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Parker's Paige Demos gets back to state in high jump

Those who have followed Janesville Parker track and field haven’t seen the end of the last-standing Demos name in high school high jump competition.

Continuing the family tradition, Paige Demos gained an additional spot Friday in next weekend’s WIAA Division 1 state meet as an extra qualifier for the high jump. She previously had gained an automatic berth in the 100-meter high hurdles by finishing second Thursday night in the Lake Geneva Badger Sectional.

Demos placed fourth at the sectional in the high jump with a personal-best height of 5 feet, 5 inches. That matched the height of the sectional’s third-place finisher, defending state champion Ellie Grandi of Burlington. But more importantly, Demos’ effort surpassed the WIAA standard for extra qualifiers (5-3), which was announced Friday.

That gives Demos a chance improve on last year’s fourth-place state finish in the high jump and possibly duplicate the two state titles that were won by her sister, Shelby, who is competing for UW-Whitewater this weekend in the NCAA Division III national meet.

Shelby, a four-time champion, and Paige won the Big Eight Conference high jump five straight years. Paige took third in the conference this year at 5 feet, but she now is Parker’s only state girls qualifier for the second straight year—again qualifying in both events for the second straight year.

Competition in the girls high jump at the Badger Sectional was so impressive that the fifth-place finisher, Westosha Central junior Lauren Ineichen, also became an extra state qualifier at 5-4.

The co-ed sectional’s only other extra qualifier is Verona senior Tim Kise, who placed fourth in the boys 800 with a 1:57.4 time. Janesville Craig junior Tommy Meister won that event in 1:56.13, and Parker junior Brad Money was second at 1:56.87.

Overall, the state has nine Division 1 extra qualifiers for boys and only five for girls.

Sectionals that involved area schools dominate the elite list of extra Division 2 state qualifiers. Seven of the state’s eight extra qualifiers for that division came through the Boscobel Sectional, and four of the eight in girls extras were in that sectional.

Orfordville Parkview sophomore Ben Davisson is an extra qualifier for the Division 2 high jump. He placed fifth in the Boscobel Sectional with a height of 6 feet, 2 inches after winning the Rock Valley Conference championship at 6-1.

East Troy freshman Bryzena Santos is an extra Division 2 girls qualifier in the long jump. She was fifth in the Kewaskum Sectional at 16-11.25.

The other Division 2 extra qualifiers from area sectionals:

n Boscobel—Garrett Pat-rick, Columbus, 1,600, 4:22.87; Dylan Starck, Monroe, 1,600, 4:24.15; Windsor Molnar, Columbus, pole vault, 13-0; Ryan Antoniewicz, Prairie du Chien, high jump, 6-2; Platteville, boys 3,200 relay, 8:13.71; Black River Falls, boys 3,200 relay, 8:14.83.

Kelli McKenna, Madison Edgewood, girls 800, 2:20.61; Victoria Ortgiesen, Belleville/New Glarus, 300 low hurdles, 47.08; Lodi, girls 3,200 relay, 9:50.68.

n Kewaskum—Shorewood, girls, 1,600 relay, 4:05.56; Milwaukee Lutheran, girls 1,600 relay, 4:05.93.

The state meet is next Friday and Saturday at Memorial Stadium on the UW-La Cross campus.