Competing in the Class 3 District 6 track and field championships, the McDonald County track teams should have a good shot to advance athletes to the next round.

The Mustangs will be led by speed and strength. Junior Kord Stancell, a conference champion in the shot put, will look to build on that success. He took second in the discus with a personal record at 161 feet.

Randy Mustain will run in the both the 200-meter and 400-meter. He won the 200-meter conference championship.

Blane O’Bannon was second in the 400-meter and should have a shot at placing in the top four at districts.

John Graham had a personal record in the triple jump and will run in the 300-meter hurdles.

The 400-meter and 800-meter relay teams will also factor in the picture. That team is made up of Mustain, O’Bannon, Graham and Tristan Cumming.

The girls’ 1,600-meter team will look to repeat its success of last year and get back to state. Most of the team is intact. Back is Shaye Buttram, Tessa Robertson and Gayla Booth. A fourth runner back in is Des Reese, but she is battling a hamstring injury and is questionable for the meet. If she can’t run, Alex Dusseau will fill in.

Booth, a senior, won the Southwest Conference high jump championship with a jump of 5-feet, 4 inches and should factor into the district title picture. She will also compete in the triple jump.

Robertson will run in the 100-meter dash and 100- and 300-meter hurdles.

Simone Palmer, fifth at sectionals last year, will run in the 3,200-meter. Emily Nobahartana was fifth last year at sectionals in the long jump and will look to get back there. She will also run in the hurdles.

Seneca

A senior dominated team will look to lead Seneca to the second round of competition in track and field.

The first hurdle comes Saturday as the team will compete in the Class 3 District 6 tournament in Nevada.

Seneca will be sending only 11 athletes to the meet, only three on the boys’ side.

“Our team is senior dominated,” said Seneca coach John Wydick. “I would say our team’s strength is our senior leadership. We have several athletes that have gone to state last year and experienced competition at the highest level. What is great about these 11 athletes is that they are extremely competitive. They have the inner drive to do what it takes to win. They are not happy coming in second. It is easy to coach these great kids because they are self-motivated. Seneca will miss this group of seniors next year.”

Those competing on the girls’ side will be seniors Alex Close, Tia Cook, Melea Cook, Dalene Cook, Morgan Cooper, juniors Mandi Yust and Grace Hubbard and freshman Jordanne Wright.

On the boys’ side will be seniors Josh Moudy and Josh Granger, and junior Travis Cole.

“For the last three meets, including the Big 8 Conference meet, the girls have swept the 400-meter, 800-meter and 1,600-meter relays,” said Wydick. “Tia Cook, Alex Close, Grace Hubbard, Melea Cook, Dalene Cook and even freshman Jordanne Wright have really clicked in the relays and we feel that we have the edge when it comes to these events. These girls can all step in and deliver a winning performance.”

Close, a Missouri Southern signee, has been a standout in the 400-meter run and the sister duo of Melea and Dalene Cook has excelled in the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles.

Cooper went to state last year in the long jump and will have a shot at getting back. Wright took first place in the pole vault event at the Missouri State Relays and could advance out of districts to sectionals next weekend in Branson.

On the boys’ side, Moudy has improved in the 400-meter dash throughout the season, shaving six seconds of his time. He has regularly placed in the top three in most meets.
Granger, like Wright, has performed well in the pole vault and could advance.

Cole, a wide receiver for the football team, uses his quickness in the 100-meter and 200-meter and could move on.

“Coach Ray Krogh, Murphy Collinsworth and myself have really enjoyed working with these athletes this year,” said Wydick. “We couldn’t ask for better kids.”

Wydick noted he expects East Newton and Carl Junction to be among the top boys’ team in the field. On the girls’ side, he expects Monett, Carl Junction and Carthage to be among the teams challenging for the district title.

“With our lack of depth in the girls and boys side, we really have to stretch our team out to be able to fill spots,” said Wydick. “However, the core of the team is strong as any. We look to a great day of competition Saturday.”

East Newton

 Can the East Newton Patriots track and field team make it three district championships in a row?

That is the question that will be answered Saturday as the team competes in the Class 3 District 6 meet at Nevada High School, a new host site as the football field remodeling at Carl Junction experienced delays due to weather.

The Patriots won the district championship in 2006 in Class 2. Last year, after being bumped up to Class 3, East Newton won the title.

The team returns to the district meet with a combined five individual and relay champions from last year.

“Our goal is to qualify in as many events as possible,” said East Newton coach Mark VanSlyke. “If, on the boys’ side, we win a district title that would be icing on the cake. On the girls’ side, we will want to qualify as many as we can (to sectionals). The girls might qualify in as many as nine events, if we have a good day. The competition is stiff. It is a deep field on the ladies’ side, especially. The boys may qualify (place in the top four) in as many as 11 events.”

VanSlyke noted he expects the Patriots to receive a challenge from Carthage and Branson for the team title. He expects Branson, Carthage and Reeds Spring to standout on the girls’ side.

“This is the time of the year that we need to be peaking and performing our best,” said VanSlyke. “We have had good practices and could possibly see some more school records fall.”

On the boys’ side, the team won the district championship in all four relay events. Jacob Khan is back as the champion of the 100-meter dash.