Joomla Login LightBox powered by WowJoomla.com

Not worried about making his way past lesser heights, Claypool could focus on what he needed to do while other competitors scratched out right way.

Oak Park High track and field coach Jason Fowler had a feeling the boys high jump at the Class 4 Sectional 4 meet Saturday, May 23, could come down to misses. His hunch proved right.

Devin Claypool’s early perfection earned him a third-place finish and a trip to the Class 4 State Track and Field Championships on Friday, May 29, and Saturday, May 30.

When Claypool did not miss at early heights in the event, and then nailed his first jump at 6 feet, 6-2 and 6-4, he did everything possible to punch his ticket to state.

It was a rough day for most of the Oak Park High track and field athletes at the Class 4 District 8 meet.

Although the Lady Oakies got three athletes — Liz Calvert, Rachel Hay and Michelle Kingsbury — to the sectional meet on Saturday, May 23 at Blue Springs South, Hay and Kingsbury’s performances left them hoping for better this week.

Last year, Oak Park High’s No. 1 doubles team was on fumes by the time it advanced to the Class 2 boys tennis state tournament. Dominant all year, the duo lost some of its edge when Quentin Osborn came down with a shoulder injury forcing him to serve side-arm.

This season, the Northmen’s No. 1 doubles team of Preston Coughlin and Shauheen Mahoutchian will be full strength at state. They used a three-set win (6-3, 1-6, 6-2) against St. Joseph Central at the Class 2 District 8 tournament Thursday, May 14, to earn a trip to state. Coughlin will be making his second trip, while this will be the first trip for Mahoutchian.

In the first game of Oak Park High’s baseball season, Kearney used a rally in the bottom of the seventh to beat them. In the semifinals of the Class 4 District 16 tournament Monday, May 18, Kearney rallied in the top of the seventh to end the Northmen’s season.

Oak Park was two outs from moving one step closer to its fifth straight district title, before Kearney began a one-out rally. Kearney lead-off hitter Dylan Cole laced a double over the left fielder’s head to start things. Aaron Henrichs singled to put runners on first and third. With Kearney’s No. 3-hitter Alex Klonowski coming to the plate, Oak Park coach Troy Andrews had a decision to make. He could pitch to him or put him on base to put a force situation at every bag.

On the girls side it is tough to deny the force his field event participants Rachel Hay (shot put), Michelle Kingsbury (triple jump) and Liz Calvert (high jump) have been. Both Hay and Kingsbury were Suburban Big Six Conference champions in their respective events and look to carry those performances over to district championships beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 16, at Park Hill High.

Oak Park High golfer Ryan Grun found himself in a difficult position Tuesday, May 5. After posting an 85 in the Class 4 District 8 golf tournament at The Deuce at The National Golf Club of Kansas City, all Grun could do was wait and see if it would be good enough to advance to the state tournament May 18-19 at Rivercut Golf Course in Springfield.

“Nothing was really going through my mind, I was just sitting here watching scores and waiting,” Grun said. “My round was bad … terrible … it should have been better. I had three doubles in a row on the back nine.”

Oak Park High boys tennis coach Phil Gegen figured he could go a couple of different ways with his lineup. He could put his top two players, No. 1 Preston Coughlin and No. 2 Shauheen Mahoutchian, together as a doubles team, or he could split them up and put them in the singles brackets and field two other doubles teams.

Gegen went with the first option and it paid off as the Northmen finished right behind Park Hill in the Suburban North Division Tennis Tournament.

The last time Oak Park High stepped on the track in a competitive situation was at the Tiger Classic in Lee’s Summit on April 25.

It is exactly what coach Jason Fowler wanted, and he is pleased with his team’s status heading into the Suburban Big Six Conference meet Wednesday, May 6, and Friday, May 8, at Park Hill High.

It was a baseball game that just sort of happened. Both teams competed, but it did not feel like there was a lot of intensity in Oak Park High’s 2-1 win against Park Hill on Monday, May 4.

“There wasn’t a whole lot going on, and it was a fast game,” right fielder Bubba Dotson said. “I looked up and it was already the fifth inning. It was a 2-1 ballgame and both sides played real well I thought.”