Central girls dethrone Jackson at SEMO Conference meet

~ Jackson placed second in both the girls and boys meets.

SIKESTON -- Central's Mary Dohogne looked strong while competing in the 1,600-meter race for only the second time this spring during Monday's SEMO North Conference meet.

So did her teammate Asia Thomas, who ran the 400 for the first time this season.

Both Dohogne and Thomas earned first-place finishes in their individual events to help the Central girls team win the conference title for the first time since 2006.

Central scored 85 points, edging out Jackson (64), Poplar Bluff (58) and Sikeston (54).

Jackson's Greg Gibson runs to victory in the 1,600 ahead of teammate Cody Green at the SEMO North Conference meet Monday in Sikeston. (DAVID JENKINS ~ Sikeston Standard Democrat)

The Jackson girls team had won the title the past two years but was without top sprinter Landon Wachter. Wachter, a Class 4 all-state runner in the 400 and 800 last year, is out for the remainder of the year after fracturing her left foot, Wachter's father and Jackson coach Steve Wachter said.

Thomas' victory in the 400 (58.10 seconds) marked the first time she has won a conference meet event. Wachter beat Thomas by less than a second last year.

"She makes me go faster," Thomas said when asked how much it helped not to have to run against Wachter. "She's cool. ... This was my first time in the open 400 this year. I usually do the 4x400, 200 and the 4x200. I needed work on it because I'm going to do the 400 at state, hopefully."

Central coach Lawrence Brookins was pleased with how the Central girls ran in both the sprints and distance races.

"It's been a few seasons since we won the girls or boys outright, so I'm really excited," said Brookins, who is in his final year as Central track coach. "The sprint relays were good today. They improved their times in both the 4x100 and 4x200 and our distance kids, on the female side, are pretty consistent."

Dohogne beat Jackson's Taylor Dickerson in the mile. Dohogne said she ran the 1,600 many times last year, but the only other time this year that she has competed in the event was at the Jackson Invitational. Her focus has been centered on reducing her time in the 800, which she might run instead of the 1,600 at districts Saturday.

"I like the 800 a lot more, but also when I run the mile, I have fun doing it," Dohogne said. "Eight hundred, I think it's easier mentally."

Dohogne, a sophomore, is a talented distance runner who finished 22nd at the Class 4 cross country meet. Central distance coach Mark Hahn said he thinks that before Dohogne graduates, she might be able to break senior Veronica Schabbing's state cross country course time, which is a school record.

"There's not doubt in my mind," Hahn said. "It takes a lot of work when you get to those kind of times. You can't just do that on talent. But she knows how to work hard. And she's a smart runner. If you watched her mile today, the little technical things you do here and there and how you respond to situations, she did everything exactly right."

Hahn said he decided to put Dohogne in the 1,600 instead of the 800 at the conference meet because he wanted to see what her time would be before deciding whether to run Dohogne in the 800 or 1,600 this weekend at districts. Hahn said that watching Dohogne helped him decide, but he did not want to commit to which events Dohogne will run this weekend until he tells her.

"Our sectional on the girls distance side is a killer," he said. "It's the toughest in the state. So the decision-making process has to do a lot with what I think she has the best opportunity to get through and advance to state. I think I can project what she might be able to do in an 800, but at this stage of the season, our miles drop significantly, and because we haven't had her in the mile, that's why she was in the mile today. We wanted to see what she can do and project what might happen at districts and sectionals."

Jackson boys second

Adam Zweigart helped the Jackson boys team score 70 points to place second behind Poplar Bluff (72).

Zweigart placed second in a very close 100. Zweigart (10.70) was beat by Sikeston's Cal Lane (10.69), but Zweigart regrouped to win the 200 (22.00).

"We always kid around before we race because we know we're so close and so competitive," Zweigart said about he and Lane. "He got me. ... The 100 really doesn't bother me. I know I'm stronger in the 200 than I am in the 100. I have some high expectations in the 200 because I know I can do better than I just did."

Zweigart is looking to place in the top eight in both the 100 and 200 at state this year.

"I think I'm a lot better this year than I was last year." Zweigart said. "Each meet I just keep getting better. So I am going to try to place at state and get all-state."

Local top-three finishers

Boys

3,200 relay -- 1. Jackson (Cody Green, Josh Cook, Greg Gibson, Tyson Stoverink), 8:52; 2. Central (Alex Crawford, Summers, Ritter, Spencer Lovig), 8:56.90

110 hurdles -- 3. Thomas McElmurry, C, 16.02

800 relay -- 3. Central (Lucian Johnson, Pittman, Scott Stone, Jenkins), 1:35.60

100 dash -- 2. Adam Zweigart, 10.70

1,600 -- 1. Gibson, J, 4:36; 2. Green, J, 4:37; 3. Roy Leighton, C, 4:39

400 relay -- 2. Jackson (Drew Hinkle, Chris Hearst, Ethan Ruch, Trent Sizemore), 45.72; 3. Central (Pittman, Dante Sales, Jenkins, Stone)

400 -- 3. Johnson, C, 52.37

300 hurdles -- 3. McElmurry, C, 42.01

800 -- 1. Cook, J, 2:04.20; 2. Stoverink, J, 2:04.80; 3. Lovig, C, 2:09

3,200 -- 2. Alex Crawford, C, 10:32.60; 3. Eric Schott, C, 10:37

200 -- 1. Zweigart, J, 22.00

1,600 relay -- 2. Jackson (Cook, Green, Hearst, Stoverink), 3:36.70; 3. Central (Johnson, McElmurry, Lovig, Gramling), 3:49.10

Discus -- 2. Zach Horrell, C, 141-0; 3. Blake Peiffer, J

Shot put -- 1. Peiffer, J; 2. Josh Egbuka, C, 46-6; 3. Jake Wolpers, J

High jump -- 3. Robert Walls, C, 6-2

Pole vault -- 1. Matt Deisher, C, 13-0; 3. Ray Woldtvedt, C, 13-0

Girls

Discus -- 1. Jill Rushin, J; 2. Apolonia Thomas, C, 109-0; 3. Chelsea Sterling, C, 90-0

Shot put -- 1. Rushin, J; 2. Apolonia Thomas, C, 29-0; 3. McMahen, J

3,200 relay -- 1. Central (Brittany Moreland, Victoria Schabbing, Veronica Schabbing, Mary Dohogne), 10:36; 2. Jackson (Caitlyn Bess, Megan Keesee, Emily Rodman, Kendra Bollinger), 11:45

100 hurdles -- 2. Aspen Pullen, C, 17.43; 3. Mary Anne Bradshaw, J, 17.80

1,600 -- 1. Dohogne, C, 5:24; 2. Taylor Dickerson, J, 5:29; 3. Lindsey Seabaugh, J, 5:50

400 relay -- 2. Central (Ivana Jackson, Erica Childs, Sadie Pittman, Harris), 51.01

800 relay -- 2. Central (Jackson, Asia Thomas, Pittman, Harris), 1:45.83

400 -- 1. Asia Thomas, C, 58.10; 2. Bradshaw, J, 1:02.33

300 hurdles -- 3. Andrea Richardet, J, 57.90

800 -- 1. Moreland, C, 2:24.40; 3. Dickerson, J, 2:25.00

200 -- 1. Jackson, C, 26.40; 2. Rachel Meyr, J, 27.40

3,200 -- 1. Veronica Schabbing, C, 11:45; 2. Seabaugh, J, 12:58; 3. Audrey Westrich, C, 14:09

1,600 relay -- 1. Central (Jackson, Moreland, Dohogne, Asia Thomas), 4:11.40; 2. Jackson (Bradshaw, Dickerson, Bollinger, Meyr), 4:26.20

Long jump -- 3. Bradshaw, J

Triple jump -- 2. Pittman, C, 33-4

Pole vault -- 2. Ashley Sexton, C, 7-0; 3. Nancy Mardanova, C, 6-6