It wasn’t the best performance of the season by the Waynesville High School boys’ basketball team.
But it was a district-winning one.
The Tigers captured by boys’ team title in the Missouri Class 4 District 2 Meet, held Saturday at Kirkwood High School.
Waynesville was the boys’ district champion with 142 points followed by St. Louis University High second with 130, Washington third with 111, Parkway South fourth with 67, Eureka fifth with 64, Kirkwood sixth with 53, Rolla seventh with 40, Webster Groves eighth with 37, Vianney ninth with 28, Rockwood Summit 10th with 21 and Roosevelt 11th with 8.
Waynesville placed sixth in the girls’ team standings.
Rockwood Summit captured the girls’ team crown with 166.5 points followed by Eureka second with 103, Kirkwood third with 92, Rolla fourth with 79.5, Washington fifth with 74, Waynesville sixth with 56, Webster Groves seventh with 47, Ursaline Academy eighth with 33, Nerinx Hall ninth with 25, Parkway South 10th with 22 and Roosevelt 11th with 3.
The top four finishers in each event advance from the district meet to the Missouri Class 4 Sectional action on Saturday, May 17 at Eureka High School, starting at 11 a.m.
In all the WHS boys’ team will send 12 individuals in 16 events to the sectional event while the Lady Tigers will send six individuals in six events.
At the Eureka Sectionals the survivors from Districts 1 and 2 will compete, with the top four finishers from each event advancing on to the Missouri Class 4 State Meet, to be held May 23-24 in Jefferson City on the campus of Lincoln University.
Senior Sam Scott was a part of three 1st-place finishes for the Tiger boys. Scott won the open 200-metr dash as well as the 400-meter dash and ran a leg on the winning 4x400-meter relay team, along with B.J. Ray, T.R. Raines and Lucas Bateman. Scott also placed second in the open 100-meter dash.
The other WHS boys’ first-place finish came from the 4x200-meter relay team of Raines, Marel Respress, Ray and Miakel Williams.
Another multi-open event qualifier includes Solomon Williams, who was second in the 110-meter hurdles and triple jump and was fourth in the 300-meter hurdles. S. Williams just missed advancing in the long jump, as he placed fifth in that event despite leaping more than 21 feet.
Also, Bateman was second in the 300-meter hurdles and third in the 110-meter hurdles while Ray was second in the 400-meter dash and fourth in the long jump.
Other WHS boys’ sectional qualifiers are Albert Sostre, second in the 800-meter run; Tim Williams tied for second in the high jump; L.B. Stevens second in the long jump; Anthony Parker third in the triple jump, and the third-place 4x100-meter relay team of Respress, Raines, M. Williams and Brandon Wilson.
Scott in the 200-meter dash and the WHS boys’ 4x200-meter relay team continue to be unbeaten this season. Bateman’s second-place finish was the first time this season he hasn’t won in the 300-meter hurdles.
“We went in with the idea of winning this one,” said WHS boys’ track head coach Jerry Guffey. “We qualified just about everybody we thought would qualify, except for Solomon in the long jump. I’ve never seen a kid jump 21 feet and not qualify.”
Guffey says the Tigers will have to run even better to win at the sectional meet.
“There can be none of the little mistakes we had last week,” Guffey said. “There has got to be no mistakes from here on out.”
Freshman Ekate Lymon led the way for the Lady Tigers, advancing in all four of her events.
Lymon won the long jump; was second in the 200-meter dash; third in the 100-meter dash, and ran a leg on the fourth-place 4x200-meter relay team, along with De’Shana Butts, Derisha Clarke and Tina Scharpman.
Another first place for the Lady Tigers came from sophomore Roxanne Koke, who won the shot put.
Also qualifying was the fourth-place 4x100-meter relay team of Butts, Clarke, Shaunte’ Davis and Scharpman.
As the meet went on the weather began to cool. There was a brief weather delay.
Here are the Waynesville sectional qualifiers:
Boys
1st Place
Sam Scott, 400-meter dash, :50.69.
Scott, 200-meter dash, :21.90.
4x200-meter relay (T.R. Raines, Marel Respress, B.J. Ray, Miakel Williams), 1:30.42.
4x400-meter relay (Ray, Raines, Lucas Bateman, Scott), 3:18.68.
2nd Place
Solomon Williams, 110-meter hurdles, :14.69.
Scott, 100-meter dash, :10.95.
Ray, 400-meter dash, :50.83.
Bateman, 300-meter hurdles, :39.94.
Albert Sostre, 800-meter run, 2:00.18.
Tim Williams, high jump, 6-0.
L.B. Stevens, long jump, 21-7 3/4.
S. Williams, triple jump, 43-9.
3rd Place
Bateman, 110-meter hurdles, :14.83.
Anthony Parker, triple jump, 43-6.
4x100-meter relay (Respress, Raines, M. Williams, Brandon Wilson), :44.05.
4th Place
S. Williams, 300-meter hurdles, :40.63.
Ray, long jump, 21-2 3/4.
Girls
1st Place
Roxanne Koke, shot put, 38-10 1/4.
Ekate Lymon, long jump, 17-63/4.
2nd Place
Lymon, 200-meter dash, :26.21.
3rd Place
Lymon, 100-meter dash, :12.40.
4th Place
4x200-meter relay (De’Shana Butts, Derisha Clarke, Lymon, Tina Scharpman), 1:47.88.
4x100-meter relay (Butts, Clarke, Shaunte’ Davis, Scharpman), :51.52.