By a Hare
Liberty's Truman Hare picked up a pair of titles, winning the 200-meter dash and then was part of the 4x200-meter relay.
That team, Hare, Dominic Revels, Caden Dennis and Nathan Hearst, ran a 1:27.18 to break the previous Class 5 state meet record. That class best was held by a team in the same town - Liberty North's mark of 1:27.32 in 2016.
The Liberty Blue Jays claimed the 4x200 title and Class 5 State Meet Record.
Hare and Dennis were on the Blue Jays team last year that were disqualified.
Hare, a Northwest Missouri State signee, ran 21.12 in the 200-meter dash to beat Hood by six-hundredths of a second. In third was St. Louis University High's Ryan Wingo.
Wingo, the No. 4 football recruit in the Class of 2024 according to 247sports.com composite list, was also third in the 100-meter dash. He just missed joining his brothers Ronnie and Raymond as state champions for the Junior Billikens. The speedy wide receiver will have to wait another year before joining them on that list.
The top three finishers were the same from last year, but with Hood winning, Hare taking second and Wingo taking third.
The four state title relay trophies headed back to just two different towns. Rock Bridge won the 4x100 and 4x400, while Liberty, as a town, won the 4x200 and 4x800. The Liberty North boys took the crown in the 4x800 on day one, followed by the Liberty Blue Jays 4x200 title on day two.
The Eagles were the defending 4x800 champions but had to replace two of their four legs from last year, including 400-800-1600-meter star Luis Perez, who split 1:52.53 last year. Grayson Tapp and Ethan Lee were joined by sophomore twin brothers Kaden and Collin Kleinhen.
The Kleinhens and Tapp made it around the oval and got the baton to anchor Lee in 2nd-place. Lee, a Mizzou signee, claimed 4 titles last year, sweeping the 800 and 1600 while running on the winning 4x400 and 4x800 relays. Lee brought home another title for North. The 2021 Class 5 State cross country runner-up, split 1:55 to give North another title in 7:56.11, a two-second margin over runner-up Ft. Zumwalt West.
Ethan Lee and Liberty North won the 4x800 for a 2nd straight year.
Read more about the Class 5 boys state rack recap on the next page