Throwing the javelin didn’t become a part of Bo Miller’s life until a few months ago. Perhaps that’s why an unorthodox lead-up to the Free State High senior’s first Class 6A regional didn’t faze his performance.

“This is probably gonna sound bad,” Miller warned before chronicling the hours before he set a new program record and took second place Friday at FSHS, with a throw of 197 feet, 9 inches. The feat made him one of 19 FSHS track athletes to qualify for next weekend’s state meet, in Wichita.

Miller spent Thursday night (and a few hours of early Friday morning) playing the trendy video game Fortnite — “It was my first day of summer, so I had to,” he explained.

After getting about six hours of sleep, his school-free vacation day of sorts took him to McDonald’s, where he consumed two double cheeseburgers and one sausage and egg McMuffin for lunch.

“I felt really sluggish before the meet, but I fueled up with a lot of Gatorade and ran a little bit and felt a lot better,” Miller recounted of what helped him enter the event feeling normal and confident.

His first throw of the afternoon shed his nerves and Miller, whose former life as a baseball catcher at FSHS helped make him a natural in the field event, “let it loose” for heave number two. The record-setter blew away his previous personal best by more than 24 feet.

Miller never competed in the javelin until one of his best friends, Jack Theisen, convinced him to give it a try once Miller decided to join the track team this spring — “I’m glad he did,” the state-bound thrower added.

Still so new to the sport that throws coach Darrell Andrew doesn’t get too technical with Miller about his approach, he just focused on arm speed while setting a new FSHS record.

Will he now have to duplicate a routine that involved Fortnite, less-than-ideal sleep and fast food next week at the state championship meet?

“Maybe. It’s something I need to consider,” Miller said, laughing.

In total, the Free State’s boys team will send 10 athletes to state, including Miller’s javelin-throwing teammate, Nathan Spain, who finished third. The 4×400 relay team capped the night with a regional title, as Tyler Bowden, Cole Phillips, Tanner Cobb and Malachi Starr finished in 3:24.25. Sophomore Michael Pettit won individual gold by clearing 6-2 in the high jump.

King-Wilson relaxes to punch tickets to state

The earliest stages of the 24 hours leading up to the 6A regional meet didn’t go according to Liliana King-Wilson’s plans. So the FSHS sophomore knew she had to achieve a plane of calmness before events got underway.

For King-Wilson, the process began Thursday evening, following what she described as a “little rough” pole vault practice.

“It just kind of put me in a bad mood, because personally I need to know that I can clear the bar and have confidence the day before. And I didn’t,” she explained, before fast-forwarding to her story’s climax. “But today it went my way.”

Indeed, as King-Wilson moved back and forth between events, she shuffled through music, finding just the right vibes for her each endeavor on her itinerary. Songs on a playlist that included Domo Genesis, SZA, Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean composed her.

“Actually this probably doesn’t sound like something that will keep me calm,” she commented on the choices while chuckling.

They worked for King-Wilson, though. She qualified for state in the high jump (5-0), 100-meter hurdles (16.50) and 300-meter hurdles (49.25). Her personal expectations entering the regional were to qualify for state — a new first for her — in one event, so Friday’s results felt “awesome.”

And as much as those tracks that played in her ears helped her, King-Wilson said conversations with her mother and others set the stage for a successful meet.

“The people surrounding me were really what helped me the most,” she assessed.

Eight other athletes from Free State’s girls team will join King-Wilson in Wichita next week, led by regional champions Cameryn Thomas (long jump), Auna Childress (triple jump) and Erin Cushing (javelin).

Junction City’s girls won the team title at the regional, as did Manhattan’s boys. The FSHS girls finished third in the team standings and the Firebirds’ boys were fifth.

Free State High state qualifiers

Girls

Emma Hertig (2nd, 800; 2nd, 4×800)

Julia Larkin (2nd, 3200; 2nd, 4×800)

Cameryn Thomas (1st, long jump; 2nd, 100 hurdles; 2nd, 300 hurdles)

Lillian King Wilson (3rd, 300 hurdles; 4th, high jump; (4th, 100 hurdles;)

Erin Fagan (2nd, 4×800)

Anna Riley (2nd, 4×800)

Auna Childress (1st, triple jump)

Kala Ewing (4th, discus)

Erin Cushing (1st, javelin)

Boys

Cole Phillips (1st, 4×400; 4th, 400)

Charles Johnson (3rd, 3200)

Tyler Bowden (1st, 4×400)

Tanner Cobb (1st, 4×400)

Malachi Starr (1st, 4×400)

Michael Pettit (1st, high jump)

Jason Malone (2nd, long jump)

Spencer Roe (3rd, discus)

Bo Miller (2nd, javelin)

Nathan Spain (3rd, javelin)

Class 6A high school track regional

Friday at Free State High

Girls

Team scores: 1. Junction City, 106; 2. Manhattan, 95; 3. Free State, 93.5; 4. Wichita Southeast, 80; 5. Wichita East, 64; 6. Washburn Rural, 56; 7. Derby, 48.5; 8. Topeka, 13.

Event winners and FSHS results

100 — 1. Addison Herzberg, WE, 12.26.

200 — 1. Christal Mosely, WE, 25.09.

400 — 1. Mosley, WE, 59.55; 6. Ana Holladay, FS, 1:05.18.

800 — 1. Clara Mayfield, MHS, 2:19.40; 2. Emma Hertig, FS, 2:20.20; 10. Anna Riley, FS, 2:39.44; 15. Isabella Stull, FS, 2:46.44.

1600 — 1. Mayfield, MHS, 5:12.58; 7. Madeline Day, FS, 5:58.58; 8. Stull, FS, 5:58.92; 11. Noel White, FS, 6:07.49.

3200 — Mayfield, MHS, 11:34.70; 2. Julia Larkin, FS, 11:40.39; 6. ErinFagan, FS, 12:23.47; 8. Morgan Goeser, FS, 12:46.91.

100 hurdles — 1. Keiana Newman, JC, 15.12; 2. Cameryn Thomas, FS, 15.42; 4. Liliana King-Wilson, FS, 16.50.

300 hurdles — 1. Newman, JC, 46.01; 2. Thomas, FS, 47.16; 3. King-Wilson, FS, 49.25.

4×100 — 1. Lanecia Crosby, Savion Carter, Jaraiah Johnson and Christal Mosely, WSE, 48.93; 7. Haylee Kern, Destiny Downing, Auna Childress and Holladay, FS, 52.30.

4×400 — 1. Elonta Cooper-Hackeny, Carter, Sariah Sumpter and Mosely, WSE, 4:05.80; 6. Kern, Thomas, Hertig and Downing, FS, 4:17.09.

4×800 — 1. Ella Rosenkranz, Joy Gruenbacher, Madeline Purdom and Emily Keeley, MHS, 10:07.94; 2. Hertig, Fagan, Riley and Larkin, FS, 10:14.34.

High jump — 1. Nyla Blagrove, JC, 5-2; 4. King-Wilson, FS, 5-0.

Pole vault — 1. Riley Six, WR, 11-0; 6. King-Wilson, FS, 8-6; 8. Brooke Wright,FS, 8-0; 10. Nia Hughes, FS, 7-0.

Long jump — 1. Thomas, FS, 18-7.25; 5. Childress, FS, 16-9.5.

Triple jump — 1. Childress, FS, 37-2.5.

Shot put — 1. Jamila Love, WE, 39-5; 11. Katelin Hollinshed, FS, 28-2; 13. Hope Wheeler-Halsted, FS, 27-9; 17. Sydney Martins, FS, 25-9.5.

Discus — 1. Hannah Reynolds, JC, 135-7.5; 4. Kala Ewing, FS, 109-5; 10. Wheeler-Halsted, FS, 90-2; 12. Hollinshed, FS, 80-2.

Javelin — 1. Erin Cushing, FS, 123-4; 12. Kern, FS, 89-0; 13. Lauren Hoppe, FS, 86-10.

Boys

Team scores: 1. Manhattan, 129; 2. Washburn Rural, 93; 3. Junction City, 83; 4. Wichita Southeast,78; 5. Free State, 66; 6.Derby, 51.5; 7. Wichita East, 45.5; 8. Topeka, 11.

Event winners and FSHS results

100 — 1. Ollie McGee, WE, 10.73; 6. Ja’Brandion Douglas, FS, 11.20.

200 — 1. Clyde King, MHS, 21.61; 6. Tanner Cobb, FS, 22.78.

400 — 1. King, MHS, 50.40; 4. Cole Phillips, FS, 51.14; 7. Malachi Starr, FS, 53.01; 12. Jaxon Malone, FS, 52.28.

800 — 1. Andrew Dekoekkoek, WR, 1:58.91; 6. Aidan Goertz, FS, 2:04.63; 10. Ethan Goldstein,FS,2:07.67; 18. Christopher Stone, FS, 2:14.27.

1600 — 1. Will Clayton, WE, 4:30.96; 7. Landon Sloan, FS, 4:46.58; 8. John Loos, FS, 4:47.30; 11. Dash Spears, FS, 4:57.62.

3200 — 1. Cooper Schroeder, MHS, 9:35.20; 3. Charles Johnson, FS, 9:55.58; 9. Brock Cordova, FS, 10:21.27; 10. Ethan Sharp, FS, 10:22.65.

110 hurdles — 1. Jamarcus Plato, JC, 14.81; 8. Cole Wenger, FS, 16.37.

300 hurdles — 1. Plato, JC, 39.44; 6. Kaiy King-Wilson, FS, 42.30; 7. Wenger, FS, 43.35; 11. Bryce Crough, FS, 44.63.

4×100 — 1. Braxton Davis, Tarrez Davis, Brandon Payne and Ollie McGee, WSE, 42.21; 5. Zachery Wilson, Douglas, Cobb and Tyler Bowden, FS, 43.35.

4×400 — 1. Bowden, Phillips, Cobb and Starr, FS, 3:24.25.

4×800 — 1. Skyler Sprecker, Bradon Unkel, Caleb Strohminger and Jonathan Jones, DHS, 8:19.18; 5. Goertz, Cordova, Ethan Sharp and Sloan, FS,8:28.68.

High jump — 1. Michael Pettit, FS, 6-2.

Pole vault — 1. Zachary Chandler, WR, 14-6; 9. John Burrichter, FS, 10-6; 10. Gabriel Kennard, FS, 10-0.

Long jump — 1. Braxton Davis, WE, 20-11.5; 2. Malone, FS, 20-9.25; 9. Cobb, FS, 19-2; 13. Pettit, FS, 18-6.5.

Triple jump — 1. Johnnie Talarico, MHS, 44-2.5; 8. Mario Chacon-Falcon, 39-7.5; 11. Pettit, FS, 35-2.

Shot put — 1. Tucker Richey, THS, 51-10.5; 7. Gabriel Clark, FS, 45-4.5; 11. Spencer Roe, FS, 40-10; 16. Matthew Georgie, FS, 39-3.

Discus — 1. James Higgs, MHS, 149-0; 3. Roe, FS, 144-5; 10. Trystan Harris, FS, 131-1; 16. Adam Roecker, FS, 109-8.

Javelin — 1. Samuel Hankins, MHS, 220-9; 2. Bo Miller, FS, 197-9; 3. Nathan Spain, FS, 173-2; 9. Gabriel Del Valle, FS, 146-5.