CARTHAGE, Mo. — Donovyn Fowler showed he’s more than a jumper on Friday night at Carthage High School’s David Haffner Stadium.
A senior standout, Fowler won three events against the league’s best, leading the Joplin Eagles to a Central Ozark Conference championship.
Led by five event wins, Joplin compiled 112 points to finish at the top of the team standings. Willard was second with 97 points and Republic took third with 92.
An Oklahoma signee, Fowler repeated as the conference long jump champion by recording a mark of 7.45 meters. The jump is not only a JHS school record, but also the top mark in the state of Missouri this season.
Fowler won the triple jump with a leap of 15.15 meters, improving upon his runner-up finish last year in the event. Fowler has now placed first in both jumping events at every meet this season.
But that’s not all. Fowler also took first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.71 seconds. Those points proved key for the Eagles.
Fowler also ran a leg of Joplin’s 4×100 relay team with Davin Thomas, Luke Vieselmeyer and Tayshaun Palmer that finished fifth.
In addition to Fowler’s three wins, the Eagles won two other events, as senior Donovahn Watkins took first in the shot put with a heave of 18.23 meters and junior Hobbs Campbell crossed the line first in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:55.
Campbell was a close runner-up in both the 1600 and the 3200. He was nipped at the finish line by Neosho’s Kaden Cole in the 1600 and by Ozark’s Gabe Bauer in the 3200.
The Eagles were third in the 4×800 relay, with Evan Matlock, Ian Horton, Zaben Barnes and Nicholas Horton running.
Also for JHS, Orion Norris took fourth in the 200 and Barnes was fifth in the 3200.
Neosho’s boys finished sixth in the standings with 78 points, while Webb City was seventh with 70 points.
Neosho’s Cole won the 1600-meter run with a school record time of 4:15.19. A Missouri Southern recruit, Cole also placed third in the 3200.
Also for the Wildcats, Jared Siler won the high jump (1.90m) and was the runner-up in the triple jump (12.91m). Finishing third in their events for the Wildcats were Eric Bebie (110 hurdles) and Isaiah Green (long jump, triple jump), while Tyrese Hill was fourth in the 100.
The Wildcats placed fourth in the 4×100, with Brock Franklin, Siler, Evan Haskins and Hill competing.
Webb City junior Grayson Smith returned from an ankle injury to win the pole vault. In his first action in weeks, Smith cleared 4.86 meters (16 feet), a school record.
The Cardinals won the 4×100 relay in 43.65 seconds, with Jordan Thornburg, William Headrick, Dupree Jackson and William Wolfe competing.
Webb City’s 4×800 relay team of Daunte Smiles, Roman Borboa, Mason Hedger and Evan Stevens finished second in 8:07. The Cardinals were third in the 4×200, with Thornburg, Wolfe, Jackson and Headrick competing.
Finishing third in their events for the Cardinals were Justin Allen (pole vault) and Wolfe (200), while taking fourth were Wolfe (high jump) and Trey Roets (javelin). Lucas Ott was fifth in the javelin
Carthage’s boys fared well in the relays.
The Tigers were second in the 4×400, with Braxton McBride, Miquel Solano, Tyler Burt and Landen Schrader finishing in 3:27.
The CHS team of Schrader, Luke Gall, Cooper Jadwin and Aiden Rogers were third in the 4×100.
The Tigers placed fourth in the 4×200 relay, with Schrader, Taye Washington, McBride and Jadwin running.
Carthage’s Solano took third in the 800, while Daryl Martin placed fourth in the 300 hurdles. Also for the Tigers, Micah Lindsey was fifth in the shot put and sixth in the discus, Tyler Burt placed fifth in the 400 and Zachary Lansford took sixth in the javelin.
COC Track Meet
Boys team standings: Joplin 112, Willard 97, Republic 92, Ozark 84.5, Nixa 82.5, Neosho 78, Webb City 70, Branson 68, Carthage 52, Carl Junction 5.
FULL RESULTS: Central Ozark Conference Championship Meet 2022 – Central Ozark Conference Meet 20 (Raw) (milesplit.com)
