Herald-Whig Sports Writer

HANNIBAL, Mo. -- The rain before Friday's meet took Isaiah Ricks inside the team bus.

It also took Quincy High School senior out of his competitive state of mind at Friday's cold, windy and wet Mark Twain Relays at Hannibal High School.

Luckily for Ricks, the sharp sound of the starting gun piercing through the air gave him the jolt the he needed in the 100-meter dash.

"I really wasn't even in the mood to run until the gun shot," Ricks said. "My whole focus on running was over once it started raining. And it got back as soon as they shot the gun."

Ricks won the race with an 11.03, edging Fort Zumwalt North's Mark Smith by .21 of a second.

This is Ricks' second season competing for the Blue Devils after not going out for the team as a freshman and sophomore.

Since his return, the starter has been Ricks' best friend.

"I ran my best time in Quincy because the gun scared me," Ricks said. "I didn't expect it to be that loud."

As a team, Quincy High School (111) finished two points behind Fort Zumwalt North (113).

Hannibal (107) finished third at its own meet.

The Pirates were led by hurdler John Anderson, who won the 110 and 300 hurdle events.

"It's just a lot harder because you have to warmup longer and stretch more," Anderson said.

QHS senior Marc Amarillas kept warm by winning three first-place medals in the 1,600 run, 3,200 run and the 3,200 relay.

Amarillas edged a Fort Zumwalt North athlete by .21 to win the 3,200 run -- the second to last event of the night.

"The two mile came down to the last little bit and I got him at the end," Amarillas said.

Chris Clarkson, Jamarr Henaifesh and Jeremiah Henaifesh are also on the 3,200-relay team with Amarillas.

Amarillas said the Blue Devils performed well despite the unfavorable weather conditions.

"This wind is just ridiculous," Amarillas said. "We're (still) all coming out with great times."

Amarillas said when the team arrived in Hannibal the sky was cloudy but the weather wasn't bad.

"We knew it was going to rain but it was nice, no wind and then the rain kicked and it got cold," Amarillas said.

-- mgoldberg@whig.com / 221-3367