Fatima finished with several top performances at Saturday’s Class 3 Sectional meet at Centralia, led by Brie Massman, who claimed the Lady Comets’ lone sectional title. She won the girls’ 800m run in 2:23.54 after closing strongly over the final stretch of the race.

Coach Marc Bridges said Massman’s late kick proved decisive. “In uncharacteristic style, Brie trailed much of the race before turning on the afterburners in the last 120 meters to claim our only first-place finish of the day,” he said.

Maggie Peters added a runner-up finish in the girls’ pole vault, clearing 3.05 meters to secure a state berth. Bridges said Peters enters the state meet performing at a high level. “Maggie is jumping really well right now and should be in a good position at state,” he added.

The girls’ 4x800 team of Alex Berhorst, Melissa Verslues, Avery Berhorst, and Massman also advanced with a second-place finish in 10:07.57. Bridges said the group produced its best race of the season. “The girls ran really well, setting up our fastest run of the season by seven seconds,” he noted.

Avery Berhorst, Alex Berhorst, Addy Bower, and Massman added another state qualification as the 4x400 team earned fourth in 4:17.69.

“The girls made it through to state with our fastest time of the year with solid legs all the way around,” said Bridges.

On the boys’ side, Drew Riegel delivered one of Fatima’s top field-event performances by placing second in the pole vault with a clearance of 4.40 meters to earn a trip to state. Bridges said Riegel narrowly missed an even higher mark. After clearing 4.40m, he bumped the bar up about seven inches and just missed.

Grant Wilbers qualified for state in two events, beginning with a third-place finish in the javelin (46.04m). Bridges credited former Fatima standout and current Columbia Cougar Easton Haslag for helping Wilbers improve throughout the season.

Wilbers later added a fourth-place finish and another state berth in the 300m hurdles with a personal-best time of 41.67 seconds. Bridges said strategic changes earlier in the day helped set up the performance. “We scratched Grant out of the 110m hurdles early in the day as he has been nursing an injury, to give him a better chance in the 300s, and he took full advantage, running a personal best time,” the coach explained.

Fatima’s 4x800 team of Michael Gabelsberger, Zack Eisterhold, Wyatt Dake, and Zach Kloeppel also advanced to state after posting a new school record of 8:09.41 for four fourth place. Bridges said Kloeppel’s anchor leg helped secure the qualification. “Zach (1:56.2) pushed us into fourth place,” said Bridges, noting the relay’s time compares favorably statewide despite the fourth-place finish. “Fourth in sectionals seems like a long shot for state, but in a stacked sectionals, our time is the fifth best in the state this season.”

Other sectional performances for the Comets included Riegel in the javelin (5, 43.63m), Caden Rosentreter in the pole vault at (5, 3.75m), Beau Havens in the high jump (6, 1.79 meters, Kloeppel in the 800-meter run in (8, 2:09.64, Gabelsberger in the 1600-meter run in (8, 4:51.38, and Trenton Orscheln in the 3200-meter run in (8, 11:39.68).

“Overall, I feel like we had a pretty good day,” Bridges said.

State schedule at Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City:

Friday

10:30 a.m. — boys 4x800 finals

1 p.m. — boys pole vault finals

3:15 p.m. — boys 300m hurdles preliminaries

4 p.m. — girls 800m finals

6:15 p.m. — girls 4x400 preliminaries

Saturday

9:30 a.m. — girls pole vault finals

10:30 a.m. — girls 4x800 finals

2:15 p.m. — boys 300m hurdles finals

3:30 p.m. — boys javelin finals

4:40 p.m. — girls 4x400 finals