The toll of a challenging move up to Class 4 this season was evident in the numbers for the Warrenton track team on Saturday in the sectional meet at MICDS.The Warriors advanced just one competitor to the MSHSAA Championships, meaning representation in Jefferson City will be of high quality but limited quantity this weekend.Senior Jordon Washington will make a third appearance at state, this time competing in the open 100-meter race.He finished second with a time of 11.18 seconds at sectionals, narrowly eclipsed by McCluer’s Raequan Stallings.“It was so close,” recalled Coach Steve McDowell. “The McCluer kid beat him by a hair. Jordon did a great job, and it’s exciting to see him go on and compete at state.”Washington also competed in the 200-meter race, where he finished seventh in 23.07 seconds.This will be his third consecutive trip to state and second time racing in the open events, also running as part of the sprint relay teams the past two seasons.“It shows that I’m improving from the first time I went,” said Washington. “It’s kind of a weird change now, only competing as an individual.”Washington medaled in two events last year, placing fourth in the 100-meter race.“I’d like to rerun that 10.7 that I ran earlier,” said Washington. “I really want to come away with first place and a new PR.”Warrenton was represented in three other events in the boys standings, with junior Braydan Chmiel barely missing out on a state appearance during his first season of track. He cleared a personal-best 6 feet to place fifth in the high jump, losing a tiebreaker for the final qualifying spot on scratches.“He came out of nowhere towards the end of the season and really competed well,” said McDowell. “It was a great experience for him, and I wish he could have gotten through.”Another surprise this season was the progression of the 1,600-meter relay team, which saw a cast of individuals with unique abilities come together to complement each other.“They all had something different to offer and bought into one another to succeed,” said McDowell.The group, consisting of freshman Dylan Chandler, junior Jacob Crump and seniors Dane Huck and Brian Sanders, recorded a personal-best time of 3:33. Despite their efforts, the seventh-place finish was good enough to advance.“They were very competitive, running their best time of the year,” said McDowell. “But the guys are going to have to get down around 3:30 to have an opportunity at state.”Crump also competed on an individual level, closing out a tremendous season in the 300-meter hurdles. He finished eighth with a time of 42.09 seconds.During his final season at the helm, Coach Mike Spoede will not have any representation from his girls team at the state meet.The Warriors had just one competitor advance to sectionals, but senior Madeline Carlson was unable to land among the Top 4 and secure a return trip to Jefferson City. She finished seventh in the mile, clocking a 5:47 during her final prep race.WASHINGTON HEADS BACK TO STATEBill Barrett photo.