Platte County senior Reese Pickett has qualified for state in the long jump, triple jump and high jump in the last two years.
The Platte County track and field team lost a large chunk of its top competitors from 2022, but still have a promising outlook this spring.
Platte County only has three athletes – all of which are girls – who made it to the 2022 5 State Track and Field Meet. Hannah Mand is the only leg coming back from the state qualifying 4x100-meter relay team, while also earning academic all-state honors and being an all-conference honorable mention in the 200-meter run.
Sisley Mitchell and Reese Pickett have both been to state each of the last two years. Mitchell made it to state on the 4x400-meter relay in 2021 before making it in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs last season.
Pickett is entering her senior season with an impressive field resume as she’s had state qualification in three separate jumping events up to this point. She had a fifth-place finish in the high jump and a 10th place finish in the long jump her sophomore season when Platte County was in Class 4 before taking 12th place in the triple jump last year after being bumped up to Class 5.
The Lady Pirates are also bringing back some talented athletes in field events, including Kenzie Palmer in the triple jump along with Joslyn Hupp and TaKayla Lawson in the shot put. Ava Filger and Payton Stadel will be the top hurdlers, while the freshman duo of Charley Sims and Haven Jale will bring in speed in the sprints.
For the Platte County boys, Connor Currence is the only individual who was a conference champion last spring, doing so in the 800-meter run. Currence was first-team all-conference in the 1,600-meter run, along with Andrew Johnson.
Johnson is a talented long distant runner, just finishing in eighth place last fall in the Class 4 State Cross-Country Meet. The senior will be running the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs this spring for the Pirates.
Cameron Wolfe will be dipping into both sprints and discus with triple jumper Andy McClure being another field event participant. Kade Minke will run long distance, Garett Smith will do sprints and Caden McGhee will compete in hurdles.
Senior Aaron Cordova hasn’t done track and field since he was in middle school but will add depth to the Pirates. Platte County will look to have strong outing in the competitive Kansas City Suburban Conference White Division this spring.