Raytown South athlete endures a second disappointment; other track notes

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PHOTOS BY R.J. ORIEZ | Special to The Kansas City Star

Plenty of Kansas City area athletes had top-five finishes at the state meet last weekend, including Pembroke Hill’s Tiffani McReynolds (above, right), Lee’s Summit West athletes Lauren Cheadle (top left photo) and Taylor Manaco (bottom left photo), as well as O’Hara’s Max Storms and Harrisonville’s Max Korolev (top right photo).

more girls track and field...

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• The Star’s selection process
• All-Metro girls track athlete of the year: Breeana Coleman
• Olathe East girls relish Kansas 6A track and field team title
• NKC junior wins girls triple jump; other track notes

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It could have happened to anybody, but once again, it happened to Raytown South sophomore Marquise Cushon.

Last Friday at the Missouri Class 4 state track and field state championships in Jefferson City, Cushon experienced the bitter taste of defeat in a last-gasp effort by an opponent. Last fall he was on the field in St. Louis in the Class 5 state football championship game when a Hazelwood East wide receiver caught a pass in the end zone as time expired to defeat Raytown South. This time, Cushon, the state’s leading triple jumper going into the championships, held first place and was thinking the title would be his when Lee’s Summit West senior Bobby Carter overtook the lead on his final attempt and won the state championship with a leap of 48 feet, 3 inches. Cushon finished as the runner-up at 47-5½.

Cushon could not help but notice the similarities between the two championships that disappeared in the wink of an eye.

“I kinda feel like after we lost to Hazelwood East,” Cushon said, “there are all these last minute, last second things (happening)

“Second place at state twice when you think about my age, that’s good, but it just doesn’t feel as good as first place.”

Cushon’s teammate, Derek Blevins, who won the event in 2008, wrapped up his high school career with third place only 3 inches behind Cushon.

“It hasn’t happened to me before. No one’s ever out jumped me on the last jump,” Blevins said. “I’ve seen it happen before. Now I know how it feels.”

Center relay winsThe Center boys’ 400-meter relay team overcame seasons of frustration to win its first Class 3 state title on Saturday.

“It’s unreal, finally winning the state championship,” senior first-leg runner Arrick Ridgell said. “We’ve had chances to do it, but there were always mishaps.”

Mishaps like injuries sidelining two key performers last season, but this year the runners remained healthy and undefeated all the way through.

“It was just about setting the bar for the guys,” said Ridgell, the only senior of the foursome, “so they can take it much higher.”

After reaching the pinnacle, Ridgell, junior Kenneth Roach, sophomore Deron Kirkwood and junior Anthony Hall, III, can now enjoy the spoils of their victory. Or as Roach put it: “Now we get some real food!”

Rookie places secondBefore Blue Springs South junior Dominique Wright’s first state meet experience, he wrote “Facing the Giants” on his track spikes. The quote comes from a movie title in which Wright has found inspiration.

“Ever since football, I’ve been the underdog like they were in the movie,” Wright said. “I like that. (People thinking) I’m not any good, and it helps me.”

So last Saturday, Wright finished second in the Class 4 200-meter dash in 21.95 seconds.

“I think I accomplished what I wanted to,” he said.

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