SEMO alums carve space to train local athletes

Long after their Southeast Missouri State track & field careers came to a close, Blake Smith and Chris Navarro are still working to make an impact in the local sports landscape.

Nestled on top of a plot of gravel north of Cape Girardeau lies a makeshift palace dedicated to improving performance. Smith and Navarro established Prep Athletics on August 2020 intending to provide coaching to local athletes of all ages, designed for them to succeed in their specific sports.

Navarro spent five years as an assistant track coach for SEMO after competing, and Smith competed in the USA Track and Field Indoor Championships after college.

“We both realized the need for an athletic performance facility in the area, specifically speed, and explosiveness,” Navarro said. “Both Blake and I have had the privilege to compete and train with some of the most experienced athletes and coaches in the world, being able to relate to and encourage athletes to find their full potential.”

Athletes from many of the key high school programs at Southeast Missouri came to Prep Athletics to work on their craft under the tutelage of the Redhawks alums. Jackson High School, Smith’s alma mater, has seen unprecedented athletic success in the last three years. The football team won their first state championship in 2020. The boys’ basketball team advanced to the state semifinals this past season for the first time since the 1930s and the baseball team won third place in the Class 6 State Tournament for the first time in program history this past spring. The girls’ volleyball team won four district championships in a row.

Alongside Jackson, the Cape Central football team made the state tournament last season, and the Notre Dame track team has seen a handful of athletes move on to the Division I college ranks. Prep Athletics is also currently partners with Semo Elite FC, Pursuit Volleyball, and the Jackson football team.

“Since opening, we have worked with over 20 athletes who have signed scholarships to play collegiate sports,” Navarro said. “We have seen large-scale results in the teams/clubs we have worked with as a whole. Smaller scale results from post-collegiate athletes who are entering the professional level or preparing for the season or even the adults that we work with throughout the week.”

Prep Athletics coaches Chris Navarro, left, and Blake Smith talks to each other during a training session on Tuesday at the Prep Athletics facility in Cape Girardeau.Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com