It wasn't so long ago that Warrenton junior Cloud Wharton doubted his chances of qualifying for the state meet. Much of the season had been a disappointment, with Wharton battling physical setbacks and not achieving his personal goals. Not until the Clayton Invitiational two weeks ago did he finally break from the slump to record a personal-best career time. He provided another strong effort on Saturday, eliminating any chance of missing the cut for state. Wharton placed fourth with a 17:56 at the Class 3 District 4 meet on Saturday at Warrenton High School. "I'm amazed that I picked it up," said Wharton. "I was wanting to make it to state, but I wasn't sure it was possible." He became one of three Warrenton runners to qualify for the MSHSAA Championships, which will be held at the Oak Hills Golf Course in Jefferson City on Saturday. "I'm happy for him," said coach Mike Spoede. "He's done really well." Wharton says he was feeling confident throughout Saturday's race, which featured a field of 64 runners, with the top 15 advancing to state. "I was feeling really good," said Wharton. "I was going for the record today, but I still have next week to do it." Senior Emily Mauch and junior Melora Broker also qualified to represent the girls team. Having high standards for herself, Mauch wasn't particularly pleased with her finish, despite safely locking in a trip to state for the fourth straight year. She placed sixth, running a 21:21. "Compared to the rest of the season, this was a really bad meet," said Mauch. "I felt really good for the first mile and then it felt like I just hit a wall." Mauch says she may have put too much pressure on herself coming into the race on her home course. "I think I did phsyche myself out a little bit about this being my home course and everything," said Mauch. "You hope that a district home course is an advantage, but sometimes it might even be a disadvantage," added coach Mike Spoede. Having failed to earn any hardware during her first three trips to state, Mauch is determined to snap that streak. "The past three years I really fell short of what I had intended to do," said Mauch. "I want to medal, but even if I don't, I want to make sure I do way better than I've done before." Broker recalled the anxiety of barely making the cut last year, but she did not have to deal with the same uncertainty this season. She clocked a 21:34, completing the race in 10th place. "I thought I did pretty good," said Broker. "I was happy with my time and think I've improved a lot over the season. I think I paced myself pretty good." "Melora really finished strong the last half mile and picked off spots," added Spoede. Broker will be making her second consecutive trip to state. "I definitely want to beat my place and time from last year," said Broker. "I think it will definitely help knowing the course." Additionally, it appeared for a while that freshman Madeline Carlson might claim one of the final qualifying spots. In favorable position for much of the race, Carlson was forced to bow out after injurying her shin. "It's kind of sad that we didn't get to finish as a team, because Maddie was doing so well," saud Mauch. Warrenton also had two other representatives in the girls race. Sophomore Devyn Woolf finished 27th with a 23:31, while junior Shelby Jewell placed 32nd with a 24:41. "I was really happy with the girls overall," said Spoede. The Warriors had four additional competitors in the boys race. Freshman Zach Davis finished 24th with a 19:15. Sophomore Jacob Ruby ran a 20:17 to finish 32nd. Freshman Jarred Short placed 43rd with a 21:26, while junior Austin Adams ran a 26:22.