Barker Leads Clippers to Team Title at Home Invitational
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
IOWA CITY – By his own admission Brandon Barker isn’t the most talented cross country runner around.
That hasn’t kept the Clear Creek Amana senior from emerging as one of the best runners in the state.
In fact, the recognition of his perceived lack of talent is what led Barker to develop the tireless work ethic and never-say-die attitude that has helped him develop into a state title contender.
“Even going back to freshman year and middle school I’ve never had a ton of talent so I’ve always had to work really hard,” Barker said. “I know I just have to train my butt off in the offseason.”
After earning the first individual state medal of his career last fall Barker switched his offseason training to another gear this spring.
The results have been a senior season in which Barker has established himself as one of the top runners in Class 3A.
Barker won for the fifth time in six races this season on Monday, claiming his fourth consecutive individual title at the Clipper Cross Country Classic at Kickers Soccer Complex in Iowa City.
“He has been training since we were done on March 13 and he has put in a lot of very quality miles,” Clear Creek Amana coach Ben Robison said. “He has put himself in a really good spot.”
The individual title from Barker on Monday helped Class 3A No. 13 Clear Creek Amana edge 2A third-ranked Mid-Prairie for the team title at its home meet.
Junior Gavin Zillyette placed third, Peyton Stadler was 10th and Noah Yost 11 as the Clippers finished with 39 points to edge Mid-Prairie by four.
“We have a lot of younger guys that were JV or not even on the team last year but they’ve all worked really hard,” Barker said. “They have been able to make good runners out of themselves.”
The unquestioned leader of a young Clear Creek Amana squad is Barker.
He was logging a personal-high 70 miles per week during the offseason before taking two weeks off before the start of the season due to an injury.
Barker hasn’t skipped a beat in his return.
He won the individual title at the season-opening Anamosa Invitational before placing seventh at the Bob Brown Invite on September 3.
That was the last time Barker failed to break the tape at a race.
“Last year just being an upperclassmen it was my goal to be a leader and that has definitely carried over to this year,” Barker said. “I like it. Sometime it’s a chore because everyone is so young but at the same time it’s not a chore because I love all those guys so much.”
Barker won titles as the Benton Community Invitational, the Cascade Invitational and the Eastern Iowa Classic last week.
On Monday he pulled away from Mid-Prairie senior Jamison Stutzman and Zillyette over the final half of the race.
Barker finished in 17:21.32, nearly 17 seconds faster than Stutzman.
“Through the first lap we stayed pretty packed together at the end of that first lap you started to see him pull away but after the first hill on the second lap he really started to pull away,” Zillyette said of Barker. “He really started to pick up the pace and got a nice going.”
Stutzman was just a stride off Barker’s pace at the halfway point.
It took less than half a mile for Barker to create a solid distance between himself and the rest of the pack.
“After the first hill on the second lap I don’t always feel great going into that but today I felt pretty good,” Barker said. “I was able to kind of pull away a little bit there.”
The late-race success for Barker was no surprise to Robison who knows the recipe for success for the senior comes down to out-working other runners.
“His ticket to success is all going to be just grinding in the middle of the race,” Robison said. “I am really impressed with how he has managed the first half of his races because once he gets to the halfway point he is just out-grinding guys and that’s what his bread and butter is.”
Zillyette was one of just three runners to break the 18-minute mark on Monday and was just six seconds behind Stutzman placing third in 17:44.55.
“That’s the best I have felt in a race all year,” Zillyette said. “That second lap is usually when I start to get a little heavy-legged and start to slow down but today I really started to push a little more than I usually do.”
Stadler was 10th in 18:44.83 while Yost was 11th in 18:46.86.
Tanner Tomas added a 14th place finish in a time of 19:09.95.
“I had no idea what we would look like back in August and our freshman and sophomores have shown exponential growth,” Robison said.
Clear Creek Amana sophomore Haidyn Barker placed third to help Clear Creek Amana to a runner-up finish in the girls race.
Barker finished in 20:37.52 placing behind individual champion Danielle Hostetler (19:45.71) and runner-up Sydney Yoder (20:27.52) of Mid-Prairie.
Senior Kayla Jiras joined Barker in the top 10 placing seventh in 21:58.63.
“Haidyn the last couple of weeks has done a great job of getting out early in the race and not holding back and trying to work harder,” Robison said. “ Kayla Jiras has really established herself as a go-getter. She ran great today.”
Class 2A top-ranked Mid-Prairie had four runners in the top five and won the team title with 20 points while Clear Creek Amana was second with 77.
“They are having a ton of fun,” Robison said of the girls team. “They are jiving well with each other and they are really starting to come into their own at the right time.”
Clipper Cross Country Classic
At Kickers Soccer Complex
Boys Results
Team scores – 1. Clear Creek Amana 39; 2. Mid-Prairie 43; 3. Cedar Rapids Xavier 95; 4. Columbus 120; 5. South Tama 130; 6. Vinton-Shellsburg 173; 7. Wapello 193; 8. Montezuma 214; 9. Louisa-Muscatine 216; 10. Winfield-Mount Union 237;
Individual leaders – 1. Brandon Barker (CCA) 17:21.32; 2. Jamison Stutzman (M-P) 17:38.14; 3. Gavin Zillyette (CCA) 17:44.55; 4. Chandler Hershberger (M-P) 18:09.31; 5. Marcus Blount (Prince of Peace) 18:11.93; 6. Tommy Tynismaa (South Tama) 18:16.21; 7. Nathan Wallington (M-P) 18:18.01; 8. Randall Kinner (CRX) 18:37.65; 9. Lucas Bontrager (M-P) 18:43.84; 10. Peyton Stadler (CCA) 18:44.83.
Clear Creek Amana (39) – 1. Brandon Barker 17:21.32; 3. Gavin Zillyette 17:44.55; 10. Peyton Stadler 18:44.83. 11. Noah Yost (CCA) 18:46.86; 14. Tanner Tomas 19:09.95; 16. Jackson Schloss 19:17.37; 19. Cameron Kimm 19:28.71
Girls Results
Team scores – 1. Mid-Prairie 20; Clear Creek Amana 77; 3. Prince of Peace 98; 4. Cedar Rapids Xavier 99; 5. Montezuma 101; 6. South Tama 143; 7. Vinton-Shellsburg 176;
Individual leaders – 1. Danielle Hostetler (M-P) 19:45.71; 2. Sydney Yoder (M-P) 20:27.52; 3. Haidyn Barker (CCA) 20:37.52; 4. Mitzi Evans (M-P) 20:49.13; 5. Abby Fleming (M-P) 21:40.27; 6. Elise Boulton (MON) 21:49.48; 7. Kayla Jiras (CCA) 21:58.63; 8. Phoebe Shetler (M-P) 21:59.58; 9. Annika Poll (M-P) 22:17.2; 10. Lizzy Schmitt (CRX) 22:17.82
Clear Creek Amana (77) – 3. Haidyn Barker 20:37.52; 7. Kayla Jiras 21:58.63; 14. Avery Allan 22:47.17; 23. Allie Kounkel 23:40.37; 30. Eva Plathe 25:09.75; 32. Meghan Cullen 25:21.79; 34. Alexis Ponce 25:39.76
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