RACE TO STATE

Monet Jackson has been waiting for the day when everything comes together in both the shot and discus throwing areas.

That day came Saturday as the Blue Springs senior dominated those events in the Class 4 District 7 track and field meet at Raymore-Peculiar High School.

Jackson won the shot put with a 39-foot, 3-inch effort and the discus with a throw of 125-11.

“Monet and I had a talk this week and I told her,” coach Jennifer Reeder said, “instead of getting down on yourself when you don’t throw as well as you’d hoped you would, use that as motivation.

“She must have been listening. What she did today is pretty special, because she wasn’t throwing in the greatest conditions.”

The wind was whipping. The temperature dropped into the low 50s, but that didn’t bother Jackson.

While Jackson starred for the Wildcats, it wasn’t enough to help her team claim first place. Lee’s Summit West totaled 135 points, followed by Lee’s Summit North, 128; the Wildcats, 88; Raytown South, 74; Ruskin, 60; Lee’s Summit, 60; Raymore-Peculiar, 54; St. Teresa’s, 41; Blue Springs South, 41; Raytown, 14; and Belton, 5.

On the boys side, coach Kris Solsberg’s Lee’s Summit North Broncos followed a spectacular Suburban Big Six Conference crown with another strong showing as they claimed the title with 120 points.

Raytown followed with 100, followed by Blue Springs, 92; Lee’s Summit West, 89; Ruskin, 61; Raymore-Peculiar, 53; Rockhurst, 52; Blue Springs South, 48; Raytown, 42; Lee’s Summit, 40; and Belton, 4.

Competitors who finish in the top four in each event advance to Saturday’s sectional meet at Staley High School.

“Last week, when we won conference, I was handed a sheet that showed all our winners,” Solsberg said. “Of the 14 events, there were eight categories where we had three finishers – that’s just amazing.

“I’m framing that sheet, because it shows how important depth is to a team. We had three winners today – Kolton Shelton (in the 800) and the 4-by-800 (Connor Moylan, D’Andre McKenzie, Hunter Pickering and Shelton) and the 4-by-400 (Kyle Brown, Derek Somogye, McKenzie and Carson Ryan) relay teams.

“But once again, I look at the sheet, and we have a couple of placers in just about as many categories as we had at conference. We don’t have the spectacular athlete who is going to go out and score a ton of points like we have had in the past, but we have a solid team that has won a district championship in one of the toughest districts in the state.”

While the North boys won the title, several area competitors won district titles.

Blue Springs’ Jayce Thomas won the 110 high hurdles in a personal-best time of 14.42, and teammate Sam Patterson overcame a no-height showing at conference to win the pole vault at 14-4.

“I’m going to sectionals in the 110 highs and the triple jump (where he placed third) which are my two best events, so I guess I’m happy,” said Thomas, who was fifth in the long jump and sixth in the 300 hurdles.

“I gave it my best. A couple of the events were at the same time, and I just couldn’t make the top four. I tried, and I gave it all I had.”

Patterson was using a new pole last week on a pole vault ramp that was set up on the 50-yard line at Peve Stadium in Blue Springs and didn’t clear any attempt.

His success at district helped ease the pain of that performance.

“I had a new pole, and there was a lot of bounce on the new setup for the pole vault. And I was running kind of downhill, and I hit the bar each time as I approached it,” Patterson said.

“I knew I’d do better this week. If that would have happened this week, I wouldn’t have had any chance of going to state. Now, let’s see what happens at sectional. I am not happy with my height today, but I am pleased with the end result.”

So is coach Joe Cusack.

“I am hap, hap, happy – happy three times. – for Jayce and Sam,” Cusack said. “Jayce was hoping to get to sectionals in all four events, and it didn’t happen. But he’s going in his best two events, and he should do great. And Sam’s best vaulting is ahead of him. I’m really proud of what he accomplished today.”

Blue Springs South’s Ben Harvel was the other area boys winner as he duplicated his conference performance by winning the 300 hurdles in 39.63.

“I came here to win, and I was able to accomplish that,” Harvel said. “I’m really happy with how I ran today. I could get used to winning big meets like this.”

South coach Troy Harding said Harvel has continued to grow since a strong finish to his sophomore season.

“Ben just got stronger and stronger and stronger at the end of last year, and it has carried over to this year,” Harding said. “To win the 300 hurdles in this district is quite an accomplishment.”

Lee’s Summit North’s Madison Smith, who won four events and was named the Golden Spike winner at conference, won the 100 hurdles and advanced to sectional in the 200 (third) and 300 hurdles (third).

“I know I advanced all three, but I am not happy with how I ran today,” Smith said. “I am not going to make any excuses (for the 300 hurdles). I just had a bad performance.”

She was joined in the North winner’s circle by 800-meter winner Carson Severson, and the winning 1,600 (Severson, Madi Wilkins, Ebony Hollinger and Shantaja Heath) and 3,200 (Mollie Williams, Taylor Hynes, Teresa Riley and Severson) relay teams.

“I’m proud of all the girls,” North girls coach Ed Brill said. “I know Madison isn’t very happy with her performance, especially after what she did at conference, but it’s like I told her, district is all about finishing in the top four and living to race another day – and she did that.”

Blue Springs South distance standout Samantha Nightingale used that philosophy following a second-place finish in the 1,600. But she turned it up a notch in the 3,200, lapping several runners in the field and running a career second-best time of 11.02.42.

“It really didn’t matter how I did in the 1,600,” Nightingale said, “because I just wanted to get to sectional. And all that takes is top four. But I wanted to do well in the 3,200, and I know I lapped some girls, so I know I was running fast.”

She topped Lee’s Summit West’s Chelsey Phoebus, who edged her in the 1,600, by 25 seconds.

“Sam was running with a purpose in the 3,200,” South distance coach Ryan Unruh said. “I told her to go out strong for four laps and see how she felt. She must have felt pretty good.”