Over the next several weeks, Missouri MileSplit will be doing a deep dive into the top returners for each event heading into the 2025 Track and Field season. We will have premium rankings pieces highlighting the top 100 returners in each classification as well as an overall outlook for each event for all non-subscribers. Let's take a look a the Boys Javelin.
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Class 5 Outlook
Five Class 5 boys return for the 2025 season over 170 feet in the javelin, though one of them may be moving back to Class 4. Grain Valley's Blayden Pruett (pictured above) was the State runner-up last year by a mere 4 inches, but he is the front-runner now with the graduation of champion Jordan Smith. Pruett threw 57.43m (188-5) last March and cleared 170 feet ten times. The Pitt State commit will hope to make it 3-for-3 on the podium at State this season.
Blue Springs senior Vance Herring also threw over 180 feet at the Rusty Hodge Invitational last March, hitting 55.74m (182-10.5), before finishing the dreaded 9th at State. Isaac Woodward is third among returners and was eighth at the State meet last May with a 54.42m (178-6.5) personal best. That's three boys from the Kansas City area among the top three Class 5 returners. Thomas Preckel is the first East-sider in the mix with his 54.24m (177-11.5) personal best. Preckel was fourth overall last May. Washington's Nolan Hendrix is fifth among returners, though we expect Washington to head back to Class 4 this spring with their enrollment number. His 53.87m (176-8.75) mark would have fifth among Class 4 returners, as well.
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Class 4 Outlook
The Class 4 boys pack a punch heading into 2025 with the top four boys from last year's State meet all returning for another go-around this season. Kearney's Theodore Grace, a seasoned veteran from his young AAU days, will get one last chance at the outright State meet record this year after tying it to the millimeter last May. His 59.34m (194-8) heave came on his first attempt of the day and was followed by another 190+ throw. The two-time AAU National champion will look to make himself a two-time State champion this spring.
Kearney's Grace placed 7th at State in 2023
Sullivan's Robert York is not too far behind, though. He whipped out his personal best on his first attempt, as well, last May when he threw 57.62m (189-2) and would end up with the State silver medal. He is tied to he millimeter with Hillsboro's Preston Brown, who is Hillsboro's next big multi-event star. Brown was third overall in the Javelin at the 2024 State meet. Warrensburg's Ryan Munsterman makes it four boys over 180 feet this year with his 55.07m (180-8) best. Munsterman was sixth at the State meet, though, as it was Hillcrest's Aiden Myers who finished ahead of him in fourth. Myers finished out his season in style with a 53.81m (176-6) personal best. Grandview's Kevin Addison makes it six boys over 170 feet with a 51.83m (170-0.5) personal best. 
Grace grabbed the Gold in 2024 with Sullivan's York taking the Silver, and Hillsboro's Brown claiming the Bronze.
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Class 3 Outlook
Class 3 champion, Kelly senior Skyler Still is back for the 2025 season, but he will be heading down to Class 2 to do battle with their reigning champion, Gabriel Bowen. Still was 5 inches ahead of the silver medalist, Weston Marshall, at the 2024 State Championships, waiting until his last attempt to throw his personal best of 55.55m (182-3). The only returner over 180 feet in Class 3, Still will instead head into Class 2 to battle with three other of the State's best.
Bowling Green's Aiden Grote also posted his personal best at the State meet as his 53.77m (176-5) mark was good enough for third. He will be the preseason favorite for the crown with Skyler Still heading out of Class 3. About an hour south resides St. Charles West senior Kyle Cotton, who owns a 53.57m (175-9) personal best, two all-state medals, and an AAU All-American medal so far in his career. After this trio of boys with 170+ foot bests it is Ste. Genevieve's Paul Taylor and a 51.43m (168-8.75) personal best. Taylor was third at his District meet last season, but did not post a mark at his Sectional meet. The fourth best returner is Mt. Vernon's Hunter Dawson, whose 48.96m (160-7.5) best marks a fairly large gap between first and fifth compared to Classes 4 and 5. Dawson was sixth last May, just ahead of Strafford's Cody Voysey, who returns with a 48.6m (159-5.5) best mark. 
Five of the top seven state finishers return.
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Class 2 Outlook
Yet another 2024 State champion is back to defend his podium spot, but this one may not be quite as set in stone as the others we discussed. South Shelby's Gabriel Bowen only completed two throws at last year's State meet, one in prelims and one in finals, but the latter - a 52.84 (173-4) heave - was good enough to earn him the gold medal over Adrian's Bryson Jacobs. After throwing 52.65m for the State silver, Jacobs traveled to the USATF Junior Olympics and nearly cleared 60 meters, hitting 59.67m (195-9.25), a MO No. 6 all-time mark and US No. 10 mark among returners. Jacobs is now 20 feet clear of his next closest competitor and should be considered the top dog heading into the 2025 season.
Jacobs and Bowen will have a tall task to manage incoming Class 3 champion Skyler Still, who we mentioned above.
East Buchanan's Trey Johnson was hoping to defend his Class 2 crown in 2024, but fell to fourth. He still did throw a personal best 52.46m (172-1.25) at his Sectional meet and is third among Class 2 returners now. Sherwood's Luke Mainard is the only Class 2 returner in the 160s with his 50.93m (167-1) personal best. Mainard earned a fifth place medal at last year's State meet. Also on the podium at State last spring was Fayette's Carter Vroman. He's the next best returner on the season with his 48.4m (158-9.5) personal best.
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Class 1 Outlook
Polo junior Gage Gilbert after taking 4th in the 2024 Class 1 Boys Javelin