816 area high school athletes excel at Kansas Relays

It’s no secret that Blue Springs senior twins Carlos and Khalil Davis will attend Nebraska on football scholarships. But they’re not giving up on their track careers just yet.

Two weeks after recovering from an ankle injury, Carlos Davis won the discus throw at the 88th Kansas Relays on Friday, with a toss of 194 feet, 7 inches.

“It’s been hard because I haven’t had time to work at it,” Carlos Davis said. “But I’m way ahead of the pace we were at last year.”

A scary thought.

Carlos Davis had the top throw in the nation last season — 212 feet, 5 inches — to win the Missouri Class 4 state championship. He stopped short of guaranteeing either he or his brother would top that mark this season. Khalil took third in the discus Friday with a mark of 181 feet, 1 inch.

“Last year, we were only throwing in the 170s at this time,” Carlos said. “I’ve already been in the 190s this year, so I’m pretty sure when the time comes, we will have a chance to top (last year).”

Carlos was also third in the shot put in Lawrence, with Khalil finishing fifth.

In other Kansas Relay news, Liberty North senior Andrew Madison, as he stood on the side of the track at Rock Chalk Park on Friday, backtracked to his junior season — a year that included three Missouri Class 3 state championships.

A victory at the Kansas Relays, he said, had propelled that memorable year.

Might he do it again?

Madison won the 110-meter hurdles Friday at the 88th Kansas Relays at Rock Chalk Park — a victory he hopes can set the tone for his senior campaign.

“I hope that’s how it works out,” Madison said. “I definitely plan on going back and winning state again. To come to an elite meet so early is always a good way to start your season.”

In addition to the 110-meter hurdles, Madison won the 300-meter hurdles race at the Class 3 state meet last season. He also ran a leg of the winning 4x200-meter relay team.

Baseball: Falcons are 16-0

The Staley baseball team had completed its first couple of weeks of preseason practice in early March, when Falcons coach David Wilson took a rundown of his roster. After a quick glance, he concluded the team would be built around two major strengths.

Speed and defense.

And he was rather optimistic that combination would produce plenty of victories.

“We live in Kansas City, so we know it works,” Wilson said. “Look at the Royals. It’s worked for them.”

It’s working for the Falcons, too.

Staley improved to 16-0 with a 13-3 win Monday against Excelsior Springs in the opening round of the Northland baseball tournament. Staley is the top-ranked team in the latest Missouri Class 5 baseball coaches poll, which was released Monday. Rockhurst is ranked third, and Liberty is ranked sixth in the same poll.

“We’ve got some guys that can really run, and we’re using that in a lot of ways — being able to take extra bases, stealing bases, defense,” Wilson said. “Those are plays that bring energy to the team. We’ve fed off that.”

Winning the first 16 games of the season, of course, requires more than a couple of strengths.

Jordan Robben and Parker Mertz have supplied power in Falcons’ lineup, combining for nine home runs and 46 RBIs.

Ace pitcher Jacob Miller is already 6-0 with a 1.28 earned run average.

“I think this is a really, really close group. They love to play together,” Wilson said. “And that makes them a lot of fun to coach. Of course, they have some talent, too. That always helps.”

Boys golf: Raiders take aim

Pembroke Hill coach Evan Scobie sensed the question was coming. After all, he’s heard it many times over the past several months.

A year after his Raiders won the Missouri Class 3 boys golf state championship, they returned four of the five players from their varsity lineup. Hence the question: Are the Raiders even better than they were last season?

“Yes, I think we’re better this year, to be honest,” Scobie said. “I think this group wants to break records. It has made goals to top everything any other team here has done.”

Setting those marks requires depth.

And the Raiders certainly have that. The group is led by senior Preston Fleenor, along with William Esrey, Charlie Hamilton and Jack Mitchell. All four played at the state championship meet last season. Add to that, freshman Nick Klock has provided consistently low scores to the lineup.

“I have the luxury of a lot of guys who can play,” Scobie said. “I think that’s what it’s going to take to win (the state championship) again. You have to have all of your guys — even the guys who aren’t your top players — push some of the other guys. We have that.”

Pembroke Hill is set to amp up its tournament schedule over the final month of the season, beginning with Friday’s entry in the Richmond Invitational.

This story was originally published April 22, 2015 at 4:22 PM with the headline "816 area high school athletes excel at Kansas Relays."