By Cody Thorn (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Cali Essick needed about only a month worth of experience to claim not only a state championship, but a state record.
The Branson junior won the Class 5 triple jump championship, one of three medals on the day during the MSHSAA Track and Field Championships at Adkins Stadium.
She jumped 39 feet, 4 inches and won by more than 2 ½ feet over runner-up Taylor Mayo of Kickapoo (36-8 ½).
Essick started doing triple jump about a month ago and the early results were promising.
“I’m shocked I’m the state champion,” Essick said. “On my second jump I got the record and then I knew the (overall) record was 40 (feet); I was really close.”
Essick beat the mark set by Truman’s Alexis Hart in 2016 with a distance of 38-2 ¾. The overall state record belongs to Ritenour’s Diamond Riley, who jumped 40-9 ¾ in 2018.
A chance at winning two gold medals was foiled by late heroics in the long jump by Capital City’s Kiara Strayhorn.
Essick took the lead with a jump of 19-2 ½ in her final attempt but Strayhorn was running a relay. She came back and went 19-10 ¾ on her last jump, besting her 19-0 ½ mark on her second attempt. Mayo was sixth in that event as well.
Essick earned all-state in the 200-meter dash by taking eighth, running 25.93 in the first of the two heats.
“I wasn’t expecting that; I’m mainly a jumper,” she said. “Eighth is good for me, I’m happy with that. I like the competition, it pushed me. I think this year I was calmer. I’m a junior now. I had more fun and when I have more fun, I do better.”
Joplin posts 12 all-state finishes.
Joplin junior Camryn Ledford won a quartet of state titles in the para events: discus, 200-, 400- and 800-meter dashes.
Her teammate Donovyn Fowler added a runner-up finish in the triple jump (47-7 ¾), while taking fourth in the long jump (22-10 ¾) — falling in both events to Lee’s Summit’s Johnny Brackins. In his last attempt at the triple jump, the Southern Cal signee jumped 48-3 ½ to pass Fowler in the standings.
The Eagles got a fourth-place showing from Hobbs Campbell, Ashton Ventura, Evan Matlock and Missouri signee Micah Bruggeman in the 3,200-meter relay.
Joplin’s Donovahn Watkins was fourth, followed by Calistro Anoai of Kickapoo (sixth) and Tristan Wilson of Lebanon (eighth) in the shot put.
Strong showing for SWMO in boys discus
In the discus, Nixa’s Tony Perez was the runner-up (168-4), while Glendale’s Dominic Nicholls took fourth (161-6).
“I felt I did pretty good, I got a p.r. (personal record) and second place at state,” said Perez, who didn’t exceed 155 feet on his next three attempts. “I had a feeling I would place high or in the top four. I was ranked fourth and the people ahead of me were all really close. I knew I had a chance to win it, but I didn’t, but it is OK.”
Nicholls, like Perez, is a first-time state medalist. He also had his best throw on his first attempt, but moved up after being ranked eighth prior to the competition – which was delayed thanks to a two-hour storm.
“My goal was to hit a new pr, which I did,” Nicholls said, whose previous best was 157-11. “I have been practicing in the rain and it was the same as usual for me. We’ve had a lot of rain and I went out every day to make sure I practiced in those conditions.”
Other area notes
In the 300-meter hurdles, Branson’s Colsen Conway was the first of three area finishers, taking third. Lebanon’s Cordell Zebel was seventh and Branson’s Payton McCormick was eighth.
Ozark had plenty of top six finishes, headlined by Riley Newsom’s third-place finish in the 400.
Anna Hitt earned three medals (4×100, 4×200 and 400-meter run), while teammate Sydney Johnson had four – two relays (4×100, 4×200), while taking fifth in the 100 and sixth in the 200. Ryan Dotson placed fourth in the javelin, a spot behind Carthage’s Caleb Calvin. Zebel placed seventh for another medal for the Yellowjackets.
Kickapoo got two fifths – Isabella Williams (shot put) and Grant Musick (1,600), a spot ahead of Joplin’s Hobbs Campbell.
“My goal coming into the race (was to medal) and it feels good to execute on my plan,” said Musick, a first-time state qualifier as a sophomore, who led after the first lap. “It was tough. We went out pretty slow and it finished fast. I tried to take off halfway through because the pace was slow and it ended up hurting me. I think I could’ve been top three if I would’ve raced smarter, but hey, you learn.”
Musick was third going into the final lap but three of the top four ran the final lap in less than a minute.
The Joplin boys had the top area finish, taking ninth. Ozark’s girls placed 14th, a spot ahead of Branson.
Below are all of the area’s all-state finishes.
1st – Cali Essick (Branson) – Triple Jump (39’4) – MEET RECORD
1st – Camryn Ledford (Joplin) – Para Discus (42’0)
1st – Camryn Ledford (Joplin) – Para 400 (1:16.19)
1st – Camryn Ledford (Joplin) – Para 800 (2:48.40)
1st – Camryn Ledford (Joplin) – Para 200 (36.31)
2nd – Donovyn Fowler (Joplin) – Triple Jump (47’7.25)
2nd – Taylor Mayo (Kickapoo) – Triple Jump (36’8.5)
2nd – Tony Perez (Nixa) – Discus (168’4)
2nd – Cali Essick (Branson) – Long Jump (19’2.5)
3rd – Riley Newsom (Ozark) – 400 (50.18)
3rd – Colsen Conway (Branson) – 300 Hurdles (39.23)
3rd – Caleb Calvin (Carthage) – Javelin (175’1)
4th – Ryan Dotson (Ozark) – Javelin (169’1)
4th – Dominic Nicholls (Glendale) – Discus (161’6)
4th – Donovahn Watkins (Joplin) – Shot Put (53’3.75)
4th – Donovyn Fowler (Joplin) – Long Jump (22’10.75)
4th – Joplin (Micah Bruggeman, Evan Matlock, Ashton Ventura, Hobbs Campbell) – 4×800 (7:55.66)
4th – Ozark (Anna Hitt, Ella Counts, Blaire Pace, Sydney Johnson) – 4×200 (1:43.31)
5th – Sydney Johnson (Branson) – 100-meter dash (12.25)
5th – Grant Musick (Kickapoo) – 1600 (4:19.63)
5th – Isabella Williams (Kickapoo) – Shot Put (38’0.25)
5th – Anna Hitt (Ozark) – 400 (59.08)
5th – Ozark (Anna Hitt, Adriana Wakeman, Blaire Pace, Sydney Johnson) – 4×400 (4:04.52)
6th – Hobbs Campbell (Joplin) – 1600 (4:20.57)
6th – Lilah Genel (Parkview) – 3200 (11:08.44)
6th – Calistro Anoai (Kickapoo) – Shot Put (52’5.5)
6th – Justin Knight (Waynesville) – Long Jump (21’6.75)
6th – Taylor Mayo (Kickapoo) – Long Jump (18’3)
6th – Miguel Solano (Carthage) – 800 (1:56.69)
6th – Sydney Johnson (Ozark) – 200 (25.29)
7th – Trayshawn Thomas (Joplin) – Long Jump (21’6.75)
7th – Kyshin Isringhausen (Branson) – Pole Vault (13’7)
7th – Tristen Linders (Neosho) – Discus (153’3)
7th – Waynesville (Michael Lewis, Isaak Malay, Chase Thomas Plummer, Almonzo Martin) – 4×200 (1:30.62)
7th – Kaitlyn Ragsdale (Republic) – 300 Hurdles (46.28)
7th – Cordell Zebel (Lebanon) – 300 Hurdles (40.08)
7th – Micah Bruggeman (Joplin) – 800 (1:56.81)
7th – Cordell Zebel (Lebanon) – Javelin (158’11)
7th – Gary Shockley (Central) – High Jump (6’2)
8th – Jared Hyatt (Waynesville) – High Jump (6’2)
8th – Payton McCormick (Branson) – 300 Hurdles (40.13)
8th – Jocee Pettyjohn (Lebanon) – 300 Hurdles (46.35)
8th – Tristan Wilson (Lebanon) – Shot Put (49’7)
8th – Jennalee Dunn (Joplin) – 1600 (5:08.81)
8th – Jasmyn Douglas (Repbulic) – 800 (2:19.25)
8th – Cali Essick (Branson) – 200 (25.93)
