Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The high school schedule of the 109th Drake Relays opened under sunny skies on Thursday at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

Friday’s forecast calls for plenty more sun as the action really heats up on the blue oval inside Drake Stadium.

Seven events will crown champions on both the boys and girls side on day two of the three-day event.

With area athletes competing in 13 of the 14 events on Friday there will be plenty to watch.

Here are five things to watch on Friday on the second day for the Drake Relays

City High's Strong Starters

City High closed the Drake Relays last season with a trio of strong relay showings on Saturday.

This year the Little Hawks will try to use a big effort from its distance medley relay team to get off to a fast start.

The foursome of Max DePrenger, Daniel Brown, Zach Jones and JP Rethwisch enters with the second fastest time in the state this season after clocking a 3:34.68 earlier this month in Ames.

Only Urbandale has run a faster time than City High this season and enters with a state-best 3:32.5.

The first boys final on Friday morning could come down to a showdown between Drake Relays 800 qualifiers in Urbandale’s Ben Daumueller and City High’s Rethwisch.

Busy Day for Bell

After an abbreviated prep schedule on Friday things get considerably more busy on Friday.

Few area athletes have more on their schedule Friday than West High senior Kitra Bell.

A four-event qualifier this week, Bell will take part in three events on Friday highlighted by individual performances in the 100 hurdles and long jump.

Bell is making repeat Drake Relays performances in both of her individual events on Friday.

She was fifth in the long jump last year and has the fifth best mark in the state this spring at 18-1.

Bell is seeking her first appearance in the 100 hurdle finals and will run on the West High 4×100 relay team.

Double Discus Duty for CCA’s Schrock

While some of her discus competitors spent Thursday competing in the Drake Relays shot put Ainsley Schrock had another way to warm up for Friday’s competition.

Schrock finished runner-up in at the Clippers own home invite on Thursday with a toss of 114-5.

The sophomore should contend for a medal in her Drake Relays discus debut on Friday, entering with the 11th best throw in the state this spring at 127-9.

Nock and Ince Get Back to Work

Another day another double event entry for the West High distance duo of Bailey Nock and Deniz Ince.

Nock and Ince finished fifth and sixth respective in the 3,000 on Thursday and should be in line for another a couple more top-10 finishes in the 800 on Friday.

Ince has the eighth best time in the state at 2:18.11 while Nock has the sixth fastest time this spring at 2:16.01 and was seventh at Drake in the 800 a year ago.

Spartan 4×4 Back for More

The Drake Relays provides an opportunity for small schools to show they can stack up with the best the state has to offer.

Last season the Solon 4×400 relay team took advantage of that opportunity with an eighth-place Drake Relays finish.

This year the same foursome of Taylor Ryan, Cayley Annis, Abby Smith and Erin Kerkhoff returns intact and looking for another run to the finals.

Solon enters with the seventh best time in the state at 4:05.91 and would like nothing more than to improve on its eighth-place finish from last year.