By Amanda Perkins & Chris Parker
Entering Friday, Dora High School had never had a girls athletic program win a team state title according to the MSHSAA website.
That is no longer the case.
Dora led the Class 1 team race wire-to-wire to score 88 points and beat defending state champion Chadwick by seven points to claim the program’s first team state championship.
“I have never seen a group of girls come together for a common goal like this group has,” Dora head coach Sheree Nold said. “They are not all in the same grade. They wouldn’t say ‘these are my best friends’ all of them, but they are best friends as a team together on this course going for a common goal. Their bond is something I have not seen in any sport. They have a team dynamic that sets them apart and that is what I think we saw today.”
Sophomore Isabelle Martin led the charge placing 17th overall with a time of 21:18.1. Classmate Haley Perkins was 27th with a time of 21:52.9.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE RACE
Senior Kayden Jones and sophomore Kara Anderson came in close together in 39th (22:47.8) and 42nd (22:52.8) overall. Kinley Luna, a fourth sophomore in the top five, rounded out Dora’s scoring in a time of 22:39.2.
Senior Chloe Barton was the sixth and final runner across the line for Dora in a time of 23:56.7 for 73rd overall.
Dora’s season really took off at the midway point as Nold experimented with a different racing style.
“What we found out midway through our season was there were a couple of girls who had a passion to go out strong, and then we had another strong group of girls who fed off each other’s positivity, so we ran as a pack for the second part of our season. What we saw was every time they (ran as a pack) they kept getting better and better,” Nold said.
That race strategy coupled with consistent training since the summer earned the Falcons their Friday payday.
“I am so glad they get to taste the success of all their hard work that they have put in,” Nold said. “It started in July and August and today is payday and they took the paycheck. I had a coach’s dream of kids to work with.”
Dora graduates just two runners from the state team, but their leadership will be missed.
“They (Jones and Barton) were the captain and co-captain. They led this team with character. The lead this team with leadership,” Nold said. “They are different leaders. One is quiet leader, and one is a strong verbal leader. Together they both work off each other.”
If the Falcons are going to repeat next season, they will need at least one new athlete to join the team. Nold hopes that person was potentially in the crowd and inspired by what they watched their classmates accomplish on Friday.
“Our school brought a pep bus, so hopefully some passion gets (brought out) in some of those kids that think ‘I could do that’,” Nold said.
Behind Chadwick, McAuley Catholic finished third and School of the Ozarks placed fourth in the team competition.
The area’s top individual finisher was Mansfield’s Faith Clark in a time of 19:50.7. She was 11 seconds behind the winner Sonya Brunner from Calvary Lutheran.
Clark had the lead at the two-kilometer mark, but fell back to second place by the third kilometer and stayed in that spot easily taking second place 13 seconds ahead of third place.
“(I just wanted) to try and start out front and I did,” Clark said. “Then I wanted to stay with somebody if they got in front of me which I managed to. I tried to stay first, but my body started slowing down. I am proud of where I (finished).”
Liberal’s Ally Barton placed fourth in a time of 20:27.4. She was followed by Stoutland’s Mallory Shaw in fifth (20:28.5). Chadwick’s Macy Landry (seventh – 20:42.8), Norwood’s Jayden Chambers (eighth – 20:45.0) and Gloria Deo’s Caroline Fields (10th – 20:52.4) gave the area 60% of the top 10 individuals in the class.
Other area all-state finishers include McAuley Catholic’s Olivia Parrigon (11th – 20:55.0), Chadwick’s Emily Landry (13th – 20:58.3), Thomas Jefferson’s Macie Shifferd (14th – 20:59.0), Dora’s Isabelle Martin (17th – 21:18.1), School of the Ozarks’ Ella Howard (18th – 21:20.7), Chadwick’s Raeleigh Little (19th – 21:29.5) and Liberal’s Taylor Swarnes (25th – 21:48.9).
In all, more than half of the all-state placers were from the area.
