Fondon's sixth place leap highlights SHS tracksters
JEFFERSON CITY -- The Sikeston track and field team concluded its season on Saturday on the final day of the MSHSAA Class 3 State Championships at Dwight T. Reed Stadium in Jefferson City.
All of Sikeston's athletes competed on Friday except for junior shot put thrower Salamar Cox.
Cox wound up with a toss of 46-feet, 9-inches which placed him 16th in the competition. Only the top eight receive medals and team points.
Sikeston's only team points came from freshman Dominic Fondon in the triple jump, placing sixth with a leap of 43-1 on Friday.
The leap is the furthest triple jump of any ninth grader in Sikeston Junior High history. Fondon also becomes the first Sikeston freshman to medal at the state meet in an individual event in many years.
The Bulldogs' 4 x 200 meter relay team placed 11th with a time of 1:31.79. The team was made up of sophomores Brandon Washington, Brandon Wright, Tommie Strong, Bryan Branion and junior David Stovall. One of the runners served as an alternate.
Senior Stephon Turner placed 13th in the 110 meter high hurdles with a time of 15.73.
Potosi, the Bulldogs' District 1 nemesis the last two years, won the team state championship with 65 points, edging Lee's Summit West by one point.
Sikeston tied for 42nd as a team, snapping a four year run of placing in the top 10. But all but Turner return for next year with the majority of the team being comprised of sophomores.
On the girls side, neither of Sikeston's relay teams qualified past the preliminaries. The 4 x 100 meter relay team placed 10th with a time of 51.31. And the girls 4 x 200 meter team placed 11th with a time of 1:48.40.
Both teams were made up of Chasman Herrion, Lashawna Turner, Jewellian Dixon, Michel'Le Flye, Teah Atkinson and Jackie Nance with one of them serving as an alternate.
Only the top eight placers qualify.
Herrion placed 14th in the 100 meter dash at 13.21.
The only other local athlete competing at the state meet was Dexter's Mallory Kennedy, who placed 15th in the long jump with a leap of 14-6.75.
Lee's Summit West captured the girls team championship by one point as well, edging Ladue 86 to 85.