LADY TIGERS CAPTURE JACKSON JINV.

JACKSON, Mo. -- At about 2:30 p.m. Saturday -- with two thirds of the Jackson Invitational track meet finished -- Cape Central coach Lawrence Brookins was asked how his teams were doing.

Brookins seemed down a bit.

Not knowing how other teams were doing for sure, he thought his boys team was about where it should be, but he didn't think his girls, at far less than 100 percent, would have enough horses to take first place.

"I just don't know," he said at the time. "But you never know for sure. These girls have surprised me before."

They surprised him again.

Central's girls team, missing three of its top competitors, didn't just win it rolled to a 31-point victory among 12 teams.

"We got half our people gone," Brookins said somewhat excitedly. "That was nice. I just hope we get to a point where we have all our kids so we can really see what we can do."

While Central's girls took first (136 points), Sikeston managed to take first place on the boys side with 111 points, while Jackson's boys took second with 88. Many of the schools, however, were missing athletes with ACT tests and various other school-related activities. Poplar Bluff, the favorite going into the Invitational, had several athletes gone and ended up in fourth place.

Central's boys finished just behind Jackson in third place, while Perryville took fifth.

On the girls' side, Jackson took third and Perryville finished eighth.

Jenkins, Bohnsack shine

On a day where the gusty winds slowed down times -- particularly on the sprints -- two of Central's girls had stellar days.

Heather Jenkins, Central's standout thrower who took second in the discus and fourth in the shot put at state last year -- threw the discus a season-best 139 feet, 7 1/2 inches.

Lanie Bohnsack had a career day in the triple jump with a distance of 34-1.

Jenkins' throw was less than three feet off her personal best and 29 feet farther than anybody else's throw.

"I'm going for 145," she said. "And I want to peak at district time. I'm feeling pretty good."

Jenkins called her shot put of 38-4 "disappointing" but it was still good enough for first place, almost four feet better than the second-place competitor.

As for Bohnsack, she was giddy with her triple jump which beat her old personal best by a foot.

"I'm very excited," she said. "That makes my entire day."

Also for Cape Central's girls, Kim Pancoast easily took first place in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 5:33.90 and took second in the 800 in 2:34.37. She finished less than a second behind the first-place finisher from Murphysboro. Crystal Moreton took first place in the 100 high hurdles in 18.48.

Sprinter Vicky Wilson, and runners Courtney edge and Tafaris Wilderness are all dealing with injuries and didn't compete Saturday.

Meyr, relays help Jackson

Jackson's 4x200 relay team of Jeana Bolen, Rachel Smith, Kelly Lichtenegger and Jessica Venable took first place in 1:53.60. Jackson, with Venable, Lindsey Meyr, Bolen and Lichtenegger, also took first place in the 4x400 in 4:20.37. The Lady Indians probably would've won the 4x100, but they were disqualified by a false start.

Meyr took first place in the long jump (16-2 1/4) and second in the 400 (1:02.93) behind Perryville's Susan Miller (1:01.47).

Wind slows Whitney

Jackson speedster Mario Whitney took first place in both the 100 and 200, but a wind slowed him down. He finished the 100 in 11.08, nearly a half-second off his personal best this season. He ran the 200 in 22.64.

Whitney, though, scratched in the high jump.

Jon Coleman is still undefeated in the high hurdles after running the 110-meter event in 16.76. He took fifth in the 300 low hurdles in 43.99.

Jackson's 4x100 team of Mike Schuette, Brian Randolf, Ray Goodson and Whitney took first place in 43.93.

Central keeps pace

Cape Central's medium- and long-distance crew has kept the Tigers above water this season.

The same was true on Saturday.

Cape Central took first and second place in the 800 with Gabe Austin taking first in 2:07.06 and Ross Tilghman taking first in 2:07.69.

Mark Stone took first in the 3,200-meter run in 10:32.

The Tiger 4x800 team of Gabe Austin, Ross Tilghman, Justin Hawkins and Trevor Duncan took first in 8:41.9 and Brett McNabb captured first in the 400 with a time of 54.44.