Left: Brode DuBose advanced to the State Track and Field Championships by placing second in the discus with a throw of 161-5 at the Region IV-4A meet in San Antonio Monday. PHOTOS BY RICHARD AKRIDGE Brode DuBose enjoyed his trip to Austin so much he decided to go again.

After posting a season-best discus throw in the state’s capital during the Texas Relays in early April, the senior secured his place in the upcoming State Track and Field Championships by finishing second at the Region IV-4A meet in San Antonio Monday.

DuBose easily advanced to Austin with a throw of 161-5, beating the third-place throw of Beeville Jones’ John Hernandez (155-6) by nearly six feet.

The silver-medal performance at Alamo Stadium puts DuBose in the throwing circle with seven of Class 4A’s top competitors May 14 at 1:30 p.m. inside Mike A. Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus.

At the Texas Relays, DuBose recorded a throw of 170-9. While the showing was only good for seventh place, a repeat performance would be just two inches shy of the 2009 third-place mark and well in front of the fourth-place throw of 163-5.

Above: Aaron Reyna competed in both the 110- and 300- meter hurdles, as well as the long jump. The senior’s top finish came in the 110 hurdles where he placed sixth. During the season, DuBose cleared the 170-foot stripe on three separate occasions.

Of the 10 Lampasas athletes who competed at regionals, DuBose was the only one to advance to the state’s ultimate showdown, but according to Badgers Head Track and Field Coach Jimmy Randolph, it was a successful day for every participant.

“I was very proud of all our regional qualifiers,” the coach said. “Each one competed hard, and we had some good breaks and some tough breaks, but that is what athletics teaches [kids] about the game of life.”

With a time of 1:02.80, Ashley Moore finished 16th in the 400-meter run. Perhaps the toughest break of the two-day meet involved hurdler Aaron Reyna.

Coming off a personal-best performance of 14.53 in the 110- meter hurdles at the regional qualifiers meet, Reyna finished second in the preliminaries with a time of 15.37.

Unfortunately, after an impressive start in the finals, the speedster got caught up on a hurdle midway through the race and could not recover from the stumble, finishing sixth overall with a time of 15.85. It was the only time this season Reyna did not place in the top three in the event.

The senior also competed in the 300 hurdles and the long jump but did not advance to the finals in either event. Reyna finished 17th overall in the 300 hurdles (42.33) and did not place in the long jump, as he scratched on all three of his preliminary attempts.

Marcus Kehoe matched his personal best in the pole vault by clearing 13-6 to finish sixth. The freshman was just six inches away from potentially advancing to state, as the top three vaulters tied at 14-0.

Multi-event qualifier Zach Adams also competed in the pole vault but did not record a height. The sophomore did not place in the high jump either, but teammate Secody Howard placed seventh in the event, thanks to a 5-10 leap.

Led by senior Andrea White, the Lady Badgers earned three top-10 finishes to cap off the 2010 season.

Competing in two events, White cracked the top 10 in each, placing ninth in the discus (104-11) and 10th in the shot put (35-11).

Amber Castle finished 10th in the pole vault Tuesday morning by posting her second-best vault of the season at 8-6.

On the track, the Lady Badgers could not match the speed of their competitors, and none of the local athletes advanced to the finals.

Lady Badger pole vaulter Amber Castle begins her ascent. PHOTO BY CLAY WHITTINGTON Sophomore Tealey Farquhar came the closest, placing 15th in the 100 hurdles with a time of 17.69. It was just the third meet of the season at the varsity level for the underclassman.

Originally an alternate, Ashley Moore was granted the opportunity to compete in the 400 after a qualifier failed to maintain her grades. Moore finished 16th with a time of 1:02.74.

Amy Martinez, a freshman, rounded out the Lampasas regional qualifiers. She ran the 3,200 in 13:20.00 to place 20th in the event.