Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

MARION – For the second consecutive season Solon comfortably claimed the WAMAC Conference championship.

Just as it did a year ago the Spartans employed a total team effort to claim the title.

Solon won just one event but ran away with the WAMAC team title for the second year in a row Thursday on a rainy evening at Marion Stadium.

“We talk about being the most complimentary lineup in the whole state and I think today is a perfect example of that,” Solon senior Brick Kabela said. “We didn’t go out and win every event but we battled in every single event. It’s a huge credit to our team and our coaches to go out and compete no matter what place you are getting.”

Kabela was the lone Spartan to win a title on Thursday, winning the 3,200 and breaking the WAMAC meet record with a time of 9:31.95.

The win by Kabela was part of an impressive team effort that saw the Spartans score points in 18 events while racking up 123.5 points to outdistance runner-up Williamsburg by 30.5.

Clear Creek Amana was third with 88 points followed by Center Point-Urbana with 83.5 and Grinnell with 77.5.

“It’s a credit to our kids and the development throughout the program,” Solon coach Mark Sovers said. “It really shows the team concept our kids have of working together and pushing each other in practice and caring about each other and the success that each other have.”

It truly was a team effort from the Spartans.

Solon scored points in 11 of 12 individual events had a top-five finish in 10 of the 12 individual events.

The Spartans had two individuals score points in five different events and had two top-five finishers in both the shot put and 400.

“One of our goals is to make sure that we have a complimentary lineup from field events all the way through relays and individuals,” Sovers said. “That’s been the goal and these guys do a great job of just investing in each other and making sure that each other has a little bit of success.”

Kabela led the charge winning the 3,200 title by nearly three seconds over runner-up Grady Olberding of Mount Vernon and added a third-place finish in the 1,600 in 4:34.12

The time of 9:31.9 for Kabela broke the previous WAMAC Meet record of 9:34.71 set by Ben Grant of Western Dubuque in 2004.

“I had (the meet record) in the back of my mind but when we went through the first mile in 4:50 I was thinking just go for the win here,” Kabela said. “I woke up the legs a little with about 700 left which was huge. It’s always nice to take down a conference record and hopefully it stays for a few years.”

Solon got runner-up finishes from Ben Kampman in the discus (175-10) and Caleb Bock in the long jump (20-10 ½).

The Spartans posted top-five finishes in all seven relays and were runner-up in the 4×200, 4×400, distance medley and shuttle hurdle relays.

“It’s super cool to watch us come out and show everybody what we are about but the good news is that I don’t think we were even close to our potential today,” Kabela said. “We have a lot to clean up but the good news is we can do it and by May 17 or May 18 we are going to be a team to watch out for.”

WAMAC Meet

At Marion High School

Team scores – 1. Solon 123.5; 2. Williamsburg 93; 3. Clear Creek Amana 88; 4. Center Point-Urbana 83.5; 5. Grinnell 77.5; 6. Benton Community 59; 7. Mount Vernon 54; 8. South Tama 39; 9. Marion 37.5; 10. Vinton-Shellsburg 34; 11. Independence 29; 12. West Delaware 23

Individual results (Event winner; area placers)

Shot put – 1. Tory Wash (V-S) 56-5 ¾; 4. Ben Kampman (SOL) 50-5; 5. Marcus Richard (SOL) 49-7

Discus – 1. Derek Weisskopf (WIL) 176-9; 2. Ben Kampman (SOL) 175-10; 4. Landon Prince (CCA) 157-8

Long jump – 1. Aren Schlemme (CCA) 21-3 ¼; 2. Caleb Bock (SOL) 20-10 ½

High jump – 1. Derek Weisskopf (WIL) 6-6; 5. Kaden Hoeper (SOL) 5-10

100 – 1. Evan Mahoney (GRI) 11.11; 6. Eddie Johnson (SOL) 11.46; 8. Nash Kotar (SOL) 11.47

200 – 1. Kellan Harter (GRI) 22:09; 5. Austin Knight (SOL) 22.88; 6. Rhett Mesch (SOL) 23.06; 7. Joey Dains (CCA) 23.74

400 – 1. Nathan Miller (CP-U) 49.72; 3. Michael Yeomans (SOL) 50.24; 4. Rhett Mesch (SOL) 50.53; 8. Jaxon Ponce (CCA) 53.47

800 – 1. Tommy Tyynismaa (ST) 1:58.73; 3. Isaac Sorensen (CCA) 2:02.59; 7. Jamie Hayes (CCA) 2:07.16

1,600 – 1. Tommy Tyynismaa (ST) 4:29.11; 3. Brick Kabela (SOL) 4:34.12

3,200 – 1. Brick Kabela (SOL) 9:31.95; 6. Nicholas Schieltz (CCA) 10:22.49

110 hurdles – 1. Aren Schlemme (CCA) 14.93; 2. Tay Seals (CCA) 15.22; 5. Cole Carney (SOL) 16.1

400 hurdles – 1. Nathan Miller (CP-U) 55.26; 5. Keenan Kruse (SOL) 59.22; 6. Will Brandt (SOL) 59.34

4×100 – 1. Grinnell 43.13; 2. Clear Creek Amana (Frank, Seals, Rosenberg, Schlemme) 43.91; 4. Solon (Ashbacker, Moore, Kampman, Knight) 44.85

4×200 – 1. Grinnell 1:30.59; 2. Solon (Ashbacker, Kampman, Johnson, Knight) 1:31.5; 8. Clear Creek Amana (Frank, Dains, Zeman, Hamerlinck) 1:34.66

4×400 – 1. Williamsburg 3:24.98; 2. Solon (Mesch, Knipper, Bumsted, Yeomans) 3:25.37

4×800 – 1. South Tama 8:02.92; 3. Clear Creek Amana (Hilsman, Yost, VanHorn, Sorensen) 8:08.08; 4. Solon (Bumsted, Yeomans, Applegarth, Michels) 8:21.03

Sprint medley – 1. Grinnell 1:33.94; 3. Clear Creek Amana (Frank, Seals, Rosenberg, Sorensen) 1:35.46; 5. Solon (Ashbacker, Moore, Knight, Kampman) 1:36.47

Distance medley – 1. Clear Creek Amana (Frank, Rosenberg, Berry, Sorensen) 3:38.77; 2. Solon (Sieverding, Knipper, Bumsted, Kabela) 3:41

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. Clear Creek Amana (Seals, Higdon, Rosenberg, Schlemme) 1:00.37; 2. Solon (Brandt, Carney, Duckett, Kotar) 1:00.75

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