Track and field: McKnight misses out on trip to state with final throw

LUBBOCK Another third-place medal from the Region I-5A Track and Field Championships is heading home to the McKnight household.

But it sure appeared for the longest time in the girls shot put that sophomore Deja McKnight had secured a second-place silver medal, which also would have given her a trip to the UIL State Championships.

McKnight sat in second with a personal-best throw of 40 feet, 7 inches, heading into the sixth and final round. However, Haltom's Keuna Flax came up three throwers before McKnight and threw herself into second place at 41-7.75.

Flax's effort held up after McKnight couldn't match it on her last attempt, denying the OHS sophomore a trip to Austin.

"I was in second the whole way and then that one throw and I was in third," McKnight said. "Maybe next year I can go to state."

Her third-place shot put medal matches the one older sister Dorrian McKnight got Friday in the discus.

Dorrian McKnight also competed in the shot put but did not make the final.

Deja McKnight's best attempt came on her third throw, and she came close to matching it with a 39-9.25 in the fifth round.

"You dread that last part of the flight just in case somebody decides to go nuts like somebody did," OHS throws coach Barry Lightfoot said. "Third's nice. You get the medal and all, but she wanted to go to state. There's always next year and the next, that's the good thing about it."

No doubt they would have traded the extra motivation in the future, however, to make travel plans for Austin next month.

>> ONE LAST RUN: Odessa High's boys 1,600-meter relay team finished eighth in the last event of the day in 3 minutes, 26.99 seconds.

Erik Carrasco, a senior, scratched from the open 1,600 to run as an alternate on the relay because sophomore Manuel Cruz had to miss the meet for a prior church commitment.

Carrasco joined fellow seniors J.P. Johnson, Caleb Gregory and Joseph Limon for the Bronchos.

>> FAST START, TOUGH FINISH: Odessa High sophomore Gaby Valeriano settled for a 13th-place showing the girls 1,600 with a time of 5:33.59.

Valeriano led the race for the first lap before fading toward the back and settling for her finish in the middle of the pack. She won the District 2-5A title last month in Odessa with a time about 12 seconds faster.