The good thing about track and field is that goals are easy to set — just pick a distance, time, or height and go for it.
What’s not so easy is the work put into achieving the goals.
Christian County’s Christopher McCarley was able to end his senior season by accomplishing both, not only etching his name into the Colonels’ record book for what is likely to be perpetuity but also reaching the state meet medal podium for the first time.
C.J.’s toss in the discus throw at last month’s state meet was good for a fourth-place finish. At 157-4 feet, it was the second-best throw in school history, behind only his own school-record heave of 161-3 set earlier in the season.
C.J. owns nine of the 10 best discus distances in school history, with only Terrance Sowerby’s 2015 throw at the region meet mixed in.
While he didn’t place at state in the shot put, he ended his career owning the school record at 51 feet and an inch. That toss bested Ross Whipple’s 50-foot, 7-inch throw from nine years ago at the region meet.
With Christian County likely to combine with Hopkinsville High School in the fall of 2026, it’s a good bet C.J. will be the record holder in both events when the history book of the Christian County Colonels is closed.
YSE asked C.J. about his day at the state meet, which also included a cameo appearance from state shot put champion Deegan Croley of Marshall County, who was C.J.’s main obstacle at the region and state levels in addition to his motivation.
