Dora Falcons boys team earns Class 1 state championship

The Dora Falcons have made their 2025 track and field season one to remember with stellar performances at the Class 1 state meet held at Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City May 23-24.

The boys team brought home the Class 1 state championship, scoring 44 points – 2 points ahead of McAuley Catholic.

The road to the team championship was paved by senior standout Cade Nold’s first place wins in the 400-meter dash and the 800-meter run where he set a new state record with a time of 1:53.81. The two state championships are Nold’s third consecutive first-place wins in both events. Sophomore Daniel Tomlinson was also a key runner in the team’s bid for the state championship. Tomlinson ran a personal best in the 3200-meter run Saturday, placing third overall with a time of 9:50.48. Tomlinson also took the podium in the 1600-meter run,  placing second with a time of 4:26.78.

“Daniel, our two-mile guy, knew he could keep them in a good spot where the state championship was attainable,” Coach Sheree Nold told Ozarks Sports Zone reporter Chris Parker. “It gave him new momentum for running his two-mile. He hit almost a 30-second PR.”

Tomlinson’s race left the Dora boys six points back with just the 4x400 relay left, and the championship was riding on that race.

Before the runners took their places on the track, Coach Nold had one final pep talk with her team. “I told them to lock eyes when they came down that homestretch,” said Coach Nold, who is the mom of two of the team members, brothers Cade and Joshua Nold. The other members were sophomore Daniel Tomlinson and sophomore Josiah Ward. “You lock eyes with that partner you are going to hand off to. Be a team. I encouraged them to pray, and they said they had already done that.”

Dora was in third place after the first three laps with a two-second deficit to make up, but Cade, who holds the state record in the 400-meter, was running anchor, and his mother had no doubts that he could pull it off.

“I know his zone,” Coach Nold said. “He has chased down 50 meters or more in leads. I know his range. When I saw them come in on that (final hand off) and Dan handed it off, and they were in third,  I thought ‘we have got this.’ He came around this 120-meter corner and his hamstring seized up, and he pushed it through the whole way down. It is fun to watch him chase down those last meters.”

The crowd was roaring, and Cade let the sound push him through the final 100 meters, posting a 400-meter split of 48.61, leading to a 3:31.07 total time and a championship. 

“You just get so hyped. The adrenaline is the highest it has ever been,” Cade said. “The 4x4 is already a crazy, exciting race, but coming through that homestretch that last little bit is a moment I can never forget. There is nothing else like it.”

The Falcons made their mark in the Dora School history books thanks to the team’s outstanding performance in that 4x400 race. “We prayed the whole time that the Lord would carry us through and get us to where we needed to be to run our best race and end this season with a giant exclamation point,” said senior team member Joshua Nold. “I’m just so happy.”

Haley Perkins takes second in javelin,

Lady Falcons 4x800 team takes third

Dora sophomore Haley Perkins earned a spot on the podium when she placed second in the Class 1 javelin throw on Saturday, May 24.

The Lady Falcons 4x800 team started off the Dora team’s success at the state meet when they set a new personal record and new school record and earned a third-place podium standing when they competed on Friday, May 23. The team is made up of senior captains Chloe Barton and Kayden Jones and sophomores Isabelle Martin and Kinley Luna.

Sophomore Isabelle Martin competed in the 3200-meter run, where she set a new PR and a new school record.

The girls 4x400 team also set a new personal record and a new record for the school in their race. Members of the team are Chloe Barton, Kinley Luna, Haley Perkins and Montgomery Mitchell.

Senior Kayden Jones hit a new personal record in her 800-meter run and also ran a strong 1600-meter race. “Kayden has worked so hard to be here today, and she has been a strong competitor for us on the track,” said Coach Nold. “She and fellow senior Chloe Barton have been phenomenal leaders for this young girls team.”

The boys 4x200 team – Carson Howard, Lathan Smith, Joshua Nold and Brayden Decker – also qualified at sectionals and competed at the state meet, where they set a season personal record. The boys 4x800 team – Brayden Decker, Zachary Green, Josiah Ward and Daniel Tomlinson – hit a season PR at sectionals to qualify and compete at the state meet.

The season has ended for the Dora Falcons, but the memories will last a lifetime for these young athletes.