Prime-time Tigers

Blake Price is getting pretty used to the drive down U.S. Highway 50 this time of the year.

The Smith-Cotton junior will be making his third appearance at the Missouri state track and field championships, which will be held Friday and Saturday at Dwight T. Reed Stadium on the Lincoln University campus in Jefferson City.

Price is the most experienced of the six S-C athletes who will represent the Tigers in the Class 4 meet.

Sharaden Staten will run the 110-meter high hurdles and the 1,600 relay team will represent the Tigers.

“We have not had a 4-by-4 relay go (to state) in I don’t know how long,” Smith-Cotton coach Brad Hagedorn said. “We have a very, very good group of kids that are coming through (the program) right now.”

Price, a two-time state medalist, is shooting for a personal record in the discus and said he feels like he’s got a chance to win.

“I want to win, I hate losing,” Price said. “Compete. I want to compete. The last couple of years it’s been like a kid threw 170 (feet). I haven’t thrown a 170. It was in me, I just didn’t get it. This year, I want to go compete.”

The junior finished fourth last year and the three who finished ahead of him are back again this season. Price’s personal best throw is 164 feet, he said, but he thinks he has a better throw in him.

“Everything’s just starting to click now,” he said. “I’m really confident in (my form) right now. I’m just working on the little things and hopefully it’ll get me to that 170 mark.”

Price, who won the sectional meet with a throw of 156 feet, 6 inches, said his previous experience at the state meet should help because there are always a few throwers that struggle because it’s their first state appearance.

Experience should help Staten, who ran in the state meet last year. Staten finished 15th in the hurdles last season and earned an all-state seventh-place finish in the high jump.

“(Experience) probably will help because I know what the atmosphere’s going to be like,” Staten said. “Seeing all the people in the stands and everybody’s cheering. You’ve got your adrenaline running.”

Staten took third in the Tigers’ sectional meet in 15.58 seconds. He said his goal at state would be to set a personal record and break the 15-second mark.

The relay team of Brandon and Brent Katzing, Andrew Byrd and Ethan Warren was a pleasant surprise for Hagedorn.

The Tigers ran a time of 3:27.54 to secure a nice sendoff for the Katzing twins and Warren — all seniors. It will be the first trip to the state meet for the Katzings.

“It’s been a long journey,” Brandon Katzing said. “The way I finished the race, I was just smiling the last like 20 or 30 meters.”

The relay team’s strong finish should give the Tigers momentum for the state tournament, Hagedorn said.

“Their confidence is through the roof and they’re already talking about running faster,” he said. “Anything can happen down there.”

The team hopes to finish around the 3:25 mark, a time that might be good enough to qualify for the finals and secure an all-state finish.

Staten will run in the preliminary high hurdles at 12:30 p.m. Friday and at the same time Saturday if he qualifies for the finals. The relay team will run at 6 p.m. Friday in the prelims and at 3:55 p.m. Saturday if it makes the finals.

Price will throw in the discus starting at 11 a.m. Saturday.