When Luke Bruning opted to transfer from Liberty Christian for his senior year, his decision was based strongly upon a desire to play basketball in a public school setting.He enrolled at Wright City High School, eager to experience more success on the hardwood after winning a Christian schools state championship as a sophomore with the Eagles.But his year didn’t go according to plan.While the basketball season wasn’t a disappointment, Bruning accomplished his greatest achievements in a pair of sports he had never before competed in.On Saturday, he finished his career at the MSHSAA Track Championships as a member of Wright City’s 1,600-meter relay team.“It’s not where I expected to be, but it was still a great year,” said Bruning, who earned all-state honors in cross country in November. “I’m happy with the decision I made to come here and to run cross country and track. It’s been a really good experience.”The relay crew, also consisting of freshman Stephon Norwood, sophomore Jake Mueller and junior Nick Mueller, didn’t bring home a medal, but reaching the race was still a major accomplishment.“We did our best today, and I thought we did really well, considering how we were ranked,” said Bruning. “We didn’t know how we were going to run, because we’ve had different lineups through the year, with the fourth guy switching in and out.”The relay clocked a time of 8:41, with three out of the four runners eclipsing the 2:10 split mark.“I’m glad to be a part of these kids’ lives and success,” said Coach Sue Wright. “They work extremely hard, and it’s great to see what they’ve accomplished.”Morgan elated byfirst state appearanceFate had aided Kody Morgan in qualifying for the state meet, so he decided to keep his expectations modest during the 300-meter hurdles on Friday.The Wright City senior had claimed the fourth spot at sectionals the previous weekend after a fellow competitor stumbled over a hurdle and failed to recover.While elated to make his first appearance at state, Morgan was unable to advance during the preliminary race, recording a time of 43.4 seconds.“Even though I didn’t make it to the finals, I finished 14th in the state. Most people don’t even make it to state.” said Morgan, who realized hurdles were his signature event near the end of his sophomore year.“Kody did an excellent job,” said Wright. “He finished the season strong, and that’s what we wanted.”Christopher makes state throwing debutJunior Kyle Christopher made his state debut in the discus throw, finishing 14th with a top throw of 114 feet, 8 inches.He had advanced after a third-place finish in sectionals, during which he threw a significantly longer distance of 129 feet.Christopher drastically improved his technique throughout the season and is determined to break the school record during his senior campaign.“When you have young kids here, you want them to gain experience,” said Wright. “He had a great season and has a chance of making it back and finishing even better next season.”BRUNING, RELAY TEAM CLOSE SEASON AT STATEDerrick Forsythe photo.