DES MOINES — The Iowa high school state track and field meet begins at 9 a.m. Thursday at Drake Stadium and runs through Saturday.
Here are the top individuals and teams in the boys’ field, along with The Gazette’s championship picks:
Class 4A
Top individuals: Ankeny’s sprinters are a different breed. Led by junior Logan Fairchild and senior Jackson Belding, the Hawks broke the all-time Iowa best earlier this season in the 800-meter relay (1:26.12). Cedar Falls sophom*ore Jaden Merrick outdueled Ankeny’s Ethan Zuber in a Drake Relays 3,200 in which both runners broke 9 minutes. Iowa City West owns three elite competitors in hurdler/long jumper Aidan Jacobsen (the Drake Relays most outstanding performer), sprinter Izaiah Loveless and middle-distance star Moustafa Tiea. Cedar Rapids Prairie’s T.Y. Pour and Quinton Alexander are top seeds in the long jump and 110-meter hurdles, respectively.
Scouting the team race: Cedar Falls put together a whopper of a district effort, and as a result, heads to Des Moines as the team to beat. The Tigers are top-seeded in five events, including four relays. If there’s a deficiency, it’s the fact that they aren’t projected to score in any of the field events. Ankeny, West Des Moines Dowling and Iowa City West represent the chase group. Dowling has an advantage on the other contenders in the field events, including a top seed in the shot put in Nathan Rotherham, and the potential to double-score in the high jump and the discus. Cedar Rapids Prairie and Cedar Rapids Kennedy are potential top-five teams.
Projected points leaders: Cedar Falls 96, Ankeny 68, West Des Moines Dowling 68, Iowa City West 63, Cedar Rapids Prairie 45.
Our trophy picks: 1. Cedar Falls, 2. Ankeny, 3. Iowa City West.
Class 3A
Top individuals: The burners reside at Adel ADM. Seniors Brevin Doll and Aiden Flora are seeded 1-3 in both the 100- and 200-meter races, and team up for the Tigers’ sprint relays. Cade Sears of Harlan is wedged between the ADM duo at No. 2 in the 100 and 200, and the Cyclones will try to unseat the Tigers in the 4x100 and 4x200. Two sophom*ores — Pella’s Canaan Dunham and Western Dubuque’s Quentin Nauman — are the top contenders in the distance races. Nauman’s teammate, senior Ashton Hogrefe, is a title hopeful in the hurdles races. Solon possesses a pair of No. 1 seeds in Ben Kampman (discus) and Caleb Bock (long jump), and Williamsburg senior Derek Weisskopf is a contender in three field events.
Scouting the team race: Pella has won the last three 3A titles, but it appears to be a torch-passing weekend, with Western Dubuque and ADM the prime candidates to take the baton and run with it. Western Dubuque appears to have the most complete team, with 11 events seeded to score. Three are No. 1 — Hogrefe in the high hurdles, the shuttle hurdle relay and the Nauman-anchoring distance medley. ADM will score a bundle in the sprints, perhaps as many as 56 if the Tigers max out in the 100, 200, 4x100 and 4x200, though Harlan could chip into that total somewhat. The Cyclones are in the mix for a trophy, along with Sioux City Heelan, Pella and Solon.
Projected points leaders: Western Dubuque 70, Adel ADM 54, Harlan 50, Sioux City Heelan 48, Pella 44.
Our trophy picks: 1. Western Dubuque, 2. Adel ADM, 3. Pella.
Class 2A
Top individuals: Nobody, in any class, does the hurdles better than Iowa Falls-Alden’s Jaden Damiano. The senior, and a South Dakota commit, set the Drake Relays record in the 110-meter hurdles last month in 13.84 seconds. He went even faster (13.76) at the district meet. Damiano also is top-seeded in the open 100 and the 400 hurdles, and runs on the Cadets’ favored shuttle hurdle relay. Mediapolis senior Logan Rosas is the guy to beat in the 800, as well as a key figure in the Bulldogs’ 3,200-meter relay and distance medley. South Hamilton has a stable of quality long sprinters, headed by senior Ty Koehnk.
Scouting the team race: Six contenders have emerged in the district aftermath. With eight events seeded to score (including double-points in the 110 hurdles), Spirit Lake appears to be a slight favorite. Mediapolis was a co-champion last year and should score big from the 800 on up, plus the 4x800 and distance medley. Treynor will get major points from its sprinters and hurdlers; the Cardinals are top-four seeds in four relays. Underwood is projected to score 26 field-event points, South Hamilton has its potent 400-meter crew, and Damiano could get Iowa Falls-Alden to 40 points.
Projected points leaders: Spirit Lake 46, Treynor 42, Mediapolis 41, Iowa Falls-Alden 40, Underwood 38.
Our trophy picks: 1. Spirit Lake, 2. Mediapolis, 3. Treynor.
Class 1A
Top individuals: Ryce Reynolds, a senior at Mount Ayr and a signee of Stanford, headlines the small-school show. Reynolds is a heavy favorite in both the open 400 and the 400-meter hurdles, will anchor the Raiders’ top-seeded sprint medley relay and is a threat in the 200. Wapsie Valley’s duo of Aidan Shannon and Aidan Brady are seeded 1-2 in both the 1,600 and the 3,200. Senior Baylor Speidel spearheads Lisbon’s repeat hopes; he is the favorite in the 100 and 200, and is scheduled to anchor the Lions’ 400- and 800-meter relays. Akron-Westfield senior Ian Blowe is, by far, the premier thrower in the 1A field; he recorded district distances of 180 feet, 7 inches in the discus and 59-8 1/4 in the shot put.
Scouting the team race: Defending-champion Lisbon has looked like the favorite all spring, but the district shenanigans of Shannon and Brady makes Wapsie Valley a viable challenger. Lisbon is seeded to score only three points in the first two days, but you’ve got to figure the Lions will outperform their No. 7 seed in Friday’s 4x200. Lisbon’s fate will be determined Saturday afternoon, when Speidel, Tiernan Boots (100) and Dakota Clark (200) turn up the heat, and the 4x100 in the second-to-last event could be a title clincher. Reynolds’ presence makes Mount Ayr the pick to snag the third trophy.
Projected points leaders: Lisbon 54, Wapsie Valley 51, Mount Ayr 36, Guthrie Center ACGC 36, Earlham 36.
Our trophy picks: 1. Lisbon, 2. Wapsie Valley, 3. Mount Ayr.
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Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com
