Korey Wilson doesn’t believe in empty talk.
So after Wilson finished third in the shot put at the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 1A South State meet at Ridgeland High School, the West Lowndes High senior laid down a challenge to his closest competitors, especially the Hinds County Agricultural athletes who finished first and second.
“I told them I was going to come back (to the Class 1A State meet) and I was going win,” Wilson said. “I just came back determined to win.”
On Friday, Wilson followed through on his promise by winning the Class 1A state title with a throw of 45 feet, 8 1/4 inches. He outlasted University Christian’s John McMaster (45-6 3/4) by nearly two inches. Hinds County Agricultural’s Ledarian Robinson (44-10 1/2) and Jerry Smith (44-7) took third and fourth.
Robinson (44-10 1/2) and Smith (44-9 1/4) were first and second at the Class 1A South State meet. Wilson was third at 43-11.
Wilson’s winning throw at the state meet came on his final attempt. He said a scratch on his next-to-last throw erased a throw he thought would have been a longer distance. Despite going down to the final throw, Wilson said he never lost confidence in his ability to win the event.
“Before I got into the circle, I was thinking about all of the people who supported me and all of the people I was going to make proud by doing it,” Wilson said. “I knew I had to keep my composure and not try to do too much.”
Wilson threw 47 feet, 3 inches last year at a meet at Mississippi State University and had his sights set on winning a Class 2A state crown. Unfortunately, rain in the week leading up to the Class 2A North State meet limited his practice time and disrupted his timing. As a result, he finished fifth (41-11 1/2) and failed to earn one of the top four spots to move on.
Wilson said that memory served as motivation in the offseason and leading up to the outdoor track and field season. He remembered the lessons from former West Lowndes track and field coach Bobby Berry, who showed Wilson how to limit scratches by having him train in a smaller circle. He credited West Lowndes boys track and field coach Anthony King for showing him a workout that aided his explosion in the week prior to the Class 1A State meet. He also thanked West Lowndes girls track and field coach Eddie Chapman for helping instill confidence and showing him the dedication it took to realize a goal.
Chapman, who has a son who is a standout gymnast at the Air Force Academy, has worked with Wilson since the seventh grade. The connection will remain strong after Wilson graduates from West Lowndes High. In August, Wilson will leave for Texas to become a firefighter in the Air Force. He said he hopes to get a chance to continue his track and field career at the Air Force Academy.
Chapman told King after the meet that the Hinds County Agricultural coach came up to him after Wilson won and related Wilson’s comments to his athletes. King said the Wilson was focused and worked hard in training for the state meet to win the championship.
“He was doing good and we were just making him mentally ready,” said King, who also is the school’s football coach. “I just stayed in his ear and told him, ‘How bad do you want it?’ I told him this was his last throw in high school so give it everything you have got.
“Korey is a very bright kid. He is real focused. He knows exactly what he wants to do in life.”
Wilson knew what he wanted to do Friday, too, and he wasn’t going to be denied.
“It is hard to describe it, but it was like a whole lot got taken off me,” Wilson said. “To lose last year and not make it to state and come back this year and win it, it really was a great accomplishment.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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