Bowling Green throws vs. St. Mary's sprints vs. Notre Dame Cape jumps
With Westminster and Lutheran St. Charles most likely moving up to Class 4 this spring, the Class 3 boys team race will come down to this question: Who can bring home the crown - St. Mary's sprinters, Bowling Green's hurlers, or Notre Dame Cape Girardeau's jumpers?
The Dragons, who will be retaining their school for the near future, should be staying in Class 3 for at least one more year. Their football team, which employs many of their star sprinters in the fall, is coming off another impressive season and Class 3 State Championship. They were fourth last season with 35 points, with Donovan McIntosh leading the way. He returns with personal bests in the 100, 200, and 400 of 10.84, 21.94, and 49.63, respectively. They were the champions in the 4x100 and 4x200 last spring, adding 20 big points to their total. Jamal Roberts, Chase Hendricks, Joshua Guyton, and Antonio Valentine are all important pieces, as well. It's a school with several stellar athletes so if they add to that core, it will be a dangerous crew.
Bowling Green scores the bulk of their points with their throwers, but it really is a balanced squad up and down. Their big name is Ben Chance in the distance events. The coach's son really put his name on the map this fall when he finished 2nd in the Class 3 State Cross Country meet behind Connor Burns. He finished 1st or 2nd in all 9 of his meets and ran 15:25.68. Chance did not qualify for the state track meet last year, but after shedding 54 seconds this fall and losing to only one of the greatest distance runners this state has seen, he should provide plenty of points this spring.
But it's the throwers that bring home many of those points led by Dylan Dalton, Gunner Bryant, Devin Rue, and Teddy Charlton. Dalton is ranked 2nd in the javelin (162-11.5) with Bryant coming in 5th (159-5). Rue and Charlton are ranked 4th and 6th in the discus with marks of 148-3 and 147-11.25, respectively. And Bryant's 44-4 in the shot put has him in the top 20 in Class 3, but only 2 feet off the top 8. These five young men, combined with hurdler/jumpers Bleyne Bryant and Marcus Starks, could really help carry Bowling Green.
Can Notre Dame Cape Girardeau's jumpers lead them to Class 3 glory, though? Gregory Dennis and Cole Bruenderman could very well score 30 points and sweep the high, long, and triple jumps for the Bulldogs. Dennis was 3rd last year in the high jump, but returns with the top mark in the field at 6-8.75. He could also throw in another 8 points leaping over the 110m hurdles, much like he did last spring in his personal best mark of 15.04. Bruenderman picked up 14 points for his team last spring when he placed 3rd in the long jump and 2nd in the triple jump. With Westminster theoretically moving up to Class 4, he will return with the top marks in both horizontal jumps with marks of 22-0.25 and 44-11.75, respectively.
It will be quite the battle between the three squads and could come down to the very last event. Expect plenty of fireworks in the Class 3 boys team race, even with the departure of two really big dogs.