By Matt Turer — mturer@ky3.com
@MattTurer
Jefferson City, Mo. — The rain pushed a number of Kickapoo Chiefs home early, but those who remained celebrated a third-place team finish for the entire group of girls Saturday night under the lights in Jefferson City.
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The Chiefs finished with 35 points over the weekend behind a good mix of success on the track and in the field behind what is a team filled with young talent.
“It’s awesome,” head coach Jeremy Goddard said. “I wish all the girls would’ve stayed. Some of them went home during the rain delay, but it’s a great feeling.
“We knew with all the girls we had, the girls we brought were pretty high-quality girls. We knew that if we did well that we would have a chance, but it also depends so much on other teams and how they do and what they bring.”
Kickapoo’s run at the team podium started early Saturday morning when Jordan Sanders took home gold in javelin.
After the event being held as an exhibition of sorts last year, this one was real. And after winning that exhibition of sorts’ gold medal in Class 5 javelin as a junior, Sanders repeated in the event’s first official year.
“It feels great,” Sanders said. “I was just trying to come out and win again and do my best.”
Sanders took the title easily, setting a state record with a throw of 149-06 on her fifth throw. No other thrower broke even 138 feet.
Now with two championships in two tries for Kickapoo in girls javelin, Sanders has started a new tradition for future throwers wearing Chiefs yellow.
“I think it’s great,” she said. “There are probably a lot of other people that to try it from Kickapoo now.”
Kickapoo also saw a top-two field finish from sophomore shot putter Kennedy Aurentz. Aurentz came into the weekend with state championship potential but left with silver on a throw of 44-01.25.
“I mean, first would feel better, but I guess second is OK, and I know what I have to do for next year,” the confident sophomore said.
North Kansas City senior Keiara Williams took first with a throw of 48.04.
“She’s a senior, and obviously I was very surprised by the throw but I’m happy for her, and I get it next year,” Aurentz said.
Kickapoo is also home to one of track’s biggest young stars in Jaden Wiley.
Wiley came in and did what she does best Saturday, hurdling to gold in the 300-meter hurdles (43.81) and taking fourth in a tightly contested 100-meter hurdle event (14.66) that saw her finish just 0.44 behind first place.
“It felt incredible,” Wiley said “I’d worked so hard all season for it and it was so fun. I have a very competitive spirit. Just winning drives me.”
Just a freshman, Wiley’s early success at Kickapoo didn’t come as a surprise. She was heralded as a state title contender coming into 2017. But even so, her status as a freshman with the times she posts is a borderline marvel.
“She’s just a competitor,” Goddard said. “She doesn’t fold up and is used to the moment. She showed there’s not a moment too big.”
Nixa Boys Post Fastest 4×800 Area Time In Five Years, Take Gold
It was the fastest 4×800-meter relay in southwest Missouri in the past five years. And maybe more than that.
Nixa’s relay team of Blake Procell, Brendan Fusco, Brent Alexander and Jonathan Dasal posted a 7:54.15 Saturday–the top time posted by an area team in the five-year O-Zone era–finishing second to Lafayette (7:53.90).
“It’s definitely a surreal moment,” Procell, who finished second in Friday’s Class 5 800-meter run, said. “After our last team dropped the baton and missed all-state, it was definitely motivation for our seniors to get back in it and take second place. Getting a time like this is something we all wanted.”
Nixa was anchored by senior Jonathan Dasal with fellow senior Brent Alexander running the third leg. Alexander’s exhaustion was evident after the medal ceremony.
“Running is just something you put your whole body into so it’s really good to see that you’re just drained when you finished because you knew you ran hard,” Alexander said.
Procell opened with a blistering 1:55.89 800 meters, putting his teammates in an ideal position for a silver or more as Nixa finished just 0.25 seconds behind Lafayette.
“It’s been a long run getting here,” Dasal said. “We started out not great this season but getting to this point is absolutely awesome to be a part of.”
