Chaffee's Horman jumps to all-state

~ Scott City's Essner qualified for three finals in today's Class 2 meet.

Scott City's Stephanie Essner and Chaffee's Trenton Horman had strong showings Friday as the Class 1 and 2 state track meets got underway Friday in Jefferson City.

Essner, the defending Class 2 state champion in the 400-meters who was last year's 200-meter runner-up, qualified for today's finals in all three of her events.

Essner had the best preliminary times in the 400 (57.96 seconds) and 200 (25.47). The junior nabbed the eighth and final qualifying spot in the 100 (12.77).

Horman earned all-state honors in the Class 1 high jump by finishing fourth with a height of 6 feet, 2 inches. The senior failed to place in the finals of the long jump, finishing 12th (19-1/4).

But Horman qualified for today's finals in the 110 hurdles by placing eighth in the preliminaries (16.51), and he was part of the 1,600 relay team that carries the top time into today's finals.

Horman joined Collin Dannenueller, Zac Dannenmueller and Jordan Yahn in reeling off a 3:33.96 during the preliminaries.

Yahn, a freshman, earned all-state honors by placing seventh in the 800 finals (2:05.48).

Collin Dannenmueller had the second-fastest time in the 400 preliminaries (51.55).

Chaffee's 800 relay team of Collin Dannenmueller, Steven Hendrix, J.C. Reeves and Hunter Thomason had the top preliminary time (1:34.20). That foursome also made up the Red Devils' 400 relay that was second in the preliminaries (45.42).

Also for the Red Devils, Nathan Cicardi was 16th in the finals of the 1,600 (5:18.12).

Chaffee's boys are 10th in the team standings with seven points. Princeton leads with 28 points.

Chaffee's Amber Kirk narrowly missed out on all-state honors as she was ninth in the finals of the shot put (33-1/4).

The Chaffee girls' 1,600 relay squad did not make it out of the preliminary round, finishing 15th (4:37.82). That group consisted of Taylor Kirchdoerfer, Cassie Hindman, Sierra Miller and Sarah Sigman.

Oran's Haley Glastetter had a strong showing in Class 1 girls action as she qualified for today's finals in the 200 and 400.

Glastetter was fourth in the 200 preliminaries (27.16) and seventh in the 400 (1:03.51). She failed to qualify in the 100 (11th, 13.46) and 100 hurdles (ninth, 17.52).

In Class 2, Saxony Lutheran's Cassie Simpher will join Scott City's Essner in today's 400 final. Simpher had the fourth-fastest time in the preliminaries (59.44).

Saxony Lutheran will have its boys 1,600 relay team in today's finals after the group of Mark Buerck, Andrew Etzold, Ross Gage and Trevor Mabuce was third in the preliminaries (3:27.61).

Also in Class 2, Kelly's Tara Johnson finished 11th in the finals of the 3,200 (12:37.81).