The Kansas high school state track meet is widely regarded as the state’s best high school event with all classifications competing Friday and Saturday at Wichita State University’s Cessna Stadium. While track’s foundation is individuals and relays, team championships and plaques will also be awarded for first, second and third. Many of the top track teams don’t compete against each other until state. Here is a primer and predictions on each class:
Class 1A Girls:
Norwich is the defending champion, but graduated standout Mackenzie Klaver, now competing for KU’s track and field team. This year, Pike Valley with sisters Casey and Courtney Freed, Valley Heights with Brandi Jo Roepke, and Hoxie with junior Carly Heim, will likely be the top three teams. Wheatland-Grinnell could also play a role. Hoxie took a hit when Heim, the defending long jump and triple jump champion, scratched in all three of her attempts at regionals in the long jump.
Roepke and Casey Freed will match up in the 100 and 200. Last week, Roepke and Freed went 1-2 in the 100 at the Valley Heights regional, and Freed beat Roepke in the 200. Courtney Freed went first in the 400, Roepke second. They are the top two seeds in 1A in all three events.
Courtney Freed is also ranked third in a closely packed 800 – the top five seeds are within two seconds. Pike Valley is ranked first in the 400 and 1,600-meter relays and Brooke Jensen is fourth in the 110 hurdles. Pike Valley earns the title, its second in three years.
Class 1A Boys:
La Crosse looks to become the first 1A boys team to win three straight state championships. The Leopards set and then reset the 1A boys’ points record the last two years, too. La Crosse graduated standouts Levi Morss and Kip Keeley, but returns standouts in the relays and throws with Sheldon Schmidt, Cole Kershner and Lucas Moeder, the defending javelin champion. Centralia and Valley Heights with standout Elijah Smith will be close, but La Crosse wins.
Class 2A Girls:
Maranatha Academy has rolled to back-to-back crowns with all its points coming on the track or in the pole vault. The Eagles’ top sprinter, Caroline Bingham, transferred to 6A Shawnee Mission Northwest, but Maranatha still has plenty of talent. This year, led by distance standouts Lauren Harrell and Hope Manning, Maranatha should easily win again. Ellinwood, with Sophie Hayes in the sprints and hurdles, and Ell-Saline should take second and third.
Some of the other contenders had injuries. Ness City senior Emily Hahn, the defending 800 champion, suffered a hamstring injury at regionals, and Ellis freshman Ashley Mattheyer was bothered by leg problems the last several weeks and qualified in just one event.
Class 2A Boys:
Plainville is the two-time defending state champions and has the potential to win three events in the discus with Hadley Gillum, javelin with Dylan Wiesner and the 1,600 relay. The Cardinals could get some more points, namely in the high jump and 400 relay. Berean Academy, with Gabe Holmes in the hurdles, and Medicine Lodge with Scott Beecher in the sprints, and Smith Center, with the Meitler brothers in the pole vault, could all factor in. Points are going to be spread out, and 45 points could win state. Plainville repeats a third time in a tight race.
Class 3A Girls:
Cheney is the heavy favorite with Taylor Needham seeded No. 1 in the 100 and 200, second in the 1,600 relay, fifth in the discus with Allie Twietmeyer and third in the shot put with Gabrielle Lavington. Carlea Holt is ranked No. 1 in the javelin and Sydney Pietz is third in the pole vault.
Class 3A Boys:
Phillipsburg has finished back-to-back to Salina-Sacred Heart the last two years. This year, the Panthers, with standout jumper Grant Wickham and sprinter Stuart Lennemann, have plenty of talent again. Hesston’s Ryan Schadler, a three-sport standout, and Lennemann are among a talented sprint group. Hesston also has Justin Smith in the triple, seeded second behind Wickham. Those two are the top two squads and Hesston wins in a close race.
Class 4A Girls:
Andale has 17 entries and should sweep both crowns. Jewel Eck is forth in the pole vault, one of three Indians in the top nine. Abbie Maxwell is second in the 100 hurdles and Lauren Rowland is fourth in the high jump.
Scott City has six entries, including Kelly Wycoff, who is seeded sixth in the 100, second in the 200 and third in the 400. She could win all three events. In a close triple jump field – seeds 3 to 11 are separated by nine inches – Bailey Nickel could score for the Beavers. Nickel is also seeded sixth in the 100 hurdles.
Stars can put a team into the top-three and it will be interesting to watch Scott City against Andale. But Andale, with the pole vault tradition, should earn the crown.
Class 4A Boys:
This class has some terrific individuals, including Trinity’s Tyler Burns in the sprints, but Andale should win this class for the second consecutive year. The Indians have 12 entries, including Hunter Knoblauch, ranked No. 1 in the 400 and the 1-2 seeds in the pole vault. Lane Macari went 6-6 in the high jump at regional and Jeff Ast in second in the javelin. Goodland, which won the Abilene regional, will challenge for second place. Trey Teeter and Dax Ruhs will challenge the Andale duo of Ast and Luke Walstad in the javelin.
Class 5A Girls:
St. Thomas Aquinas, Andover and Maize South are the top three teams. All three have multiple standouts and No. 1 seedings. Maize South is first in the 3,200 relay, while Andover’s Jaylyn Agnew, a two-time defending state champion, is first in the high jump. Teagan Hayes is second in 200 dash for Maize South. Aquinas goes 2-3-4 in the 800, while Maize South goes 5-6-7. Aquinas also has three qualifers in the 1,600 and 3,200 and is second in the 3,200 relay. This should be a great competition, and Aquinas, with 16 competitors, should win.
Class 5A Boys:
Can Hays High win its fifth straight in Ryan Cornelsen’s last week of coaching before he heads to Hutchinson? I think they can. The Indians have enough firepower in the sprints with Alex Delton, jumps with Jordan Windholz and pole vault with Hayden Kreutzer. Carroll, HHS’ biggest challenger in the Indians’ run, has plenty of talent, especially in the distance. Look for Carroll to take second in a tight race, Mill Valley third.
Class 6A Girls:
Lawrence Free State, on the back of Texas track signee Alexa Harmon-Thomas, won its first state track title last year. This year, Harmon-Thomas has been hampered by injuries and only qualified in both hurdle events. Harmon-Thomas is the top seed in both races and is expected to end her great career with two more golds. If with Harmon-Thomas expected to get fewer points, Free State is stacked with 22 entries. Emily Venters is third in the 1,600, Bailey Sullivan is fourth in the 800, one of three competitors in the event. Claire Sanner is second in the 3,200. Olathe East is my pick to take second.
Class 6A Boys:
In what could be a very wide-open field, Olathe South gets the nod here on the strength of some high seeds, including Braden Smith in the throws and Tanner Green, ranked No. 1 in the 400, and Jared Reinke, ranked No. 3 in the 800. Olathe South is also third in both of the two shorter relays. Manhattan has 18 entries, including second in the two shorter relays.
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