Friday afternoon is the beginning of championship season in the KC Metro, with the Sunflower League schools heading to ODAC. The 14-school league features all of the Olathe and Shawnee Mission schools, along with Mill Valley, Gardner-Edgerton, Free State, and Lawrence.
Entries close on Thursday night, so they aren't final as of the writing of this article. Major entries so far, though, include Olathe East's Damiya Richards and Olathe North's Kaliyah Jordan in the sprints, Olathe Northwest's Olivia Cooper in the hurdles, and Olathe Northwest's entire throws squad.
If you haven't had a chance to see the Ravens throw this season, now is the time. Val Galligan, Jillian Huckabey, Kendall Yarnell, and Adrienne Locke-Garcia are all studs on the girls side, while Kyle Souders can fling a spear as far as anyone. Souders and Gardner-Edgerton's Dawson Kindler will be quite a battle on the javelin runway.
Sunflower Boys Rankings | Sunflower Girls Rankings
Olathe South's Jordan Allen and Olathe East's Brett Carroll will also highlight the boys throws.
Kanyon Yazzie and Rosjai Curtis are both solid jumpers for Shawnee Mission North. Michenainda Aritus from Olathe Northwest will have a say in the girls' competition, though, and watch for either of Olathe North's Parrish brothers to go flying.
Free State's Reese Hulcher will look for redemption in the high jump after losing to Olathe South's Kaitlyn Otroszko last week.
Olathe West hasn't submitted entries yet, but you can expect their girls distance squad and relays to shine. The Owls will be fighting for the team trophy, likely against Olathe North & Northwest.
Shawnee Mission East has some interesting entries so far, with Wyatt Haughton slated to make a return in the 400. East has the top entries in both the 4x400 and 4x800. Micah Blomker is entered into a loaded 800m field, while Gardner-Edgerton's Parker Walion and Olathe Northwest's Jacob Norris will be strong factors in the 1600 and 3200, respectively.
With a handful of schools yet to submit entries, this could all change in the blink of an eye, but one thing is certain: The Sunflower League will provide the best track & field entertainment in the KC Metro this weekend, and you won't want to miss it.