Gillespie brings home two firsts

JEFFERSON CITY — No question that senior D.D. Gillespie was the team leader this winter for the Scott County Central boys basketball team.

He also has been the heart of the Braves track team in its two years of existence.

When asked Saturday if he preferred a state championship individually or as part of a relay, Gillespie answered, "The 4-by-2, because that's team."

Scott County Central's 800-meter relay team did capture the first track championship in the program's history, and Gillespie moments later added that individual title in the 400 meters in the Class 1 state meet at Lincoln University.

Gillespie, who had the fastest 400 time in the prelims and the fastest time coming into the state, won his title with a season-best mark of 51.11 seconds.

Gillespie, who had never run track before Scott County Central started the program last year, also finished seventh in the 200.

First-year coach Frank Staple raved about Gillespie's leadership as much as his athleticism.

"Any time you have a kid like D.D., coaching is easy," Staple said. "He sets the tone and leads by example, and all the other guys feed off him. When you have a leader like that, it takes things a long way."

Gillespie, who finished third in the state last year in the 400, did not run the event this season until the district meet. Scott County Central had six of 11 meets canceled by rain, and Gillespie missed a couple of others on college visits as he looks for a place to play basketball. Staple said Gillespie started the year slowly after some knee tenderness that flared up during the basketball season.

Gillespie got a lot of work during that season, guiding the Braves to a third-place finish in Class 1 and a No. 2 state ranking. The Braves lost the semifinal game 70-68 to three-time state champion Jefferson, a game in which Gillespie missed a pair of free throws in the final seconds.

"After we got third, I was coming up here to place first in whatever I run in," he said. "This feels great. Track is something different [from basketball], but it's obviously a good feeling."

Added relay anchor runner Drew Thomas, also an all-state basketball player: "Since we lost in basketball, we wanted to come out here and get a championship in track."

Gillespie noted the presence of Jefferson basketball standouts Craig Mattson and Doug Archer at the state track meet.

"It brings back memories," he said, "but it's all good."

Gillespie, Thomas and relay teammate Randy Timmons were key players on that basketball team. Jarron Banks, a senior, was a state qualifier in the two hurdles events.

He was the ninth-fastest Friday in the 300 hurdles preliminaries, providing him with added incentive for Saturday.

"I tripped over a hurdle in the turn," Banks said. "And I missed by two-tenths of a second."

Banks started the Braves' effort Saturday, the only runner of the eight lead legs to eschew the blocks.

"Jarron, for some reason, never felt comfortable in the blocks all year," Staple said. "I prefer him to start in the blocks, but I didn't force the issue. We stuck with what got him this far."

The relay's second leg was Timmons, like Thomas a junior and the only first-year member of the relay. Staple inserted him into the lineup just before the district.

"Randy put us over the top," Staple said. "He had run the 4-by-1 relay and other events, but district is when we found that fit."

Timmons, who handled the second curve of the race, said he could tell where his team stood when he came down the stretch to hand off to Gillespie.

"There's a certain point when I catch up to the them, and I know we're good. I know it's all over," Timmons said. "Because when D.D. gets it, nobody can catch him, and when Drew gets it, he has a big lead and he can take it home."

That's exactly how it worked both in the prelims — when Scott County's 1:33.47 was the best time — and in the final, when the Braves' 1:33.13 provided a one-half second margin of victory.

Staple hopes Saturday's two titles mark the beginning of another Scott County dynasty. The Braves, as a team, tied for ninth place.

"There's a lot of excitement building," said Staple, the former sprinter for Meridian High School in Illinois. "It had to start somewhere in basketball and you see where that's gone."

Staple and Thomas agreed the Braves' competition this season prepared them for this weekend.

"Most of the time, we were the only Class 1 school in the race," Staple said. "We ran against Sikeston, Poplar Bluff, New Madrid, and we were right there with them. It prepared us well for today."