The area brought home 62 all-state finishes from the Class 4 state meet in Washington with three of those medals being gold on Saturday.
George comes up big on final throw
Pressure is something Monett’s Kaesha George has become familiar with over the course of her junior season.
Last year as a sophomore, she unleashed a throw of 138’11 to win the Class 4 state javelin title and establish a new class record.
This year she came into the meet as the hunted.
“It (being the reigning champion) put a lot of (pressure on). I didn’t realize it until I got to state this year, but I have been working all year because I knew I would have a lot of pressure (after) winning state last year I knew people would be coming for me this year. I felt a lot of pressure in that first round of throws, so I just had to relax for the finals,” George said.
George sat in the unfamiliar position of fifth place going into finals. She had improved the third place going into her final throw giving her one final opportunity to climb back on top of the podium.
“I just had to relax and go for it. It is either this (throw) or I am not first. I wanted to be first for sure and just (thought) if it happens, it happens,” George said.
It happened.
“It (the throw) felt great. I knew that was the one I had been waiting for,” George said.
George released the javelin and it landed 151’06 away giving George the state champion and new class record.
“I not going to lie; I had some tears. This has definitely been the most stressful year,” George said. “I did win it last year, but I had a good throw going into finals and nobody was close to it. This year it was my last throw and it was such a relief.”
Kurtz sets class record amid hectic schedule
The state meet getting condensed to one day forced many athletes into pulling double duty and competing in multiple events at the same time.
Camdenton’s Gabe Kurtz was one of those athletes, as he tried to balance javelin and pole vault events that began simultaneously.
“It was pretty stressful knowing that it was all right there close together, but it wasn’t anything that we haven’t done all season. We’ve had two or three things going on at the same time before, but it definitely was a little stressful it being the state meet,” Kurtz said.
The solution for Kurtz was to throw all three of his preliminary javelin throws in quick succession before any other competitors in the second flight had their first competition throws.
“I have done similar things like that and pushed my name to the front of the order. I throw two in a row usually, but have never thrown three in a row. It just worked out that I improved 10 feet on each throw, so it was kind of exciting. I was bummed I had to do it in the first place, but it turned out alright,” Kurtz said.
Kurtz opened with a throw of 166’05 before following it up with a throw of 175’03 and closing with a monster throw of 187’11, which established a new event leading mark.
At that point, Kurtz went back to pole vault while his 187 continued to be the standard of the competition through the rest of the second flight and all the way through the finals.
The Camdenton senior didn’t have to come back over to the javelin competition as 187’11 was easily enough to win the competition.
But he wanted one more shot.
“The third preliminary throw was 187 and that was holding throughout the finals, so my coaches wanted me to focus on pole vault and just scratch my throws. If somebody ended up throwing further then they would call me back over,” Kurtz said. “But I wanted to go back over and see if I could throw another PR (personal record), so I had my pole vault coach call the throws coach and ask if I still had time and he said I did. I jogged on over there, grabbed the javelin and threw it and ended up PR’ing again.”
His final throw of the competition and his high school career travelled 191’04 to break his own meet record. It is the second-best throw in MSHSAA State Track Meet history for all-classes behind Joplin’s Zach Westmoreland who threw 194’06 at the Class 5 meet on Saturday.
Bolin’s strong offseason pays off with state title
Willard junior Tassilyn Bolin finished fourth in the Class 4 pole vault competition at state last year with a vault of 11’03.
She put in a strong offseason in the hopes of improving both of those marks this year,
“(I) hit the weight room, got stronger and just put in the work in the offseason,” Bolin said.
That work paid off in the form of a vault of 11’09 to win the Class 4 state pole vault championship.
“It was unreal. Everything that I have put in really paid off. My family and coaches are just amazing,” Bolin said.
She tied with Carl Pujol from Cape Notre Dame, but earned her spot on top of the podium thinks to a clean competition before her three misses at 12’00.
Her championship gave the Central Ozark Conference a sweep of the Class 4 and 5 girls pole vault titles, as Ozark’s Olivia Lyon won the Class 5 competition.
Bolin credited her in-season competition with Lyon in helping her get to the top of the Class 4 podium.
“I was in gymnastics with her (Ozark’s Olivia Lyon) for a long time, so we go way back. She has always pushed me in gymnastics and pole vault,” Bolin said. “Having her being a little bit better than me all season pushed me to want to be better. We are always cheering for each other.”
COMPLETE LIST OF ALL-STATE FINISHERS
Boys
1st Place – Gabe Kurtz – Camdenton (Javelin)
2nd Place – Trey Beachler – Nevada (Javelin)
2nd Place – Blade Hancock – Bolivar (300 Hurdles)
2nd Place – Lance Ward – Carl Junction (400)
2nd Place – Parkview (800 Relay)
2nd Place – Rolla (1600 Relay)
2nd Place – Bolivar (3200 Relay)
3rd Place – West Plains (3200 Relay)
3rd Place – Devin McHugh – Nevada (400)
3rd Place – Parker Wormek – Camdenton (110 Hurdles)
3rd Place – Harrison Huhn – Carl Junction (Pole Vault)
3rd Place – Mekhi Garrard – Webb City (Triple Jump)
3rd Place – Marshall Swadley – Willard (Shot Put)
4th Place – Lance Ward – Carl Junction (200)
4th Place – Jay Strausbaugh – Rogersville (1600)
4th Place – Brendan Jewell – Carl Junction (High Jump)
5th Place – Elliott Wolfe – McDonald County (Shot Put)
5th Place – Gabe Kurtz – Camdenton (Pole Vault)
5th Place – Nicholas Ondr – Glendale (1600)
5th Place – Eli Aye – Willard (100)
5th Place – Trenton Flug – Camdenton (Javelin)
5th Place – Kayden Ast – Nevada (Long Jump)
6th Place – Jay Strausbaugh – Rogersville (3200)
6th Place – Blade Hancock – Bolivar (110 Hurdles)
6th Place – Carl Junction (1600 Relay)
6th Place – Tristan Greenfield – Marshfield (Pole Vault)
7th Place – Nnamezie Orizu – Rolla (300 Hurdles)
7th Place – Webb City (400 Relay)
7th Place – Michael Williams – McDonald County (Long Jump)
8th Place – Camdenton (400 Relay)
8th Place – Devin McHuge – Nevada (200)
8th Place – Alex Frisbee – Rolla (400)
8th Place – Peyton McBride – Marshfield (Triple Jump)
Girls
1st Place – Tassilyn Bolin – Willard (Pole Vault)
1st Place – Kaesha George – Monett (Javelin)
3rd Place – Natalie Basham – Camdenton (300 Hurdles)
3rd Place – Kaitlyn Burson – Willard (Shot Put)
4th Place – Octavia Duncan – Webb City (Shot Put)
4th Place – Kaylee Hatley – West Plains (3200)
4th Place – Marshfield (400 Relay)
5th Place – Anna Bandy – Bolivar (3200)
5th Place – Brianna Utecht – Marshfield (200)
6th Place – Alliyah Joiner – Marshfield (300 Hurdles)
6th Place – Calli Beshore – Nevada (3200)
6th Place – Brianna Utecht – Marshfield (400)
6th Place – Maegen Derfelt – Carl Junction (800)
6th Place – Calli Beshore – Nevada (1600)
6th Place – Natalie Basham – Camdenton (100 Hurdles)
6th Place – Rolla (1600 Relay)
6th Place – Allary Liberatore – Webb City (High Jump)
6th Place – Destiny Skidmore – Marshfield (Pole Vault)
6th Place – Octavia Duncan – Webb City (Discus)
7th Place – Sarah Green – Bolivar (Pole Vault)
7th Place – Trinity Williamson – Bolivar (400)
7th Place – Allary Liberatore – Webb City (Triple Jump)
7th Place – Claire Pritchett – Nevada (Shot Put)
7th Place – Cheyenne White – Parkview (Javelin)
8th Place – Haidyn Berry – Webb City (Javelin)
8th Place – Brianna Utecht – Marshfield (100)
8th Place – Emma Puetz – Rolla (1600)
8th Place – Carl Junction (1600 Relay)
8th Place – Salma Lewis – Carl Junction (High Jump)
