JEFFERSON CITY – Valle Catholic began chasing its second Class 1 state track title with a flourish Friday.
Valle Catholic had amassed 28 quick points before the crowd even had a chance to descend on the famous pork steak sandwiches outside of Dwight T. Reed stadium at Lincoln University.
The Warriors started the two-day state meet with a victory in the 3,200-meter relay (8:23.95). Calvin Calvis gave Matt Bauman a slight lead heading into the third leg, and Bauman blew open the race to leave little doubt anchor Nicholas Klein would secure the early 10 points.
“We were told, and we see this, that the (3,200 relay) in regular meets always sets the tone for all the other events so it means a lot that we were able to do it,” Calvis said.
Not long after the relay team stepped off the podium, Ryan Hermann took his place on the top step after winning the discus with a throw of 145 feet, 9 inches.
“I was nervous all week; at practice I was just trying to do my best and fix everything I had wrong,” said Hermann, who set a new PR by 11 inches. “Coach told us if we wanted to win this thing that we had to start strong. So I was trying to do my best and get 10 points for the team.”
Valle had two of the top three seeds entering the pole vault, but Tyler Wengert could not find his rhythm. That left Ollie Naeger to pick up some more points for the Warriors, and he added a foot to his previous best to clear 13-6 and capture second place.
“I was only expecting to get maybe 13-0 if I was lucky, and I got 13-6, which last year would’ve been first,” Naeger said. “Eight points should be good. As a team, being the defending champs, it’s definitely important and coming in and doing what you’ve got to do.
“I meditated on it, and I think that really helped me just focusing on it and picturing myself going over the bar. I was definitely surprised with 13-6; I really was not expecting that.”
While Valle Catholic continues to flex its track muscle, Tolton Catholic is in its track infancy.
Tolton is the new Catholic school in Columbia, and is competing in the state meet for the first time. Freshman Chase Freidel is the school’s lone state qualifier, and she placed third in the Class 1 long jump (16-2 ¼) to give the Trailblazers their first all-state track athlete.
Freidel said she moved to Moberly from Nebraska in middle school and attended St. Pius before opting to be in the inaugural class at Tolton.
“I heard Principal (Kristie) Wolfe speak and knew I had to be a part of it because of everything – the academics and athletics,” said Freidel, who also qualified for Saturday’s finals in the 400. “I knew the athletics would get there, too.”
DeKalb freshman Ryleigh Reagan made a splash of her own in the 1,600-meter run. Reagan was trailing race leaders Mackenzie Weis of Midway and Kamrie Meyer of Valle Christian by a widening margin. As Weis began her kick heading into the final 200 meters, Reagan had already started to reel in the leaders.
Reagan picked up speed and blew by the front-runners to open up a growing gap down the final straightaway to capture first in the 1,600 in 5:23.62.
“I was trying to stay behind the first-place girl the whole time, but the last lap my coach has been working with me on it all year so it paid off,” Reagan said. “In the beginning, I didn’t even think I was going to make it into the top eight with as many girls ahead of me.”
Reagan becomes Dekalb’s second track state champion. Her cousin, McKenzie Reagan, won the 800-meter run in 2009 and 2010.
Weis finished runner-up in 5:25.82 and said she had no idea Reagan was coming.
“She flew up ahead of us so I thought, ‘Alright, I’ll try to go with her,’ but she’s good,” Weis said. “I didn’t realize she was that close to us.”
Weis, the two-time defending cross country champion, has been wearing a boot on her right foot to protect a stress reaction for the past few weeks. She has been limited to stationary bike workouts and elliptical machines, shedding the boot only to race.
“I think the biggest part is mentally,” said Weis, who said she didn’t want to risk further damage before heading to Missouri State next year. “I definitely think as I’m going through it, ‘I have not run, I have not run, what am I going to do?’ But I know I have a really good base and could run forever, but it’s still scary to think about.”
Princeton’s Blake Goodin moved closer to his quest of capturing an unprecedented 11 state boys track titles. Goodin, who only missed a gold medal in the 800 as a freshman, pulled in his ninth championship by winning the 3,200-meter run in 10:12.88.
“It’s best to push it out of your mind,” Goodin said. “The more you think about it, the more you worry. I’m at nine state titles right now, and it’s incredible to believe that I’m just two away from the all-time record. If I can do that tomorrow, I’ll be one happy Wildcat.”
Roughly 20 minutes after his 3,200 Goodin was anchoring the 1,600-meter relay to a spot in Saturday’s finals. His coach had him with a 51-second split, and he moved the team up three places during his lap. He also advanced out of the 800 prelims to keep his hunt for 11 gold medals intact.