Kahmari Montgomery tested Plainfield Central boys track coach Jon Pereiro’s persistence throughout nearly a two-year courtship.
An emerging athlete at Plainfield Central, Montgomery resisted adding another sport to his schedule. He was a point guard for the basketball team and wide receiver for the football team.
“I had seen Kahmari on the football field and he had a quick burst and obviously that can translate to sprints,” Pereiro said. “It was steady and slow process trying to get him to go out for track. I kept asking him, ‘Are you coming out for track?’ at his basketball games or when I would see him at football. I would give him a lot of ribbing here and there.”
Two years ago, after the track season started, Pereiro decided to confront Montgomery.
“Near the end of my sophomore year, coach finally convinced me to run track,” Montgomery said. “He came to my (basketball) practice one day and told me he was going to call my mom and get me to do track. A lot of people wanted me to do track. I wanted to focus on basketball.”
Montgomery eventually gave his soon-to-be coach his own surprise encounter.
“I walked to his classroom and said, ‘Hey coach, I’m doing track.’ He looked at me and said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ He then said, ‘See you at practice.'”
That began a two-year learning curve that saw Montgomery transform from an unsure 97-pound teenager to one of the state’s elite sprinters.
At the Class 3A state meet last season, Montgomery sealed his name among the best sprinters in the Midwest by winning state championships in the 200 and 400 meters — becoming the first large-division athlete to win state titles in those two events since Thornwood’s Jeremy Johnson in 2003.
The senior is seeking to add to his legacy by winning the 100, 200 and 400 at this weekend’s state meet in Charleston. He’s seeded first in the 200 and 400, and second in the 100. No large-school individual has won the 100, 200 and 400 meters at state in the same season.
“I’m excited for this weekend,” Montgomery said. “I want to win three titles.”
Montgomery’s short but successful track career has been filled with ups and downs. Montgomery’s high metabolism kept his weight under 100 pounds for his first two years of high school. He also nearly quit track following his sophomore season.
He narrowly missed qualifying for the state finals in the 200 during his sophomore season because he slowed down at the finish line in his preliminary heat.
“After a year of ribbing him about that (finish), Kahmari worked on finishing strong,” Pereiro said.
Montgomery said he allowed the big stage of the state meet to overwhelm him. His frustration with his performance caused him to question competing in track.
“I didn’t talk to anybody that whole day at state,” Montgomery said. “I kept saying, ‘I’m done.’ I was teary-eyed and just knew I couldn’t do it. It took a big toll on me not making finals. I thought track was a stupid sport.”
His uncle, Jimmy Brown, helped Montgomery turn those negative thoughts into motivation for his upcoming season.
“I’m not a quitter,” Montgomery told himself.
The Missouri recruit is no longer a skinny teenager without direction. He weighs 150 pounds and hopes to bulk up to 170 in college. He set a state record at the Illinois Top Times Indoor Meet in the 60-meter dash (6.93), and broke his own 200 outdoor school record (21.05) at the Bud Mohm’s meet, which according to Dyestat.com is the seventh-fastest time in the nation.
He established another school record in the 100 (10.62) at sectionals.
“I’m so glad that I grew up,” Montgomery said. “Coach (Pereiro) had a big impact on that. Over the years, he made me realize who I could be. Coach has always been there for me. I was a typical class clown as a freshman, and was just trying to have fun.”
Pereiro is aware that Montgomery might be a “once-in-a-lifetime” athlete.
“Kahmari thrives on competition,” Pereiro said. “He has the ability to reach top speed and to hold his top speed for a long time. Track and field gave him a purpose. It’s been great seeing him succeed. I guess it was good decision to get him hooked on track by recruiting him.”
Narang is a freelance reporter.
IHSA boys track and field meet
When: Thursday-Saturday
Where: O’Brien Stadium, Charleston
Schedule: 1A preliminaries (Thursday), 2A/3A preliminaries (Friday), event finals (Saturday).
