GENTRY -- Mason Clark didn't realize what he had accomplished in the shot put until the War Eagle Invitational workers began to stretch out the tape and measure each of his throws that day. The Gentry senior had thrown the 12-pound metal ball 53 feet, 6 inches on his best attempt, and that easily won the event during the March 30 meet at Rogers Heritage's Gates Stadium. It also stood as the state's best performance this season by more than 2 feet until Lake Hamilton's William Burgess and Earle's Jaylon Coopwood both threw 54-3 at separate meets Tuesday afternoon.
"The first thing I felt was excitement," Clark said of his feat. "That was my farthest throw since the Missouri Southern indoor meet, and it's good to hit something like that later on in the season. It's a real confidence booster.
"It was just a cleaner throw than any I had in the past. Up until that point, all of my throws had at least two or three things that were definitely wrong with them. I just cleaned it all up."
Clark's mind continues to be focused on that "cleaning up" process as he prepares to defend his Class 4A state championships in both the shot put and discus at next week's meet in Pocahontas. He ranks third overall in the discus, with his personal-best distance of 157-2.75 also coming at the War Eagle Invitational, and he knows he can do better in both events.
When everything goes his way, Clark knows he is capable of a 54- or 55-foot throw in the shot put -- a distance where it almost lands outside the pit when he throws at Pioneer Stadium. He also believes he had an even better throw in the discus -- at least 160 feet -- during the War Eagle Invitational, but it wasn't measured because he scratched.
"It's just the amount of work he has put in," said Gentry assistant coach Ethan Ramsey, who oversees the throws. "If you know about the shot, there are two techniques -- gliding and spinning. He started off gliding in the shot, but the spinning technique has taken off in the U.S. and takes a lot of work.
"Mason was willing to put the work in, and he keeps getting better and better. He's one of the best rotational shot putters I've seen. I also see it in the discus because he has great form, and that comes with practice."
A state championship was something Clark said he never expected to see last year, and he was in fourth place until his final attempt. His toss of 49-10 was 3 feet farther than his previous best that day and won by 4 inches, and Clark followed that feat with a win in the discus with a toss of 147-1 -- almost 10 feet farther than his closest competitor.
Clark, who throws this week during the 4A-1 Conference meet at Gravette, will have a much different demeanor when he returns to Pocahontas next week. This time, he fully expects to be the winner in both events.
"Last year, I just went in and tried to do my best," Clark said. "This year, I want to win, and hopefully that will show. It's getting toward the end of the season, so it's time to clean things up."
His improved performances in both events haven't gone unnoticed. Clark said he was a little shocked when Missouri Southern's track coaches approached him after they saw what he had done during its indoor meet, and he signed a national letter of intent with the Joplin school last month, much to the delight of Ramsey.
"He always had the size to do this, but his demeanor has changed as he's grown up," Ramsey said. "As he's become older, he's realized he's the top dog, and that has been interesting to watch."
Sports on 05/09/2018