While the B-52 bombers at nearby Barksdale Air Force Base may have been grounded on Thursday afternoon due to incoming severe weather, there were some high school throwers who were dropping some bombs at he Benton Tiger Relays, the first outdoor meet in Northwest Louisiana.
Parkway sophomore Devon Oliver certainly approved of the conditions as the best freshman discus throwers in Louisiana from last year opened his sophomore campaign with personal record 151-09. He finished second to North DeSoto senior Dominic Smith's 154-4.
Oliver was the No. 1 freshman in Louisiana last year with a personal record of 147-5, and Louisiana's No. 3 ranked returner heading into 2023 outdoor season.
In the shot put, Oliver had another personal record. His effort of 50-11 was good enough for the win.
Oliver's 18 points weren't enough for the Panthers, who finished fourth in team scoring with 52 points, seven points behind the winner-host Benton High School.
The Tigers best event on the day was the javelin where Jeffery King won with a throw of 164-0. Benton's Cole Austin was fourth with a throw of 129-7.5.
Benton's highest point getter was Mark Perry who finished second in the both the triple jump (42-2) and high jump (6-0).
The girls competition was not as close as the boys' division thanks to 28 points from Benton's Jamie Willis and 26 points from Sadie Hamby.
Willis won the long jump (16-8.5) and 100 hurdles (15.85) while also finishing second in the triple jump (34-3).
Hamby won the javelin (106-4.5) and discus (116-08) and finished third in the shot put (32-4).
West Ouachita's Katelen Wooley was a double winner. She jumped 35-5.5 to win the triple jump, and cleared 5-0 in the high jump to beat North DeSoto's Natalie Cobb on fewer misses.
North DeSoto finished second to Benton in the girls division with 74 points in the rain shortened meet.