South Callaway optimistic two state qualifiers can make Class 2 podium

South Callaway's Brendon Mealy competes in the pole vault last Saturday at the Class 2 Sectional 1 meet in Mokane.
South Callaway's Brendon Mealy competes in the pole vault last Saturday at the Class 2 Sectional 1 meet in Mokane.

South Callaway co-head track and field coach Bill Frazee said while he's sad he doesn't get to take a busload of state qualifiers this year, he is optimistic the two athletes he has will make it on the podium.

Junior Brendon Mealy and sophomore Kyle Dickinson qualified Saturday in the Class 2 Sectional 1 meet - in the pole vault and the discus, respectively - to reach today's Class 2 state track and field championships at Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City.

Frazee said Mealy has been a standout in the pole vault, as well as the javelin. While Mealy didn't qualify for state in the javelin - like his brother, Nick Mealy, did in 2019 when he was the state champion - Brendon has been working as hard this week as he has all year with pole vault coach Jim Hager to make sure he can make a good showing at state this year, where he is the No. 15 seed among 16 qualifiers.

"As a junior, we want to get him on the podium, so next year, as a senior, he can climb higher on the podium," Frazee said.

Now focusing on one event, Frazee said he wants Mealy to work on clearing a certain height Frazee feels is sure to get Mealy on the podium. In an event such as the pole vault, Frazee said a few inches are the difference between making the podium and missing it.

Many athletes like to keep jumping to tack on a few more inches on their mark, Frazee said, and this could wear them out. Frazee said he and his coaches took a more strategic approach by telling Mealy to aim for clearing more than 12 feet so he stays fresh. Mealy is capable of clearing this height as he did March 30 at the Thunderbird Open at North Callaway, Frazee said.

"The difference between eighth place and third or fourth place might be three inches or six inches," Frazee said. "A lot times, it comes down to your strategy as far as the misses, or the number of times you actually jump. You can be strategic and pass heights or you could jump, jump, jump and just keep jumping. It takes a lot out of a kid to keep jumping."

Of course, if this method is used, Frazee said, Mealy has to make sure he is able to clear this height to avoid being eliminated from the competition. Frazee said Mealy is competing in the event in which he has more potential, though, and is optimistic Mealy will be at the "top of his game" today.

South Callaway's other state qualifier, Dickinson, is someone who has been improving with each passing meet, Frazee said. Dickinson seems to have thrown many personal bests this year, Frazee said, and is making good use of the limited time he has had in his high school career to improve "immensely" after not having a freshman season because of the pandemic.

Frazee said Dickinson added a lot of muscle mass in the last two years. According to Frazee, Dickinson is 18 inches away from the school record in the discus - set by Josh Brooks back in 2014.

"He's a sophomore trying to break our school record," Frazee said. "So you can imagine he has worked really hard to get to this point right now."

Following Dickinson's throw at sectionals, that was a few inches short of 140 feet and earned him fourth place, Frazee said he will be the No. 6 seed among the 16 throwers competing today.

Frazee said Dickinson has the form and technique needed to excel in the discus to compliment his strength, and he has "blossomed into a really state-caliber" discus thrower. Frazee said he was unsure how Dickinson would perform being a first-year high school athlete, but Dickinson has improved every day where he now has a chance in the tough state discus field.

It will be a challenging field for Dickinson, Frazee said, but he should be accustomed to high-level competition after making it out of South Callaway's sectionals meet. The top four qualifiers from that sectional meet rank in the top six among the state throwers.

Frazee said, if Dickinson "stays the same," or not throw any better or worse, he is optimistic he will make it on the podium. In the discus, Frazee said athletes tend to either rise to the occasion or not perform at all so Frazee looks forward to seeing how Dickinson will fare at his first state meet.

To prepare him as best as possible, Frazee said he took Dickinson and his other athletes to the Licklider Invitational that takes place every year at Adkins Stadium. Frazee said he and the other coaches do this every year to so his athletes are comfortable if they are able to extend their seasons to the state championships. That experience should make him less anxious going into today.

"We are really hoping that some of the nerves and jitters aren't going to be quite as much of a factor because of (Dickinson) being able to be there once already this year," Frazee said.

Even though Dickinson will be with South Callaway the next two years, Frazee said it would be good for Dickinson to make the podium this year so he can rise "higher and higher" in the upcoming seasons.

Frazee said he and other coaches will put all of their energy into Mealy and Dickinson this year and are all eager to see how they perform today.

"They're going to do their best," Frazee said. "That's all we can ask of them."