East Jackson’s Cale Pirtle took third in the Class AA 1,600 meters (4:28.51) Thursday on the opening day of the boys' state track meet in Jefferson, just missing a second-place finish.
Pirtle was running second on the final lap but Decatur’s Joey Ronca caught him and beat Pirtle by a stride.
“I really wanted second,” Pirtle said moments after the race. “I don’t know. I just didn’t have anything left at the end, so there wasn’t anything I could do.”
Westminster’s Jordan Flowers won the 1,600 meters with a 4:23.25.
Pirtle will run in the 3,200 finals Friday.
Elsewhere, East Jackson's Jeff Chandler was 10th in the shot put with a throw of 46-11.
For more coverage of the boys’ state track meet, see the May 16 edition of The Jackson Herald.
