LAKEWOOD — The fans at Jeffco Stadium didn’t have to wait long for an eye-popping performance on the opening day of the 2024 CHSAA state track and field championships.
On Thursday morning, Overland junior Jarrius Ward broke the Class 5A state meet record in the discus with a launch of 203 feet, 4 inches. That shattered the classification’s previous record of 192-5 set by Westminster’s Todd Austin in 1977.
In the process, Ward trumped his club teammate and the reigning champion in the event, Chatfield’s Charles LaFore, who also broke Austin’s mark with a toss of 193-6 in a valiant runner-up effort.
“I definitely wanted to retaliate for what happened last year and getting second to Charlie, and I went out here and put up a great performance,” Ward said. “The key today was to keep my cool, keep my calm. I didn’t set out to break the record, although I knew I probably had to throw at least 195 to beat Charlie. But once my throw landed I knew I had the record.”
Ward, who is uncommitted but has an offer from CSU-Pueblo, will surely turn more recruiters’ heads following Thursday’s performance.
Up next for the Overland star? He believes he has the potential to try to touch the all-time Colorado and national mark, set by Buena Vista’s Mason Finley in 2009.
That throw of 236 feet, 6 inches hasn’t been sniffed by a local thrower since Finley, who went on to compete in the Olympics, set the mark at the High Altitude Challenge meet in Alamosa. The closest someone’s come since nationally was 221-5 by a California thrower in 2017.
“I’ve come really far in the last year in discus, but I believe I can continue to grow my distance and eventually come close to the national record,” Ward said. “My other goal is to win the shot put title as a senior.”
Ward will attempt to dethrone LaFore in the shot put this year as well, an event that’s Saturday morning. But it will be a tough task.
LaFore, a Kansas State commit, has a personal record of 65-4.25 in the event, a significant edge over second-ranked Soren Shinofield of Cherry Creek (57-0) and Ward (55-4).
Even with the defeat to Ward on Thursday, LaFore is one of the top throwers to come out of Colorado in recent memory. Shot put is his best high school event, while the hammer throw is his best overall. He’ll compete in both at Kansas State. Earlier this month, LaFore broke the Class 5A shot put Jeffco League record set by Arvada’s Jim Banich in 1982.
“Obviously Mason Finley is at the top of the list, and Highlands Ranch’s Drake Nugent a couple years ago who won the Class 5A discus and the shot and he went on to play college football at Michigan is also in there,” Chatfield throws coach Andrei Gisetti said. “There’s been a couple other guys, but as far as the complete thrower — discus, shot and hammer — you’d have to go back to Finley and Banich to see somebody like that. Charles is top three, at least.”
LaFore hopes to challenge Finley’s overall state meet record Saturday — a 67-10.25 from 2009. If LaFore is on his game, he also expects to be able to break Banich’s Class 5A state meet record of 66-3.25 set in 1982.
“To capture one or both of those records would mean a lot to me,” LaFore said. “I have to qualify (for the finals) and get a good mark in before I can really reach for those top throws, but that’s definitely the main goal. … If could manage to take down Finley’s record, which is definitely doable even though it’s difficult, that would mean a lot to me because he’s one of the great American throwers.”
