By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Webb City is widely known across America as a football juggernaut, but senior standout Ryan Riddle is showing that the Cardinals produce more than just gridiron stars.
The Tulsa signee has developed into one of Missouri’s premier distance runners and, really, he didn’t have much of a choice.
It was just in the genes.
His father, Jason Riddle, was the MIAA cross country champion in 1991 and still holds the MSSU Indoor Track & Field record in the 1500 meters, running a 3:57 in 1994. His 3:50.68 outdoor 1500-meter run, also posted in 1994, still ranks top-10 all-time in the program.
Riddle’s mother was also a standout runner at Southwest.
So naturally, Riddle gravitated to cross country and track and field. And, after dabbling in baseball, Riddle found early success in running.
“I never really tried basketball or football, but I did play baseball from first to sixth grade,” said Riddle. “I first started running competitively in seventh grade. I realized I could be successful at running during my first cross country meet where I was the top seventh-grader to finish. I later went on to win the COC Large title.”
That was foreshadowing for what was to come in Riddle’s career, especially his junior season on the track.
Following an all-state cross country season, Riddle took home COC Large championships in the 800-meter, 1600-meter and 3200-meter runs, helping Webb City finish second in conference.
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But, just three weeks later, Riddle found himself in an unusual position following a potentially devastating defeat at state in the Class 4 1600-meter race to then-senior Clayton Adams of Kearney. After leading entering the final lap, Adams – who was the defending state champion in the event – managed to outkick Riddle to earn a state championship that ultimately should’ve been Riddle’s.
The junior proved resilient.
Riddle started the day by helping Webb City to a podium finish, anchoring the program’s Class 4 runner-up 3200-meter relay team. He was handed the baton with the Cardinals in sixth place but posted a 1:53.52 to get Webb City to second place. That time would’ve won state in the open 800 meters.
That was just the beginning.
Riddle capped the weekend with one of the best distance runs in the history of the Ozarks, throwing down a 9:06.07 to win the Class 4 3200-meter title. But the fact that he won is made even more impressive by how he won it.
After posting an opening 400-meter time of 65.82, Riddle continued to set the pace by running sub-70 in five of the next six laps, before capping the historic run with a 61.9, outkicking Adams for the title. His time is the second-best ever locally in the Ozarks Sports Zone era, trailing former Glendale state champion Spencer Haik.
“My original goal was to stay with the front group and run their tempo until I would make my move with a couple laps to go,” said Riddle. “However, I knew with my training that I was capable of going close to the sub-nine-minute barrier.”
The success of last spring continued into the fall, where Riddle again made his way to state in cross country, finishing second with a 15:37.34 and giving him back-to-back Class 4 All-State finishes.
In January, Riddle doubled down by posting an 8:34.14 in the 3000 meters at the Arkansas Invitational, the fastest time in the nation by a high schooler at that point. That time even edged Blue Springs senior Victor Mugeche, the Mizzou signee who defeated Riddle at state cross country.
Riddle is now refocused on the outdoor track season and what could be.
Naturally, a state championship is the goal, but Riddle could also make a run at history by posting a sub-nine-minute 3200-meter time and potentially making a run at Austin Hindman’s 8:54.92 state record.
“Provided I make it back to the state meet, my ultimate goal would be to win a state championship and to improve upon all my times from the last track season,” said Riddle. “Although my PR is 9:06 right now, I am confident with how my training has been going so far that I will have a good shot at it this season.”
Webb City could be looking at a podium finish as a team with Riddle, classmate Briar Short and junior Cole Cooper all returning. The Cardinals finished fifth as a team last year.
Maybe the most underrated part of what Riddle is doing is continuing the tradition of Webb City distance running.
Bristol Hargis and Victor Encarnacion helped build the foundation. Tadd Capron and Grant Miller helped take it to the next level and now Riddle is helping start a new culture.
Coach Dustin Miller believes the same way that Riddle was impacted by those before him, Riddle could be impacting the future of the program.
“Ryan has been a major contributor to our recent success but has also benefited from training with the guys who were older and watching their selfless leadership,” said Miller. “I think success breeds success and right now Ryan has set the bar high, but we have some young guys who have been chasing his records. Our freshman star, Joseph Dawson, beat Ryan’s seventh-grade mile and freshman cross country record. Our eighth-grade star, Roman Barboa, broke Ryan’s seventh-grade 800 record and has his sights set on his eighth-grade records.”
