After compiling all of the district and sectional track and field results, it became clear to me that Jefferson County athletes are on the verge of making Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City their playground Friday and Saturday for Classes 1-3 and May 29-30 for Classes 4-5.
Let’s start at Jefferson High, where senior Troy Edwards threw the discus 52.61 meters to win the Class 2 Sectional 1 championship at Dexter High on May 16. This spring, Edwards won the discus title at the Jefferson County Activities Association championships in 51.51. Edwards will also throw the shot at state after finishing second at sectionals in 15.75.
The Blue Jays and St. Pius X boys teams battled for the Sectional 1 title, and in terms of a track and field meet spread out over 19 events, Jefferson winning 92-86 is equivalent to a photo finish. The Blue Jays finished third in the state last year and with 10 events entered for state, have the numbers to win their first state crown.
The Lancers are qualified for state in 10 events, and they’re taking some newly minted school record holders. Junior K’Vion Flores is the new Lancer leader in the 110-meter hurdles after he won the sectional title in the 110 in 14.57 seconds. Flores will run at state in the 300 hurdles after finishing third in a school-record time of 40.38.
Junior Brody Ervin set the St. Pius record in the javelin with a throw of 54.06 to win sectionals. This is Ervin’s second trip to state this school year. He totaled 1,000 yards rushing and receiving and scored nine touchdowns to help the Lancers reach the Class 2 Show Me Bowl in December in St. Joseph.
While De Soto, Festus and Hillsboro slugged it out in the Class 4 District 1 meet May 16, Windsor High hosted District 2, and the girls team continued their incredible season by winning the championship. Owl head coach Stephany Dueker-Richmond gushed about her team’s success.
“To say I am proud of the girls is an understatement,” Dueker-Richmond said. “Despite the heat, humidity, rain and (weather) delay, the girls were amazing. Other than the events (throws, jumps) that the rain impairs, we PR’d or came close in everything we did. We have competed well all season. This is a very talented group. My freshmen are rock stars, and even with being new, they are fearless.”
Herculaneum’s boys and girls track and field teams were in Dexter for Class 3 District 1. The Blackcat girls were a strong second with 96 points. Their 4x200 relay team is in a race with itself to set the school record. The quartet (in order of run) of freshman Jazlyn Bolden, sophomore Abigail Jones, freshman Lydia Hollingsworth and senior Mackenzie Lawson won the sectional 4x200 in 1:45.61. The 4x400 relay squad of Bolden, Jones, junior Finley Hamtil and Hollingsworth won sectionals in 4:11.11.
Herculaneum junior Emerson Reeves is about to cap one of the top prep school years in the county this school year. Last November, Reeves finished 28th (top 30 all-state) at the Class 3 cross country championships in Columbia. She went back to Columbia in February on the Blackcat wrestling team and finished third in the state in Class 1 at 110 pounds. At sectionals last week, Reeves won the 800 in 2:25.83 and the 1,600 in 5:30.08.
Herculaneum senior Macy Pope picked a good time to throw the shot and discus farther than she ever has. Pope won sectionals in both events, and set PRs in the shot in 11.79 and the discus in 39.60.
My deadline for the West Side and Arnold-Imperial Leaders is Mondays. My deadline for the Jefferson County paper is Tuesdays. District baseball tournaments were just getting underway when I put this week’s papers to bed, so look for playoff baseball and state track and field coverage in the May 28 paper.
As always, the Leader will follow these young athletes every step of the way. See ya there.