WICHITA — Arms outstretched as he crossed the finish line, Jamaal Jackson claimed the title of Fastest Man in Kansas for Class 4A as he won the 100m dash at the KSHSAA State Track and Field Championships on Saturday.
Jackson’s time of 10.65 seconds tied the state meet record, set by Buhler’s Jordan Hawkins in 2019.
“I was feeling great. I accomplished something big,” Jackson said. “Once the gun went off and I took my first step, I knew I was going to do something good. I’ve been chasing this all year and I felt like I had a good environment. So I knew it was over.”
After Jackson crossed the finish line, he sprinted to the infield to celebrate as the Labette County coaching staff was jubilant in the stands.
“I knew he had a good start, and he just was incredible,” Labette County boys track coach Bradley Argabright said. “To tie the state meet record, that’s an incredible achievement. We’re proud that he’s a face of our program.”
Jackson also earned an individual medal in the 400m dash, placing second with a time of 47.98. Holton’s Brayden Peek set the meet record in the race with a time of 47.70.
“He ran the fifth fastest 400 of anybody at state and he still got second, so you can’t be displeased with the effort,” Argabright said. “I was so happy with Jamaal and his effort. You can’t fault him for PRing.”
Keegan Stritzke also gobbled up points for Labette County’s boys, finishing second in the shot put (52-7.75) and third in the discus (167-11).
“He made huge strides this season,” Argabright said. “The growth he showed this year is a testament to how he finished. I knew he could make some noise. He made a statement for himself. He put up a PR in both the discus and shot put. He catapulted our team.”
Labette County’s boys 4x100m relay team of Jackson, Nolan Nash, Barrett Hestanda and Deontae Fields earned a medal with a third place finish (43.11).
“They had a good day,” Argabright said. “I know they wanted to win it. But they ran their second best time of the year. They kept getting better and better. And we bring everybody back from that group. So we’ve got great building blocks.”
Labette County finished seventh as a team with 38 points, the highest finish in school history for the boys.
“It shows we made a lot of growth as a team,” Argabright said. “We had good numbers out and we exceeded our expectations. We got second at league and did a nice job at the regional meet. Then we focused on doing every little thing we could to do well at state. I’m pleased with the guys.”
Other state competitors for Labette County’s boys included Fields placing 15th in the 200m dash prelims (23.58), the 4x800m relay finishing 15th (8:45), Hestand taking 10th in the long jump (20-7.5) and Malachi Dewey finishing 12th in javelin (155-5).
Witty shines for LC girls Freshman Presley Witty announced her presence to the state in Wichita, placing fourth in the 100m dash (12.29) and third in the 200m dash (26.65) to earn two individual medals.
Witty also took ninth in the 100m hurdles prelims (16.24).
“It was a good learning experience for her. For a freshman, that’s a lot of pressure she was feeling. I don’t know if she’d say that herself, but I’m sure she was feeling it,” Labette County girls track coach Chris Wacker said. “She showed up and competed well, especially in that 200. The time she ran would’ve won state last year, but the level of competition has really gotten better.”
Landry O’Brien was the only other individual medalist for Labette County’s girls, taking seventh in the 400m dash (1:00.75) despite battling illness the entire meet.
“You’ve seen it in basketball with her — that’s who Landry is,” Wacker said. “When she finished the 400 in prelims, she threw up a lot after that. We were expecting Anna (Cantrell) to take her spot in the 4x400. But Landry is too much of a competitor. It speaks to who she is and I’m super proud of her.”
Labette County’s 4x400m relay team of Witty, O’Brien, Kinsley Boss and Aubrey Boss finished sixth with a time of 4:09.15.
“I felt like that group had all ran great times,” Wacker said. “Presley had run under a 60 second split. So had Kinsley. I felt like if that group hit on the right day, it was something special. In the prelims, they set the school record and still barely snuck us in. It took a lot for that group to make it in. For them to finish sixth and get three seniors that last medal was fun to see.”
Anna Cantrell, one of the most accomplished distance runners of the century for Labette County, finished 12th in the 1,600m run (5:44) and 13th in the 800m run (2:33). She was also on the 4x800m relay that finished 10th (10:08).
“It was hard seeing her go through the meet and not get a medal. In the 4x800, we ran a second faster than last year where we placed fifth,” Wacker said. “But the competition was just so tough. She still ran her races great. In the mile, she made a great move to try and chase the podium in the third leg. But she always put herself out there. She leaves an impression as one of the greats of distance running at Labette County.”
Other girls competitors at state for Labette County included Kinsey Bebb getting 13th in discus (101-10) and Samantha Martin placing 12th in pole vault (8-6).
Landry O’Brien races in the Class 4A 400m dash on Saturday at the KSHSAA State Track and Field Championships in Wichita. Sean Frye/Sun photo
