FHS shot put state #1 among 11 top finishes; Catholic pair grab five
Farragut, CAK boys 3rd; KCHS girls 4th
-
Bryce Thompson, FHS sophomore, is crowned Division I-AAA state champ in shot put at MTSU in Murfreesboro Thursday, May 25. - Track and field photos by Alan Sloan
-
Ads junior Matteo Tonnos, left, finished second in the AAA state meet 3200. Brentwood’s Robert Pautienus was third. - Track and field photos by Alan Sloan
MURFREESBORO — Soph-omore Bryce Thompson had his situation sized up pretty well entering the Division I-AAA State Track & Field Meet in shot put.
Thompson’s success — reaching the top — helped the FHS boys team finish third.
“I just knew that there was, like, really one guy to beat, just Mason (Green of Ravenwood, finishing fourth after four foul tosses),” said Thompson, state champ with a best toss of 57-feet-11.75 at Middle Tennessee State University Thursday, May 25.
Finishing fifth in state as a freshman last season, “I’ve put on a lot of weight since last year — probably 20 or 30 pounds — and I just throw farther and farther,” he said, adding more than 8 feet versus his best 2022 state toss.
“... Going to workouts in the morning, you’re not really that motivated,” he added. “But in the end, it all matters.”
Also a linebacker with the FHS football team, “My strength coach (assistant football coach Tom Doucette) has helped me out a lot,” he said. “He always motivates me, pushes me to the limits.”
Adding “a lot of extra motivation” was Thompson’s sixth-place finish in discus, with senior teammate Tyson Jackson claiming second place.
After “not throwing as great as I wanted” in discus, “I came over to shot and was just super relaxed, just getting after it.”
Other state champs
Ten other state championships were earned by Farragut-area talent, led by Knoxville Catholic freshman Chloe Truss grabbing all three sprint state titles in Division II-AA (100-meters at 12 seconds, 200 at 24.90 and 400 at 56.95). She led the way in helping the Lady Irish finish fourth as a team.
As for going the distance, Irish sophomore Keegan Smith was Division II-AA boys state champ in both the 1600 (4:17.18) and the 3200 (9:12.35).
Webb School of Knoxville Division II-AA state champions were sophomore Lennox Langham in girls triple jump (39-feet-01.00), freshman Carolina Areheart in the 1600 (5:06.45) and the Lady Spartans’ 4 X 800 relay team (9:23.37). Langham also finished second in long jump.
These efforts helped Webb finish sixth as a team.
Among the Division II-A boys field, sophomore Silas Fulford of CAK was tops in pole vault (13-feet-00.00), leading the way in the Warriors’ third-place team finish.
Meanwhile, CAK’s girls took sixth as a team led by its 4 X 200 relay state champs (1:43.73).
