AREA ATHLETES FALL SHORT OF STATE CROWNS

JEFFERSON CITY -- Cape Girardeau Central's Dionna Webb and Heather Jenkins, along with Jackson's Mario Whitney, all came up a bit short in their bids for state titles Saturday as the Class 4A track & field championships came to a close.

Webb, the defending champion in the long jump, fell well short of her effort at last year's state meet as she leaped 17 feet 11 inches to place second, behind the impressive 19-6 of Kansas City Central's Muna Lee. A year ago, Webb jumped 18-11 1/2.

Jenkins matched Webb with a second-place performance in the discus as she had a throw of 137-2, behind the 139-1 of Liberty's Mary Wirt. Jenkins, who finished fifth in the shot put Friday, was fourth in the discus and sixth in the shot put as a sophomore last season.

Whitney, Jackson's sophomore sensation, lost a 100-meter finals race for the first time all season as he finished third in a time of 10.81 seconds. Defending champion Charles McGhee of Ladue repeated his title in 10.53 seconds and he also gained a measure of revenge on Whitney, who had beaten McGhee during last Saturday's sectional meet in Cape Girardeau.

Whitney capped an impressive debut season at the state meet by finishing sixth in the 200 in 22.34 seconds.

Cape Central had one more all-stater Saturday (those finishing in the top eight earned all-state honors) as Demetrius Totten was seventh in the long jump at 45-2 3/4.

Also for Cape Central's boys Saturday, Matt Gooden was ninth in the pole vault (13-6) and Jeff Thiele was 13th in the discus (142-1).

Because of the performances of Jenkins and Webb -- who accounted for all of Cape Central's 20 points -- the Lady Tigers wound up in an 11th-place tie in the team standings.

Poplar Bluff was eighth in 4A boys with 24 points, led by pole-vault champion Phillip Brown, who cleared a state-meet record 16-4 1/4.

Jackson's girls had state qualifiers in six events but the Lady Indians failed to score a point.

3A state meet

JEFFERSON CITY -- Perryville's Shawn Statler finished third in the 100-meters in 11.02 seconds, not far off the champion's 10.94.

Also for Perryville, Andy Crannick was 10th in the long jump (20-5 1/2).

Charleston's boys placed fifth in the 400 relay (44.60) while New Madrid County Central's Pervis Boyd captured the triple jump (46-7 1/2).