Southwest’s Fab Four advance to track sectionals
May 12, 2021
Lee Stubblefield
“I get by with a little help from my friends” - John Lennon/Paul McCartney
The state track series kicked off on Saturday with eight district meets in Classes 1 and 2. Reeds Spring hosted the District 6 meet for both classes, with athletes from Southwest, Purdy, Wheaton, and dozens of other schools in attendance.
School of the Ozarks won the boys team title with 90 points. Ash Grove piled up 146 points to win the girls division.
The district meet is a lesson in perspective and priorities. The main goal for athletes is to finish in the top four in their events and qualify to compete at sectionals the next week. With that in mind, some coaches only enter athletes who have a reasonable chance at qualifying. Others treat the district meet no differently from regular season competitions, giving their athletes one more opportunity to: 1.compete, 2. Set a personal season or career best, and 3. Represent their school and community in a positive manner.
Coach Daniel Lewis of the powerhouse College Heights Christian Cougars and Lady Cougars put it bluntly, “If they don’t come to the district meet, they don’t letter.”
The weather forecasters got it all wrong for Saturday morning. Instead of clearing skies and warmer temps, a steady cold rain pelted the athletes in the early field events. Southwest’s Fab Four distance squad - Coach Steve Voyak’s best hopes for sectionals - wondered if they might need a yellow submarine when the 4 x 800 meter relay rolled around. All Travis Sickles, Christian Long, Caden Uthe, and Otis Rainer could do was find a dry spot and hunker down out of the wind.
And that brings up the change in the event schedule.
Because of covid 19, MSHSAA changed this year’s state track meet to a one-day affair for each class. To give the distance runners a little more recovery, the 3200 meter run moves to the first running event at state and will be contested during the morning field event session. Then after the lunch break, the meet will continue on a normal schedule, except there will be no long race between the 200 meter dash and the 4 x 400 meter relay.
Now it’s the sprinters who run both the 200 and that relay who get no recovery. Oh well.
By rule, the district and sectional meets have to mirror the state meet, so the 3200 meter races began at 10:45 at Reeds Spring. Just as Travis Sickles was reporting for the metric two mile, the announcer made the first call for the 4x800 meter relay.
“Whoa!” said Sickles. “What happened to the break?”
There would be no break. But with both boys and girls races in both classes, the relay runners were guaranteed at least 30 minutes of recovery. That’s still a short turnaround for a high school distance runner, and much less than originally expected.
“Here comes the sun” - George Harrison
Sickles threw caution to the wind, taking advantage of the improving weather to lower his own school record in the 3200. He led with a lap to go before Spokane’s Sam Shuman torched a 66-second last 400 meters for the victory. Sickles picked up the silver medal with his 9:57.49 performance.
Then the 4x800 meter quartet garnered Southwest’s only gold medals of the meet. Rainer and Uthe spotted Long to third place to start the third leg. Long, a junior, powered into the lead and gifted the baton to Sickles.
“Don’t let me down” - John Lennon
The original plan was for anchorman Sickles to just breeze to a top four relay finish to qualify. But Long’s excellent leg put Sickles on the spot.
“I couldn’t not win,” he said later. “I wanted to win so my teammates could be district champs.”
He did, and they are. Sickles hit the finish line in 8:46.97, a season’s best performance for the Trojans.
“It’s getting better all the time” - John Lennon/Paul McCartney
By mid-afternoon, the temps had climbed from the wet mid-50’s into the sunny low 80’s. In the 1600 meter race, a wobbly Sickles paced behind eventual winner Tanner Talley of New Covenant and Shuman, taking third in 4:50.76.
Then Caden Uthe shocked the 400 meter field, running a personal best 54.08 to claim second place and a sectional berth.
Christian Long held Southwest’s last hope for sectionals in the 800 meter run. Long’s season-best 2:08.2 was the fifth seed. He was in fifth place with a lap to go, but Spokane’s Grant Stewart - a 2:04 runner - passed him on the backstretch.
With 100 meters to go, Long looked hopelessly boxed in and doomed to finish in sixth place, But Israel Reynolds of School of the Ozarks wobbled at the head of the stretch, leaving a sliver of daylight on the rail. Long shot past, tightroping the curb, and edged Stewart at the finish line, 2:07.09 to 2:07.14.
The Fab Four move on to compete in four sectional events at Sarcoxie on Saturday.
Purdy’s Elijah Webb qualified for sectionals - the only Eagle to advance - taking 4th in the discus with a throw of 31.39 meters.
Wheaton boys third in Class 1 District @ Reeds Spring
The Wheaton Bulldogs rolled to third place in the boys team standings in the Class 1 District 6 track meet at Reeds Spring on Saturday. Wheaton athletes excelled in the sprints, relays, and field events, scoring 71 points.
Chad Meyer won the javelin and the 200 meter dash,and took 2nd in the 100.
Fernando Gonzalez finished 2nd in the high hurdles in 18.77, and 4th in the lows in 46.33. Zander Dutra placed 4th in the high hurdles in 20.26.
Steven Chavis took 4th in the shot, throwing 11.31 meters.
Wheaton quartets placed 4th in both the 4x100 meter and 4x400 meter relays.
Monica Hinojosa led the Wheaton girls, winning the shot with a toss of 9.57 meters, and placing 4th in the javelin with a throw of 23.27 meters.
Jenny Par placed 4th in the shot, throwing 8.68 meters.
Wheaton qualifiers will compete at the Class 1 sectional at Sarcoxie on Saturday.
Lee Stubblefield
“I get by with a little help from my friends” - John Lennon/Paul McCartney
The state track series kicked off on Saturday with eight district meets in Classes 1 and 2. Reeds Spring hosted the District 6 meet for both classes, with athletes from Southwest, Purdy, Wheaton, and dozens of other schools in attendance.
School of the Ozarks won the boys team title with 90 points. Ash Grove piled up 146 points to win the girls division.
The district meet is a lesson in perspective and priorities. The main goal for athletes is to finish in the top four in their events and qualify to compete at sectionals the next week. With that in mind, some coaches only enter athletes who have a reasonable chance at qualifying. Others treat the district meet no differently from regular season competitions, giving their athletes one more opportunity to: 1.compete, 2. Set a personal season or career best, and 3. Represent their school and community in a positive manner.
Coach Daniel Lewis of the powerhouse College Heights Christian Cougars and Lady Cougars put it bluntly, “If they don’t come to the district meet, they don’t letter.”
The weather forecasters got it all wrong for Saturday morning. Instead of clearing skies and warmer temps, a steady cold rain pelted the athletes in the early field events. Southwest’s Fab Four distance squad - Coach Steve Voyak’s best hopes for sectionals - wondered if they might need a yellow submarine when the 4 x 800 meter relay rolled around. All Travis Sickles, Christian Long, Caden Uthe, and Otis Rainer could do was find a dry spot and hunker down out of the wind.
And that brings up the change in the event schedule.
Because of covid 19, MSHSAA changed this year’s state track meet to a one-day affair for each class. To give the distance runners a little more recovery, the 3200 meter run moves to the first running event at state and will be contested during the morning field event session. Then after the lunch break, the meet will continue on a normal schedule, except there will be no long race between the 200 meter dash and the 4 x 400 meter relay.
Now it’s the sprinters who run both the 200 and that relay who get no recovery. Oh well.
By rule, the district and sectional meets have to mirror the state meet, so the 3200 meter races began at 10:45 at Reeds Spring. Just as Travis Sickles was reporting for the metric two mile, the announcer made the first call for the 4x800 meter relay.
“Whoa!” said Sickles. “What happened to the break?”
There would be no break. But with both boys and girls races in both classes, the relay runners were guaranteed at least 30 minutes of recovery. That’s still a short turnaround for a high school distance runner, and much less than originally expected.
“Here comes the sun” - George Harrison
Sickles threw caution to the wind, taking advantage of the improving weather to lower his own school record in the 3200. He led with a lap to go before Spokane’s Sam Shuman torched a 66-second last 400 meters for the victory. Sickles picked up the silver medal with his 9:57.49 performance.
Then the 4x800 meter quartet garnered Southwest’s only gold medals of the meet. Rainer and Uthe spotted Long to third place to start the third leg. Long, a junior, powered into the lead and gifted the baton to Sickles.
“Don’t let me down” - John Lennon
The original plan was for anchorman Sickles to just breeze to a top four relay finish to qualify. But Long’s excellent leg put Sickles on the spot.
“I couldn’t not win,” he said later. “I wanted to win so my teammates could be district champs.”
He did, and they are. Sickles hit the finish line in 8:46.97, a season’s best performance for the Trojans.
“It’s getting better all the time” - John Lennon/Paul McCartney
By mid-afternoon, the temps had climbed from the wet mid-50’s into the sunny low 80’s. In the 1600 meter race, a wobbly Sickles paced behind eventual winner Tanner Talley of New Covenant and Shuman, taking third in 4:50.76.
Then Caden Uthe shocked the 400 meter field, running a personal best 54.08 to claim second place and a sectional berth.
Christian Long held Southwest’s last hope for sectionals in the 800 meter run. Long’s season-best 2:08.2 was the fifth seed. He was in fifth place with a lap to go, but Spokane’s Grant Stewart - a 2:04 runner - passed him on the backstretch.
With 100 meters to go, Long looked hopelessly boxed in and doomed to finish in sixth place, But Israel Reynolds of School of the Ozarks wobbled at the head of the stretch, leaving a sliver of daylight on the rail. Long shot past, tightroping the curb, and edged Stewart at the finish line, 2:07.09 to 2:07.14.
The Fab Four move on to compete in four sectional events at Sarcoxie on Saturday.
Purdy’s Elijah Webb qualified for sectionals - the only Eagle to advance - taking 4th in the discus with a throw of 31.39 meters.
Wheaton boys third in Class 1 District @ Reeds Spring
The Wheaton Bulldogs rolled to third place in the boys team standings in the Class 1 District 6 track meet at Reeds Spring on Saturday. Wheaton athletes excelled in the sprints, relays, and field events, scoring 71 points.
Chad Meyer won the javelin and the 200 meter dash,and took 2nd in the 100.
Fernando Gonzalez finished 2nd in the high hurdles in 18.77, and 4th in the lows in 46.33. Zander Dutra placed 4th in the high hurdles in 20.26.
Steven Chavis took 4th in the shot, throwing 11.31 meters.
Wheaton quartets placed 4th in both the 4x100 meter and 4x400 meter relays.
Monica Hinojosa led the Wheaton girls, winning the shot with a toss of 9.57 meters, and placing 4th in the javelin with a throw of 23.27 meters.
Jenny Par placed 4th in the shot, throwing 8.68 meters.
Wheaton qualifiers will compete at the Class 1 sectional at Sarcoxie on Saturday.
