After battling back from a knee injury, Young finished his sophomore season by medaling in all three sprint events at the Illinois state finals.
There were doubts early in the season — plenty of them. A torn meniscus during football season, no indoor track, and months of rehab. But by the end of May, Dontrell Young didn’t just answer those questions. He lit up the track and made a loud statement at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. One that no stopwatch could really capture.
A Comeback That Didn’t Wait Around
Young’s 2025 season didn’t start with a bang. It didn’t start at all. A routine football play early last fall left him hobbling, but he brushed it off. That discomfort? It lingered. And three weeks later, it had a name: torn meniscus.
Surgery in October. No competition through winter. All indoor season gone.
It could’ve unraveled his sophomore campaign before it even began. But that’s not what happened.
Instead, Young quietly hit reset. He trained. Rehabbed. Waited. Watched. By April, he was back on the track, and within weeks he was not just participating — he was setting school records.
“He worked like crazy in the offseason,” Oswego coach Jeff Edwards said. “Did everything we asked. He didn’t rush anything. When he came back, he was ready to roll.”
Numbers That Speak for Themselves
By the time the Class 3A state meet arrived, Young wasn’t just one of Oswego’s hopes — he was the guy to watch. He lined up in the 100, 200, and 400-meter finals, something most upperclassmen would be proud of.
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100 meters: Fourth place, 10.57 seconds
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400 meters: Eighth place, 50.55 seconds
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200 meters: Second place, 21.22 seconds
He left Charleston with medals in all three events, his best race — that blazing 200 — putting him right behind a record-breaking run from New Trier’s William Landwer.
“That was the highlight,” Young said. “Felt like my best race of the year.”
Even more remarkable? He did all this while managing lingering hamstring tightness during the meet. No complaints, no excuses. Just grit.
Talent That’s Been Brewing for Years
Young didn’t stumble into the sport. His speed on the football field as a kid got the attention of his parents. From there, he joined Aurora Flyers, a local track club led by his great-uncle, Tom Boatright. Success followed fast.
Back in sixth grade, he snagged third in the 800 meters at the AAU Junior Olympics in Houston. By the time he hit high school, expectations were sky-high.
Coach Edwards knew the name well before Young even stepped onto Oswego’s track. “He’s maybe a once-in-a-career type kid,” Edwards said. “The kind of athlete who just shows up and does all the right things.”
Springboard for a Bigger Stage
This year’s state success wasn’t a fluke. It was just the start.
Young began his outdoor season with a 48.92 in the 400 and a 21.94 in the 200 at the Minooka Invitational. He only got faster from there. By the end of the season, he’d captured conference and sectional titles in all three sprint events — and broke school records in each.
In the middle of that success came this reality check: the entire trio of Oswego’s state qualifiers — Young, hurdler Jezhian Sprinkle, and middle-distance man Bo Breed — are all just sophomores.
Coach Edwards is already eyeing something bigger.
“We’re trying to get Dontrell into the position to win the triple crown next year,” he said. “That’s the dream — 100, 200, 400 at state.”
The Stats Say Plenty, but the Work Behind Them Tells More
Young is quick to brush off praise. He talks about the training. About his knee. About staying humble. But the numbers from this season are impossible to ignore:
| Event | Conference Finish | Sectional Finish | State Finish | Season Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100m | 1st | 1st | 4th | 10.57 seconds |
| 200m | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 21.22 seconds |
| 400m | 1st | 1st | 8th | 48.92 seconds |
That’s not normal. Not for a sophomore who missed months of running. Not for anyone.
“He’s as committed as they come,” Edwards said. “Some sprinters just show up and run. Not him. He trains. He stretches. He works through every detail.”
One-sentence pause here.
Even Young admits that part of what makes track so compelling to him is its individual nature. No place to hide. No one to blame.
“I like track because if something goes wrong, it’s on me,” he said. “You fix it by training. You don’t complain.”
A Humble Star With Eyes on the Horizon
For now, Young’s story is one of grit and promise. The comeback. The medals. The ceiling that still feels miles away.
He’s still learning. Still growing. Still a sophomore.
Yet the expectations for next spring are already sky-high. Because when you’ve done what he’s done — bounced back from surgery, rewritten school records, climbed state podiums — you don’t just set goals. You chase history.
“He’s one of the most decorated kids we’ve ever had,” Edwards said. “And he’s just getting started.”
