Sadie Darnell was coming to grips with the finality of it all as last week's state track and field championships moved into its last few events.
"It's weird," the Festus senior said of her last race.
Darnell was one of the biggest pieces to the Tigers' puzzle at the Class 3 state championship meet at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
Festus walked away with a second-place trophy after scoring 45 points. MICDS won the meet with 71. Lincoln College Prep was third with 36 and Affton took fourth with 31.
Darnell did her share by taking second in the 3,200-meter race and took sixth in the 1,600.
Her best moment, though, was pushing the Tigers to the 3,200-relay championship by slipping past Smithville by a nose at the finish line.
While Darnell was providing the points in the distance events junior dynamo Breanne Borman was doing her best Swiss Army Knife impression.
Borman took second in the 100 hurdles, second in the high jump, fifth in the 300 hurdles and sixth in the long jump.
Senior Dani Borman was seventh in the 100 hurdles.
Bringing home state trophies is something the Tigers have done on a regular basis. Saturday's second-place finish was the fourth trophy in the last five years. Last season was the only year they didn't bring home a team prize.
Coach John Crites said that he's never concerned with how the team finishes in the team standings. All he wants is for everyone to give it all they've got. If they do that, he'll live with whatever the results might be.
"We have kids that put in the effort," Crites said. "I don't care if we win. We tell them to go hard."
Darnell, a key part of some dynamite Festus teams in the past, showed just how hard the Tigers go when she rallied to slip past Smithville's Siara Stahl at the finish line in the 3,200 relay.
Not known for her closing kick, Darnell went deep into herself to find the drive that gave her and her team those much needed points.
"I think there's no doubt she showed she's got guts," Crites said. "We're proud of the effort."
Darnell closed her prep career with 11 all-state medals, including two golds (and a state record in 2009) in the 3,200 relay.
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Jefferson County Conference co-MVP Sarah Bringer of Hillsboro capped a terrific senior year by becoming the first Hillsboro girl to win a state title in 13 years. Bringer ran a season-best 44.53 seconds to win the 300 hurdles by more than 6-10ths of a second.
The Hawks speedster also earned all-state medals in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, placing fourth in each.
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Windsor's Michelle Kyle took two medals as she finished third in the shot put and fourth in the discus. With two medals in the throws, Kyle equals the work of her brother, Shon, a title contender in the shot and discus, who medaled in both throws in 2009.
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In Class 4, Fox senior Shawntanay Johnson took fourth in the 100 in a time 12.11 seconds. it was the fourth year in a row Johnson medaled in the 100.
Two Northwest athletes earned medals. Jennifer Sturgeon cleared 10-6 to nab fifth in the pole vault. Taylor Hosna, claimed eighth in the long jump with a leap of 16 feet, 11.75 inches.
Hosna jumped onto the medal stand with her last effort of the competition.
Summit sophomore Alyssa Jones, a cross country all-stater, was eighth in the 3,200 in 10:53.64.
