Click here for more photos of Solon at the state track meet. 

Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – Surgery for a broken wrist sustained during football season stopped Coal Flansburg from picking up a second consecutive state shot put medal this season.

The wrist injury couldn’t stop the Solon junior from adding to his medal count.

A year after placing seventh in the shot put as a sophomore Flansburg picked up a medal in the discus on Thursday with a fourth-place finish at the Class 3A state track and field meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.  

“It was a pretty big struggle not being able to do shot put which is what I love about track,” Flansburg said. “I like discus too it’s a close second so it was nice to be able to have that to compete.”

Solon senior Tyler Linderbaum joined Flansburg in an all-WAMAC conference top four, placing third with a career-best toss of 166-2.

West Delaware senior Harrison Goebel won with a toss of 169-9 while Mount Vernon junior Matt Vislisel was second at 169-3.

“The top four guys were all from the WAMAC and that was cool to see that,” Linderbaum said. “We compete against West Delaware and Mount Vernon a lot so it’s fun competing against those guys here at the state meet.”

An Iowa State football recruit, Flansburg broke his right wrist during the football season and post-season surgery made throwing the shot put too painful.

Flansburg didn’t let that end his track season.

He spent part of the season attempting to throw the shot with his left hand and got up to around 49 feet according to Solon coach Mark Sovers.

What Flansburg did mostly was concentrate on the discus, which had always been his second choice among the throwing events.

“I was really proud of Coal all year long for just the way he handled it and the mindset that he had,” Sovers said. “Instead of feeling sorry for himself and focusing on something he couldn’t do he poured himself completely into learning how to be a better discus thrower and it just fueled him in the discus and it was fun to see him reach different levels.”

With the two discus medals on Thursday Solon stretched its streak of consecutive years with a medal in a throwing event to seven.

The Spartans have earned multiple medals in four of those years and have two state champions during that stretch.

“It’s just about carrying on the tradition of good throwers coming through here and living up to coach (Brad) Wymer’s coaching,” Flansburg said. “He’s such a great coach you want to be great for him.”

Solon will try to further add to that medal count on Friday as Linderbaum and senior Luke Schaekenbach compete in the shot put.

Linderbaum was third in the shot put a year ago and will be seeking a medal in the event for the third straight season.

“Coach Wymer does a great job and he puts us in this position,” Linderbaum said. “We couldn’t do it without him, he has helped me make big strides and I appreciate that.”

Regina's Stein Finishes Strong

An illness that plagued Luke Stein last week prohibited the Regina senior from having the district performance he wanted.

He bounced back in time to earn his first state medal on Thursday.

A week after failing to crack the 50-foot mark at districts Stein placed fifth in the Class 2A shot put with a toss of 53-6.

The mark was just two inches off the best throw of the season for Stein.

“I was pretty sick last week so I had to get some weight back on and my goal was to come in and score points for me team and place and I did that so I can’t complain,” Stein said. “At districts I didn’t throw well and this week I wasn’t where I wanted to be so coming out here I wanted to pr ideally but that didn’t happen but I can’t complain at all.”

Kingsley-Pierson/Woodbury Central senior Nick Phelps won the event with a state meet record toss of 67-2.

Class 3A State Track and Field Meet

At Drake Stadium in Des Moines

Team scores – 1. Marion 18; 2. Sergeant Blutt-Luton 13; 3. Mount Pleasant 12; 3. Boone 12; 3. Glenwood 12; 6. Solon 11; 7. Dubuque Wahlert 10.5; 8. Atlantic 10; 8. Mount Vernon 10; 8. Center Point-Urbana 10; 8. South Tama 10; 8. West Delaware 10.

Individual results

(Champion; Area Participants)

400 – 1. Nate Kennedy (Glenwood) 48.28; 17. Drake Woody (Liberty High) 52.51; 22. Jack Butler (Clear Creek Amana) 54.84

3,200 – 1. Myles Bach (Center Point-Urbana) 9:28.9; 21. Brandon Barker (Clear Creek Amana) 10:31.87

4×800 – 1. Atlantic 8:01.05; 20. Clear Creek Amana (Kaden McAreavy, Jack Sexton, Quentin Gisleson, Jordan Wolfe) 8:32.88

Discus – 1. Harrison Goebel (West Delaware) 169-9; 3. Tyler Linderbaum (Solon) 166-2; 4. Coal Flansburg (Solon) 162-11.

High jump – 1. Keith Keahna (South Tama) 6-7

Class 2A State Track and Field Meet

At Drake Stadium in Des Moines

Team scores – 1. Pekin 20; 2. Mid-Prairie 18; 3. Carroll Kuemper 15; 4. Mediapolis 11; 5. Kingsley-Pierson/Woodbury Central 10; 5. Sioux Center 10; 7. Van Meter 9; 7. West Sioux 9; 9. Garner-Hayfield-Ventura 8; 10. Sheldon 7.

Individual results

(Champion; Area Participants)

400 – 1. Isaiah Wittrock (Pekin) 48.93

3,200 – 1. Floyd Evans (Mid-Prairie) 9:42.34; 10. Nathan Meyer (Regina) 10:17.02

4×800 – 1. Pekin 7:59.95

Shot put– 1. Nick Phelps (Kingsley-Pierson/Woodbury Central) 67-2; 5. Luke Stein (Regina) 53-6; 12. Cole White (Regina) 50-0 ½

Long jump – 1. Miles Rupiper (Carroll Kuemper) 22-1