BOYS TRACK AND FIELD PREVIEW
 

 
CLASS 6A
 
2022 State Champion: Olathe North
 
2022 State Runner-up: Shawnee Mission East
 
2022 Review: The 2022 Class 6A state track and field championship trophy officially resides in a case at Olathe North, after the Eagles ran away with the title, doubling up runner-up Shawnee Mission East 112-56. But another deserving showcase would be on the mantle at the Parrish house. After all, it was the brother trio of Jacob, Josh and Jason Parrish that did the heavy lifting in carrying the Eagles to the crown. Jacob, a senior captured state gold in the 100 and 200, while Josh, a junior, matched him with a pair of titles in the 110 hurdles and the long jump. Jason, Josh’s twin, added a fifth gold medal for the brothers with a win in the 300 hurdles. In all, the brothers accounted for five golds and five other medals in leading North to the state title. Jacob’s titles were the most thrilling as he qualified third in the 100 before winning by .08 second over state leader Caquoy Patterson of Wichita East in a race that saw the top-four places separated by just .15 seconds. In winning the 200, Jacob knocked off Blue Valley’s William Jones, who had run the fourth-fastest 200 in state history earlier in the season, winning by .03 seconds. Jason and Josh went 1-2 in the 300 hurdles and North also got a 1-2 finish in the long jump with Josh and teammate Paul Rowden, who added a sixth win for the Eagles with a title in the high jump. Shawnee Mission East’s runner-up showing was led by a double-gold effort from Wyatt Haughton, who won the 800 and 1,600 titles, and a victory by Kenneth Huston in the shot put. Olathe Northwest was third as a team, its lone wins coming from its 1,600 and 3,200 relay teams. Other individual winners included Blue Valley’s Jones (400), Free State’s Ben Shryock (3,200), Olathe South’s Jordan Allen (discus), Wichita Heights’ John Randle (triple jump), Blue Valley North’s Henry Martin (javelin) and Olathe East’s Andrew Kirby (pole vault).
 
2023 Contenders: After running away with last year’s 6A state title for its first since 2005, Olathe North will once again lean heavily on the Parrish brothers to lead the way. Only this year, there’s only two of them. Jacob Parrish, who swept titles in the 100 and 200 and was runner-up in the 400, is now at Kansas State, leaving senior twins Josh and Jason to carry on the family and Eagle name. They did more than their share last year as Josh won titles in the 110 hurdles and long jump and finished second in the 300 hurdles – to Jason, who won that event and also took eighth in the 110 hurdles. Both helped relays that posted top-three finishes as well. North also lost high jump champion and long jump runner-up Paul Rowden to graduation as well as a pair of other state placers in the throws. Runner-up last year, Shawnee Mission East can make a push if the Lancers find some complementary pieces to go with double-champion Wyatt Haughton. The senior standout swept the 800 and 1,600 titles and saw his top challengers in each event graduate. He also added a fourth in the 3,200 and could contend for a triple crown though runner-up Micah Blomker of Shawnee Mission North and third-place Devin Chappel of Garden City also return. East’s only other champion last year, Kenneth Huston in the shot put, graduated. Olathe Northwest rode two relay victories to a third-place finish but return only one runner from each – senior Colin Gann from the 1,600 relay and senior Jackson Kuhl from the 3,200 relay. Gann is the highest returning placer in the 400 as well. Olathe West was fifth last year but could make a move. The Owls have the top-two returners in the high jump in junior Elijah Hakim and senior Tyler Jones. After winning last year's 5A state title by one point, Mill Valley moved up to 6A this season. If the Jaguars are going to challenge after two straight 5A titles, they're going to have to have a whole lot of new faces step up. The Jaguars graduated the dynamic jumping duo of Adrian Diamond and Kendrick Jones, who combined for four top-four finishes and a state title, that coming from Diamond in the triple jump. Also gone is runner-up 800 finisher Chase Schieber. Senior Nen Matlock will lead the Jaguars this season, taking second in the 400. Junior Jackson Lawler is also back after taking third in the pole vault, as is Sidney Lockhart, who was fifth in the 100. Shawnee Mission Northwest’s Kelvin Acheampong is a threat to sweep the long and triple jumps, taking third and second last year, respectively. Only one of the two champs in those events return -- North’s Josh Parrish in the long jump. Blue Valley North’s Alonzo Morgan or Olathe South’s Mathew Madeiros-Bontempo would appear to be the heir apparent in the sprints with Morgan the top qualifier in the 100 last year before taking third. Garden City’s Jerry Arteaga also could factor, finishing fifth in the 100 and third in the 200. Madeiros-Bontempo helped lead South to a fourth-place team finish and the Falcons also return discus champion Jordan Allen. Olathe East’s Andrew Kirby is back to defend his pole vault title.
 

 
CLASS 5A
 
2022 State Champion: Mill Valley
 
2022 State Runner-up: St. Thomas Aquinas
 
2022 Review: The best team race at state last year came in Class 5A where Mill Valley edged St. Thomas Aquinas by a single point for the title with Kapaun Mt. Carmel just six points back in third place. The title was the second straight for the Jaguars. Mill Valley built its lead in the field events, led by a state title from Adrian Diamond in the triple jump and and a runner-up finish by Kendrick Jones in the high jump with Jones also finishing fifth in the trip and Diamond fourth in the long jump. Jackson Lawler added a third in the pole vault and Nen Matlock added to the lead with a runner-up finish in the 400. The Jaguars still had to sweat out the finish and saw St. Thomas Aquinas nearly get there in the 800. The Saints went 1-3 in the event with Alex Waldie winning and Ashton Higgerson taking third, but Mill Valley’s Chase Schieber split the Saints duo with a second-place finish that clinched the crown with neither school having finalists in the 200 or 1,600 relay. Aquinas’ runner-up finish also was fueled by a 1-2 finish from Colby King and Higgerson in the 3,200. Higgerson added a third top-three finish with a second in the 1,600 and Waldie also took fourth in the 400. Kapaun’s third-place finish saw a pair of Crusaders take home state titles with Luke Brock beating Higgerson by two seconds for the title in the 1,600 and William Doolittle won the shot put title and took second in the discus, coming up six inches shy of Arkansas City’s Lance Blubaugh for a second gold. The individual performer of the meet honors in 5A belonged to Andover’s Tayton Klein, who captured three state titles with a sweep of the 110 and 300 hurdle titles and a victory in the long jump. That trumped a record-setting performance by Andover Central’s Ashton Barkdull in the pole vault with the Jaguar senior clearing 16 feet, 7.25 inches to break the 5A state meet record. Other individual event winners included Maize’s Bryce Cohoon (100), Highland Park’s Tre Richardson (400), Piper’s Grant Lockwood (400), Hays’ Jordan Dale (high jump) and Maize South’s Blake McCormick (javelin).
 
2023 Contenders:  With 2022 champion Mill Valley in 6A this year, can anyone stand in the way of St. Thomas Aquinas this year? It might be tough as the Saints are the only 5A school to return two state champions. Though their vaunted distance corps lost Ashton Higgerson, a three-event top-three finisher a year ago, the horses are still there in senior Colby King, who led a 1-2 finish with Higgerson in the 3,200, and senior Alex Waldie, who went 1-3 with Higgerson in the 800. Waldie and King also were top-six finishers in the 400 and 1,600, respectively, and the Saints’ 3,200 relay that took seventh is back in tact. Aquinas would love to find some points in the field events where it came up empty a year ago. Third last year just behind Mill Valley and Aquinas, Kapaun Mt. Carmel returns 1,600 champion Luke Brock, but lost shot put champion Will Doolittle to graduation. Brock added a fourth in the 800 but is one of just two returning point scorers from a year ago along with sophomore Daniel Jackson, who was third in the javelin and could be the favorite this year with the graduation of the top-two from the event. The sprints will be a sight to behold this year and not just because last year’s state champs in the 100, Maize’s Bryce Cohoon, and 200, Highland Park’s Tre Richardson, return. Also back is Shawnee Heights’ Jeremiah Smith, who swept state titles in both events as well as the 110 hurdles as a sophomore in 2021. A late-season injury kept him from defending those crowns last year after he posted the fastest 100 in state history early in the season. If he’s healthy, the titles will run through him. Andover Central finished fourth as a team last year and lost state pole vault champion Ashton Barkdull. However, younger brother Bryce takes over as the favorite in the event this year after pushing Ashton in a runner-up finish. Ashton Barkdull scored the bulk of the Jaguars points last year but sophomore Brandt Stupka added a third in the triple jump as a freshman. St. James Academy could be in the title hunt as a team after taking 10^th last year. The Thunder return all four members of their winning 1,600 relay as well as three-fourths of their fourth-place 3,200 relay with seniors John Jacobson and Ty Roshau on both. Fellow senior John Niesen was fourth in the 400 and part of a 400 relay that just missed finals and returns in tact. The Thunder also have a potential contender in the high jump in senior John Bichelmeyer, who tied for fifth. Highland Park’s Richardson was a triple-crown threat a year ago, owning top-five state marks in the long and triple jumps to go with his prowess in the 200. He finished second in the triple and fifth in the long jump but everyone who finished ahead of him has graduated.
 

 
CLASS 4A
 
2022 State Champion: Andale
 
2022 State Runner-up: Chanute
 
2022 Review: Thanks to a dominating showing in the field events, Andale returned to the top of Class 4A after seeing Louisburg edge the Indians by 4.5 points for the title in 2021. Riley Marx carried the torch for Andale’s field crew, sweeping state titles in the javelin and discus, but he had plenty of company. Jack Kraus added a second in the shot and third in the discus, Jonah Meyer was runner-up in the javelin and Beau Kerschen took third in the shot and fifth in the discus. Andale also got top-eight finishes and points from six others in the field events and the tracksters kicked in on the title showing as well with the 1,600 relay capping the meet with a victory as part of six top-eight finishers on the track. The Indians finished with 101 points to beat runner-up Chanute by 30 points. Chanute got a monstrous performance from junior Rawley Chard for the second straight year. After claiming three golds as a sophomore in 2021, Chard one-upped himself last season, striking gold in each of his four events. Chard swept the 100, 200 and 400 titles and anchored the 400 relay to a fourth gold, all coming after getting a late-season scare when he tweaked his hamstring only two weeks before the state meet. Teammate Bryce Bingham added a trio of top-five finishes in the 300 hurdles, triple jump and pole vault to help the Blue Comets hold off defending champion Louisburg and Hayden for the runner-up spot, edging Louisburg by four points and Hayden by seven. Louisburg had a trio of state champions with Tom Koontz sweeping titles in the 110 and 300 hurdles and Caden Caplinger winning the pole vault. Hayden boasted the star of the meet, however, as senior Tanner Newkirk not only swept the distance triple with wins in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, but set 4A state meet records in 1,600 and the 3,200 – the latter with a time of 8:58.88 that is the top mark run at state in any classification and the fifth-best all-time in state history. Freshman Jensen Schrickel added a title in the long jump for the Wildcats. The only individual winners that didn’t come from the top-five teams were McPherson’s Seth Madron (high jump), Rose Hill’s Carter Wagner (triple jump) and Paola’s Caden Rhamy (shot put).
 
2023 Contenders: With six state championships since 2013, Andale enters nearly every season as the team to beat in Class 4A and this year will be no different. The Indians did graduate nine seniors off last year’s title team, most notably thrower Beau Kerschen. But plenty of firepower is back. Senior Riley Marx was the top javelin thrower in the nation last year and will be going for his third straight state title in the event while also seeking a three-peat in the discus. His top challenge in the latter will come from teammate Jack Kraus, who will be the heavy favorite in the shot put after a runner-up finish last year. Marx led a 1-2 javelin finish with Jonah Meyer last year and Meyer returns as well. Kelby Eck was a double placer who also returns. Chanute could close the gap on the Indians this year after finishing a distant second last year. Senior Rawley Chard has won seven state golds the past two seasons, including four last year when he swept the 100, 200 and 400 and anchored the winning 400 relay. The Blue Comets also return state placers in Eric Erbe and Dagen Dean and only graduated four off last year’s runner-up team. The distance titles will be up grabs this year with the graduation of not only record-setting Tanner Newkirk of Hayden, who swept the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 and set state meets in the latter two, but also Augusta’s Sawyer Schmidt, the 2021 champion in two of the three events and runner-up in all three last year. Tonganoxie’s Eli Gilmore could emerge as the favorite after taking third in the 800 and 1,600 and winning the state cross country title in the fall. While Hayden lost Newkirk, the Wildcats return sophomore standout Jensen Schrickel, who was a surprise winner in the long jump as a freshman, and senior Jake Muller, who was the state champion in the 300 hurdles in 2021 before taking second to Louisburg’s Tom Koontz last year. Koontz swept the hurdle titles but has graduated, leaving Caden Caplinger as the Wildcats’ lone returning state champion, taking the pole vault title last year, though Mason Dobbins could take Koontz’ vacant 110 hurdles title after taking second last year. Tonganoxie could have another serious title contender to go with Gilmore in junior Isaiah Holthaus, who took second to Schrickel in the long jump by a half inch last year.
 

 
CLASS 3A
 
2022 State Champion: Southeast of Saline
 
2022 State Runner-up: Burlington
 
2022 Review: As dominant as Southeast of Saline was in winning the 2021 state championship, the Trojans were even better in 2022. Southeast won its 2021 title by 29 points, but left no doubt last spring. Senior Dylan Sprecker cemented his legacy as the best distance runner in school history, sweeping titles in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 after taking double-gold in the 800 and 1,600 in 2021. Classmate Chase Poague repeated his 2021 title sweep of the 110 and 300 hurdles and the Trojans racked up all their points on the track in scoring 94 points to beat runner-up Burlington by 44. Burlington won three events with Ty Anderson taking first in the 200 and anchoring the 400 relay team to a win and Thomas Unruh adding a victory in the pole vault. That allowed the Wildcats to hold off Wichita Collegiate for the runner-up spot by just two points. Collegiate was led by a title from Jaden Mitchell in the 100, nipping Southeast of Saline’s duo of Michael Murray and Poague by .04 and .14 seconds, respectively. TMP-Marian’s Jace Wentling was the only other double-winner in individual events, sweeping the long and triple jump titles to lead the Monarchs to a tie for seventh. Other individual winners included Kingman’s Avrey Albright (400), Columbus’ Kolt Ungeheuer (high jump), Santa Fe Trail’s Brett Schwartz (discus), Osage City’s Landon Boss (javelin) and Nemaha Central’s Connor Deters (shot put) with Schwartz setting the 3A state meet record in the discus with a winning throw of 200-4.
 
2023 Contenders: It will be a tall order for Southeast of Saline to get the three-peat this season. Departed standouts Dylan Sprecker and Chase Poague combined for five state titles last year and nine over the past two seasons, doing the heavy lifting for each of the Trojans’ championships. However, everyone else returns for Southeast, so the pieces are there to reload. Senior Michael Murray was runner-up in the 100 and third in the 200 and should challenge returning 100 champion and Council Grove speedster Ethan Burton in both events. Fellow senior Nakari Morrical-Palmer was runner-up in the 400, but the top-five finishers in the event all return, including state champion Avrey Albright of Kingman. Levi Allen and Damion Jackson will look to fill the void left by Sprecker in the distance events after helping the Trojans to a runner-up finish in cross country. Getting points in the field events could be a key after the Trojans came up empty in those events last year. If Southeast is dethroned, the question is, who can do it? Burlington was second last year, but graduated both state champions (Ty Anderson, Thomas Unruh). Wichita Collegiate was third and might be in position with the return of 100 champion Mitchell and all but two of last year’s qualifiers, including the duo of CJ Meyer and Will Meyer, who went 2-3 in the 3,200. They will have a huge test if Wichita Trinity Academy’s Clay Shively decides to add that to his distance repertoire this year after taking runner-up to Sprecker in the 800 and 1,600. Shively ran the state’s all-time best indoor mile over the winter, breaking the 58-year-old record set by Olympic legend Jim Ryun. Marysville also could make a move after taking fourth last year. The Bulldogs have a contender in the distance events in Silas Miller and also have last year’s runner-up in the 110 hurdles in senior Sander Zutterman. Columbus’ Kolt Ungeheuer was the state leader in the high jump last year, clearing 6-10.5 and will look to join the 7-foot club this season. Beloit’s Grady Seyfert was runner-up in both the discus and shot put last year and won’t have record-setting Brett Schwartz of Santa Fe Trail to deal with in the discus this time around. He will have to contend with returning champion Connor Deters of Nemaha Central in the shot put and the Thunder also return fellow state-placing thrower Holden Bass and the highest returning placer in the triple jump in Gavin Cain. Osage City’s Landon Boss is just behind Andale’s Riley Marx as the top javelin thrower in the state, winning last year with a throw of 192-4.
 

 
CLASS 2A
 
2022 State Champion: Moundridge
 
2022 State Runner-up: Garden Plain
 
2022 Review: As tight as the race for the 5A title was between Mill Valley and St. Thomas Aquinas, the battle for supremacy in Class 2A was nearly as good and saw a mere five points separate the top three. Moundridge prevailed, scoring 58 points to beat Garden Plain by two and Inman by five. The addition of freshman Kaden Elmore proved to be key to the Wildcats capturing their state title. Elmore made a stellar debut, taking the title in the 400 and helping the Wildcats’ 400 and relay to victories as well as finishing second in the 100 and 200. Moundridge did serious work in the relays with the 1,600 relay also taking first and the 3,200 relay adding a runner-up finish. Garden Plain did the bulk of its scoring in the field events with Will Tice leading the way with a win in the javelin. The Owls also got a 2-3 finish in the discus and runner-up in the shot put with Luke Hillman accounting for a second and a third. Logan Albers added a title on the track for the Owls, winning the 300 hurdles. Inman, meanwhile, had just one champion with Harrison Brunk taking the 200 title. The Teutons were right on the heels of Moundridge in the relays, taking second in both the 400 and 1,600 relays. Berean Academy’s Matthew Harder was a double-winner with golds in the 1,600 and 3,200, helping the Warriors to a fourth-place team finish. Other individual event winners included Pleasanton’s Isaiah Bates (100), Sedgwick’s Logan Stucky (800), Hutchinson Trinity’s Ben Neal (110 hurdles), Atchison County’s Keegan Lott (shot put), Plainville’s Braylon Bittel (discus), Ell-Saline’s Brogan Rowley (high jump), Stanton County’s Samuel Canny (long jump), Sublette’s Tristan Friesen (triple jump) and Kansas City Christian’s Ethan Ko (pole vault).
 
2023 Contenders: Moundridge and Inman see plenty of each other as Heart of America League rivals and that rivalry should play out on the state stage as well as both are primed to make a run at the crown this year. Moundridge only lost two relay members off last year’s title squad, Caleb Samland from the winning 1,600 relay and runner-up 3,200 relay and Garrett Doherty from the winning 400 relay. The Wildcats have a returning state champion Kaden Elmore, who dazzled as a freshman with a win in the 400 and runner-up finishes in the 100 and 200. But Elmore will have to contend with Inman rivals in two of the three events with Teuton senior Harrison Brunk the defending 200 champion and third in the 100. Pleasanton’s Isaiah Bates returns as the 100 champion and will be hungry after a false-start DQ in the finals spoiled his bid to add the 200 title as well. Inman also has big point potential from Eli Brunk in the hurdles with both defending champs in those events having graduated, and Tanner Heckel, who was runner-up in the long jump. Garden Plain split the HOA rivals last year with a runner-up finish and must replace both of its individual state champions – Logan Albers (300 hurdles) and Will Tice (javelin). The Owls return throwers Luke Hillman and Trevor Schmidt, who combined for three medals in the shot and discus as well as nine others who were at state a year ago. The true threat to last year’s top three will be 2A newcomer Meade, which captured the Class 1A state title last year. The Buffaloes return double state champion Logan Keith in the 800 and 3,200 and 110 hurdles champion Grayden Stapleton as well as all but one member of their winning 1,600 and 3,200 relays. Berean Academy’s Andrew Harder is back to defend his state titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 and could also challenge for the vacant 800 title if he adds that event as well. Chase County’s Cooper Schroer is the top returner in the 800, coming just .29 seconds away from the title last year. Harder will have to fight off Stanton County’s Kamryn Golub and Hutchinson Trinity’s Jonah Godina as well as Meade’s Keith for his distance repeat and both events return the bulk of last year’s placers. Ell-Saline’s Brogan Rowley could make a run at 7 feet in the high jump after going 6-10 last year as a freshman. Plainville’s Braylon Bittel will try to fight off the Garden Plain duo of Schmidt and Hillman in the discus after beating Schmidt by just 7 inches for the title last year. 
 

 
CLASS 1A
 
2022 State Champion: Meade
 
2022 State Runner-up: Madison
 
2022 Review: Both Meade and Madison had serious 1-2 punches leading their teams a year ago. Meade boasted the duo of Logan Keith and Grayden Stapleton, who combined for three individual wins, while Madison rode the duo of Casey Helm and Bryson Turner, who combined for four wins. The separation came from the depth beyond the horses and Meade had considerably more, taking the title with 69 points, 17 ahead of Madison. Keith swept titles in the 800 and 3,200 to lead the way for the Buffaloes while also helping the 1,600 and 3,200 relays to victories as well. Stapleton joined Keith on the winning 1,600 relay and also won the 110 hurdles and took second in the 300 hurdles. That was enough to end off Madison, which finished runner-up for the second straight year. Helm capped his career with state-meet records in the shot put with a throw of 59-4.75 and discus with a throw of 195-0, winning both events for the second straight year. Turner, meanwhile, won the 100 for the second straight year, setting the 1A meet record with a time of 10.71, and also added the 200 crown as well. Turner also finished third in the long and triple jumps. Osborne finished third as a team, led by Mason Schurr who won the 400 title, anchored the Bulldogs’ winning 400 relay and took second to Turner in the 100 and 200. Pawnee Heights was fourth with a pair of individual champions, Alec Carlson in the long jump and Braden Colglazier in the high jump. Other individual champions included Spearville’s Corbin Ricke (1,600), Caldwell’s Keiondre Smith (300 hurdles), Hanover’s Emmitt Jueneman (triple jump), Stockton’s Rylan Basart (javelin) and Dighton’s Max Neeley (pole vault).
 
2023 Contenders: With Meade moving up to 2A this season, a new champion will be crowned in 1A this season. Coming off two straight runner-up finishes, Madison would seem to be the favorite. The Bulldogs will definitely miss the points put up by Casey Helm, a four-time state champion with sweeps of the shot put and discus the past two years. But the Bulldogs do have a potential four-event champion in senior Bryson Turner. He swept the 100 and 200 titles a year ago and was tops in 1A in the long and triple jumps going into state before taking third in each. He'll have to contend with Pawnee Heights’ Alec Carlson in each with Carlson winning the long jump and taking second in the triple jump last year. Their battle could go a long way toward determining the team title with Turner’s top challenger in the 100 and 200, Osborne’s Mason Schurr, having graduated. Schurr led Osborne to a third last year and the Bulldogs could challenge for the title as well, losing only two other seniors off last year’s team. Carlson was one of two qualifiers for Pawnee Heights a year ago with the other, Braden Colglazier having graduated as the high jump champion. He’ll need some help to get the Tigers into team contention. Quinter finished fifth as a team and returns nine off its 12-member state contingent, including three-fourths of its runner-up 3,200 relay as well as third-place javelin thrower Lakin Getz, who is the top returner in that event this spring. Axtell could jump up and challenge with its entire state squad back from a sixth-place showing. Junior Grady Buessing was runner-up to departed 1,600 champion Corbin Ricke of Spearville and now-2A Logan Keith of Meade as well as anchoring the 3,200 relay to a third-place showing. Sophomore Brandon Schmelzle placed in three events last year as well. Caldwell’s Keiondre Smith won the 300 hurdles title last year and could sweep the 110s this year with last year’s champion Grayden Stapleton of Meade now in 2A. Hutchinson Central Christian’s Blake Yoder and Ingalls’ Brenden Ellis will challenge in the distance races after being top-four last year. With Helm’s graduation, the shot put and discus titles will be there for the taking and Wallace County’s Simon Medina and Triplains-Brewster’s Brock Woolf were last year’s runner-up finishers. Burlingame’s Matthew Heckman hit 6-10 last year in the high jump and is the favorite this year after taking second last year, while Dighton’s Max Neeley is back to defend his pole vault title.