Rhoads leads way with new school record, 12th at state

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

Cassville boys track and field coach Clay Weldy said the Wildcats showed steady growth throughout the season, leading to what he considered a successful campaign.

“It was successful, but we could’ve been better in a lot of areas,” he said. “We saw a lot of improvement as the season went on, so I grade that as successful.”

Weldy said improvement was evident across the entire roster and in every event group.

“Across the board we saw improvements,” Weldy said. “We had our kids get better in all events and have improvements throughout the season.”

Several moments stood out to Weldy during the spring, including a record-breaking performance and a state appearance.

“A couple moments stood out: Corbin making it to state in pole vault and him also breaking the school record in pole vault, and also the Big Race,” Weldy said.

At sectionals, Rhoads and Miller Bettis, of Fair Grove, both cleared 4 meters (13.12 feet) and Rhoads took the top spot by having less misses than Bettis throughout the competition. At state, Rhoads tied for 12th place out of 14 with a height of 3.65 meters.

Rhoads broke the school record at the Wildcat Relays, clearing 14 feet, 1-1/2 inches, topping the 40-year-old record of 14 feet, 1 inch set by Allen Osborne, which was matched 30 years ago by Jeremy Huse. 

Weldy credited the senior class with providing leadership while also producing points for the team.

“They were really good leaders for us, and they scored a lot of points for us this spring,” Weldy said. 

Looking ahead, Weldy said the Wildcats will benefit from returning experience throughout the lineup.

“We will return a lot of kids across most of our events, so that experience will come in to play as we start next season,” Weldy said.

Weldy said his primary goal remains individual improvement from the beginning of the season to the end.

“We just look for each kid to be better at the end of the season than they were at the beginning of the season,” Weldy said. “Through that improvement, the other stuff will take care of itself, like advancing to state, etc.”

With a strong group of returning athletes and a season marked by consistent progress, Weldy said the focus will remain on continued development as the program prepares for next spring.