Hillsboro’s strictly unofficial 133-130 ‘victory’ over Festus on the boys side of Saturday’s Class 4 Sectional 1 track and field meet at Hillsboro means only one thing: The two schools continue to pressure each other heading into a final showdown at the state championships Friday and Saturday in Jefferson City.
Both teams will contend for a state trophy (top four finish), which would be the Hawks’ first in the sport, boys or girls. The Festus boys finished third in Class 4 a year ago and have three other state trophies going back to 1952, but no championships.
Defending Class 4 champion Kearney finished second – again, unofficially – in Saturday’s Sectional 4 meet in Warrensburg, so the title would seem to be up for grabs this weekend at Jefferson City High’s Adkins Stadium.
The top four finishers in each of the 19 events at the sectional meets advance to state. On a near-perfect day weather-wise, some Jefferson County Activities Association teams set school records at Hillsboro yet didn’t finish in the top four. The De Soto girls 4x100-meter relay team set a new Dragon mark in 50.23 seconds, but finished fifth.
The De Soto girls 4x200 relay team of Makenzi Missey, Dominique Mitkos, Meghan Mellor and Neo Bourn, however, will run at state after clocking a record 1:45.34 to finish fourth. Bourn also qualified for state in the 100, placing third in 12.81.
“We have always run in one of the toughest sectionals in the state and I believe that every year,” said De Soto girls head coach Ilene Garcia-Mehler. “Everyone’s running their best today, and unfortunately we’re running our best times in some events and going home.”
Sophomores Avery Edwards and Hunter Bates and seniors Arhmad Branch and Reece Johnson teamed for a Festus 4x200 relay record in 1:28.49, trailing only MICDS at 1:27.34.
“It’s been our lineup all year,” Festus boys head coach Chris Partney said. “They set the record in 1:29.19 last week and smashed it today. They were on fire.
“Hillsboro (third in 1:28.74) was right on our butts and MICDS was in front of us, so you’re going to run fast when that kind of competition is around you.”
Branch is fast approaching the end of his superb prep career. After only two years in football, he earned a scholarship to play at Purdue University. Recently, Branch committed to compete for the Boilermakers in track and field as well. He goes back to state as the sectional champion in the long jump in 6.85 meters and the triple jump in 14.17.
“I want to be a dual-sport athlete in college and it will look good on my resume when I enter the (NFL) draft,” said Branch with his usual optimism and confidence. “On top of that it will get me ready for football.
“Hopefully, next week I come out with a big one and have no stress on my back. I want to (long) jump once and call it a day.”
Tiger senior Austin Johnson won the pole vault at 4.11 meters despite having to sit through a 30-minute delay resulting from the MICDS boys vaulters missing their poles; it turned out the Ram girls had them at their sectional meet in Poplar Bluff.
“It was frustrating because I had just gotten done warming up,” Johnson said of the delay. “Our poles had gotten checked and (the MICDS) coach caused a delay. Their coaches kind of made a scene and threw a fit.
“The mental part is one of the most difficult things I have to master; there are so many moving parts. Your plant, takeoff, flexing your arm to steer the pole, swinging to the top, rowing. You get warmed up and mentally prepared and then they shut you down over something you had nothing to do with.”
Festus went 1-2 in both the boys and girls javelin throws. Senior Tyler Shepherd won the boys competition in 53.52, just ahead of junior teammate Cody Evans in 52.77. Junior Ciara McDonald won on the girls side in 37.88, followed by sophomore Rylie Moore at 35.73. Shepherd also will be in the shot put field at state after finishing fourth in 14.70; not bad for a football player in his first season competing in track and field.
Shepherd said he’s gotten used to the pain and fatigue from throwing the two very different implements a long distance, and recovering between meets. He’s also bullish on his team’s chances.
“I think we can get a plaque,” he said.
Part of Hillsboro’s team success was the contributions of senior Mitchell Lutes and junior Dalton Ross, who ran 1-2 in the 110-meter hurdles at the JCAA meet last month and nearly duplicated that on Saturday, with Lutes second in 15.70 and Ross third in 16.26.
“I’m alright with my time today, but next week I’m hoping to break 15 (seconds),” said Lutes, whose PR is 15.33, one-hundredth behind Ross’ best.
“Every day at practice we push each other,” Ross said. “It’s really important to chase somebody and you’ve got to be chased. I haven’t run close to (the PR) this year because I gained a lot of weight last summer. I got faster and my time wasn’t where I wanted it, but I’ll get back.”
Hurdling has been a Hillsboro strength for years, mostly because of the Wright family. Sam, a 2021 graduate, was the state 200-meter dash champion and fourth in the 110 hurdles that year. Maya was a state medalist in both hurdles races last year – fifth in the 100 and fourth in the 300. On Saturday, sophomore Emily Wright blazed to victory in both events, clocking 15.44 and 46.95. She looks to improve on her seventh-place medal in the 300 at state last year
“I was favored (in the 100 on Saturday), so I knew I had people chasing me,” Emily said. “I hit a couple of hurdles which kind of set me back. Overall, I think I had a good race. I got out pretty quick. It’s a little scary because I feel the eyes are always on me.
“My brother started to (hurdle) and it kind of carried along. I didn’t feel pressured to do it at all. Once I tried it, I thought it was my event. (State’s) really big and there will be schools from places I don’t even know. I’m excited.”
The continuing distance duel between seniors Josh Allison of Hillsboro and Ian Schram of Festus played out with Allison winning the 800 (1:54.12) and Schram placing third in 1:55.52, but Schram prevailing in the 1,600 (4:20.95) and 3,200 (9:27.78) and Allison second in both. Schram remains undefeated this spring in the “metric mile.”
Both standouts were withheld from the 4x800 relay to keep their legs fresh, and Josh’s twin brother Jonah anchored the winning Hawk quartet, clocking 8:08.81 with Festus second in 8:09.49. Both teams expect they’ll need something under eight minutes to win at state; Festus took first in 2022 in 7:57.39 with Hillsboro second in 8:00.44.
“The plan was for the (sectional) race to not be that close and I was going to jog it in,” Jonah said. “We made the change this week because Josh has other three events. I’m ready to go out with a bang for my senior year and begin summer training.”
Jump duo lifts Hornets to a state team trophy
The Crystal City boys took third place Saturday in the Class 1 state track and field championships at Jefferson City, their first state trophy since 2007.
And it all hinged on a terrific internal competition.
Hornet juniors Camden Mayes and Kanden Bolton staged a long-jump duel for the ages that produced 18 of their team’s 33 points.
Bolton, who finished second in the state in the long jump last season, scratched on his first attempt. Mayes, third a year ago, nailed 6.40 meters (21 feet). After Bolton leaped 6.46, Mayes responded with 6.59. Their rivalry was coming down to centimeters.
Bolton’s last attempt was 6.70, breaking the school record and securing the county’s first individual state title of 2023. Mayes set a personal record on his final attempt to place second in 6.68.
Hornet boys and girls head coach Dan Fox said before state, Mayes and Bolton hadn’t combined top efforts in the long jump this season, despite both being all-state in the event last year.
Mayes finished fourth in the 110-meter high hurdles in 16.12 seconds for another five points, and he and Bolton each ran a leg with Cohen Compton and Landyn DeRousse on the 4x100 relay that finished fourth in a season-best 44.81. Alex Kuchera’s fourth-place finish in the pole vault at 3.89 meters sewed up Crystal City’s 14th state trophy dating back to 1939. Hayti and Hermitage tied for the Class 1 title with 42 points.
Green City junior Asher Buggs-Tipton was the defending champion in the long jump, but he finished third this time in 6.62.
“The long jump event was the most exciting part of the day,” Fox said. “We fought it out with the defending champion; he jumped good, not great. Cam would jump and say something about a school record. Then Kanden would come up and say, ‘Hey Cam, I’m taking my school record back.’ It was fun watching those guys feed off each other.”
Fox is also head coach of the school’s football team, which came back from the near-dead a few years ago to go 8-2 last fall, with Bolton and Mayes both big contributors. They are the latest local proof of a longstanding belief that football and track are ideal complementary sports.
“There is definitely a correlation that track makes them a more explosive player, but not every track athlete is a football player,” Fox said.
Kuchera, who also does the triple jump and runs on relays, is only a freshman.
“He struggled a little (at state), like a freshman would, then cleared his mind and did what we asked him to do,” Fox said. “He wasn’t going to catch the top three vaulters, but he’s shown that he has a competitive side you need in that (event).”
Compton, also just a freshman, finished 14th in the 100 in 11.87, 0.21 behind the last qualifying time for the final.
On the girls side, Hornet Junior Lexi Thurman clocked 13.70 in the 100, missing the final by 0.19 seconds. Senior Lauren Hartman placed 13th in the 1,600 in 5:56.53 and sophomore Carly Roussin finished 15th in the long jump in 4.58 meters. Tarkio won the girls Class 2 title with 70 points.
Fox said he’s glad to be part of a close coaching community in the JCAA.
“It is a very strong county for track and field,” he said. “All of the coaches help each other out. That’s the beauty of track. We take more pride in our teams. That ebbs and flows in all sports.”
Also at Jefferson City Saturday, Jefferson and St. Pius competed in the Class 2 meet and brought home medals. The Blue Jay girls had their best showing since their three-year run of second-place finishes (2017-2019), tying Butler for sixth with 21 points.
Jefferson County Activities Association 100- and 200-meter dash champion Margaret Wrigley, a sophomore from Jefferson, finished fifth in the 100 in 12.85 and third in the 200 in 25.95. She also took third in the long jump in 5.22. Jefferson’s girls 4x100 relay placed third in 50.24.
St. Pius sophomore Payten Krodinger, the JCAA champ in the 400, ran the fastest time (58.81) in the state preliminaries and finished third in 58.77 in the final. The Lancer girls 4x100 was eighth in 52.09 and the 4x200 team came in sixth in 1:50.10.
On the boys side in Class 2, Jefferson junior Brandon Burford finished eighth in the 400 in 51.98, the 4x200 team was third in 1:31.14 and senior Konner Armstrong came in sixth in the shot put in 15.06.
Class 3 Sectional 1
At Hillsboro, May 20
GIRLS
Herculaneum state qualifiers (top four qualify)
Pole vault: 2. Eddyson Reeves, 2.74 meters
Shot put: 2. Macy Pope, 10.80
4x800-meter relay: 3. 10:35.49
100 hurdles: 3. Eddyson Reeves, 17.66
100: 3. Mackenzie Lawson, 13.14 seconds
4x200 relay: 4. 1:51.89
1,600: 4. Raven Vance, 5:37.12
300 hurdles: 3. Eddyson Reeves, 49.57
800: 3. Kendall Huber, 2:32.43
4x400 relay: 4. 4:23.48
BOYS
Herculaneum state qualifiers (top four qualify)
Shot put: 2. Jacob Moreland, 14.99 meters
Pole vault: 2. Michael Moloney, 3.66
Discus: 2. Jacob Moreland, 45.63
4x200 relay: 1. 1:29.68
1,600: 1. Nate Wright, 4:33.86; 2. Sam Vaughn, 4:35.13
4x100 relay: 1. 42.72 seconds
800: 3. Nate Wright, 2:03.28; 4. Keith Vance, 2:06.98
200: 2. Lucas Bahr, 22.54
3,200: 1. Sam Vaughn, 10:07.35
Class 4 Sectional 1
At Hillsboro, May 20
GIRLS
County state qualifiers (top four qualify)
High jump: 1. Cassidy Herget, Hillsboro, 1.58 meters
Javelin: 1. Ciara McDonald, Festus, 37.88; 2. Rylie Moore, Festus, 35.73
Long jump: 1. Krysta Miller, Hillsboro, 5.0; 2. Jessica Hawkins, Festus, 5.43
Pole vault: 2. Ella Shy, Festus, 3.20
Discus: 2. Rylie Moore, Festus, 36.05; 3. Emma Lawson, Windsor, 35.45
Triple jump: 1. Krysta Miller, Hillsboro, 10.95
Shot put: 2. Rylie Moore, Festus, 11.48
4x800 relay: 2. Festus, 9:56.69
100 hurdles: 1. Emily Wright, Hillsboro, 15.44; 2. Jessica Hawkins, Festus, 15.82
100: 3. Neo Bourn, De Soto, 12.81
4x200 relay: 4. De Soto, 1:45.34
300 hurdles: 1. Emily Wright, Hillsboro, 46.95; 3. Jessica Hawkins, Festus, 47.99
4x400 relay: 3. Festus, 4:13.66
BOYS
County state qualifiers (top four qualify)
Discus: 3. Austin Schutte, Festus, 42.48 meters
Triple jump: 1. Arhmad Branch, Festus, 14.17
Shot put: 4. Tyler Shepherd, Festus, 14.70
High jump: 3. Alex Whaley, Hillsboro, 1.86
Javelin: 1. Tyler Shepherd, Festus, 53.52; 2. Cody Evans, Festus, 52.77; 3. Payton Brown, Hillsboro, 51.33; 4. Preston Brown, Hillsboro, 49.86
Long jump: 1. Arhmad Branch, Festus, 6.85
Pole vault: 1. Austin Johnson, Festus, 4.11; 3. Avery Goode, De Soto, 3.96
4x800 relay: 1. Hillsboro, 8:08.81; 2. Festus, 8:09.49
110 high hurdles: 2. Mitchell Lutes, Hillsboro, 15.70; 3. Dalton Ross, Hillsboro, 16.26
100: 2. Noah Holland, Hillsboro, 11.07
4x200 relay: 2. Festus, 1:28.49; 3. Hillsboro, 1:28.74
1,600: 1. Ian Schram, Festus, 4:20.95; 2. Josh Allison, Hillsboro, 4:22.32; 3. Jonah Allison, Hillsboro, 4:23.38
4x100 relay: 2. Festus, 41.24; 3. Hillsboro, 42.79
400: 4. Noah Holland, Hillsboro, 50.56
300 hurdles: 2. Nick Marchetti, Hillsboro; 40.25; 4. Clayton Brown, Hillsboro, 41.28
800: 1. Josh Allison, Hillsboro, 1:54.12; 3. Ian Schram, Festus, 1:55.52
200: 1. Noah Holland, Hillsboro, 22.30; 3. Reece Johnson, Festus, 22.57; 4. Noah Harmon, Windsor, 22.96
3,200: 1. Ian Schram, Festus, 9:27.78; 2. Josh Allison, Hillsboro, 9:28.29; 3. Carson Driemeier, Festus, 9:30.78
4x400 relay: 3. Hillsboro, 3:28.84