Panthers’ King, Loman finish as state runners-up on second day of track and field championships

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Candra King couldn’t quite make it back-to-back sweeps.

The Palmyra track and field standout, who successfully defended her Class 3 state championship in the shot put Friday, went into Saturday’s competition looking to repeat as the discus state champion.

King took the top spot on her third attempt with a toss of 129 feet, 5 inches, but Incarnate Word’s Kamari Brown moved to the top of the podium with a throw of 138-6 on her fifth attempt. King couldn’t surpass her, scratching on her final attempt and settling for second place.

Alaina Loman also finished as a state runner-up, taking second in the Class 3 pole vault. Loman cleared 10 feet, 11.5 inches and watched Lawson’s Kamryn Florea top 11 feet, 5 inches to win the title.

Carson Hicks and Luke Sheppard went back-to-back in the Class 3 boys high jump, finishing third and fourth, respectively.

Hicks and Sheppard both cleared the first three heights, with Sheppard topping out at 6 feet, 2.75 inches. Hicks cleared 6 feet, 4.75 inches on his next attempt, but couldn’t go higher. Eldon’s Will Richardson won the event, clearing 6-6.25.

Palmyra’s Sydney Compton took seventh in the 100-meter hurdles, finishing in 15.79 seconds.

In the Class 2 boys championships, Monroe City’s Waylon DeGrave took fourth in the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 11.75 inches.

South Shelby’s Aadon Magruder took fourth in the shot put with a throw of 48 feet, 8.75 inches, while teammate Kendal Hammond was seventh with a throw of 48 feet, 1.75 inches.

The South Shelby boys 4×400 relay team was sixth in 3:30.19, while the South Shelby girls were seventh in the 4×800 relay in 10:25.34. The Monroe City girls 4×800 relay team finished eighth in 10:25.89. The Mark Twain girls 4×100 relay team finished seventh in 50.98 seconds.

In the Class 1 girls championships, North Shelby’s Harper Copenhaver finished seventh in the 400 dash in 1:02.62 and eighth in the 200 dash in 27.50 seconds.