3-time shot put world champion Christian Cantwell is his idol, but if Boonville's Corey Jones continues on his current path of success, he might join Cantwell as a shot put record breaker.

Love brought Corey Jones to the track, "Actually in the 8th grade I had a girlfriend and I wanted to hang out with her and that's how it got started," explained Jones, the Boonville High School junior thrower.

Jones doesn't like to run, but he found another way to make an impact on the track team.

"I remember the first time we actually threw the shot. I threw it and coach was timing the 200 and he's like. 'Who threw that?,'" said Jones.

"I yelled at then the head track coach Jack McCush and I said, 'You're going to have to come down and see this. This kid really has an opportunity to be special,'" said Steve Smith, the Boonville track coach.

Special in more ways than one. Coach Smith had to make some changes when Jones started out-throwing the Pirates' practice pit.

"We're going to have to put some barriers up there because it's going to cost us a lot of practice time fetching the shots, and so we put the railroad ties up," said Coach Smith.

"They haven't changed it yet... But the pit is only about 58 feet... So hopefully they can get some more gravel," Jones said.

Jones won the Class 3 State Championship in the shot and discus last season, as only a sophomore.

"I couldn't look and I remember saying to my mom, 'What did he do?' And she would tell me. Then of course I would stand up and say, 'That's my boy, that's my baby,'" said Desiree Jones, Corey's mother.

"When he won that, it was a great surprise. It was awesome to see him on the podium. He was by far the smallest guy on the podium of all the eight guys that medaled that day," Coach Smith said.

He doesn't keep track of his medals, he's interested in another number.

The Class 3 state record in the shot is 63 feet, eight and a half inches. Corey already threw it 63 feet, seven and a half inches this season.

So how often do those numbers go through his mind?

"Every five minutes at least," Jones said.

"It's a long ways... An inch is a long ways when you're throwing out as far as you can throw. That inch gets to be a long ways, but he has a great opportunity to get that inch," Coach Smith said.

Jones practices at home. He's an expert at the laundry shot, and his telephone discus is impressive.

"Somebody will call and it will be for her and I'll spin around and throw it to her," Jones said.

"I said, 'Corey, you are 17 now. It's time to stop throwing things around the house,'" said Corey's mother.

Jones can't help it. Love brought him to the track, but now its the shot that owns his heart.

"I love the shot put. That's my life," said Jones.

As for the girl who brought Corey to track, she's no longer in the picture.

Jones is undefeated in track meets this season, perfect at both the shot put and discus.

Jones likes to practice so much, the last three years on Christmas Day, he spent quality time with mom throwing the shot put.