Competing With the Big Dogs: Clear Creek Amana Posts Best State Meet Finish in Program History
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
DES MOINES – Coming off a spring without a season and a 23rd place finish at the state meet in 2019 Clear Creek Amana wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when the track and field season got under way more than two months ago.
One thing sixth-year coach Ben Robison continually preached to the members of his team despite the unknown of the 2021 season was that they could compete with the best in Class 3A.
The Clippers spent the past three days at the state track and field meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines proving Robison right.
“Our coaches have just developed us and bought in to us,” Clear Creek Amana senior Alex Figueroa said. “Coach Robison, coach (Gabe) Bakker, coach (Jackson) Litterer, they just bought into us and said you guys can compete with the big dogs you just have to do it.”
Clear Creek Amana capped its best state meet showing in a decade on Saturday posting a pair of top-three finishes and earning three medals on the final day of the Class 3A state meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.
Two years after scoring 12 points while placing 23rd at the 3A state meet the Clippers racked up 32 points and finished sixth in the 3A team standings.
It was the best state meet finish in program history and the 35 points were second most and the most since the Clippers scored 35 in 2011.
“To go out here and compete with some well-known programs like Pella and Dallas Center-Grimes, the big dogs, I think we did a pretty good job,” Figueroa said. “
Clear Creek Amana certainly showed it can compete with the best in the state on Saturday and all week at Drake Stadium.
Harrison Rosenberg finished third in the 110 hurdles and the Clippers were third in the sprint medley and sixth in the 4×400 while pushing into the top-six in the team standings.
Pella won the 3A team title with 80.5 points followed by ADM with 75 and Dallas Center-Grimes with 44.
Rosenberg finished third in the 110 hurdles in a time of 15.17, just off the career-best time of 15.16 that he posted in the prelims on Friday.
“These last couple of races have been my best of the year,” Rosenberg said. “There is nothing more than I could ask for.”
Rosenberg ran stride for stride with Logan Brosius of Western Dubuque and Hunter Manock of North Polk for nearly the entire race.
Manock won in 15.07 while Brosius was runner-up in 15.15.
“I knew I was right with them I just tried to get that lean,” Rosenberg said. “It was a great race, a fast race.”
It was the second medal of the day for Rosenberg who ran the lead leg on the Clippers sprint medley relay team.
Rosenberg teamed with Figueroa, Gage Freeman and Tom Johnson to finish third in a season-best time of 1:34.19.
“That was a fast heat,” Figueroa said. “We knew going into it that it was going to be really tight. I thought we ran great, everyone had a pr. It was just a great race.”
Johnson nearly pulled Clear Creek Amana to the front of a lead pack in the sprint medley in the final 50 meters.
The senior closed hard on the 400-anchor leg but couldn’t overcome ADM who won in 1:34.05 while Central DeWitt was second in 1:34.12.
“That was a heck of a race,” Figueroa said. “I thought Tom was going to get it right at the end and I was like, ‘no way’, he ran a great race.”
Clear Creek Amana capped the meet and a strong weekend with a sixth-place finish in the 4×400.
The foursome of Gavin Zillyette, Cash Jensen, Keyan Gisleson and Johnson finished in 3:27.39.
“We’ve come so far,” Rosenberg said. “We have so many individuals and relays competing here, we’ve put in so much work but honestly this is way more than we expected of the team.”
Class 3A Boys State Track and Field Meet
At Drake Stadium in Des Moines
Team scores – 1. Pella 80.5; 2. ADM 75; 3. Dallas Center-Grimes 44; 4. North Polk 43; 5. Marion 33; 6. Clear Creek Amana 32; 7. Carlisle 30; 8. Western Dubuque 27; 9. Dubuque Wahlert 26; 9. Humboldt 26; 24. Solon 10.
Individual results (event winners; area competitors)
100 – 1. Ryan Brosius (Dubuque Wahlert) 11.22; 4. Colton Hoffman (Solon) 11.31
200 – 1. Brevin Doll (ADM) 22.27
800 – 1. Nate Mueller (ADM) 1:54.83; 17. Ben DeValk (Solon) 2:02.35
1,600 – 1. Nate Mueller (ADM) 4:16.7; 14. Brandon Barker (Clear Creek Amana) 4:36.47; 16. Ben DeValk 4:38.27
110 hurdles – 1. Hunter Manock (North Polk) 15.07; 3. Harrison Rosenberg (Clear Creek Amana) 15.17
Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. Western Dubuque 59.47
Sprint medley relay – 1. ADM 1:34.05; 3. Clear Creek Amana (Harrison Rosenberg, Alex Figueroa, Gage Freeman, Tom Johnson) 1:34.19; 6. Solon (Trin Eidahl, Colton Hoffman, Blake Timmons, Brayden Rickertsen) 1:34.77
4×100 relay – 1. Dallas Center-Grimes 42.48
4×400 relay – 1. Pella 3:22.29; 6. Clear Creek Amana (Gavin Zillyette, Cash Jensen, Keyan Gisleson, Tom Johnson) 3:27.39
Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by donating.
