Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – The Clear Creek Amana shuttle hurdle team had a little bit of a bumpy preliminary performance on Thursday.

Specifically senior second leg runner Mari Cetta who got tangled up on the first hurdle.

“People said it was like when a plane hits really bad turbulence,” Cetta said. “Shaky. Something like that.”

It was smooth sailing for the Cetta and the Clippers on Saturday.

Clear Creek Amana pulled away to win the 3A shuttle hurdle for the second consecutive season on a chilly Saturday at the state track and field meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

The Clipper foursome of seniors Cetta, Emma Mathis and Meghan Cullen and sophomore Silvana Kabolo won in 1:05.9.

Newton was runner-up in 1:06.03 followed by Fairfield in 1:06.23.

“I think a lot of it was we knew what we could run,” Cetta said. “I had a little incident in our prelims but we battled through that and we knew we had to put in the work.”

Despite the early stumble from Cetta on Thursday the Clippers still posted the fourth-fastest time from prelims at 1:06.87.

Once they got back to the finals the Clippers showed what they could do, defending their title from a year ago.

“There wasn’t a single doubt in our minds,” Mathis said. “We went out there and showed them what we had.”

Mathis and Kabolo were members of the Clippers’ state title winning team a year ago.

Cetta and Cullen joined this year and the Clippers didn’t skip a beat.

Clear Creek Amana was just off last year’s title winning time of 1:05.39 in Saturday’s finals.

“This team is state champs but we are also just the best of friends,” Cullen said. “These girls really are my best friends.”

Mathis got the Clippers off to a strong start in the finals and Cetta put her preliminary stumble in the past with a solid second leg.

Cullen had the Clippers in the lead after 300 meters and the only non-senior on the team, Kabolo handled the rest with a clean anchor leg to give the Clippers the third relay title in school history.

Coming back today I really wanted to finish first like we did last year and run good for these girls since they are all seniors and they leaving me next year,” Kabolo said. “I wanted to give them something they would be happy with.”

Kabolo added a sixth-place finish in the 110 hurdles in a time of 15.44 as Clear Creek Amana finished with 13.5 points.

For seniors Mathis, Cetta and Cullen the title provided a perfect finish.

“That’s why I think we were able to battle through the ups and downs because we are so close,” Mathis said. “Even with the obstacles we have had I knew no matter what I had these girls and I love them.”

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