Buntz goes extra distance to anchor throwers’ 4×100 after posting school record in javelin

Cale Buntz went big on the first attempt of Friday’s home meet at Pirate Stadium.

In the end, three of the Platte County star senior’s throws would have bettered his previous school record, but the opener of 59.32 meters now stands as the best mark in program history. He needed most of the distance to hold off Smithville senior Jack Linder-Maloney (58.38 meters) to earn a victory in the Platte County Invitational.

Previously, Buntz set the school record during the 2025 postseason, eventually finishing fifth at state in Class 5. His previous PR came in the season-opening Liberty Time Trials at 55.14 meters, nearly 3 meters better than he threw at any point last year.

After the win Friday on the home runway, Buntz then stepped on the track and anchored the untimed, unsecured 4×100-meter throwers’ relay. He combined with junior Kelly Bullano — the other school-record holder in the javelin — and sophomores Millie Parker and Miller Bigus to come in first.

Despite a late charge from Park Hill, Buntz made an exaggerated sprinter’s lean at the line to provide an entertaining finish.

That finish ended up the capper for Platte County, which ended up second out of 13 teams in the final standings. Liberty North held on to win with 119 1/4 points after the Pirates were disqualified from the 4×400 for a false start.

Platte County did limit some of the normal entries ahead of Tuesday’s Suburban Conference White Division Championships, which the Pirates have won each of the past two seasons.

However, Platte County finished top three in four of the five scored relays. That included another impressive win for the reconfigured 4×100 in wake of a season-ending injury to star senior Braiden Stevens, a fifth-place medalist as a junior in the open 100. The Pirates maintained the first three legs of this season’s preferred lineup with seniors Adam Gisler, Ty Christopher and Adeboye Akande providing a solid lead to fellow senior Jackson Goodale on the anchor leg.

Goodale raced across the line unchallenged in 41.11 — one of the fastest times in Missouri history but slightly off of Platte County’s season-best of 40.93 and Missouri record 40.83 from last year’s Class 5 Sectional 4 meet. Park Hill finished a distant second on Friday at 42.67.

Gisler, Stevens, Akande and Christopher, running in that order, still hold the school record, but Platte County looks like a state title contender with the change after a broken foot ended Stevens’ season last month. The Pirates placed second last year in the Class 5 MSHSAA Track and Field Championships in an undeservedly disappointing finish to an outstanding season.

Platte County’s 4×200 of Akande, sophomore Cassius Guillory, Christopher and Goodale also placed first in 1:27.13 — not far off of a school record earlier this year. Guillory replaces Stevens on this unit after the four seniors ran 1:26.63 in the Ron Ives Invitational in the season-opener.

Akande stayed incredibly consistent in the open 200, winning in 22.21 in a tight finish with Kearney junior Samuel Way (22.26), while Platte County claimed second and third in the 100 with Christopher (11.01) and Gisler (11.03). Park Hill sophomore Sheldon Smith placed first in 10.97.

The other individual victory for Platte County came from junior Jaden Mathurin in the 110 hurdles. He continued a string of strong showings and finished at 15.34, just off the PR he set a week earlier at 15.28. The Pirates just missed the medal stand in the 300 hurdles with junior Maverick Troncin placing fourth in a career-best 40.70, breaking 41 seconds for the first time, while junior Zaden Batey ran the race for the first time (fifth, 41.31).

Platte County’s best distance finish came from the 4×800 relay of juniors Nick Fetterman, Zarren Moore and Nick Flowers plus sophomore Landon McKinzie. The Pirates (8:28.31) were a distant second place to Raytown (8:10.61).

McKinzie added a third in the 3,200 at 9:56.42. His first start of the season in the event resulted in a PR that shaved more than 35 seconds off of his previous mark from last year’s conference meet.

Outside of Buntz, Platte County’s top field event performance came from senior Drew Tyson, who won a tiebreaker for third at 1.78 meters. He cleared that height for a second time and came up just 9 centimeters shy of the PR he set at the Falcon Relays earlier this season.

Platte County freshman Jayden Horn just missed a medal in the shot put at 14.44 meters (fourth place), while junior Kyler Parker hit 14.30 meters (fifth place). Parker added a PR in the discus at 43.15 meters but finished seventh.