Eisenhower’s Garrett Kennedy defends 5A pole vault title

Eisenhower senior Garrett Kennedy successfully defended his Class 5A pole vault title Friday. Yet Kennedy was less than ecstatic following his event because he desperately wanted to hit 16 feet. He topped out at 15-4.

“I’m pretty bummed out,” Kennedy said. “You can’t be too mad. I still won. But last high school meet, I’m pretty bummed. I’ll have to wait ’til college.”

Kennedy entered the competition at 14-6, which is normal for him. By that point, though, he was the only participant still alive.

“It’s a comfort height; I know I can do it,” he said.

Sure enough, he went over 14-6 with ease. Then did the same at 15-4.

He upped it to 16 feet, a height he was confident in because he had gone 16-1 consistently while practicing indoors earlier in the week.

“I’m sure (being) indoors played a factor,” Kennedy said. “Then you come out here and the wind slaps you right in the face.”

Hines gets his title — Southeast senior Ira Hines does not have an imposing physique. He’s 5-foot-5, which is tiny compared to Olathe North’s Isaiah Simmons, his primary competition in the 6A long jump.

Simmons is 6-foot-3, 205 pounds and has signed to play football at Clemson.

But Hines isn’t flustered by those bigger than him. He’s used to it.

“Everybody else is taller than me. Everybody else is bigger than me,” Hines said. “So in the offseason and during the season, I work harder. That’s a lot of hours in the weight room, a lot of hours when everyone’s gone from the track.

“You’re giving everything you need to do, and it’s a lot. It encourages me. They may look at me like they’re going to beat me, but I’m going to come out and I’m going to work.”

Hines won the Class 6A long jump, leaping 23-8. Hines also finished third in the triple jump.

“I’ve been (close) before, for the (400 relay), the long jump and the 400 last year,” Hines said. “I’ve always been close, but never won the title. This year, it’s an honor.”

Fulmer gets his title — Since Newton senior Josh Fulmer came with his mom, Alicia, to the state track and field meet when he was 7, he imagined himself becoming a state champ.

His mom won three javelin titles at Moundridge.

“It feels so good to win a state championship,” Fulmer said. “That’s all I wanted to do since I was 7 years old in the stands looking at other people. Now I’m in the No. 1 spot, and it feels great.”

Fulmer’s winning throw was 56-8, and his teammate, Aidan Mills, finished second. Newton’s Jackson Forest was seventh.

Fulmer finished third in the discus with a 153-8.

Blubaugh wins first title — Arkansas City senior Brock Blubaugh was confident coming into the discus competition at the state meet.

“This year I knew I had a chance to do well in state,” he said.

He carried that confidence into his first throw, which was 165 feet. It held up as the winner.

“I think that was because I was the most excited for that one. And I wasn’t wore out. I had the most energy,” Blubaugh said.

The rest of the competition was nerve-wracking, though. Especially when Maize’s Konner Swenson threw 163-6 on his second-to-last throw.

“This means a lot,” Blubaugh said. “I’ll be able to look back on this later in life and be able to say I was state champ in the discus my senior year.”