Class 2 Boys Coach of the Year
Kelsey Boswell, Lawson (Lawson, Ray County)
The Lawson Cardinals claimed the 2022 state title, eking out the win over Whitfield by 1/2 of a point. After already having won the javelin and taking 8th in the discus, Lawson senior Garron Blair was competing in the high jump as Whitfield ran to victory in the 4x400. The 10 points earned with a victory in the meet's final track event got Whitfield to 48 points, but Blair appeared to still be alive in the high jump when most had gone out.
Blair was one of 10 to advance when the bar was raised to 1.90-meters/6-2.75''. Only three competitors cleared that height and continued on. Blair was unsuccessful like most at nearly 6-3'', but with no misses on the previous three heights, Blair tied Marionville's Wil Carlton. A 4th-place finish earns 5 points and 5th-place earns 4 points, so a two-way tie for 4th meant both boys earned 4.5 points.
That boosted Lawson's total to 48.5 points, edging Whitfield by less than a full point. Had any of the five other athletes who finished with a best clearance of 1.85-meters/6-0.75'' and not had any misses at previous heights like Blair and Carlton, then more points would have been added to the pool and separated into even more pieces. That didn't happen though and Lawson claimed the state title.
The Cardinals were led by Blair and Cooper Slominski. Slominski won the 110-meter hurdles and triple jump and was 2nd in the 300-meter hurdles.