2A DISTRICT MEET TO BE HELD IN CAPE

The 15-team, Class 2A, District 1 track meet will be held today at the Abe Stuber Track and Field Complex in Cape Girardeau.

Field and preliminary sprint events will begin at 11 a.m., with the running event finals to be in the afternoon.

The teams competing will be Kelly, Caruthersville, Portageville, Malden, Hayti, East Prairie, Chaffee, Scott City, Crystal City, Cardinal Ritter (St. Louis), St. Louis Metro, Lutheran North, Maplewood-Richmond Heights, Grandview and Brentwood.

Lutheran North, perennial favorite and defending state champions for boys and girls, once again will field a strong team.

Locally, Kelly along with Portageville and Malden should have competitive teams entered.

"We're very young with a sophomore dominated team this year, but we have some good times in several events," said Kelly track coach Bill Davis. "Our boys and girls' 4 x 800 meter relay teams are seeded in the top three in the state."

Other local athletes with top performances are Kelly's Jenny Riley, who is seeded No.1 in the 3200 and No. 2 in the 1600. Rachel Spinks of Scott City could provide tough competition in both events.

Kelly's Logan Kirk (discus) and Chaffee's Andy Obermann (shot put) are also favored in their events.

Kelly sophomore Adam Daughhetee comes into the meet undefeated in the 1600 and 3200. While he has not been tested all year, Daughhetee has not run against the likes of Grandview's Allen Heincker, the favorite in today's distance events.

Perhaps the premier athlete in the meet is defending 110 hurdles state champion Chris Bennett of Cardinal Ritter. Bennett has posted a 14.6 seconds in the event this year. He is also an outstanding performer in the 300 intermediate hurdles.