The Parrish brothers of Olathe North dominate Kansas high school state track meet
When was the last time three brothers all won individual championships at the same Kansas high school state track and field meet?
That was the pressing question on Saturday after the Parrish brothers, Jacob, Jason and Josh, at Olathe North each won a Class 6A title at Cessna Stadium in Wichita. In fact, the 67 points they scored on their individual events alone was good enough for the Parrish brothers to win the team championship by themselves.
It was a remarkable performance that left the Olathe North coaches racking their brains trying to think of another family that has come close to duplicating it. No one could come up with an answer.
“It was incredible to watch them,” Olathe North sprints coach Eniak Mpwo said. “They all have this refuse-to-lose attitude and tenacity about them. But after what they did today, we’re like, ‘Is there anything these guys can’t do?’”
Jacob Parrish, a senior who has signed to play football at Kansas State, won the 6A title in the 100-meter dash with the fastest time (10.47) in all classes, then won his second gold in the 200 to go along with two silver medals in the 400 and 400 relay.
Jason and Josh, a pair of twins who are juniors, did their damage in the hurdles. Josh won the high hurdles title (14.40), while Jason won the low hurdles title (38.96) with Josh finishing right behind him in second. Josh also added his second gold medal in the long jump with his mark of 22 feet, 1½ inches.
“We’ve been dreaming about this since we were little kids,” Jason said. “It’s an amazing feeling for me to win and then to watch them win too.”
“I know our mom and dad are going crazy right now in the stands,” Jacob added.
No one at Olathe North saw such a feat happening at the beginning of the season. Jacob winning? Sure. Josh winning? That was a maybe after a third-place finish in the 110 hurdles last year at state. But Jason? He didn’t even start competing in the hurdles until earlier this month.
The Parrish brothers have the natural ability and work ethic to be successful, but what has surprised the coaches is just how far their will to win can take them in such a short amount of time.
“You could put all three of them in anything and they’re going to believe they can beat anyone,” Olathe North hurdles coach Aaron Hannon said. “They just have this unbelievable mentality.”
The brothers credit that to being raised by their parents, Jason and Ginger, in a household that expected excellence. They also watched their oldest brother, Jevon, who now wrestles at Nebraska, become a high school state wrestling champion at Olathe North in 2018. That made the dream seem possible for each one of them to become champions, too.
Being so close in age, the three brothers would compete with each other in all different sports and running competitions growing up.
“I wouldn’t say it was a rivalry because I always won,” Jacob said. “But we would just go outside all day and play and get into arguments.”
“When we get down and compete, it’s not friendly,” Josh said. “We all want to win and see whoever is faster.”
When they competed at the state track meet together, they were each other’s biggest fans. Jacob celebrated wildly when the twins finished first and second in the 300 hurdles, then the younger brothers did the same when they watched their older brother win the 200.
Blue Valley’s Will Jones entered with the fourth-fastest time in state history in the event, but it was Jacob who pulled out in front around the curve and finished off the stunning victory to complete his sweep in the short sprints.
“I feel like when one of us wins, all of us win,” Josh said.
While Saturday will be a memory forever etched in history for the Parrish family, Jacob said he can’t wait to see what the twins can do for the family next year.
“They’re only juniors and they’re already running crazy times and winning state,” Jacob said. “I wasn’t doing that my junior year, so I would say they’re ahead of me and they could end up being even better athletes than me. I’m very proud of them.”
Other KC-area state champs
The Parrish brothers weren’t the only outstanding performances of the state track meet from Olathe North, as Paul Rowden (high jump) was another state champion and KaLiyah McGinnis put on a show in the Class 6A girls sprints.
McGinnis delivered a historic performance in her gold-medal run in the 100 with a career-best time of 11.60, which shattered the Class 6A state meet record and is the fastest girls 100 in all classes in the state meet’s history. It also is the fifth-fastest 100 recorded in Kansas high school history for McGinnis, who also won gold in the 200.
Piper senior Grant Lockwood not only won the Class 5A boys 400 championship, but also broke the 23-year-old state meet record with his career-best time of 47.86. It was the fastest time in all classes at the state meet. He was also a leg on Piper’s winning 400 relay team, which consisted of Lockwood, Dominique and Divante Herrig-Brittian and LaMar Lynch, that won the 5A title in 42.18.
Louisburg senior Tom Koontz was a two-time state champion after sweeping the 4A boys hurdles races, winning the 110 hurdles (14.61) and 300 hurdles (38.98), while SM East junior Wyatt Haughton claimed the 6A titles in the 800 (1:56.95) and 1600 (4:24.04).
Other area boys champions were the St. Thomas Aquinas distance duo of Alex Waldie (5A 800 in 1:57.96) and Colby King (5A 3200 in 9:17.91), Blue Valley’s Will Jones (6A 400 in 47.95), Lawrence Free State’s Ben Shryock (6A 3200 in 9:06.70), Mill Valley’s Adrian Dimond (5A triple jump in 48-2), KC Christian’s Ethan Ko (2A pole vault in 12-6), Olathe East’s Andrew Kirby (6A pole vault 15-0) and Olathe South’s Jordan Allen (6A discus in 172-2).
Olathe Northwest took home the 6A titles in the 1600 and 3200 relays, as Colin Gann, Jarrett Vorhies, Alex Ling and Bret Beard won the 1600 relay in 3:24.24 and Jack Beard, Alex Ling, Jackson Kuhl and Beard won the 3200 in 8:02.74. Other relays to win titles were the St. James 1600 relay of Andrew Holton, John Jacobson, Ty Roshau and John Niesen in 5A in 3:24.55 and KC Christian’s 3200 relay of Nathan Coneally, Oliver Timberlake, Spencer Mumford, Luke Browning in 2A in 8:20.49.
For the area girls, Mill Valley senior Quincy Hubert was a two-time state champion after sweeping the 5A titles in the 100 hurdles (15.04) and 300 hurdles (45.06). Teammate Kate Roth also won the 5A long jump in 18-0.5.
BV West senior Olivia Bakker was a two-time champion after sweeping the 6A races in the 800 (2:16.04) and 1600 (5:02.18).
Olathe Northwest had three individual 6A champions in Olivia Cooper (100 hurdles, 14.95), Val Galligan (javelin, 137-7) and Adrienna Locke-Garcia (shot put, 40-7.5), while Olathe West senior Kennedi Cline added another individual 6A title in the 400 (57.48) and joined Nora Howard, Parker Jackson and Abi Faimon to win the 400 relay title. Olathe West’s 3200 relay team of Kate Miller, Bree Newport, Paige Baker and Charis Robinson also won the title.
Other area girls champions included Bonner Springs’ Mariyah Noel defending her 5A discus title (134-0), Heritage Christian’s Rachel Van Gorp (2A long jump in 18-8.25), Piper’s Kaitlin Lindstrom (5A pole vault in 11-6), Olathe South’s Kaitlyn Otroszko (6A high jump in 5-4) and SM Northwest’s Paige Muellen (6A 3200 in 10:39.99).
Among the relays to win titles were BV North’s 1600 relay of Alli Kneller, Audrey Brown, Natalie Jones, Delia Gregory in 6A in 3:59.4, Eudora’s 3200 relay of Phoebe Fletcher, Mackenzie Mayer, Sydney Owens and Hanna Keltner in 4A in 10:10.05 and the St. James’ 3200 relay of Katelynn Blaesing, Quinn Hays, Jenna Wilken and Annie Wilken in 5A in 9:45.54.
This story was originally published May 29, 2022 at 12:13 PM.
.jpg)