By Pat Dailey (For OzarkSportsZone.com)
No one appreciates West Plains’ long and storied tradition in long-distance events more than Riley Simpson. He added to the Zizzers’ success by winning the 1,600 and finishing second in the 800 at the rain-shortened Hillcrest Invitational on Friday.
“I definitely embrace that tradition,” Simpson said. “It’s kind of my life at this point, while trying to reach expectations for myself and my teammates. We want to keep carry on that tradition the best we can.”
Simpson basically led from start to finish while running away from the 1,600 field.
“It was pretty smooth the first two laps,” he said. “I wasn’t 100 percent sure if I could keep the lead. The third lap is always the hardest one for me. I had to gut it out.”
Simpson made a strong bid to win the 800, as well. He was passed on the final stretch run.
“I tried to play that race a lot more tactical. I stayed behind the lead group for the first lap and see what I could do for the second lap,” Simpson said. “I led the second lap and was feeling good, but he passed me. He was a better runner with way more speed than I had.”
Simpson is eyeing continued improvement.
“4:11 or under (in the 1,600) is my end goal at this point,” he said. “As far as getting better, I’m going to try every day.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE TRACK EVENTS
Wolves’ Hafar prevails in high jump
Reeds Spring’s Lance Hafar shook off two early scratches to win the high jump with a leap of 6-5.
“Scratches don’t necessarily have to bite you too bad, unless you finish in a tie. But if you outlast everyone, the scratches aren’t going to mean anything,” Hafar said. “It was minor mechanics I had to work through. We got it figured out.”
With Wolves coach Todd McFarland taking video of Hafar’s jumps, Hafar was able to review and fix his routine.
“We can make adjustments according to (the video). It’s easy to have a positive attitude toward something when you see how to fix it,” Hafar said. “We realized I was getting high enough, but my shoulder was hitting (the bar) on the way up. I wasn’t giving myself enough time to get up, so we moved my starting spot back about six inches. That gave me enough time to get up and over.”
For Hafar, 6-5 is a personal record. He’d love to make a run at Reeds Spring’s school record of 6-8.
“That would be nice. But the goal now is 6-6,” Hafar said. “We’ve got over half the year left, we’ll see what we can do.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE FIELD EVENTS
Pirates hurdler Conway triumphs
Branson’s Colsen Conway tumbled as he crossed the finish line for the 300 hurdles, but still finished first.
“I had a little roll and lost my composure,” Conway said. “I finished hard, but my steps were off. I lost my rhythm at the end and that’s why I fell. No pain at all, but hopefully, we clean that up.”
Conway has made a clean sweep of the 300 hurdles in the Pirates’ first two meets. He also won at the Branson Invitational last week.
“I feel like the 300s is where I’m going to excel,” Conway said. “It can be a killer. You’ve got to be conditioned for it. But the rhythmic motion of running the hurdles is beautiful, I love it.
“My freshman year I didn’t make it to State in anything, so that has been my motivation,” he added. “I stayed on it. For two years, I’ve trained and am looking to have a great season. I absolutely love this sport.”
Conway and teammate Payton McCormick figure to give Branson a formidable duo in the hurdles.
“I feel like hurdles is where Branson can shine this year, among other events,” Conway said. “We have an awesome hurdles squad.”
Conway is aiming for the Pirates’ school records of 14.44 in the 110 hurdles and 39.1 in the 300 hurdles.
“By the end of the season, I’d love to be running 14s in the 110 and 38s in the 300,” he said. “Those are my goals.”
Laker sprinter Dickerson shines
Camdenton’s Angel Dickerson won the 200, took second in both the 100 and long jump and ran a leg on the Lakers’ 4 x 100 relay that took fourth.
“It was a busy day with pretty good success,” Dickerson said.
Dickerson felt a strong finish was the key to his 200 victory.
“I didn’t have the consistency in the race,” he said. “I thought I was going to get caught at the end. But I kept my knees up and drove and drove.”
In the 100, Dickerson recorded an 11.20. He hoped to beat his personal record of 11.13.
“I was hoping to break 11 today,” he said. “It didn’t happen, but I’ll get back to practice and get it next time. (Breaking 11) is going to be exciting and a big achievement for me. That’s driving me to work harder and harder.”
Dickerson, who posted a 6.7 in the long jump, appreciated competing with little wind.
“It was perfect, especially considering we’ve had two meets in which it was really windy and I couldn’t run my best,” Dickerson said.
The weather eventually took a dramatic turn for the worse, forcing meet officials to halt the proceedings upon the completion of the 3,200.
