By Chris Parker

The Class 3-5 state track meet kicked off on Friday in Jefferson City. The area produced four champions and 47 total all-state finishers on a day where the track events were mostly preliminary competitions.

Cantwell continues to break records

Nixa freshman Jackson Cantwell has rewritten record books everywhere he has gone this season, and Friday at the Class 5 state track meet was no different.

On his third throw of the competition, Cantwell unleashed a throw of 64’3.75 to break Class 5 state record of 62’7.75 set in 2019.

“I felt it was pretty good out of my hand, but sometimes that can lie to you a little bit if you aren’t lined up very well. I just had to see it land and realize that might have actually happened,” Cantwell said. “It was definitely a great feeling when I saw it land.”

That was good enough to win the state title by four feet over runner-up Karon Johnson from Willard. Cantwell credited the large crowd massed to watch the event for providing an extra boost.

“This is definitely a little bit different because there was a little bit more (people),” Cantwell said. “It definitely helped me get pumped up. On the sixth throw I heard people clapping before I was about to throw. That definitely helped me get across the ring. I felt the energy come through me.”

Carthage’s Micah Lindsey finished fifth with a throw of 57’9 to give the area three all-state finishers in the event.

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MEET

Klaiber kicks El Dorado Springs to victory

El Dorado Springs got the gold medals going at the Class 3-5 state track meet by winning the 3200-meter relay to open the running events of this year’s meet.

The quartet of Tatum Quinlan, Audrey Goatley, McKinli Mays and Hannah Klaiber combined to run a 9:57.03 to win the championship by 0.61 over Centralia.

The team was young with Quinlan and Mays being freshmen and Goatley a sophomore joining the senior Klaiber. Klaiber’s experience showed on the anchor leg. The senior got the baton in second place, four seconds back of first. She immediately started closing the gap, ultimately running a 2:21.28 to secure the championship.

“I just started digging for the front. I wanted it bad for these girls,” Klaiber said. “I sprinted that whole 800. Don’t do that, but that is what we had to do. I am glad I did it. It worked out, but I could’ve run it a little smarter.

The team has shown marked improvement throughout the year as the young runners gained experience.

“Just watching these girls grow up has been a dream come true. These girls mean everything to me. Every 4×8 team I have ever had has been a huge blessing from God and I will never take it for granted. I am so glad I got to end my senior year with these girls because nobody else deserves it more than they do,” Klaiber said.

Lamar’s Wooldridge goes big on first throw

It isn’t often that state titles are won out of the first flight, but that is exactly what Lamar junior Trace Wooldridge did.

Wooldridge came in seeded 10th in the Class 3 shot put but proved that was a meaningless designation with a 55’0.25 on his first attempt of the competition to vault to the top of the leaderboard.

“I just felt really good. I have a great night’s sleep. Everything just kind of lined up and I hit 55 (feet),” Wooldridge said.

He stayed comfortably in front for the rest of the competition until Pembroke Hill’s Darin Conley unleashed a huge throw on his final attempt, which was the third-to-last of the competition. The measurement came out to be an exact match to Wooldridge’s. The Lamar junior won the title on a tie break which was his second-best throwing being better than Conley’s second best.

Now Wooldridge will look to his senior year with some big goals.

“I hoping to break (the school record) at the start of next year and go from there,” Wooldridge said.

Sorrell uses big personal best to win 800

East Newton junior Chase Sorrell had a simple strategy entering the Class 3 800-meter run.

“My game plan was to go out with (Lutheran South’s) Adam (Snoke) because I knew he was the guy to beat out there,” Sorrell said.

Sorrell did exactly that running a 56.88 first 400 to trail Snoke by .38. From there, it was all Sorrell. He threw down a second lap time of 56.72 to run a 1:53.60 to win the event by almost 2.5 seconds over Snoke.

The time was a big personal best and the second-fastest 800-meter time among all three classes.

El Dorado Springs senior Connor Goatley placed seventh to give the area a second-all-state finisher.

DAY 1 AREA ALL-STATE FINISHERS

Class 5 Boys

1st – Jackson Cantwell – Nixa – Shot Put (64’3.75)
2nd – Karon Johnson – Willard – Shot Put (60’3.25)
2nd – Angel Dickerson – Camdenton – Long Jump (24’6.25)
2nd – Hobbs Campbell – Joplin – 1600 (4:13.01)
3rd – Tyrell Phinn – Waynesville – 800 (1:55.63)
4th – Tyler Harris – Kickapoo – 1600 (4:13.49)
4th – Zion Allen – Republic – High Jump (6’5.5)
4th – Cooper Douglas – Republic – Javelin (173’11)
5th – Collyn Kivett – Neosho – Javelin (169’7)
5th – Hobbs Campbell – Joplin – 800 (1:55.69)
5th – Micah Lindsey – Carthage – Shot Put (57’9)
6th – Cordell Washington – Joplin – High Jump (6’5.5)
6th – Peyton Ligon – Ozark – High Jump (6’5.5)

Class 5 Girls

3rd – Taylor Mayo – Kickapoo – Triple Jump (37’3)
5th – Gracie Troester – Republic – 3200 (11:01.33)
6th – Abby Beets – Ozark – Pole Vault (10’10.25)
8th – Ava Owens – Nixa – Discus (119’8)

Class 4 Boys

2nd – Drew Beachler – Nevada – Long Jump (23’2)
3rd – Trey Roets – Webb City – Javelin (179’11)
5th – Braxton Baker – Hillcrest – High Jump (6’2.25)
5th – Evan Stevens – Webb City – 1600 (4:21.77)
6th – Tucker Liberatore – Webb City – Javelin (171’4)
7th – Caden Wiest – Reeds Spring – Shot Put (52’5.5)
7th – Brayden Hicks – Marshfield – Long Jump (22’0.25)
8th – Jason Wilkinson – Bolivar – High Jump (5’10.5)

Class 4 Girls

3rd – Dailynn VanDeren – Bolivar – Discus (125’4)
3rd – Abigail Street – Webb City – 3200 (10:59.03)
4th – Isabella Frost – Rolla – 3200 (11:02.28)
6th – Abigail McBride – Marshfield – Triple Jump (34’10.25)
6th – Acadia Badgley – Carl Junction – Pole Vault (10’0)
6th – Rolla (Bridget Ragan, Kendall Langley, Kathryn Hirtz, Isabella Frost) – 4×800 (9:51.75)

Class 3 Boys

1st – Chase Sorrell – East Newton – 800 (1:53.60)
1st – Trace Wooldridge – Lamar – Shot Put (55’0.25)
2nd – Chase Sorrell – East Newton – 1600 (4:17.60)
2nd – Michael Crowe – East Newton – High Jump (6’4)
7th – Connor Goatley – El Dorado Springs – 800 (1:59.31)
7th – Eden Enlow – East Newton – Javelin (149’10)

Class 3 Girls

1st – El Dorado Springs (Tatum Quinlan, Audrey Goatley, McKinli Mays, Hannah Klaiber) – 4×800 (9:57.03)
2nd – Cerea Eckenroth – New Covenant – 3200 (11:14.40)
3rd – Kiersten Potter – Lamar – 3200 (11:18.76)
4th – Cassville (Marianne Mccrackin, Tori Mitchell, Jadyn Williams-Reed, Jolie Evans) – 4×800 (10:03.51)
5th – New Covenant (Cera Eckenroth, Clara Trent, Anna Mccune, Kaylee Talley) – 4×800 (10:08.26)
5th – Makena Hall – Aurora – Pole Vault (10’3.5)
5th – Jolie Evans – Cassville – 3200 (11:36.15)
6th – Clara Trent – New Covenant – 3200 (11:42.52)
6th – Reagan Hoerning – Mountain Grove – Discus (110’8)
6th – Maliya Clark – Clever – Triple Jump (33’7.25)