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Sikeston girls track team finishes second at districts
DESOTO -- When three-time state track and field champion Steven Baker went down with a devastating knee injury during a meet earlier this season, Sikeston coach Terry Flannigan knew his boys team's hopes of repeating as Class 3, District 1 champions went down with him.
What he didn't know was how well his team would respond in filling his absence.
In Saturday's Class 3, District 1 meet at DeSoto High School, the boys team performed as well as Flannigan had hoped as they finished with 75 points to take fourth place out of the 16-team district. Even with a healthy Baker, it would have been unlikely to knock off Festus, which rode its distance runners to score 139 points to win the meet going away.
But the Bulldogs boys team filled Baker's void admirably, capturing first place in the 4 x 200 (Zach Harrison, Chase Davis, Darnell Butler, Deterio Newman) and 4 x 400 meter relays (Newman, Harrison, Dylon Baragar, Javion Bonner) while also qualifying for next Saturday's sectional meet at Rockwood Summit with a fourth place run in the 4 x 100 relay (Ray Council, Davis, Butler, Dearius Vance). All three are events Baker has participated in during his stellar career, including winning state in the 4 x 200 twice and the 4 x 100 once.
"It was a good day," Flannigan said. "The boys lost Steven early in the season so this is a big turnaround for them because we were just total chaos after that injury. They've done well and came back and adjusted. When you lose 35 to 40 points off one kid and then try to come in and make it up -- they really did a great job of adjusting."
Sikeston's best hopes of winning a district championship belonged to the girls this season as they scored 102 points to finish in second place behind Ste. Genevieve's 127 points.
It's the highest finish by Sikeston's girls in numerous years.
"Our girls, we knew we were going to be behind Ste. Gen and just hoped we could finish strong and not let somebody catch us," Flannigan said. "We did what we were supposed to do. Finishing second, that is quite an accomplishment for these girls and they're getting better each week. They're starting really to buy into it."
Sikeston's girls dominated in the relays, capturing first place in both the 4 x 100 (Antravia Green, Alexis Boyd, Zayteanna Williams, Brandy Peet) and 4 x 200 (Green, Peet, Tyra Bonner, Ailena Stovall) and finishing second in the 4 x 400 (Stovall, Williams, Bonner, Boyd).
"They were nervous as a cat, but we talked about just doing what they were supposed to do and everything will take care of itself," Flannigan said of his girls relays.
Sikeston also had several top individual performances led by Newman's first place leap in the triple jump (41-6.75) and Harrison's winning 200 meter dash (22.87).
Newman also had an exciting showdown with Notre Dame's Jordan Barber in the 400 meter dash, but came up just shy at the tape to finish second with a personal best time of 49.61. Newman was able to get a little payback, of sorts, in the final race of the day in the 4 x 400 meter relay. Running the anchor leg, Newman received the baton just a few meters ahead of Barber and was able to hold off the Notre Dame senior the entire way to help his team capture first place in the event.
"We knew our 4 x 100 was on the bubble, but they made it out," Flannigan said. "Our 4 x 200 we knew we would get out and we're really tickled about our 4 x 400. We just hope next week everything goes as smooth as this week."
Harrison, who had just last week decided to compete in the open 100 meter dash, came into the event seeded ninth, but the senior showed his toughness and finished in third place to qualify for the sectional meet. It was one of six races Harrison competed throughout the day, including preliminaries.
Davis qualified for next week's sectional meet as well in the 300 meter hurdles as he just barely held off a Festus runner at the finish line to place fourth.
Locally, New Madrid County Central senior Steven Padilla qualified for the sectional meet in the discus with a fourth place throw of 128 feet, 10 inches.
On the girls side, freshman Omunique Fields, freshman Antravia Green and sophomore Brandy Peet were all district winners in individual events.
Fields took first in the triple jump with a leap of 33 feet. Green and Alexis Boyd went first and second in the 100 meter dash. In the 200 meter dash, Peet repeated as district champion while Green finished second.
Sophomore Sarah Martin qualified in the triple jump with a third place finish. Boyd finished second in the 400 meter dash. Also sophomore Justice Ware-Burrow will be making the trip to the sectional meet with a fourth place throw in the shot put.
"Those individual people made a big difference and I'm proud of each and every one of them," Flannigan said.
Locally, Dexter's girls had a strong day overall, scoring 54 points to finish in sixth place.
Dexter sophomore MaKayla Waldner qualified in the 100 meter hurdles, 300 hurdles and high jump with second place finishes.
Dexter's 4 x 800 meter relay team comprised of Hailee Anderson, Julia Hahan, Kelsi Wood and Melanie McKuin qualified for the sectional meet with a third place finish.
New Madrid County Central senior Rashaunda Summers qualified in both the shot put and discus with a second place and third place finish in those events, respectively.
Athletes will compete next in the sectional where the top four competitors will qualify for the state meet in Jefferson City.
BOYS
Team results
1. Festus 139, 2. DeSoto 88, 3. Notre Dame 77, 4. Sikeston 75, 5. Ste. Genevieve 58, 5. Potosi 58, 7. Windsor 50, 8. Kennett 36, 9. Park Hills Central 31, 9. North County 31, 11. Fredericktown 30, 12. Perryville 15, 13. NMCC 7.5, 14. Arcadia Valley 5.5, 15. Dexter 0, 15. St. Pius X 0.
Local results (top four qualify for state)
High jump -- 8. Vontre Jones (N) 5-6
Long jump -- 8. Phayzun Fobbs (S) 18-6.5
Triple jump -- 1. Deterio Newman (S) 41-6.75
Discus -- 4. Steven Padilla (N) 128-10
3200m relay -- 5. Sikeston (Javion Bonner, Jared Boyd, Nick Hoang, Austin Dial) 8:37.16
100 -- 3. Zach Harrison (S) 11.61; 6. Darnell Butler (S) 11.76
800m relay -- 1. Sikeston (Harrison, Butler, Chase Davis, Newman) 1:31.99; 7. NMCC (Chris Farr, Blake Williams, Eddie Grandberry, Recco Phillips) 9:11.23
400m relay -- 4. Sikeston (Butler, Davis, Dearius Vance, Ray Council), 45.81
400 -- 2. Newman (S) 49.61
300m hurdles -- 4. Davis (S) 43.55
800 -- 6. Bonner (S) 2:08.91
200 -- 1. Harrison (S) 22.87
1600m relay -- 1. Sikeston (Harrison, Dylan Baragar, Bonner, Newman) 3:28.4
GIRLS
Team results
1. Ste. Genevieve 127, 2. Sikeston 102, 3. DeSoto 95, 4. Festus 79, 5. Notre Dame 55, 6. Dexter 54, 7. Windsor 50, 8. North County 37.5, 9. Park Hills Central 33, 10. Kennett 26.5, 11. Perryville 16, 12. NMCC 15, 13. Aradia Valley 5, 14. Potosi 4, 15. Fredericktown 1, 16. St. Pius X 0.
Local results (top four qualify for state)
High jump -- 2. MaKayla Waldner (D) 5-0
Pole vault -- 8. Katie Smith (S) 8-0
Long jump -- 2. MaKayla Waldner (D) 16-1; 8. Omunique Fields (S) 14-2.5
Triple jump -- 1. Fields (S) 33-0; 3. Sarah Martin (S) 32-1.5
Discus -- 3. Rashaunda Summers (N) 110-9
Shot put -- 2. Summers 41-4.5; 4. Justice Ware-Burrow (S) 34-4; 8. Mikala Nichols (S) 33-7
3200m relay -- 3. Dexter (Hailee Anderson, Julia Hahan, Kelsi Wood, Melanie McKuin) 10:33.91; 7. Sikeston (Marissa Jones, Alexis Price, Darby Self, Jimela Williams) 12:14.41
100m hurdles -- 2. Waldner (D) 15.81
100 -- 1. Antravia Green (S) 12.57; 2. Alexis Boyd (S) 12.98
800m relay -- 1. Sikeston (Green, Tyra Bonner, Ailena Stovall, Brandy Peet) 1:46.27; 7. Dexter (Waldner, Brooke Baker, Midgett, Julia Hahan) 1:58.08
400m relay -- 1. Sikeston (Green, Boyd, Zayteanna Williams, Peet) 50.19; 7. Dexter (Hahan, Emily Page, Karaline Kiersey, McKuin) 55.7
400 -- 2. Boyd (S) 55.88; 5. Stovall (S) 1:02.22
300m hurdles -- 2. Waldner (D) 46.86
800 -- 7. Kelsi Wood (D) 2:34.01; 8. Kyra Nelson (N) 2:46.69
200 -- 1. Peet (S) 26.45; 2. Green (S) 26.69; 6. McKuin (D) 28.15
1600m relay -- 2. Sikeston (Stovall, Williams, Bonner, Boyd) 4:09.28