It didn’t take long for track and field records to start falling this spring when Fox High sophomore Makenna Johnson launched the javelin a school-record 30.85 meters March 30 at a field-only event with Seckman High.
After missing wrestling season recovering from an injury he suffered playing quarterback, Northwest High junior Cohenn Stark won the javelin with a throw of 48.8 meters at the Potosi Invitational on March 24. The Lions finished first among the 10-team boys field with 164 points. Stark set the school record in the javelin last year in 53.88 meters and finished sixth in the state at the Class 5 Track and Field Championships. Stark added to his team’s point total at Potosi by winning the long jump in 5.86, finishing second in the shot put at 15.12 and coming in sixth in the high jump in 1.7.
“I never wanted to put any extra pressure on Cohenn to throw this year,” Northwest head coach Ken Campbell said. “I know he was frustrated this winter, but I told him that he was a talented enough athlete that he could sprint and jump if he couldn’t throw. Fortunately, everything has come together. His shot put has been the real surprise, as he already has the 10th furthest throw in school history this year.”
Seckman senior Lilli Morie reset her school record in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.66 seconds at the North Point Open in Wentzville on March 27. That time is three-tenths of a second slower than medal timing at last year’s Class 5 state championships. At the Open, Morie won the 200 in 26.76, then set a PR of 26.36 in the event after winning it at the Lindbergh Classic on April 4. She’ll also compete in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays.
Over the next two months, athletes are striving to reach Jefferson City for the state championships May 29-30. Fox, Northwest and Seckman (boys and girls) are in Class 5 District 1 at Hillsboro High. Sectional meets are scheduled for May 23. The Suburban Conference separates its schools into four pools and ranks them by strength (Yellow, Red, Green, Blue). The Lions are in the Yellow pool, where they finished in second place last season. The Warriors and Jaguars are in the Red.
Here is a comprehensive look at the three largest schools in Jefferson County.
Fox Warriors
Head coach: Dennis Sander, fifth season
Top male athletes (name, grade, events)
DJ Cox, senior, 100, 200, 4x100, long jump, 4x200; Nehemiah Glanville, junior, 4x100, triple jump, 110 hurdles; Deacon Dodson, sophomore, high jump, 4x400; Sam Hill, junior, 100, 200, 4x100, 4x200, 110 hurdles; Ryan Joggerst, junior, javelin, 100, 4x100; Charles Lesko, senior, 800, 4x400; Ben Lesser, junior, shot put, discus; TJ Makubuya, junior, triple jump, 4x400; Gavin Pecoraro, junior, javelin; Camden Sutton, senior, shot put, discus.
Top female athletes
Tamya Waters, junior, 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, 4x100, 4x200, long jump, triple jump; Jada Johnson, sophomore, 100, 200, 4x100, 4x200, long jump; Makenna Johnson, sophomore, javelin, 4x100, 4x200; Emily Bruns, sophomore, high jump, 4x100; Hannah Permenter, senior, discus, shot put; Shaylynn Mills, sophomore 1,600; Sienna Harger, freshman, 3,200, 1,600.
Finish line: Lesser (shot 11.07, discus 30.93), Sutton (shot 10.34) and Permenter (discus 24.71) all set PRs at the Skippy Keefer Relays at John Burroughs High on March 28. Waters there won the triple jump in 9.85 and was second in the 100 hurdles in 18.70. Cox, one of the top three-sport (football, basketball) athletes in the county this school year, was second in the long jump in 5.84 and third in the 100 in 11.27 seconds.
“DJ Cox is the leader of our team. We expect big things from him,” Sander said. “Tamya Waters is the leader of the girls team.”
Northwest Lions
Head coach: (boys) Ken Campbell, 28th year; (girls) CJ Guilford, third year
Top male athletes (name, grade, events)
Omar Frazier, junior, 100, 200; Jackson Judge, senior, 1,600; Keegan Moloney, junior, 400; Bailey Smith, senior, relays, 400; Peter Thompson, senior, pole vault; Cohenn Stark, junior, javelin, shot put, long jump; Jax Newcomer, sophomore, 110 hurdles; Evan Stamm, senior, discus; Jeremiah Brown, sophomore, 1,600, 3,200; Tyler Brown, senior, 3,200.
Top female athletes
Chloe Fuchs, senior, sprints, pole vault; Rose Nicholls, junior, 800, 1,600, 4x400; Leighton Lee, junior, triple jump, 300 hurdles, 4x400; Maddy Wilson, junior, 400, 4x400; Marlena Watkins, freshman, 1,600, 3,200; Chloe Vandaveer, freshman, 800, 4x800, 1,600.
Finish line: Newcomer set a freshman school record in the 110 hurdles in 16.08 last year. Thompson won the pole vault at Potosi in 3.8 meters and Campbell said he should make a strong bid for state. Stark and Frazier became a top QB-WR combo last fall. PRs were set at Potosi with Frazier’s third-place time of 11.51, and Moloney’s time of 54.66 in the 400. Judge turned into the Lions’ top cross country runner last fall, and Judge was second at Potosi in the 1,600 in 4:52.02.
“Omar has always been an exciting talent, but this year his attitude toward track has changed some,” Campbell said. “He is willing to do anything to win. He even offered to run the 400, an event he was pretty good in the past. Our goal is to get the most events to sectionals, some to state, and bring home a couple of medals.”
A three-time state qualifier in cross country, Nicholls won the district title in the 800 last year, but fell short of state. Lee won the triple jump in 10.18. Watkins, a state cross country qualifier, won the 1,600 in 5:43 and 3,200 in 12:25 in her first two races this year. Vandaveer won the 800 and was part of the winning 4x800 at the De Soto Freshman Pup Meet. Juniors Kayla Boyer and Abby Sehnert are competing in soccer and track this spring, and are helping on the sprint-relay teams.
“We continue to grow and improve,” Guilford said. “We have 77 girls on the roster, the biggest team we’ve ever had, and I’m hoping that translates into more success. We have several sectional qualifiers from last year’s team that are looking to repeat that success and take the next step and earn a spot at the state meet. The team goal is always to focus on trying to win a district title.”
Seckman Jaguars
Head coach: Stewart Van Horne, fourth year
Top male athletes (name, grade, events)
Seth Maxwell, senior, discus, shot put; Brayden Holdenried, junior, 400, 4x200, 4x400; Gavin White, senior, high jump, 4x100, 4x200; Jacob Derleth, sophomore, 100, 200, sprint relays; Braden Huck, junior, javelin.
Top female athletes
Lilli Morie, senior, 100, 200, sprint relays; Zoe Matus, junior, 100, 200, sprint relays; Layla Wilkinson, sophomore, 100, 200, sprint relays; Liv Davis, junior, 400, 4x400, 4x800; Grace Andrews, sophomore, 1,600, 3,200; Sabrina Formby, senior, hurdles, long jump; Ella Mattler, senior, relays.
Finish line: Holdenried is the school record holder in the 400. Maxwell is one of the state’s best returning discus throwers. He placed fifth in the sectional last season, one place from state.
Davis qualified for the sectional meet last season in the 400. A state cross country qualifier last November, Andrews is looking to set school records in the 1,600 and 3,200, and is currently ranked No. 4 in the 1,600 and No. 2 in the 3,200 in Class 5.
At North Point, Davis was second in the 400 in 1:03.91, and Andrews set a PR in the 800 in a winning time of 2:39.93. Formby won the long jump in 4.74, was second in the 100 hurdles in 17.75, and ran a leg on the second-place 4x100 team that included Matus, Morie and Mattler.
“For our girls team, this is an important season,” Van Horne said. “We have a group of seniors who are in their fourth year, and they have high expectations. They want to set school records, win events and qualify multiple entries for the state meet. A lot of our girls were disappointed they missed out on state last year, and we are off to a very solid start to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
“Our boys as a group have lofty goals. Seth has put a lot of effort in during the offseason on his discus work, and were are hopeful he can be one of the best in the area. We are aiming at Brayden being a state qualifier. Gavin has made a large improvement in the offseason, and we are excited to see where he ends up in the high jump and sprints. We have a good number of sophomores and freshmen who will contribute at some point this season.”