Soaring through the air, junior Finn Smith starts off his season jumping 9ft at the Ron Ives Invitational in Liberty, MO. He would end the day jumping 10ft and placing seventh. (Isaiah Seymour/PlatteCounty)
Judge’s Comments: I literally said “Wow” out loud when I opened this photo. Perfectly composed (great use of rule of thirds and leading lines), perfectly exposed (super clear, great use of fast shutter speed) and not something you see every day. We can even see his face!
Second Place: Aidan Patterson, Park Hill South AND Brennan Scott, Park Hill South (TIE)
Kaori Donham (11) leaps into the air for an outside hit during his warmup for the championship round of the Hy-Vee Inaugural Tournament. (Aidan Patterson/ParkHillSouth)Runner Delshaun Wilson (11) sprints past the competition during the 100 meter race. (Brennan Scott/ParkHillSouth)
Third Place:Jacey McGraw, Staley
With the net in hand, varsity girls basketball coach Mike Bennett screams in celebration to his team March 11 after they earned the district championship. Varsity beat Park Hill South High School 51-43. “Playing in a district championship against our rival Park Hill South, that was a great feeling,” Bennett said. “We were all riding the emotional rollercoaster of that game and had one of the best crowds in Staley girls basketball history.” (Jacey McGraw/Staley)
Judge’s Comments: I love a good reaction photo and this is definitely a good reaction photo! Love the expression on his face–you captured it clearly and also did a nice job using depth of field to focus on the coach and his reaction. Remember composition–rule of thirds might have helped add a little to this photo, or even crop tighter to eliminate the empty space on the right.
At a home academic team match, junior Jada Beattie laughs with senior Hunter Thompson and junior Brooks Blair at a joke that Thompson made. "One of my favorite memories from Academic Team is getting to draw on the back of the whiteboard before the home matches,” Beattie said. "I started Academic Team in middle school and never stopped." The JV and Varsity teams faced off against Penney High School.
