Eagles boys qualify eight events for sectionals, girls push through six

by Michael Smith


It’s the most important time of the season for high school track and field teams in Missouri.

Saturday was the start of the postseason for all teams in the state and the Grain Valley boys team stepped up big time.

Of the events that the boys that were seeded fourth or higher in their event, all of them finished where they were projected or high as the Eagles qualified for sectionals in eight different events in the Class 5 District 4 meet at Blue Springs South High School.

The Eagle boys took fourth place out of nine teams with 77 points. Columbia Rock Bridge High School won with 194.5 points.

“We hardly had any events where we underperformed,” Grain Valley head boys track coach Erik Stone said. “That was good see. We had some guys that were borderline on track to qualify and they placed higher than their seed.”

The strength of the team with the relay teams as all four punched their ticket to sectionals, which will take place next Saturday at Columbia Rock Bridge High School. The four finishers in each event moved on to continue their season.

Senior Nathan Allen assisted the Eagles in pushing through two relays. He was on the 4x800 team that took second place with a time of 8:10.56 and he teamed with Noah Olah, Rylan Smith and Keagan Hart in the 4x400. That foursome also took second with a time of 3:27.91.

“It was mostly my teammates, I just had a part in it,” Allen said of his team’s success in the relays. “Without my teammates, we would have not made it through. I think 110 percent chemistry, especially at the end of the season.”

The Grain Valley 4x100 team also made it through as it was fourth with a time of 44.18 seconds. The 4x200 team also took fourth at 1:30.21.

Smith, who was a part of two qualifying relay teams, also punched his ticket to sectionals in the 800-meter run as he was third at 2:02.44.

“The heat took a toll,” Smith said. “It was draining. (The 800) wasn’t as fast as I wanted to be. I went out kind of slow. I was kind of a bad position as the race went on. On the last 800, I just kicked it into gear and barely finished in front of the fourth-place guy.”

Other Eagles boys to push through to sectionals were junior Stylz Blackmon in the shot put (third, 14.91 meters), sophomore Blayden Pruett in the javelin (second, 48.53 meters) and sophomore Tyler Melton in the high jump (third, 1.81 meters).

“He’s just a kid who has improved and improved and improved,” Stone said of Pruett. “He kind of snuck up on the scene. Coach (Flip) Courter said if he can get to 46 (meters), he’s got a chance.

“Today, he was sitting in fourth before his last throw and he got a huge (personal record).”

Girls
Last season, sophomore Alyssa Carver just missed out on making it to state as she lost a tiebreaker to qualify in the pole vault event.

At district, she left no doubt that she was going to at least make it to sectionals as she took first place with a height of 3.47 meters, which was a personal record.

“I have improved a lot since last year just because of where I am mentally,” Carver said. “I just wasn’t very confident last year. I am really just going to the meets now and not stress about it. I just go out there and do what I know I can.”

Carver winning the pole vault was one of six events that qualified for sectionals. As a team, it finished sixth with 59 points. Blue Springs won with 187.

Senior Madison Rogers also had a banner day as she helped the 4x400 relay team qualify. It finished fourth with a time of 415:.85. She also made it in the 100-meter dash as she took fourth at 12.86 seconds.

“The 100 was pretty close,” Rogers said. “I really had to push myself on that one. We finished above where we were ranked, so that’s good (in the relay).”

Other events the Grain Valley girls qualified for were the 4x800 (fourth, 10:24.63), Izabella West in the triple jump (third, 11.32 meters) and Isabelle Salsman in the high jump (fourth, 1.54 meters).

​“West in the triple jump popped off a really good distance,” Grain Valley girls track coach Nick Small said. “She had a really good jump in the prelims and carried that over to the finals. High jump, Salsman keeps doing her thing. She’s mentally tough and she’s fun to watch.”

Grain Valley senior Keagan Hart races toward the finish line and helps the 4x400 relay team take second with a time of 3:27.91. Photo credit: Michael Smith​

Grain Valley senior Madison Rogers helped the girls 4x400 team qualify for seconds as it took fourth at 4:15.85. She also qualified in the 100-meter dash with a fourth-place finish at 12.86 seconds. Photo credit: Michael Smith