History made with first Wichita Central Christian state track champion
A concrete slab is all Cooper Pendergrass needs.
And at times, that is all the shot-put extraordinaire had to work with at Central Christian Academy, a new school in Wichita with a growing enrollment (116 students this year) but limited athletic facilities.
Without a proper shot put ring to practice, the senior had to make a short drive up Rock Road to Coleman Middle School to put in work. There were also times where he didn’t even leave his house.
“I would actually practice in my front yard,” Pendergrass said with a sheepish grin. “My mom would come home and yell at me, ‘What are you doing with all of those pits in my yard?’
“If you can work in a ring, that’s great. But you can really throw anywhere. You just need some concrete and some work ethic.”
That mentality was the driving force behind Pendergrass becoming the first track and field athlete at Central Christian, which fielded its first team in 2021, to win a state championship.
His crowning achievement came Friday afternoon at University Stadium when Pendergrass tacked on more than 15 inches to his personal-best throw with a mark of 55 feet, 2 inches to win the Class 2A title in the shot put.
“It’s great for our school to have somebody like Cooper have this kind of success,” Central Christian coach Toby Penner said. “This kind of puts Central Christian on the map a little bit and lets people know that we are a high school and we’ve got some great sports programs happening. It’s really big for our school and for our program.”
Pendergrass is the ultimate example of a self-made athlete.
After feeling disappointed with his performance at last year’s state meet, where he placed 12th in 1A with a mark of 43-11.5 in shot put, Pendergrass dedicated himself fully to the event this past year to try to accomplish lofty goals during his senior year.
He began working with Marvin Estes, an esteemed throwing coach at Shocker Track Club, and he credits his drastic progression this season to the work logged in the off season.
“It’s really important to know what you want to do and have a goal,” Pendergrass said. “I think that’s what has sent me to the 50-plus range. And it’s also important not to compare anything with anybody else. I just try to focus on bettering myself and to be a good sport. It’s really important to me to be Christ-like in competition, so I want to support others.”
It turns out, Pendergrass’ accomplishment on Friday could be the most inspirational thing he could do.
His coach, Penner, said having a state champion at the school shows it is possible for other potential athletes who want to join the track and field team in the spring.
“It’s a very big honor to be the first state champ from my school,” Pendergrass said. “I’m hoping I can be a vision of what a lot of our athletes could be. It’s just that work ethic and getting out there and doing the job you need to do. I hope I can inspire some other people to do the same.”
Last throw propels Kapaun’s Jackson Daniel to 5A javelin title
In order to win the state title, Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior Jackson Daniel would need to extend his personal-best throw in the javelin by more than five feet.
After the sun had set on Friday evening, Daniel did even better in the pressure-packed situation: he PR’ed by nearly 11 feet with a winning throw of 207-1 to claim the 5A title.
Daniel was sitting in third place with a mark of 198-3 entering his final throw, as he was chasing Kansas City Piper’s Max Clark (201-6) and Newton’s Niko Ramos (199-7). His previous best this season was 196-8, which was the fourth-best mark in Kansas this season entering the state meet.
It is the first state title for Daniel, who took third in the 5A javelin last season. He also took sixth place in the discus throw on Friday.
Sedgwick’s Noah Little finishes as undefeated, 2-time state champion
After winning the 2A triple jump title last season, Sedgwick junior Noah Little wanted to challenge himself even more this season.
So he added long jump to his repertoire.
Little not only won the 2A title in both events on Friday, but he also finished off undefeated seasons in both the long jump and triple jump.
“He’s like a once-in-a-lifetime type of kid,” Sedgwick coach Mark Stauth said. “He’s a great kid. Works hard in the weight room, works hard in practice. He’s just bouncy, light on his feet. I just try to stay out of his way.”
While there was no drama in defending his triple jump crown, as his mark of 47-2 was nearly three feet longer than second place, Little did face pressure in the long jump finals.
Hutchinson Trinity junior Isaac Hammersmith edged in front of Little on his final jump with a mark of 21-9, leaving Little with one last chance to win the title and keep his unbeaten season alive.
He delivered with a mark of 22 feet even to win.
“It was kind of nerve wracking, but it’s happened a few times this season with (Hammersmith) pushing me because he’s in the same league and regional,” Little said. “When he got his big one, I knew I had to jump a big one. That gave me a lot of motivation.
“It just feels really good to do my best and push myself to the limit and try to get better. To see it pay off at the state meet is really rewarding and it just feels awesome.”
Other Wichita-area boys state track champions
- Wichita Trinity senior Caleb Tofteland gave the program a third straight champion in the 3A 3200, as he led wire to wire with a winning time of 9:09.62. He missed out on the 3A state meet record by less than a second, while his season-best time of 9:06.09 stands as the 19th-fastest time in Kansas history.
- Winfield junior Kellen Gibson completed his meteoric rise by winning the 4A javelin title with a throw of 187-11 to best the field by nearly three feet. Gibson placed ninth in the 4A javelin field last season, which was his only prior experience at the state meet.
- Moundridge senior Henry Hecox nailed a personal-best throw of 190-7 to claim the 2A javelin title on his first throw of the day. He is a 2-time state qualifier in the event, which included a sixth-place finish in 2A last year in javelin.
- Hutchinson Central Christian senior Jayden Linscheid won the 1A boys high jump title with a mark of 6-4 in his first appearance at the state meet. He tied with Axtell’s Logan Sandmann, but clearing 6-4 on his first attempt gave Linscheid the victory.
This story was originally published May 30, 2025 at 6:39 PM.
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