C.J. Raney

By Byron Beers/Staff Writer

It was only two years ago when C.J. Raney first picked up a shot and took aim for long distances, but it was just recently when he tossed like a seasoned veteran.

Raney finished in second place and was rewarded with a silver medal in the shot put event at the Class 5A state track and field meet two weeks ago at East Central High School in Tulsa.

His throw of 54-8 was his career best and 6 feet off the pace of leader and gold medalist Geoffrey Tabor of Ardmore, but it was another giant step for the El Reno junior.

Raney just missed out on a medal with a fourth-place finish during his sophomore campaign, the first year he even tossed the shot.

It was former El Reno coach James Price who got Raney involved in track assignments just prior to the start of last season.

And it was the encouragement from his grandparents to give his full potential if he was going to give it a go.

“During my sophomore year my coach really didn’t have anyone who wanted to do track and he asked me to do it,” Raney said. “I said I would and decided to go ahead and give it a shot. I then really started to like it and once I got to know a little more about what I was doing it helped me to learn more about track.”

“My grandparents were behind me 100 percent,” he added. “They told me if I was going to do it then do it all the way and not do it just half way.”

But it is his current coach, Shawn Mason, who has helped propel Raney to new heights, thanks to some tweaks in his mechanics and delivery.
Mason not only polished Raney’s techniques in the shot put, but opened new doors to another event that has revealed his talents - the discus throw, an event that seemed improbable to him after his try as a sophomore.

But as he did in his first season throwing the shot, Raney repeated the same feat with the discus by advancing to this year’s state meet where he placed 14th with a result of 112-04.

“It was a lot different this year than what it was last year,” Raney said. “The coaching was a little different and I got my technique down a little bit better. I got to do a little more than what I wanted to and practiced a lot harder. After going to state last year I was more enthused about going this year.”

“This year, Coach Mason really pushed me to throw both,” Raney added. “He told me that if I could spin in the shot then I could spin in the discus. “Last year I was gliding so I really didn’t know how to spin in the shot and then whenever I got the spin down I converted it over to the disc.

“It was a lot easier this year than last year. Last year I really didn’t have a lot of technique in the disc and really didn’t want to throw it, but this year I kept adding on distance each week which made me want to throw it more.”

“C.J. had a great year,” Mason said. “He showed a lot of character at the big meets. At state, he had a really bad day on Friday with the discus, but he came back on Saturday and threw his personal best of 54-8 in the shot.

“His work ethic has been extremely strong through the year. We started the year changing his technique from the glide to the spin. He worked really hard at the change and it produced great results from him.

“It made him one of the top five shot putters in all classes in Oklahoma. We expect an exceptional season from him next year as he continues to perfect the spin technique.”

What once seemed like an afterthought to Raney as even picked up steam as far as interest from colleges. Raney has already received letters from Emporia State University (Kan.) and the University of La Verne College in California.

Raney didn’t just earn any spot in the shot put at this year’s state meet, he positioned himself as one of the favorites for a state championship run after capturing the 5A regional title at Edmond Memorial High School one week earlier with a throw of 52-5. He wasn’t that far off in the discus throw either, finishing in third with a 134-8.

Raney placed first in the shot put at five other meets this year – Woodward, Deer Creek, Piedmont, Weatherford and at the Suburban Conference meet in Chickasha. He also came away with a second-place finish in the discus at Elk City and was third at the conference meet.

It doesn’t end there for Raney, who has since shifted gears to start preparing for his senior season in football with spring drills currently underway.

Raney was vital to the Indians success last year where he played important roles on both sides of the ball. As the starting running back he rushed for 355 yards and six touchdowns. As a defensive lineman he registered 72 total tackles, 17 tackles for losses, six quarterback sacks, and led the team with three forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.

Raney mentioned that his strength doesn’t relate that much to his success in the shot put and discus throw and that the two tie in together.

“Strength isn’t really a big part, but it helps,” Raney said. “A lot of the technique is better than the strength. It’s more with technique in how low or how high you are in terms of the distance it goes.

“They really tie into each other, but it’s kind of strenuous on your arm after going from one to the other,” Raney said. “We try to spread practice out so that one day we can do shot and the next day do disc.”

Another thing Mason worked with Raney on that was equally effective in his climb from last year was his positioning and landing zone.

“Coach usually draws out a line for my shot put throws and tells me if my foot is parallel with the line it’s going to be a pretty good throw,” he said. “It took me a while to adjust to it, but as soon as I adjusted I started throwing a lot better than what I usually was throwing.”

If he continues to make strides like he has in his first two years, Raney seems destined to add a gold medal or two with his silver in his final year of eligibility.

“Hopefully I will be a lot better next year,” he said. “This year kind of showed me that I could actually do it and brings me to the thought that I could possibly do as good as I did this year or even better. I’ve got the technique down so now I just need to keep practicing.”