Wichita ? Ottawa High’s Caleb Blakesley has been a beast throwing the shot put all season, so there was no reason to settle down Friday.

Blakesley, the only thrower in Kansas to throw 60 feet this season, accomplished the feat three times during Friday’s Class 5A competition at the state track meet at Cessna Stadium.

His first 60-foot toss would have been good enough for the Class 5A title, but Blakesley wanted more.

“I didn’t think anyone was going to reach the first mark I put down, so I knew I could start having some fun with it,” said Blakesley, who won the event with a personal-record toss of 61 feet, 2 inches on his final throw.

The junior missed out on Greg Kolenda’s 5A record of 62-3 at Kansas City Ward in 1976, but Blakesley can spend next season chasing the mark.

After all, Blakesley spent this season erasing the memory of what it felt like to be the first runner-up in the 4A contest last season.

“That kind of got to me,” Blakesley said.

Blakesley’s success in the shot this season not only opened the eyes of several college track coaches, but also helped distinguish him on the football field.

The honorable mention all-state offensive linemen/defensive end said Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, and a handful of other schools were interested in him in football and track.

“I really love playing football, and that’s what I want to do in college,” Blakesley said. “But then in the spring I would like to throw.”

While no other area individuals won events Friday, several medaled or qualified for today’s championship heats.

l Baldwin’s Jamie Lawrenz qualified eighth in the 300 hurdles in a time of 49.12, while Bulldog teammate Rachel Miles advanced in both the 200 and 400 meters. Baldwin’s 400-meter relay team finished sixth, and the 1,600 relay team took eighth.

l Eudora sophomore Megan Ballock advanced to today’s finals in the 200 and 400. Cardinal Brandan Helm finished fifth in the shot after a put of 50-07.

l Tonganoxie’s Ali Pistora was fourth in the javelin after a throw of 129-04, and Sarah Hartshorn was fourth in the discus at 116-11. Chieftain Shane Howard made it into today’s 300 hurdles finals.

l Ottawa’s Haley Jackson took the final qualifying spot in the 300 hurdles, and Cyclones Vashon Perryman and Dom Nation were seventh in the 200 and 300 hurdles. The Ottawa boys’ 400 and 1,600 relay teams also made the finals.