Monticello's Forman breaks 2A state discus record, enters final as favorite
May 25—CHARLESTON — Monticello throws coach Ryan Woodham texted athletic director Dan Sheehan and just told him to look at Demarion Forman on the bench.
"He was sprawled out, joking with the guy next to him," Woodham said. "Everybody else was chewing their fingernails off. He's just confident. He knew going in that he was going to do well."
That was the scene right before Forman made history on Friday.
The Monticello senior stepped into the discus ring for his second throw in the Class 2A boys' state track and field prelims and launched a throw 193 feet, 11 1/2 inches, besting former Sandwich thrower Ryan Njegovan's 2013 2A state meet record by nearly six feet.
"Once I saw it flying, I knew," Woodham said. "I had seen that before and knew it was going to be a good one. When they announced it, I was like, 'Holy crap.'"
Forman had a bit of a different reaction. It made him smile, but that's the only indication he gave that he had just done something no one else had on that stage.
He didn't seem to care about the record, that it was the second-best throw in all of Illinois this season or the fact that he's heading into Saturday's final leading the field by more than 25 feet.
"I hit a PR, and it felt great," Forman said. "I was keeping tabs on it, but I wasn't really worried about it that much. As long as I beat myself, I don't care who else I beat."
Woodham said he'd expect nothing less. Forman's humble nature is just who he is. In that same breath, he described Forman as one of the most competitive athletes he's ever seen.
"He's very confident but not arrogant," Woodham said. "He's not flashy about it. He's very confident in his abilities, and he never gets really stressed. When guys are challenging him and pushing him, he's as cool as a cucumber and just goes out and performs."
The Sages knew that about Forman from the very first team meeting this season. He transferred to Monticello this year from Danville, where he finished 12th in the 3A state discus finals as a junior, and Woodham said he knew from the first practice that "he was going to be the guy." Forman also made it clear that he was going after the school record, a 42-year-old record set by Charlie Vinson (172-6).
It didn't take Forman long to do it, as he passed the mark on April 8 with his first throw in a dual meet with Mahomet-Seymour. Then, he beat his newly set record with his second throw of the day. And again with his third throw. And again with his fourth.
"I broke it with all four throws that meet," Forman said with a smirk. "It just kept getting better and better, and I had a lot of help from my coach."
A month later at the St. Teresa Invite, he broke it with each of his first two throws after becoming the first person to ever hit the power lines during warmups. That pushed Forman's record to 181-4 two weeks before state.
Woodham said Forman reached 194 in Tuesday's practice, so "we knew he had it in him," and he nearly matched it during Friday's prelims, improving his record by another 12 feet and change.
"It's not about feeling like I belong," Forman said of being on the state stage. "I fell in love with it the last two years, and I just keep trying to better myself. Getting first isn't what I'm looking for. Beating my own personal record is what I'm going for."
That's what he says when everyone is watching. Behind closed doors, he's not shy about saying what he really wants.
Salem's Caleb Smith beat Forman by just two feet in last week's Rantoul Sectional. Those two went into the state meet with distances well ahead of the rest of the field, so it appeared the state championship would be a rematch of their sectional.
"Mar is one of those guys you don't get twice," Woodham said. "He made it very clear to me that it wouldn't happen again. All week in practice, that was his goal, to improve and get first place. He basically said he wasn't coming home without first."
All the expectations that surround Forman are with the discus, but he'll have two chances to win a state title on Saturday, as he squeaked into the shot put final with a throw of 50-0 1/2 on Friday.
He knows the opportunity he has in front of him, and he's ready for the challenge. Though, it may not be much of a challenge if it goes anything like Friday, but you'll never hear him say that.
"Oh yeah, it definitely has hit me," Forman said of where he stands. "I'm excited, but I've got to keep my head level."
