LAKEVILLE — Peter Jada waited a long time for this day to happen.
Like one year.
The Rochester John Marshall senior left the Section One, Class AA meet a year ago with a sixth-place finish in his specialty, the 110 hurdles.
He wanted to make sure that never happened again.
"I didn't like it one bit,'' Jada said.
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He worked all summer, lifting weights, running and perfecting his technique. At times, Jada even trained during the fall after football practice.
Last winter and early spring, he went at it again.
"I guess,'' he said, "hard work pays off."
Jada won the 110 hurdles in a personal best 15.65 seconds.
"I always write my goal on the bottom of my sole before the race,'' he said. "This time I wrote, 15.50, so I was pretty close. Maybe I'll get that one next week.''
That would be in the Class AA state meet Friday and Saturday at Hamline University in St. Paul.
"I started perfect, clearing the first five hurdles,'' Jada said, "but I cllipped the sixth one and floated over the seventh. But the last two were fine.
"So if I run a complete race, who knows.''
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Jada finished fifth in the 300 hurdles and there's one consolation in that; he can concentrate entirely on the high hurdles at state.
"I like that event better anyway,'' he said.
Okello to state
Austin senior Omot Okello is heading back to state in the 300 hurdles and also qualified in the 110 hurdles. He finished second in the 110s, running a 15.88 while winning the low hurdles in 40.20.
"I would have liked to get first (in the 110s),'' he said.
Last year he injured his quadricep before the Big Nine meet and admitted he wasn't quite the same for section and for state.
This year?
"I feel fine,'' he said. "Overall, I had a couple of good races. I was trying to get under 40 seconds but maybe next week.''
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Hagen-Erickson advances
Another Austin senior — Jake Hagen-Erickson — earned his first trip to state with a second-place finish in long jump at 21 feet, 1 1/4 inches, edging Langeland Logan of Owatonna by a little over an inch.
It was Hagen-Erickson's personal best by 1 3/4 inches and it couldn't have come at a better time.
"My two biggest jumps came in my last two meets,'' he said. "Basically, it was my last chance.''
Hagen-Erickson had some touch-and-go moments waiting it out in the long jump. He had completed all of his jumps and was just waiting for Logan to finish up. The only trouble, the Owatonna junior was running a leg on the Huskies 800 relay.
"All I could do was wait,'' Hagen-Erickson said. "That was the worst part.''
Logan jumped 21 feet on his final leap, meaning Hagen-Erickson earns a trip to his first state meet.
"My winning jump? I felt it, I knew it was a good one,'' Hagen-Erickson said.
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Other qualifiers
Kasson-Mantorville senior Sam ReMine outlasted Red Wing junior Darrick Jackson to win the 400. ReMine was timed in 51.34 while Jackson came in at 51.62.
"Usually I make a strong push in the final 200,'' ReMine said, "but this time I gave it my all right from the start. That could have been a disaster but it worked out."
ReMine is also going to state as part of K-M's second-place 1600 relay. He ran the anchor leg.
Mayo junior Alec Armon also qualified in the high jump. He finished second behind Frandsen, jumping to a personal best 6-3. K-M senior Peter Schwartz was third at 6-2.
