Technique lifts Prairie’s Lawson, Union’s Troupe to track titles

TACOMA — Jon Lawson and Jacob Troupé don’t fit the mold for their events. Despite that, both of them are state champions.

Lawson, a junior from Prairie, won the Class 3A boys shot put title Saturday at the state track and field meet at Mount Tahoma High School. His mark of 59 feet, 7¾ inches outdistanced runner-up Matthew Lloyd of Camas, who threw 54-5¾.

“I’m not one of the biggest guys out there,” said Lawson, a junior. “I’m 6-5, about 215. Some of the guys are 6 feet, 270.

“It’s technique and being explosive. You have to have an aggressive mentality.”

Lloyd said: “Jon has everything you look for in a good thrower. He’s really talented; definitely one of those guys I could see going 65 feet next year.”

Lawson, who entered the event as the No. 1 seed and finished second Friday in the discus, took control on his third put with what proved to be the winning mark.

“I was confident,” he said. “I was doing really well in practice, even though it was cold.”

Because of that, Lloyd knew Lawson would be difficult to beat.

“I was pretty confident I was going to get at least second,” he said. “I would have had to have the meet of my life to get first. But I don’t think I could have beat 59 feet.”

Like Lawson, Union junior Troupé is out of character for his event. He’s a 5-foot-11 high jumper, but he cleared 6-6 Saturday while runner-up Luke Evans from North Central of Spokane jumped 6-5.

“Just confidence,” Troupé said in describing his success. “I’ve got to know there’s no height out of my reach. I think my greatest strength is my speed. Some of the taller guys take a slower approach; I have a faster approach.”

Troupé, who jumped 6-7 at last week’s bi-district meet to earn the No. 1 seed at state, didn’t miss a jump Saturday until the title was in hand.

“I was hoping that guy would clear 6-6, give me a little more adrenaline,” he said of Evans.

In other boys action from the Class 2A, 3A, and 4A boys meets:

• Kinsley Ojukwu’s high school career concluded as he finished fourth in the 100 meters, third in the triple jump, and helped Union to a second-place finish in the 400 relay.

As a sophomore, Ojukwu won the 100, 200, and triple jump. As a junior, he won the triple jump.

This year, he won three medals despite being hampered by a hamstring injury.

“Basically, I ran as fast as I could,” he said. “Just somebody got me.

“I’m not unhappy.”

His brother, Stanley, finished fifth in the 100.

• Kyle Boe of Columbia River, who on Thursday was fifth in the Class 3A 3,200, finished fourth in the 1,600 in 4:18.56. Ben Johnston, who is ranked No. 1 in the nation, won the event in 4:12.96.

• Sean Keller of Heritage finished third in the Class 4A javelin with a distance of 191-5, after entering the meet with the sixth-best qualifying mark.

• Evan Koering of Woodland finished sixth in the Class 2A discus with a mark of 155-1. Ryan MacDonald of Sehome won the event with a distance of 180-3.

• Chase Horrocks of Skyview was sixth in the 4A 1,600 with a time of 4:16.02.