Tre Hoskins’ shot put title highlights Hannibal at state meet
Published 7:57 pm Tuesday, June 2, 2026
By WILL JOHNSON
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Sometimes it is not about how you start, but how you finish.
Hannibal High School (HHS) track and field found this out during the rain-shortened Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) State Track and Field Championships held over the weekend at the Dennis and Roberta Licklider Track Complex inside Jefferson City High School’s Adkins Stadium.
Mother Nature put her two cents worth in Friday causing the first day of competition to be canceled reducing the state meet to a one-day event minus the boys 4×800-meter relays which were ran before officials called the meet.
Seeing teammates false start or not finish other events, senior Tre Hoskins entered the Class 4 Boys Shot Put with the highest qualifying mark from sectionals.
Leading going into the fourth and final set of throws, Hoskins saw Central’s (Cape Girardeau) Isaiah Huskey and Bolivar’s Owen McCullah pass him on their respective final attempts.
Hoskins was up to the task delivering a state-championship winning mark of 18.64 meters to capture a state title and end Hannibal’s stay in Jefferson City on a high note.
“I know I had to have a good throw with the two guys throwing farther than me during the final set of throws,” Hoskins said. “Once I let it go, I knew it was a good one and it felt great to stand atop the podium a state champion.”
Hoskins was not the only Pirate thrower to earn All-State honors Saturday in Jefferson City.
Fellow senior Aden Scott posted a distance of 48.46m on his first throw that put him fifth through the first round of attempts.
Even though he fouled his final three throws, Scott was able to stay in the top eight by winding up with a seventh-place finish.
Hannibal nearly had two state champions over the weekend in the City of Jefferson.
Senior Landyn Essig opened the Class 4 Boys Long Jump with a leap of 6.80m Friday morning giving him the lead when the event resumed Saturday morning after Friday action was called due to inclement weather.
Nevada junior Kyndrek Atkins edged Essig with a mark of 6.84m on his final attempt to send the Pirate senior to the second spot on the medal stand.
After Essig’s first attempt, he fouled his second jump and re-injured his hamstring from earlier in the season.
Over on the track, Lady Pirate junior Josie Peters was the lone HHS track athlete to earn All-State honors posting a sixth-place time of 45.75 in the Class 4 Girls 300m hurdles.
Saturday action was still ran in heats but against time instead of the traditional heat winners and the next six fastest times advancing to the finals.
Sophomore Kaliyah Chinn also ran the Class 4 Girls 100m hurdles for the Lady Pirates finishing 11th in a time of 16.53 putting her a little under a second from the top eight and a state medal.
Shortly after the 100m and 110m hurdle races were contested, junior Kade Hoskins caught a bad break by false starting during his heat of the Class 4 Boys 100m dash.
“Sometimes tough breaks happen and one of those did not go Kade’s way,” HHS head track and field coach Jeff Gschwender said.
Later in the meet, Lady Pirate sophomore Lyla Dorsey ran against a competitive field in the Class 4 Girls 1600m run posting a 14th-place time of 527.03.
In the Class 4 Boys 3200m run, Pirate junior Rhett Hayes posted a 16th-place time of 10:15.79.
It was also tough sledding for a pair of Pirate relay teams over the weekend in Jefferson City.
Placing 16th in the Class 4 Boys 4x800m relay in a time of 8:34.40 was the Pirate quartet of Jaxon Jones, Jonas Thompson, Colin Coniglio and Hayes.
Hannibal’s 4x200m Pirate foursome of Casch Greving, Dallas Baker, Darrion Hendricks and Kade Hoskins did not finish the race after dropping the baton on the final hand off.
Also sprinting their way to a 12th-place time of 43.04 in the Class 4 Boys 4x100m relay was the Pirate squad of Kade Hoskins, Greving, Baker and Hendricks.
