Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

After more than three months of meets the prep track and field season comes down to the next nine days.

The flurry to end the season begins on Thursday with state qualifying meets across the state and ends at the State Track and Field Meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines on May 21.

In order to reach the Blue Oval inside Drake Stadium athletes must get past Thursday night’s heat and humidity at the state qualifying events.

Here is a quick look at what to watch on Thursday at state qualifiers featuring Your Prep Sports area teams.

Class 4A State Qualifier No. 1 

When: Thursday, 4 p.m.

Where: Kingston Stadium in Cedar Rapids

Teams: Liberty High; Cedar Rapids Jefferson; Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Cedar Rapids Washington; Linn-Mar; Marshalltown; Ottumwa; Cedar Rapids Prairie

Athlete to watch: Luke Meyers burst onto the scene last season with a pair of state medals highlighted by a seventh-place finish in the 200.

This season the Liberty High senior sprinter has established himself as one of the state’s best.

Meyers has the third fastest time in 4A this season in both the 100 (10.71) and 200 (21.97) and has the sixth fastest time in the 400 (50.09).

On Thursday Meyers gets a second consecutive heads up meeting with Cedar Rapids standout and state leader in the 100 Miles Thompson on the same track.

Thompson edged Meyers in both the 100 and 200 at last week’s Mississippi Valley Conference divisional meet at Kingston Stadium.

Event to watch: Watching Meyers and Thompson battle in the sprints is worth the six bucks in admission itself however the event of the night may be the 110 hurdles.

Led by Liberty High junior Eric Lucas the field features three of the top five hurdles in Class 4A this season all that have top-15 times in the state this spring.

A Drake Relays medalist, Lucas owns the fastest time in 4A this season at 14.43 with Cedar Rapids Prairie junior Geramie Hardaway, who was fourth at the 4A state meet last season, right behind at 14.49.

Linn-Mar junior Nicholas Gorsich has the fifth fastest time in 4A this season at 14.86.

Breakdown: Liberty High posted the best state meet finish in program history last spring placing sixth with 31 points.

The Lightning would like to build on that performance this season and it starts with a strong day on Thursday.

In addition to Lucas and Meyers the Lightning have two other events that enter with the top qualifying time.

Senior Gavin Keeney has the fastest qualifying time in the 800 at 1:57.66 in a field that should feature three runners that have run under 1:58.5 this season.

Keeney is also part of a Liberty High 4×800 relay that has the fastest qualifying time at 8:04.96.

Liberty High has the second fastest qualifying time in the 4×200 and 4×400 relays and the tehird fastest in the shuttle hurdle relay.

Class 4A State Qualifier No. 2

When: Thursday, 4 p.m.

Where: Dalzell Field in Dubuque

Teams: City High, West High; Cedar Falls; Clinton; Dubuque Hempstead; Dubuque Senior; Waterloo East; Waterloo West

Athlete to watch: It has already been a historic season for City High junior distance ace Ford Washburn.

Washburn has set the City High school record in the 1,600 and owns the fastest time in the state this season in the event at 4:13.24 and was runner-up in the 3,200 at the Drake Relays while posting a time 8:59.6, the second fastest in the state.

Beginning Thursday Washburn will look to end his special season in spectacular fashion.

Washburn will have competition for the two automatic qualifying spots in the distance events mainly from West High senior standout Alex McKane and Dubuque Hempstead sophomore John Maloney.

Expect Washburn to carry a heavy workload on Thursday so managing the heat will also be critical for all the distance runners.

Event to watch: Any race between Washburn and McKane is worth watching. So too is West High rising star Christian Janis in the sprints but the race to lock in on Thursday is the 400 hurdles.

Seven athletes in Class 4A have run under 56 second in the event this season and four of them could be in the field on Thursday.

West High sophomore Aidan Jacobsen has the top time in 4A this season at 54.78 just head of Dubuque Senior’s Matthew Kruse (54.9) though Kruse edged Jacobsen at the MVC divisional last Thursday.

City High’s Jovan Harris (55.3) and Matt Schaeckenbach (55.81) enter ranked sixth and seventh in 4A respectively.

Breakdown: Two the premier track programs in the state West High and City High are used to squaring off late in the season.

The two perennial powers will surely go heads up multiple times next week at Drake Stadium but first they square off in a state preview on Thursday in Dubuque.

City High has its sights set on a 4A title run next week and the Little Hawks will look to load up with qualifiers on Thursday.

Washburn, Harris and Schaeckenbach lead the way combining to have the top qualifying time in five individual events.

TaeShon McDaniels has the top qualifying marks in both throwing events and Ammon Smith has the time qualifying time in the 800 (1:54.64).

The relays will be key for both teams not only on Thursday but next week in Des Moines.

City High has the top qualifying time in the 4×800, sprint medley, distance medley and shuttle hurdle and ranks in the top six in 4A this season in three of those.
West High enters with the top qualifying time in both the 4×100 and 4×200 and is top-five in 4A this season in both.

Class 3A State Qualifier No. 2

When: Thursday, 4 p.m.

Where: Benton Community High School

Teams: Solon; Benton Community; Central DeWitt; Maquoketa; Marion; Mount Vernon; Solon; Vinton-Shellsburg; Cedar Rapids Xavier

Athlete to watch: A week after winning a WAMAC Conference title in the 400 Solon junior Jeremy Bachus will look to add a state qualifying meet champions to his resume against largely the same field.

Bachus won the WAMAC title in a season-best time of 50.51 last week and the next three finishers, Trenton Pitlik of Mount Vernon, Eliot Sharp of Marion and Aiden Harris of Benton Community could all be in the field again on Thursday.

Bachus is also a key member of the Spartans’ 4×400 relay that was runner-up to Mount Vernon at the WAMAC meet and has the second fastest qualifying time on Thursday behind only the Mustangs at 3:28.85.

Event to watch: Solon has a number of individuals and relay teams that should battle for the two automatic qualifying spots but keep an eye on the 110 hurdles where senior Brady Mullen should be in the mix for a spot in the state meet field.

Cedar Rapids Xavier junior Grayson Hartman is a clear favorite in the event and enters with the top time on the season at 14.82.

However, there are four other athletes separated by .37 that could contend for an auto bid to state.

Mullen is at the top of that list with the second fastest qualifying time at 15.42 while Colin Buch of host Benton Community is right behind at 15.45.

Breakdown: With seven of the nine teams coming from the WAMAC conference this state qualifier will feel and look a lot like the WAMAC meet from a week ago in Dyersville.
That could bode well for Solon as the Spartans finished third at the conference meet last week.

The name of the game on Thursday is qualifying rather than team points, though the two often go hand-in-hand.

Along with Bachus and Mullen keep an eye on sophomore Michael Yeomans who has top-four qualifying times in both the 800 and 1,600 and classmate and fellow distance ace Brick Kabela who has dealt with injury this season but is seeking a strong finish.

Sophomore Oaken Foster has the third-best qualifying mark in the 400 hurdles (59.34) and the second best in the high jump (6-0) and Adam Smith has the top mark in the shot put (48-1 ½) and third in the discus (149-6).

Solon usually does its best work in the relays and the Spartans have top-five qualifying times in the 4×100, 4×200, 4×400, 4×800, distance medley and shuttle hurdle.

Strong times can lead to additional qualifying marks but the Spartans would rest easier Thursday night if they could turn a few of those top-five qualifying marks into top-two performances on Thursday.

Class 3A State Qualifier No. 8

When: Thursday, 4 p.m.

Where: Mount Pleasant

Teams: Clear Creek Amana; Davenport Assumption; Fairfield; Fort Madison; Keokuk; Mount Pleasant; Washington; West Burlington/Notre Dame

Athlete to watch: A future baseball player at the next level, a record-setting quarterback in the fall and the leading scorer for the basketball team Ben Swails is one of the most versatile athletes at Clear Creek Amana.

That versatility has expanded to the track this spring.

Swails was a part of four gold medal performances at the WAMAC conference meet last week winning the long jump and running on the winning shuttle hurdle, 4×100 and distance medley relay teams.

That versatility comes in handy as Clear Creek Amana head coach Ben Robison puts together his postseason lineup

Expect Swails to long jump on Thursday as he enters with the second-best qualifying mark at 21-6 and he will likely run the shuttle hurdle relay as the Clippers have the top qualifying time.

After that Robison could move pieces around in a variety of ways thanks in part to the versatility of Swails.

Event to watch: A couple of the best 400 hurdlers in Class 3A will go heads up in the state qualifier as Clear Creek Amana senior Gavin Zillyette and Mount Pleasant junior Will Davidson square off.

A year after taking up the event, Zillyette has emerged as a title favorite finishing runner-up at the state meet in the event last season and enters the postseason with the second fastest time in 3A at 55.48.

Davidson has the fifth fastest time in 3A this season at 56.04.

Breakdown: Clear Creek Amana is coming off the best state meet performance in program history a year ago when the Clippers rolled up 32 points and finished sixth in Class 3A.

Much of the firepower from that team returns this season upping the excitement as the Clippers hit the postseason.

Clear Creek Amana won a second consecutive WAMAC title last week and will look to continue that momentum on Thursday.

Senior Harrison Rosenberg has the top qualifying time in the 110 hurdles (14.86) and senior Keyan Gisleson should be in the mix in the 400 and 400 hurdles.

Where the Clippers expect to do the most damage both on Thursday and next week at the state meet is in the relays.

Clear Creek Amana has the top qualifying time in the 4×100, 4×200, 4×400, sprint medley and shuttle hurdle relays and the Clippers’ distance medley team has the second fastest qualifying mark.

Class 2A State Qualifier No. 4

When: Thursday, 4 p.m.

Where: Monticello

Teams: West Branch; Regina; Anamosa; Dyersville Beckman; Camanche; Cascade; Durant; Monticello; Northeast; Tipton; West Liberty; Wilton

Athlete to watch: Regina sophomore Aidan O’Neil has followed up a breakthrough fall in which he earned a medal at the state cross country meet while also playing football with a stellar track season in the spring will mixing in some time on the soccer team.

O’Neil has a chance to qualify for the state meet in a pair of individual events bringing top-three qualifying times into Thursday’s meet in both the 1,600 and 3,200.

O’Neil has the third fastest time in the 1,600 at 4:44.59 and the second-fastest 3,200 qualifying time at 9:58.51 trailing only Tipton freshman Clay Bohlmann.

Event to watch: Regina senior Carson Jensen gets another shot at River Valley Conference rival Cole Miller in the 400 on Thursday a week after the two battled to the finish in the conference meet.

Miller, a senior from Cascade, edged Jensen for the RVC title last Thursday winning in a time of 50.17 which is the top time this season among state qualifying meet participants.

Jensen was second at the RVC meet last week in 51.04 but has clocked a 50.75 this season and ran a 50.81 at the state meet last season on his way to a seventh-place finish.

Breakdown: If you are getting River Valley Conference meet vibes from Thursday’s qualifier in Monticello it makes sense.

Not only is Thursday’s state qualifier at the same spot as last weeks RVC Meet but 11 of the 12 teams in the field are RVC members.

Future RVC member Dyersville Beckman is the only squad at the qualifying meet that wasn’t at the RVC meet last week.

That knowledge could make from some creative lineup shuffling and some excellent races for the two automatic qualifying spots.

Along with O’Neil and Jensen keep an eye on the Regina 4×100 relay team of Jackson Naeve, Alex Jensen, Adam Boblenz and Carson Jensen ranks has the fourth fastest time at 45.0.

West Branch senior Cash Woody should be a factor in both the 110 hurdles (4^th fastest time, 16.86) and high jump (2^nd at 6-2) while junior Andy Henson has top-three qualifying times in both the 100 and 200.

The West Branch distance medley team of Zach Walker, Evan Striegel, Joe Hamann and Oliver Palmer enters with the third fastest qualifying time at 3:45.08.

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