INDIANAPOLIS — Twelve feet, six inches.
For two years, that height has weighed heavily on Greenfield-Central senior Cody Hargett’s mind.
A sectional championship pole vaulter as a sophomore in 2019, Hargett was the odds-on favorite to contend for another title heading into the Warren Central Regional that May.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t meet those expectations, and it’s loomed large for more than 700 days.
Passing on 11-06 and 12-00 in 2019, Hargett attempted to soar above 12-06 and he failed three times, resulting in a no height.
On Thursday night during the 2021 Warren Central Regional, the Cougars’ two-time sectional champion finally put the past behind him.
Hargett, who remains unbeaten on the season, passed on three heights during regional before opening at 12-00, followed by an easy clearance of 12-06, both on his first tries.
From there, Hargett nearly elevated to another school record, which he already owns.
Next came, 13-00, then 13-08 and 14-00 before a pass at 14-04. His final cleared height wasn’t his best this year, but it was more than enough at 14-06 to clinch his first-career regional title and a trip to Friday’s IHSAA state finals at Ben Davis High School.
“I was talking to the pole vault coach (Greg Arnold), and he said this was good to get the monkey off of his back,” Greenfield-Central head boys track coach Aaron Smith said. “It had been more than a year since he’d been pole vaulting at Warren Central and was where he no heighted at the regional.”
Hargett essentially broke the curse, so to speak, at the Warren Central Sectional the week prior.
Finishing first with a height of 14-04, Hargett started at 12-00 and made short work of 12-06 en route to his second-career sectional championship.
He was runner-up as a freshman at 12-06 during the Warren Central Sectional in 2018.
“Now, he can actually relax and just focus on the state meet,” Smith said. “He’s trying to PR at the state meet on Friday. He wants to end his senior year on a high note.”
He’s not alone.
The school’s pole vault record-holder at 14-08 (set earlier this season) will be joined at the state meet with Cougars’ freshman phenom Kirk Knecht, who placed third in the long jump at 21-09.50 to secure a state berth.
The top-three event winners at each stage of the IHSAA state tournament earns an automatic berth to the next level of competition, including the state finals.
New Palestine senior Richard Clevenger advanced via callback in the discus throw after placing fifth at the Warren Central Regional with a distance of 153-01.00.
At the Warren Central Sectional, Clevenger placed fourth at 153-06.00 and was the Hancock County champion at Mt. Vernon High School with a distance of 143-07. During the Hoosier Heritage Conference meet, also at Mt. Vernon, Clevenger was fourth at 146-05.00.
His progressions have him currently seeded 20th overall for the upcoming state meet.
Knecht, a multi-sport spring athlete, is making his first-career state appearance with top-three finishes in the long jump at each postseason stop.
At sectional, the newcomer was second at 21-10.50. During the HHC meet, he was runner-up with a flight of 20-08.50. At county, Knecht, who also plays baseball for the Cougars, won the long jump with a distance of 20-08.50.
Knecht enjoyed a breakout performance at county, posting an individual trifecta by winning the long jump, the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.30 seconds and the 200-meter dash in 22.76.
“He’s been working hard, too, to make both sports work,” Smith said. “He’s overall very consistent. Last week, he had five jumps over 21 feet after never being over 21 before that, and he had five out of six of them. This week, he had four jumps over 21 feet and he beat the Roncalli kid, who was the sectional champ.”
Roncalli’s Kyle Lockard, a junior, won the sectional at 22-00.00. At regional, the Royals long jumper fell to seventh at 21-03.50.
“It’s been unbelievable. (Kirk) was the Hancock County Athlete of the Meet. He was the sectional champ in the 200 at Warren Central. That’s impressive, and then to qualify for state in the long jump all as a freshman; he has a bright future ahead of him,” Smith said.
“It’s one of those things, though, where he’s talented, but he can’t just rely on his talent. He has to work hard for four years to keep getting better and better.”
For Hargett, the present is the future, and he’s been preparing for the challenge ever since his early exit in 2019. Over the off-season, he trained with a local pole vaulting club and focused on the state standard of 14-04.
Currently, he is seeded fifth in the event for state as one of four seniors in the top five where South Knox’s William Staggs is first at 16-01.25.
During regional, Hargett attempted 15-00 and he came up short three times, but coach Arnold believes he’s close with his hip clearance apparent on ascent, which mean potentially higher future clearances with some minor technique tweaks.
While the lone Cougars’ senior to advance to state, Hargett is following the 2021 graduating class’s mindset until the end.
“The seniors missed out on (the 2020 season), so they really wanted to do well,” Smith said. “I think they all PR’d in something this year. Cody PR’d and set the school record in the pole vault. Skylar Huffman is a thrower and he PR’d in both shot and discus. Jacob Holman PR’d in the long jump, and then Austin Nigh and Gage Guenin, they both PR’d in all the distance events they run in.
“The ones that stuck with it, they were there, wanted to be there and wanted to make up for that missed season. When there’s difficulty, you can either shut down and quit, or you can get up and try to work harder.”
Hargett is still standing tall at 5-feet, 10-inches.
“With pole vault, anything can happen on any given day,” Smith said.
That’s what Hargett is looking to prove with his eyes on a state medal at his final high school meet.
