STATE TRACK: MASSEY, PETERS BEST IN 300 HURDLES PRELIMS

Like they did Thursday in the 100 hurdles, Menno junior Ashton Massey and Freeman Public eighth grader Rylee Peters both qualified for Saturday’s final in the 300 hurdles with strong runs in the preliminary race Friday afternoon.

Massey clocked the top time in the field at 46.8 while Peters was second at 47.58.

Massey also takes the best clocking into the 100 hurdles final while Peters goes in third in the field.

Peters is also part of the Flyers’ 4×400 relay that qualified for Saturday’s final with the sixth-best clocking in the prelim. That team also includes Kate Miller, Vaida Ammann and Zenovia Buttler.

SCHROEDER 2ND IN 3200

Freeman Academy/Marion junior Tavin Schroeder finished second and FAM sophomore Finley McConniel placed eighth in the 3200 to highlight Friday morning’s action for local athletes competing at the State Track & Field Championships in Sioux Falls.

Schroeder finished behind only Canistota’s Josiah Schroeder and crossed the line in 10:02.58, well ahead of his incoming best of 10:22.32, which had him third in the field.

McConniel finished in 10:25.97, which was also considerably better than his incoming time of 10:41.44 — which had him 11th in the field going into the race.

The Bearcats also had a nice showing in the 4×200 prelims as Liam Ortman, Maddox Kihne, Karter Weber and Keaton finished seventh in a time of 1:35.26 — a fraction of a second better than their incoming best. The FAM boys will be one of eight teams competing in the 4×200 final on Saturday.

And Marion sophomore Keaton Preheim, who on Thursday advanced to the 100 final, got through in the 200, as well, with a seventh-place finish in Friday’s prelim.

Also competing on the track Friday morning was the FHS girls 4×200 relay; the FAM and Menno boys 4×800 relays; and Menno’s Brayden Sattler and Freeman’s Tate Sorensen in the 400. None advanced to the finals.

Freeman’s Makenzie Scharberg and Rocky Ammann also competed on Friday in the girls and boys long jump.