YOUTH IS SERVED: Griffith shines for Wildcats in SCC meet

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Sports

April 21, 2017 - 12:00 AM

BURLINGTON — Sprinters just seem to grow on trees in Moran and Steve Smith’s track and field program seems to have plucked another good one this year.
After losing state qualifiers Savanna Puckett and Austin Deer from last season’s Marmaton Valley squad, it would only make sense that Wildcat sprinters would take a step back while grooming the next batch of talented runners for a state push in a couple of seasons, but freshman Bailey Griffith clearly has other ideas.
Griffith has been spectacular to begin her first season at the high school level and her success was on display on Thursday in the Southern Coffey County Invitational when she turned in dominating performances to win comfortably the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes.
The 200 meters didn’t even provide a challenge for Griffith, as she cruised to the finish line with a 27.98. The runner-up from Wellsville finished with a 29.37 — closer to the sixth-place time of 30.58 than to Griffith’s mark.
The 100-meters provided a much stiffer challenge for the young Wildcat. With 2016 state qualifier Adina Ratliff of Southern Coffey County lining up against her, Griffith was in for a good race.
Griffith wasn’t to be denied though and was able to run a 13.25 and finish first with Ratzliff running a 13.65 for second.
“My goal is to place at state,” Griffith said.
Fans at Burlington didn’t even get to see the full arsenal of Griffith’s talents as she was held out of the triple jump and long jump on Thursday after excelling in both events already this season.
The Marmaton Valley team is far from an one-girl show this season, however, and Griffith is quick to thank her more experienced teammates for helping her make such a smooth transition to the high school level of competition.
“They help me keep calm and cheer me on,” Griffith said. “They push me and keep me going.”
Senior Kyla Drake is one of those talented upperclassmen and she is having a big-time season of her own in her return to the Wildcats this season.
“We have a great group of girls,” Drake said of her leadership role on the young team. “They are really hard working and will do anything for each other. That is all I can ask for. They just keep improving.”
After a strong sophomore season for the Wildcats, Drake joined the Wildcat softball team for her junior year, but this season she returned to the track and Marmaton Valley fans have to be excited to see her back.
“I was a little unsure about it,” Drake said. “I knew I was in the same shape as sophomore year, but after the start of the season, I’m really happy with my decision and I am coming back to   about the same numbers  as my sophomore year.”
Drake got the meet started off in style for her Wildcats by winning the high jump — the first event to conclude — with a 4’8”.
The high jump is a new event for Drake this season with her first time trying it being earlier this week in the Tuesday’s Gene Farrow Invitational in Burlington when she broke the school record with a 5’3.25” to win the meet.
While she didn’t quite match that mark on Thursday, Drake is still very happy with her performance.
“I just want to keep doing it and improving,” Drake said. “I’ve never done it and I’m not even 100 percent on my form yet. I’m excited to keep going up in that.”
The senior wasn’t done there, as she anchored the Wildcats 4×800 relay team.
After taking the baton with a Wellsville runner breathing down her neck, Drake was able to leave the Eagle in the dust and cruise to a 20-second victory as the Wildcats won the relay with a 11:11.99 time.
Drake wrapped up her meet in 800-meter run with a third-place finish. She ran a 2:40.53.
Other strong performers for the Wildcats included senior Brooklynn Newman, junior Shelby Yoho and freshman Allison Heim.
Newman took fifth in the shot put with a 29’10” and then finished sixth in the discus with a 88’7”.
Yoho, the Wildcats top cross-country runner from the fall, demonstrated her terrific endurance by joining Drake, Megan Ensminger and Heim on the 4×800 championship team. Yoho built the group a big lead with her opening-leg performance.
Yoho also took fifth in both the 1,600 meters and 800 meter with times of 6:15.34 and 2:48.02.
Heim rounded out the top finishers for the Wildcats with a 16:02.42 to take fifth in the 3,200-meter run.
The Wildcats finished third as a team on the girls’ side with 55 points — only behind Wellsville, the champions, and Olpe.

BOYS
Marmaton Valley junior Will Holman was the team’s top point-producer in Burlington.
Holman finished second in the discus with a 117’11.5” and fourth in the shot put with a 38’8.25”.
Senior Tony Jefferies added to the team’s top finishes in the throwing event with a fifth-place 124’10” in the javelin.
Josh Wise finished second in the long jump with a 18’9”.
The Wildcats took 10th as a team with 22 points.

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