Missouri high school spring sports: Five boys to watch

The Missouri high school spring sports season is in full swing. With state championship events just more than a month away, here are five male athletes to keep an eye on during the rest of the spring.

Carlos Davis, Blue Springs, senior

The top discus throw in the state this season belongs to Carlos Davis, who launched a toss of 193 feet, 7 inches at the Rusty Hodge Invitational on April 2.

Not a bad throw, right?

Well, it still doesn’t come close to topping the mark Davis set at the Missouri Class 4 state championship meet last season, when he recorded the top throw in the nation — 212 feet, five inches — to win the state title.

Davis’ top competition across the state this season will come from his twin brother, Khalil. The pair of dual-sport athletes have signed with Nebraska to play football.

Marquise Doherty, Winnetonka, senior

After starring on the football field last fall, Doherty has migrated to the baseball diamond, where he’s considered an equally elite prospect. The 6-1, 205-pound outfielder has committed to Missouri as a dual-sport athlete, but he’s no lock to make it to Columbia.

In addition to landing on The Star’s All-Metro football team last fall, Doherty is one of the state’s top baseball draft prospects. If his stock improves enough this spring, he could opt for a professional baseball career rather than a collegiate path.

It didn’t take Doherty long to find his swing this spring. In the second week of the season, he hit a home run in the seventh inning of a 3-2 win against William Chrisman.

Jack Evans, Rockhurst, senior

Evans teamed with Joe O’Connor to win the Missouri Class 2 doubles state championship in thrilling fashion last spring. A year later, both players return to lead the Rockhurst Hawklets in defense of their Class 2 team state title.

Evans, a three-star recruit, impressed in the doubles bracket last season, but he’s no slouch in singles, either. He won a bevy of USTA tournaments over the off-season, and he has already notched a pair of convincing wins this season. He could opt to make a run at the Class 2 singles title next month rather than defend his doubles title.

Preston Fleenor, Pembroke Hill, senior

Pembroke Hill won the Missouri Class 3 golf state championship last spring, and Fleenor was the golfer to pave the way. He posted the best final-round score (72) among all golfers and finished in seventh place overall.

As a senior, the Missouri commit has set a goal to win an individual state title. Fleenor took home medalist honors Monday against Rockhurst, following up the same achievement against Barstow last week and against Blue Springs and Blue Springs South the week before.

Pembroke Hill traveled to Palm Desert, Calif., for a tournament last month, and Fleenor finished 15th out of 255 golfers, shooting 6-over for the three-round event.

Brian Sharp, Liberty North, senior

Before he even stepped foot onto the baseball diamond this spring, Sharp already owned school records for career hits, runs and doubles. A Missouri signee, he posted the second highest average (.453) in program history last season.

Sharp is noted for his athletic ability, and he was also the school’s starting quarterback on the football team and starting point guard on the basketball team. But he calls baseball his first love, and it’s easy to see why. He had a .550 on-base percentage last season.

The third baseman is one of only three returning starters from a Liberty North team that set a school record with 27 wins last season. The Eagles are 8-4 this spring.

This story was originally published April 14, 2015 at 1:07 PM with the headline "Missouri high school spring sports: Five boys to watch."