Southeast Missourian player of the week: Jackson's Paden Wachter

Senior Paden Wachter closed out her Jackson High School athletic career in style last weekend by winning the discus and placing second in the shot put at the Missouri Class 4 Track and Field Championships in Jefferson City, Mo.

Wachter was one of three local athletes to claim state titles, joining junior teammate Sierra Maddox (girls pole vault) and Central senior Chris Martin (triple jump).

Wachter had the seventh-best discus toss among competitors entering the state meet, but she recorded the best throw in the preliminaries and then unleashed the top throw in Friday's finals. She threw 135 feet, 1 inch on her second attempt to beat Blue Spring's Tyra Bickham, who threw 133-4.

But Wachter wasn't finished.

She uncorked a career-best throw of 133-4 in the shot put the following day to place second. The toss beat her previous personal record by more than two feet.

"I feel she peaked out here the last couple of weeks," said Jackson coach Steve Wachter, Paden's father.

Wachter finished as a two-time district and three-time sectional champion in the discus, also having placed seventh in the event at state as a junior. She finished sixth at state in the shot put as a junior, then claimed district and sectional titles her senior season.

She will compete next year at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo.

"As a coach, you think it's an incredible deal to have someone be state champion and take second," said Wachter, who was serving in the capacity of head track coach for the final time. "But even more incredible and a great feeling, a super feeling on top of it since it's your daughter. I'm very proud of her. I'm very proud of [throwing] coach [Richard] Rushin -- he did a fabulous job with her."