High School

Jackson Cantwell sets nation’s top high school shot put mark for third time in 2025 season - 1 centimeter off PR

The 6-foot-8 Nixa High School 5-star junior and top football recruit launched a 22.78-meter throw - his third national-leading mark this season and just one centimeter off his personal record.

Levi Payton

Nixa junior Jackson Cantwell reset the national high school mark in the shot put for the third time this season on a throw at the MSHSAA Class 5 District 6 meet on Saturday, May 17, 2025 at Nixa High School.
Nixa junior Jackson Cantwell reset the national high school mark in the shot put for the third time this season on a throw at the MSHSAA Class 5 District 6 meet on Saturday, May 17, 2025 at Nixa High School. / Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK

The last time Nixa High School junior Jackson Cantwell set the national high school lead in the shot put – at the Ken Peek Invitational on Friday, April 26 – Miami Hurricanes football staff were reportedly on hand to watch the young offensive lineman achieve greatness.

When Cantwell reset that record for the third time in 2025 on Saturday at the MSHSAA Class 5 District 6 meet at Nixa High School, he was committed to those Hurricanes.

What a week it's been for Jackson Cantwell.

On Tuesday, the 6-foot-8 junior announced his commitment to play college football for the Hurricanes in Miami following his 2026 graduation - picking them over schools like Oregon, Georgia and Ohio State. The next day, the 5-star 2026 recruit's ranking from 247Sports dropped from No. 3 in the nation to No. 10 overall.

On Saturday at Nixa High School - throwing on the same football field where he pancakes defenders under Friday night lights - Cantwell made national waves again. For the third time this season, the junior reset the 2025 national high school mark in the shot put with a throw of 22.78 meters (74 feet, 9.25 inches) to easily win the district event.

That throw surpassed his previous 2025-leading mark of 22.42 meters (73 feet, 6.25 inches) from April 26, which had edged his April 11 season-opening best by just 1 centimeter. Saturday’s throw, meanwhile, came just 1 centimeter shy of his personal record.

Cantwell had a great day to throw, with temperatures in the upper 70s and sunny skies across the Ozarks, Cantwell put on a show for the spectators in attendance.

The top 5 finishers in the even were all underclassmen, with Nixa junior teammate Hayden Mays taking second (18.16 meters), followed by junior Neil Barstow (Joplin, 16.46), junior Everson Tomlinson (Neosho, 15.72) and sophomore Louden Bolinger (Webb City, 15.57).

Cantwell also won the district crown in the discus with a throw of 57.18 meters, besting Mays (55.4) for a second time. Joplin senior Brennen Washington (48.82) and junior Neil Barstow (46.74) and Republic sophomore Ekene Chukwu (46.36) rounded out the top 5.

“I had a good feeling about it coming out of my hand,” Cantwell told Ozarks Sports Zone in an interview after the event. “I didn’t know exactly how far it was. I was it was past the 22 line and I knew it definitely had to be an improvement.”

An improvement, indeed. It was almost the best throw to ever come out of his hand.

“It was definitely a solid throw and the best one I’ve had this year,” Cantwell told OZone. “It’ll keep getting better. I’m still waiting for a PR, but that will come at some point.”

Cantwell will try to top that mark next weekend as he and the Eagles advance to the MSHSAA Class 5 Sectional 3 meet at Waynesville.

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Levi Payton
LEVI PAYTON

Levi’s sports journalism career began in 2005. A Missouri native, he’s won multiple Press Association awards for feature writing and has served as a writer and editor covering high school sports as well as working beats in professional baseball, NCAA football, basketball, baseball and soccer. If you have a good story, he’d love to tell it.

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