up in Danville. It’s just where he’s come of age. He moved to the Vermilion County city in the late 2010s after being born and living in Atlanta.
What prompted the move?
“Family issues,” Jackson said, not elaborating any further.
What did he think of his new surroundings in east central Illinois compared to the hustle and bustle of Atlanta?
“I definitely thought there was a lot less stuff to do,” Jackson said with a laugh. “It was good because I had a lot of friends up here already, so it was good to see them all.”
Danville boys’ track and field coach Tyler Arnholt first met Jackson during Jackson’s freshman year at Danville. Well before Jackson started showcasing his exploits on the track.
“He got classes switched and he was put in my health class,” Arnholt said. “I knew who he was, but hadn’t met him before. He came up to my desk with a big smile on his face, introduced himself, sat down and we started class. I got to know him over that first semester and am very thankful I had him in class, as he was and still is a great student.”
It’s a great feeling for Nzekani Jackson any time she sees her oldest son line up in the starting blocks before one of his races. The idea of winning three state titles is something D’Mario had mentally tried to picture well before the moment actually arrived. Mom concurs.
“I am deeply gratified by D’Mario’s accomplishments and performances,” Nzekani said. “Maybe two weeks before state, he would say, ‘Momma, I am going to three-peat.'”
‘It was a lot of mental work’
The belief turned into reality. Even if D’Mario had some doubts pop into his head on the day of the state finals.
“My legs were really feeling it, but I just kept thinking, ‘I can push through, I can push through,'” D’Mario said. “It was a lot of mental work and having the mental battle to push through.”
Winning three state titles happened on that afternoon on May 30, but it was a long time in the making. D’Mario was already familiar with the setup at O’Brien Field after placing seventh in the 200 at the 3A state meet in 2024 as a freshman and then finishing ninth in the 200 at the 3A state meet in 2025 as a sophomore.
Arnholt said the plan they put in place for D’Mario ahead of the state meet ended up working just like they hoped.
“Day two at state is an entirely different beast than day one,” Arnholt said. “We knew going in that recovery from day one and recovery between his three races on day two was going to be the biggest indicator of whether or not he could pull off the triple crown. As far as pressure, D’Mario and all of us knew if he took care of his body properly, he could do it so the only pressure he really faced was from us coaches trying to get him to recover and get off his feet. D’Mario doesn’t let things faze or shake him, so I wouldn’t say he felt pressure to perform. He was just doing what he loves.”
D’Mario had watched other competitors climb to the top spot on the podium he so coveted. Yet he knew winning three state titles wasn’t just about him. It was for his three younger siblings — 13-year-old sister Saniyah Ross, 11-year-old sister Ca’Mya and 7-year-old brother Kevin — and his teammates.
“I try to set a good example for them,” D’Mario said of his siblings. “Ca’Mya actually runs track, so I like to see that she’s getting into it and thinking, ‘Oh, I could be a state champ, too.'”
‘He will light up a room’
A two-sport athlete at Danville, D’Mario is also a wide receiver and defensive back on the Danville football team. When he’s not competing in sports, he likes to play video games, dance, go roller-skating, bowl and make TikToks.
“D’Mario is very outgoing,” Nzekani said. “He will light up a room with his beautiful smile and spirit. Once some music comes on, you will see him dance for sure. Overall, he’s a very positive person.”
Jhe’Nyi Parker stood in the top row of the bleachers at O’Brien Field on May 30. The fellow Danville junior knew what it was like competing on the track there, having done so the week before with the Vikings’ girls’ track and field team. Parker ran the anchor legs on Danville’s 400 and 800 relays that finished second at the 2A state meet, helping the Vikings bring home a second-place team trophy.
This time, however, was out of her control and all she could do is watch D’Mario, her boyfriend, out there by himself.
“I was very happy,” Parker said. “I was screaming. It was a really cool experience.”
If D’Mario needs feedback on his races from someone besides his coaches or family members, he can turn to Parker. Who said she learns just as much by watching D’Mario race.
“I always study his form, the way he drives out of the blocks and the way he pushes,” she said. “I take notes because it’ll help me at my meets.”
‘Something more to work for’
Nzekani said watching her son compete brings about a set of mixed emotions: excitement and nervousness.
“Excited because he is doing something he loves and is exceptional at,” she said. “Then, once he gets sets in his blocks, a wave of nerves comes like it used to when I ran. I say a quick prayer before the pop of the gun and watch him soar.”
With the results D’Mario has earned on the track, attention from colleges has followed suit. Illinois reached out before Jackson and his teammates competed at the 2A Monticello Sectional. Eastern Illinois and Illinois State have also made contact with him.
“I do want to run track in college,” D’Mario said. “It’s been really cool talking to coaches and seeing the inside part of the recruiting process, along with college in general. It’s definitely a game-changing feeling. It makes you feel like your work has paid off, while also giving you something more to work for.”
D’Mario wants to stay connected to sports once his track and field career does end at some point. He mentions physical therapy as a possible occupation someday.
But all of that will transpire in the future. For now, he’s trying to relish his three state titles, savor his time this summer and keep his mind focused on what he can still accomplish.
“My state championships are dear to my heart, but I wouldn’t say it’s set in at all,” D’Mario said. “I definitely get that history has been made, and my support system has grown. More than I could ask for. It’s definitely been a blessing to be in Danville, and I can’t take that for granted at all. I feel like a lot of people are looking up more to me in a role-model type of situation. They see the good that can come out of Danville, and I like seeing that happiness.”
‘He truly has a gift’
The feeling is mutual for those close to D’Mario who have watched his journey unfold.
Just ask his coach with the Vikings. Or the Vikings’ athletic director in Mattingly.
“There is a buzz around town about Danville track again, and he is leading the charge,” Arnholt said. “He is bringing some pride back to Danville, and it makes more kids want to come out and be a Viking. He doesn’t know it, but all the things he is doing are what future Danville kids will be trying to chase. Just like he was when he came in as a freshman.”
“He truly has a gift, and he inspires Danville to be great,” Mattingly added. “Not only is he a talented athlete, but he leads. He brings others along and challenges them to be great. He is great in the classroom, phenomenal in athletics and a young man who represents what Danville is — tough and resilient.”
2026 D’Mario Jackson Danville
2025 Sawyer Woodard Tuscola
2024 Josiah Hortin Tuscola
2023 Daniel Lacy Centennial
2022 Kemoni McCullough Centennial
2021 CJ Shoaf Mahomet-Seymour
2019 Hunter Hendershot Mahomet-Seymour
2018 Steven Migut Unity
2017 Nicholas Jackson Champaign Central
2016 Jon Davis Oakwood
2015 Jon Davis Oakwood
2014 Johnny Leverenz Danville
2013 Ryan Pearce Villa Grove
2012 Steve Schroeder Monticello
2011 Brandon Carrel Urbana
2010 Brandon Noe St. Thomas More
2009 Ian Wells Champaign Central
2008 Tyler Carter Tuscola
2007 Aaron Mathis Urbana
2006 Scott Phelps Monticello
2005 Scott Phelps Monticello
