Breaking Down the Your Prep Sports Area Teams at the Class 4A Boys State Track and Field Meet
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The start of the state track and field meet is right around the corner.
After a one-year hiatus due to the global coronavirus pandemic the state track and field meet returns to Drake Stadium in Des Moines on Thursday and runs through Saturday.
Large crowds are expected for the event after the announcement on Tuesday that attendance restrictions had been lifted.
Before the meet gets rolling on Thursday morning here is a quick breakdown of the Class 4A boys teams from the Your Prep Sports area.
City High
Individual events qualified: Ten (100; 800; 1,600; 110 hurdles; 400 hurdles; high jump; long jump; shot put; discus)
Relays qualified: Five (4×100; 4×800; sprint medley; distance medley; shuttle hurdle)
Athlete to watch: There are a number of City High athletes poised for breakthrough performances at the state meet but perhaps no Little Hawk is more excited for the opportunity to shine on the state’s biggest stage than senior Isaac Rohret.
An Independence transfer Rohret didn’t get a chance to compete last season and will make his state meet debut in a City High uniform this week.
Rohret enters with the fourth fastest qualifying time in the 100 at 11.07 but will be a key part of City High’s relay plans this week after running on the 4×100 and sprint medley relays at the state qualifier.
Relay team to watch: With five relays qualified all with top 10 seed times there is plenty to pick from here but the City High 4×800 squad is always worth watching at the state meet.
City High has a long history of 4×800 success including a state title in the event in 2018 and a fifth-place finish in 2019.
The Little Hawk foursome of Truman Thompson, Nollen Abriam, Ford Washburn and Ammon Smith enters with the third fastest qualifying time at 7:59.69, which is the fifth fastest in 4A this season.
Outlook: City High has already made significant strides as a program this season and can make it a true breakthrough campaign with a strong showing at the state meet.
The pieces are in place for a big finale for City High.
City High has 10 individual qualifiers across nine events and four enter with top-five seeds from state qualifying meets.
In addition to Rohret in the 100, Smith is seeded second in the 800, Ford Washburn is fourth in the 1,600 and Raph Hamilton is fifth in the shot put.
City High is capable of securing points from its individual qualifiers but the real strength for the Little Hawks lies in the relays.
Five relays qualified for state, all with top-10 qualifying times from state qualifying meets.
The 4×800 team is seeded third while the 4×100 and sprint medley teams are seeded sixth and the distance medley is seventh.
Standout junior Jovan Harris will be a key in the relays this week running on four and is part of the Little Hawk shuttle hurdle team that holds the fifth fastest time in 4A this season and the distance medley team that was runner-up at the Drake Relays and has the third best time in 4A this spring.
West High
Individual events qualified: Nine (100; 200; 800; 1,600; 3,200; 110 hurdles; 400 hurdles; shot put)
Relays qualified: Five (4×100; 4×200; 4×800; shuttle hurdle; sprint medley)
Athlete to watch: There may not be a more battle tested distance runner in the Class 4A field than West High junior Alex McKane.
McKane emerged from a loaded state qualifying field to reach the state meet in both the 1,600 and 3,200 and enters with top-11 qualifying time in both events.
The 3,200 is the stronger event for McKane, who medaled at the state cross country meet in the fall, and he enters with the sixth fastest time in 4A this season at 9:32.38.
McKane is a medal contender in the 1,600 as well, after logging the 11th best time from state qualifying meets.
The junior finished seventh at a loaded state qualifier in the 1,600 after clocking a season-best time of 4:27.44 to earn a spot at state as an addition qualifier.
Relay team to watch: No other relay is as filled with potential pitfalls like the shuttle hurdle making postseason runs in the event a nerve-wracking experience.
The West High foursome of Clayton Bopp, Kalen Haworth, Christian Janis and Jason Lu seems to be feeding on that postseason adrenaline.
West High clocked its top time of the season in the event at the state qualifier last week at 1:02.32 and enters the state meet with the 14th best time in 4A this season.
The Trojans will need a clean run to push toward medal contention but the shuttle hurdle is among the most unpredictable events of the meet.
Outlook: With nine individual qualifiers across eight events and five relays the Trojans have once again put together a strong group of state qualifiers.
West High was 4A runner-up in 2018 and scored 21.5 points in a 14th place finish two seasons ago.
While West High may not match those numbers this week the Trojans are poised to put up points in several events.
Jason Lu is a qualifier in both hurdle events and enters with the fifth fastest qualifying time in the 110 hurdles while Caden Noeller has the 12th fastest 800 time from qualifying meets.
Mason Applegate is among the most uniquely versatile competitors at the meet qualifying in the 100 and shot put and running on the 4×100 relay team.
Liberty High
Individual events qualified: Seven (200; 800; 1,600; 3,200; long jump)
Relays qualified: Five (4×100; 4×400; 4×800; distance medley; shuttle hurdle)
Athlete to watch: What a month it has already been for Liberty High senior Bowen Gryp.
Gryp committed to run track and Northern Iowa earlier this month and posted an impressive day at the state qualifying meet winning the 1,600 and running on a pair of runner-up relay teams.
The standout senior will attempt to make it an even more unforgettable month of May with a strong state meet showing.
Gryp is a title contender in the 1,600, entering with the top qualifying time at 4:21.16 which is the fourth fastest time in 4A this season anis less than a second off the fastest time posted by Sioux City North sophomore Gabe Nash.
Gryp, who ran a 1:55.36 800 earlier this season, will also be a major player in the Liberty High relays this week and has helped the Lightning 4×800 post the second fastest time in 4A this season.
Relay team to watch: Liberty High sends five relays to state but there is no question the one to watch is the 4×800.
The Lightning foursome of Gavin Keeney, Jack Kinzer, Caleb Schillinger and Gryp finished runner-up to Cedar Falls at the Drake Relays last month in a time of 7:54.63.
That time still ranks second in 4A this season trailing only Cedar Falls and is nearly three seconds faster than the next best time this season held by Ames.
Gryp gets the headlines but Keeney and Schillinger are both state qualifiers in the open 800 and Kinzer is among the top milers in all of 4A.
Outlook: Without a doubt the longest and most talented list of state qualifiers in the history of the program the next step for Liberty High is piling up the points at the state meet.
The Lightning are certainly capable of doing just that with four individual with top-11 qualifying marks and a pair of relays that enter with top-11 times from state qualifying meets.
Gryp and the 4×800 relay teams are title contenders but there is depth around them
Kinzer has the 10th fastest 1,600 time in the state this season after clocking a 4:23.79 and will be in the medal conversation and senior Daqwan Sanders enters with the 11th best long jump mark from state qualifiers.
Keeney is 11th in the 800 and freshman Aidan Decker has the 14th fastest qualifying time in the 3,200.
The Liberty High shuttle hurdle relay is seeded 11th and the distance medley team that features Gryp on the anchor has the 13th fastest qualifying time.
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