Roar on to the collegiate track scene.

That is what 2022 Owensville High School (OHS) graduate Jacob Breedlove will look to do during the upcoming school year for the Lions of Missouri Southern State University (MSSU) in Joplin.

Breedlove won’t be the only former OHS track athlete in green and yellow.

Currently holding the OHS school records in both the boys and girls pole vault respectively, Bryan and Katie Candrl have been doing their dad (OHS head track coach Matt Candrl) proud by competing among the nation’s best track and field athletes at MSSU.

“Jacob has the potential to do great things as a Lion at MSSU,” Coach Candrl said. “He showed that he has excellent leadership skills helping two relay teams earn All-State honors for their top-eight finishes in Class 3 in Missouri.”

Breedlove began his senior year of high school on area hills and flat stretches in cross country at OHS.

Breedlove’s fastest time and best finish during his final season of OHS Cross Country came in a seventh-place time of 18:19.5 in the Hermann Invitational Cross Country meet held at Loutre Shore Country Club north of Hermann.

His best season of cross country came as a sophomore when Breedlove helped the Dutchmen to a second-place team finish behind Pacific during the 2019 Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Class 3, District 5 Cross Country meet held at Big Driver hosted by St. Francis Borgia High School.

That second-place team finish qualified the Dutchmen for the 2019 MSHSAA Cross Country Championships held at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia.

This marked the first time since 1976 that the MSHSAA Cross Country Championships were not held at Jefferson City’s Oak Hills Golf Center.

Moving over to the track, Breedlove competed in six different events for OHS Track and Field during his senior season.

Winning the 200-meter dash in 23.54 during the Montgomery County Early Invite in March, Breedlove ended his season in the 200m dash with a fifth-place time of 23.14 during the MSHSAA Class 3, District 5 Track Meet held at West Plains High School.

Next for Breedlove was the 400-meter dash as a senior in orange and black.

Winning regular season meets at Montgomery County, Cuba before winning a Four Rivers Conference (FRC) title on his home track, Breedlove captured district and sectional titles earning him a spot among the top 16 boys in the Class 3 400m dash.

Breedlove’s sectional time of 49.96 made him just the third OHS Dutchmen track athlete to break the 50-second mark in the 400 along with Tanner Waits and the late Jason Kottwitz.

At state, Breedlove’s preliminary time of 51.25 put him in 11th place overall and outside of the finals.

Winning a pair of 800-meter run races at Owensville and Hermann, Breedlove’s season ended in that event with a seventh-place time of 2:13.78 at the annual FRC meet contested at OHS’ Dutchmen Field during less-than-ideal weather conditions.

Earning All-State honors as part of the 4x200-meter relay team, Breedlove ran with teammates Bryce Payne, Blake Elliott, Charlie Whelan, Alan Kopp and Tanner Meyer throughout his senior season.

Sweeping the Gasconade County circuit with wins at the OHS Relays and Hermann Invitational, the Dutchmen 4x200m relay team was dealt some adversity when Kopp saw his senior season end after a serious hand injury following a side-by-side accident.

Days later at the FRC meet, Meyer stepped into Kopp’s spot helping Breedlove and Payne claim All-FRC honors with a second-place finish in 1:33.33 on their home track.

Nearly two weeks later in districts at West Plains, they placed second in 1:32.00 to advance to the sectional meet in Hollister.

Once again taking second place at sectionals, the Dutchmen 4x200m relay team of Breedlove, Whelan, Payne and Meyer qualified for the MSHSAA State Track and Field Championships in Jefferson City over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Qualifying for the finals with the seventh-fastest preliminary time of 1:32.47, the Dutchmen foursome earned a seventh-place medal in the finals with a time of 1:32.29.

Saving the best for last, Breedlove was also able to earn All-State accolades in the Class 3 Boys 4x400-meter relay.

Similar to the 4x200m relay team, the quartet of Gabe Soest, Payne, Kopp and Breedlove also won the boys 4x400m relay at both the OHS Relays and Hermann Invitational.

In addition to taking Kopp’s place in the 4x200m relay, Meyer also filled his spot in the 4x400m relay.

Able to overcome a disqualification following the FRC meet, the Dutchmen quartet of Breedlove, Soest, Meyer and Payne won a district title at West Plains in the boys 4x400m relay with a winning time of 3:31.79.

Placing second at sectionals to advance to state, OHS was also second after the state prelims before posting a their fastest time of the season with a third-place mark of 3:28.26.