Cody Thorn
Jayce Hitt has less than a month left to represent McDonald County.
The senior has been a stalwart in three sports for the Mustangs and is currently in the final phases of track and field. He’s also been a state championship wrestler and an all-state football player as well.
His future will be on the gridiron as he signed to play at Missouri Southern State University.
“Jayce is a very talented athlete,” McDonald County wrestling coach Josh Factor said. “Jayce’s involvement in athletics at McDonald County High School is what every coach at our high school raves about with him being that athlete who is willing to contribute to multiple programs and put his talent on the line to help programs out that may not necessarily be his primary sport. Wrestling for example, not being his primary sport, he managed to earn three state medals (including a state championship his junior year) in his high school career hopefully learned some tools to help him out in his football career.”
Hitt is in only his second year doing track and field and has put up some good numbers this spring. He is coming off a fourth-place finish on April 18 at the Lamar Rotary Relays with a season-high 13.88 meters in the shot put.
Earlier in the year, he was second in the event at the Monett Invitational.
He only started throwing weighted ball last year and took part in two meets for the Mustangs in 2023.
“I loved the environment and all the guys looked like they had fun so I tried it out,” Hitt said. “I liked the family aspect of it; they are all close-knit.”
His best throw to date came last year with a distance of 13.91 meters, giving him fifth in the Class 4 District 6 meet — a spot away from moving onto the next round of the postseason….
