Smith-Dean jumps, not runs, to sectionals after dramatically capturing district title

After experiencing shocking disappointment, Garrett Smith-Dean could have allowed his season — and ultimately his career — fizzle out and end at Saturday’s Class 5 District 8 meet.

Platte County’s athletic talent already made the decision to refocus and come back for one more opportunity to compete as a senior. So instead of languishing on the DNF of the 4×100-meter relay, Smith-Dean went to the long jump pit and chose to forge a path ahead — albeit one that would have been unexpected just two months ago.

On his sixth and final attempt, Smith-Dean set a career-best at 6.87 meters — literally leaping from fifth to the first place in the long jump. The top four finishers in each event advanced to this week’s Class 5 Sectional 4 meet, and he sat on the edge of the periphery until that final jump.

Even more impressive? Smith-Dean didn’t finish his junior year on the track roster for Platte County. He didn’t compete in the event until this spring. He solely focused on sprint workouts and not long jump during practices. His season-best prior to districts was 6.37 meters, showing his obvious potential but a half meter shy of what he hit on Saturday.

“100 percent shocked me — not only the fact that I qualified but the fact that I won,” said Smith-Dean, who might have gone further on his fifth attempt but just barely went over the foul line. “Somehow I went out good. I’m just excited that I’m moving on, and I’ll just live week by week. I’m just happy I’m here.”

Platte County expected a lot from Smith-Dean on Saturday but the realistic expectations were for a reformatted but ascendent 4×100 team. The Pirates’ set a school record in the event each of the past two years and finished sixth in the 2022 Class 5 Missouri State Track and Field Championships.

In fact, Smith-Dean ran on the 2021 unit before his hiatus at the end of last year.

Platte County lost all four members of last year’s 4×100 with the graduation of three seniors and offseason shoulder surgery keeping senior Nate Walls from returning. However, Smith-Dean slotted back in with fellow senior Cameron Wolfe, junior Jordan Burnett and recently installed freshman anchor Jackson Goodale — a group that ran 42.90 to win the Suburban Conference White Division Championships.

The time bettered the conference mark from each of the past two years, putting Platte County on track to keep improving and make a run at the school record again.

Platte County went into the race seeded fifth, and Smith-Dean completed an initial handoff to Burnett who started down the back stretch before collapsing on the infield with a leg injury. The baton never reached Wolfe nor Goodale.

“Man, as a senior, it was sad,” Smith-Dean said. “The first thought that came to my mind was, ‘Is Jordan OK?’ That’s what I cared about most, but it sucks.”

However, Smith-Dean refocused and advanced to the long jump finals then came away with the unexpected victory.

Platte County assistant coach Chris Stubbs came over and provided some input on technique before the final three attempts, and Smith-Dean effectively followed the orders with credit given to an improved landing for the top jumps at the end. He ended up knocking out Park Hill top-seeded senior Kendrick Bell, while Platte County senior Dom Spears also set a career-best at 6.38 meters but finished seventh in a tightly bunched and competitive field.

Spears also set a career-best in the triple jump at 13.06 — an improvement of more than a half meter — but ended up sixth.

Smith-Dean now takes the opportunity to turn full focus and practice time to long jump and possibly find more untapped potential. And he’s fully bought into the new event.

“A whole week of jumping will be very beneficial, and I’m very excited,” Smith-Dean said.

While Smith-Dean received his second chance, Wolfe’s career did end without one final chance to run. He set a career-best in the morning discus at 43.38 — finally topping his junior year mark of 43.03 — but coming in fifth. He needed another 5 1/2 feet to be in the top four in advance.

Platte County senior Carter Salzman ran on the 2021 4×100 with Smith-Dean that held the school record for a year, but hamstring injuries have forced him out of sprints. However, he refocused on pole vault and will advance with Smith-Dean to sectionals after setting a career-best height in the event on Saturday to finish an unexpected second place.

Salzman cleared 3.80 for the first time and finished behind only Park Hill South junior TJ McGhee. After reaching Class 4 sectionals in pole vault as a junior, he will have a shot to advance to state in what ended up a difficult day for the Pirates, who placed seventh out of 10 teams.

“It’s really cool. We’ve been doing it for sophomore year. To continue doing it as seniors, it’s just destiny. We’ll see what happens,” Smith-Dean said.

Despite some of the disappointment, Platte County still advanced a pair of relays on to sectionals with the same breakthrough performances. The Pirates subbed in senior Ryan Johnson on the 4×800 with senior Ryan McCoy unavailable, while the 4×400 team of senior Aaron Cordova, sophomores Josh Fraker and Brayden Eschliman and Goodale, who anchored this in addition to the 4×100 and 4×200, set a season-best and ended up just off the school record.

In the morning 4×800, Platte County used junior long-distance standout Andrew Johnson as the anchor behind seniors Ryan Johnson and Gavin Jenks and junior Kade Meinke to place fourth out of five teams in 8:32.00 to advance. If McCoy returns, a significant time drop at sectionals could be expected and likely needed — at least much closer to the season-best of 8:26.48 to have a chance at reaching state.

Only Johnson will run in an individual event at sectionals, meaning Meinke, Jenks and likely McCoy can put full exertion into the lengthy relay.

In the 4×400, Platte County finally regrouped the preferred quartet for the first time in more than a month to impressive results. The Pirates figured to be in contention for a top-four spot but left little doubt with Fraker and Cordova running strong the first two laps, and Eschliman handing off to Goodale solidly in third.

Platte County did finish third in 3:25.62 — a notable drop from the previous season-best of 3:31.73. The school record is about a second and a half away, and all four runners will have just the one race Saturday back on the same track at sectionals in a field of eight.

The top four finishers in sectionals advance to state.

Andrew Johnson put himself into position to be a qualifier in two events after a gutsy performance in the 3,200 pushed him to second place and into sectionals as an individual for the first time. He ran solidly in a pack of five runners competition for four spots for the majority of seven laps but made a big push forward in the final 500 meters.

Liberty junior Peyton Willbanks jumped to an early seizable lead and won in 9:37.21 with Andrew Johnson closing the gap late and coming in at 9:40.57, just off his career-best of 9:37.07 from earlier in the season.

Meinke placed seventh in 10:21.49 after running on the 4×800 and setting a career-best 4:43.43 to place sixth in the 1,600.

Platte County sophomore Caden McGhee posted the fourth-fastest time in the 110 hurdle preliminaries but faded to seventh in the finals.