A lot has happened since Homewood-Flossmoor’s Alexandria Edison was the leadoff runner for the final event of the 2019 state meet.

As a freshman, Edison was a part of the winning 1,600-meter relay team that provided insurance points for the Vikings, who clinched the Class 3A state title after back-to-back second-place finishes in 2017 and 2018.

H-F coach Zontavius Johnson left the program shortly after hoisting the championship trophy to be an assistant coach at Aurora University. He later became the women’s track head coach at Benedictine.

Terrance Terry, the former Plainfield East football head coach who’s an assistant at H-F, took over the Vikings’ girls track program.

Shortly after the state meet, Edison earned All-American honors, finishing eighth in the 400 for the 15-16 age group at the USA Track & Field Junior Olympic Championships in Sacramento. Her time of 57.20 remains a personal best.

In 2020, the Illinois High School Association canceled spring sports, eliminating the chance for the highly regarded Vikings to win back-to-back state titles.

Fast forward to 2021, and Edison is the main bridge from the 2019 team to this season’s talented but unproven group of underclassmen.

Besides Edison, the only other Viking still around from the second day at state in 2019 is Ayah Mustafa, who is dealing with injuries.

“I look at this as a season to grow and help the underclassmen become the team we were my freshman year,” Edison said. “Both that team and this year’s

team have a lot of girls in summer track, which helps them grow and flourish for the school season. We’re on the right track.”

Terry admires Edison’s ability on the track. He said she has been valuable off the track as well.

Edison’s mother, Artkeyta Moore-Edison, is a former state qualifier for Richards and a longtime area girls track coach at Bloom Trail and Hillcrest. Some of that ability has rubbed off on her daughter.

“Her leadership has been something that is tremendous and something we have certainly needed,” Terry said of Edison. “She is unique in that she has a coaching background.

“She has a coach’s mind with her body and what kind of events we should run and even some suggestions for putting those relay teams together. We’re always approaching Alex with open ears because we know she’s a leader. People follow her. She usually comes with great suggestions.”

Whether or not the Vikings can win the state title remains to be seen. They were ranked second in the state by MileSplit.com after two weeks of action.

Some young talent has been emerging, including Ana-Liese Torian, a sophomore whose 13.99 in the 100 hurdles May 7 at the St. Rita Invitational was the state’s best time heading into this week, according to MileSplit.

Sophomore Caroline Schoen won the 3,200 in 11 minutes, 1.28 seconds in the undercard race at Saturday’s Distance Night in Palatine.

Terry said even though H-F was disappointed the 2020 season was wiped out, the Vikings have put in the time and effort to stay sharp for this spring.

“A lot of young athletes have stepped up,” he said. “We’re happy overall, top to bottom, how they have been competing.

“The thing that sets us apart is commitment. A lot of them compete all year. We have athletes who compete in club track and have private training. They also have a commitment to this school and this community, and when spring comes around they are better than they were the year before.”

Edison is planning on a June trip to Charleston for another state meet.

“We’re going to state this year,” she said. “We must. We have to defend our championship.”

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown