For months, Brian Lanigan had sought to emulate the GAC’s most accomplished jumper.Despite gradually improving throughout the season, he could never top Sam Kohrs’ distances.On Saturday, that streak ended.“It was just a good day,” concluded the Warrenton senior, searching for words to describe his outstanding showing.Not only had Lanigan topped the St. Charles’ jumper, but he’d also banked his first-ever trip to state. He started a trend, which saw the Warriors qualify for the MSHSAA Championships in four different events.“I have a little personal rivalry against him,” said Lanigan, of Kohrs. “That was a personal victory of mine.”He expected to need his personal best to advance past sectionals. Each time up, Lanigan rose to the challenge.“The competition kept coming back at him,” said Coach Steve McDowell. “He sweated it out for a while, then his final jump gave him a little more breathing room.”Lanigan recorded personal bests on his first, second and fourth jumps, ultimately landing a third-place distance of 43 feet, 9.75 inches.For Kohrs, it was an average day. For the other qualifiers, it was an extraordinary one.Now Lanigan will join them in Jefferson City on Friday to kick off the state meet at 11 a.m.“I don’t even know if it’s sunk in yet that I’m going,” said Lanigan. “It’s cool that my last meet ever is going to be at state.”With only four inches separating him and the school record, he is eyeing the mark of 44 feet, 2 inches.“My goal was to qualify as an individual,” said Lanigan. “If I medal, it’ll be icing on the cake.”And Lanigan won’t be alone in his journey.RELAY MAKES RETURNDrake Wagner and Jordon Washington are both pivotal members of  the 800-meter relay team, but the duo will add a pair of open events to their state  reputaire this weekend.The relay, also consisting of Carlos Lopez and Justin McBroom, is making its return to the MSHSAA Championships after a second-place finish at sectionals.“They ran a great race,” said McDowell.The Warriors  broke their own school record of 1:29:14.“I’m excited about us getting back to state, and hopefully we can medal this time,” said Wagner.“Being the last race of the season, I think that’ll push us to work a little bit harder,” said Washington. “Perfecting the handoffs will matter a lot against the teams we’re running against.”The same group was destined for a state berth in the 400-meter relay, but a botched handoff on the final exchange caused the Warriors to fall from third to eighth place.Although frustrated with the initial disappointment, the team has turned its attention on the remaining opportunities.“We knew 4x200 would be our best chance to medal anyway, so now we have the time and energy to focus on just that,” said Washington. “We only have one things to really put our minds to.”But that won’t be Washington’s sole focus, as he prepares for his state debut in the 100-meter race. He took third at sectionals with a  time of 11.14 seconds.“He stays after practice and puts that extra time into his event,” said McDowell. “He’s very excited to be able to compete at state and take it to the next level.”“I’m really excited to go, and I’ll do better at state than I did at sectionals,” asserted Washington, who says he’s possessed a passion for track since middle school.Track hasn’t been so much a labor of love, but instead a means of staying competitive for Wagner, who has found his niche in the 200-meter race. He bested all other runners on Saturday with a time of 11.14 seconds.“I was happy about getting first, but my time wasn’t that great,” lamented Wagner, always analyzing his every step.Now he is eyeing his first state medal this weekend after becoming the first male sprinter to represent Warrenton at state since 2002.“He’s got that little push in the final 50 metes of the race, and he excels at that,” said McDowell. “Drake had an awesome day overall.”The Warriors also had representation in the pole vault but were unable to qualify either competitor for state.Jared Kilpack missed the cut by just one spot, taking fifth place with a top height of 12 feet, 3 inches. Fellow junior Caleb Hodgson cleared 11 feet to place seventh.“I was very pleased with the kids efforts,” said McDowell. “I thought we could multiple events through, and I’m pleased with how we performed.”

Warrenton senior Brian Lanigan finished third in the triple jump to qualify for state.

Derrick Forsythe Photo.