Varnado’s Quierra Bickham was the fourth-best long jumper in Class 1A this season at the state meet that took place Friday at LSU’s Bernie Moore Stadium.
Bickham jumped 16 feet, 6 inches in Baton Rouge and missed reaching the podium by just 0.25 inches.
The top three finishers from each event make it on the podium. Plain Dealing’s Teunna Perry was the state champion after a jump of 17-9.5. Haynesville’s Erin Franklin was second at 17-3.25 and Kentwood’s Lakirsta Johnson was third with a distance of 16-6.25.
Armontee Kemp was seventh in a pair of events. He posted a seventh-place finish for the high jump and the 110-meter hurdles. His high jump was 5-8 and JaDarrell Magee was ninth after clearing the bar at 5-6. Logansport’s John Stephens went 6-4 for the championship. Cedar Creek’s Ryder Roberson was second, followed by Basile’s Travis Mondares.
Kemp ran the 110 hurdles in 17.03 seconds. East Iberville’s Anthony Davis won in 15.60. Haynesville’s Lance Grider was second at 15.81 and Lafayette Christian’s Zachary Clement was third in a close race at the top that saw first through fourth place finish within 0.36 seconds of each other.
Darien Vargas took ninth in the javelin with a throw of 125-5. Cedar Creek’s Tripp Marcus released a throw of 195-11 to win the championship. Teammate Josh Riggs was second at 176-11 and Haynesville’s Kelsey Smith was third at 168-11.