At least two members of the Warrenton sprint relay teams anticipated spending last weekend in Jefferson City. Shy of the past few weeks, the other two never had such aspirations. “I felt like we could accomplish a lot, but I never expected us to make it this far,” acknowledged freshman Justin McBroom. At the beginning of the season he didn’t foresee being a part of a record-setting relay that will return three of its four state-qualifying competitors next spring. Junior teammate Drake Wagner was just anxious to contribute during his first year on the team. He knew there was potential, but his talent on the track was unproven prior to this season. “Coming in, I figured I’d be on the relay teams, but I wasn’t sure what to expect being new,” said Wagner. Reaching the MSHSAA Championships was a lofty but desirable goal in March. By early May, it had become a concrete expectation. “Each week it seemed like more of a possibility,” explained sophomore Jordon Washington. McBroom, Wagner and Washington joined senior Devin Ray as the Warriors’ fastest sprint crew in the program’s history. While the group failed to advance to the finals in both the 400- and 800-meter relays at state, they are grateful for a thrilling season that yielded a handful of medals and a lifetime of memories. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to have done this,” said Washington, who competes for a select team and in the Junior Olympics during the offseason. “I’ll work harder to get back next year and do better.” Friday’s preliminaries proved disappointing for the usually charismatic cast, challenging them to pull together emotionally. Warrenton was in second place when Wagner was unable to make a clean handoff with Ray on the final exchange, resulting in a dropped baton. Despite stellar finishing ability, the anchor couldn’t recover enough ground, landing the Warriors in last place. “Usually our handoffs are pretty fluid, but I guess the big lights got us a little nervous and shaky,” said Ray. “Now it’s like a what-if.” With the 400-meter race approaching in less than an hour, there was no time for regret. “You just can’t think negatively or else you’ll get negative results,” said Washington. “I’ve seen that way too many times in all the sports I play. We had to stay positive and focus on doing the right thing the next time.” But the Warriors had barely qualified for state in the 400 relay, meaning a career-best performance from each runner would be necessary for any shot at moving past preliminaries. Warrenton ran a gliche-free race but still placed last among 14 finishing teams. “I think they got the nervousness and jitters out of the way,” said Coach Steve McDowell. “I think this will drive them to work a little harder in an effort to get back down here next year and do even better.” By the time the crew had retreated to the stands, the focus was already turned toward next season. Unfortunately, for Ray, it was his last hoorah. “It will be tough to replace Devin next year, but with three of the four coming back we could be in good shape,” said McDowell. “We’ll get searching for that fourth one.” Wagner will likely shift into Ray’s anchor role with his outstanding closing speed, which also booked him a state berth in the open 200-meter race. He finished 14th, running a 23.54. “When I moved to Warrenton, sports weren’t all that important to me,” said Wagner. “But as this season unfolded, track started becoming more important and I took it more seriously. This season definitely made me care more about sports.” McBroom is having to make room for medals he never expected the opportunity to earn. Entering the year with intentions of contributing as a jumper, he was called up to fill a void left by an injured Washington. His potential as a runner became evident over the following weeks. McBroom was actually one of four runners to fill that fourth revolving spot upon Washington’s return, with junior Brian Lanigan and seniors Cloud Wharton and Nick Wallace taking turns as well. “We had a lot of contributors, and every spot medaled just about every time,” said McDowell. With his position on the line against the others, McBroom won a race-off in practice, securing his coveted role. “I guess I’m a natural runner,” said McBroom. “It must have showed in front of the coaches.” Once the core four had meshed, they began to attack the school records on a weekly basis. By year’s end they owned both the 400-meter and 800-meter marks. “I feel like we can make it to state again next year if we put in work during the offseason,” added McBroom
