By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SPRINGFIELD, MO – Highway 14’s finest were on display during Wednesday’s Central Ozark Conference track and field championships.
The Nixa boys won eight events en route to a dominant victory, while Ozark’s girls won a thrilling, back-and-forth battle that came down to the final event.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF THE MEET
BOYS DIVISION
Just one year after finishing fifth at the Class 5 state meet, the Nixa boys are ramping up for another late May run at postseason success.
The Eagles rumbled to a 234.5-point day Wednesday, besting runner up Ozark (127.5) by a whopping 107 points.
Nixa head coach Lance Brumley knew a big day might be possible, especially after an impressive showing in the first event.
Nicholas Flannery, Reyes Martinez, Asher Coorts and Aaron Ashley raced to victory in the 4×800 relay in a time of 7:57.91.
“I was really pleased with our effort today,” Brumley said. “We start off the meet with a 4×800 team that ran under eight minutes. I think in my career, that’s the first time that’s happened besides the state meet. So today was fantastic for those young men to do that.”
A senior distance runner, Ashley helped the Eagles stockpile additional points on the track, with an 800-meter win and runner-up finish in the 1600.
“It’s not just what he does on the track as an athlete,” Brumley said. “He’s a leader for that distance group. They look to him for guidance, for inspiration. You know, he’s the fastest distance kid that we’ve ever had at Nixa, and it’s amazing just what he does on and off the track as a leader and as a young man – and we’re gonna miss him, for sure. We’ve got some young kids that see how we do things, how he did things, and they’re gonna try to fill his shoes – in a different way – but they’re gonna do the same kind of thing. And he’s been a good role model for us.”
TRACK EVENT PHOTOS – CLICK HERE
Nixa’s depth was on full display Wednesday, as the Eagles swept the relay events. In addition to the 4×800 victory, Nixa posted wins in the 4×100 (Robert Adams, Keivon Flint, Troy Huff and Randy Flint – :42.24), 4×200 (Troy Huff, Jaren Davis, Keivon Flint and Randy Flint – 1:28.04) and 4×400 (Morgan Thompson, Jaren Davis, Keivon Flint and Roy Perez – 3:25.20) races.
Sophomore Trey Jenkins also recorded a track victory in the 110 high hurdles.
“The depth is a big thing,” Brumley said. “And I think, as a testament to our assistant coaches, we got a really good coaching staff that’s out there getting athletes to come out and be a part of this. We’ve got several cross country kids that contribute, we’ve got several football kids that contribute in the sprints and the jumps and the throws and our depth is really showing today. Like I said, especially in a meet that’s got seven schools with three entries, you got a chance. You can really make some noise.”
In the field, Nixa was just as dominant, with the junior duo of Jackson Cantwell and Hayden Mays finishing one-two in both the shot put and discus events. Classmate Dylan Terry also scored in both events, nearly pulling off a Nixa sweep in the shot put with a fourth-place finish.
Brumley was quick to point out the vast amount of time and effort the trio put in throughout the year.
“It’s just so fantastic, just how hard they work – all of them,” Brumley said. “Obviously, you know Jackson and Hayden. Our third one today was Dylan Terry, who scored in all three events. A person should come and watch them practice, because you might think, ‘You’re a thrower – what do you do?’ Well, there is sweat pouring off of their body from head to toe when they practice. It’s impressive for all three of them, and to see it kind of pay off for them a little bit today was good. They’ve got some big, big goals, and they’re really looking to make a lot of noise.”
GIRLS DIVISION
While Nixa’s boys were never challenged Wednesday, Ozark’s girls had a completely different story to tell.
The Tigers and head coach Shawn Widel found themselves locked in a tight, back-and-forth battle throughout the afternoon with Nixa. A battle that lasted right up until the day’s final event – the 4×400 relay.
“We’d been keeping track of points all day,” Widel said. “Nixa had gotten a lead on us, and then we kind of came back and we took a decent lead. Then a couple of the field events came in, and looked down, and we’re down to half a point with one event to go.”
Knowing the stakes, Widel gathered his relay quartet and imparted a simple message.
“I walked up to the girls, and I said, you wouldn’t learn any other way, right? And they said, yeah, we want to walk off and win this. So, kudos to them. We actually ran our best time of the year out in front to win it and to win the conference championship. So happy for them.”
Brooke Bowman, Olivia Carpenter, Addison Lewis and Shelby Middleton finished off the day in style, winning the final event with a time of 4:06.58.
While things were tense at the starting line prior to the race, Widel wasn’t too terribly concerned.
And for good reason – just over an hour earlier in the day, Bowman, Carpenter and Middleton swept the open 400 event.
The sweep – along with a whopping 24 points – marked a pivotal momentum swing for the Tigers.
FIELD EVENT PHOTOS – CLICK HERE
“The swinging point for us was the 400, where we took first, second and third,” Widel said. “So, our three girls were the top three 400 runners in the East division – that’s 24 points out of one event. So we were down, I think 30 or 31 at that point. We put those 24 up and now we’re down seven. And I was like, Okay, well, now things are trending in the right direction. But that was definitely the tipping point.”
Junior hurdler Bria Wright also contributed points in a big way to the Ozark effort, winning both the 100 and 300 events.
Classmate Sydney Lister added another pair of victories for the Tigers in the open 800 and on the 4×800 anchor leg with teammates Hannah Smith, Lewis and Laine Garner.
With points at an absolute premium, Widel also pointed out a trio of athletes who stepped up to the challenge in a championship setting.
Freshman triple jumper Lola Kensinger finished in third place behind a pair of Nixa jumpers, and both Allison Mills and Ellsie Estes outperformed their seeds in the 3200 to earn additional points for the Ozark collective.
“We had a freshman girl who almost broke our school record in the triple jump get third,” Widel said. “Lola Kensinger, she’s been doing well, but for a freshman to step up like that – I’m really proud of her. Then, in the two-mile, both of our girls were kind of seeded lower and passed a Nixa girl and passed a couple more kids to gain a few points there. And when it comes down to two or three points, every little bit, of course, matters.”
