Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – Everything didn’t go perfect for Izaiah Loveless and his West High teammates this weekend at the state track and field meet.

Loveless got a near picture perfect finish to a brilliant career on Saturday afternoon.

In his final prep race Loveless blazed to a state title in the 200 in a time of 21.69 on a warm and sunny afternoon at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

“It’s an amazing feeling to end with your last high school race on a victory, a championship,” Loveless said. “I wasn’t sure about the 100 but the 200 I knew I had to get it and I am so proud of myself and how hard I worked this season.”

Loveless added a third-place finish in the 100 and teammate Moustafa Tiea won the 800 on Saturday as West High finished fourth in the 4A team standings with 62 points.

Ankeny pulled away from the field to win the 4A team title with 112 points followed by Cedar Falls with 86 and West Des Moines Dowling with 82.

It was the second consecutive top-five finish for West High which was fifth in 4A last season with 62 points.

“This team has really surprised me this season,” Loveless said. “We needed everyone to come together and I think we’ve done our best.”

It was a weekend of ups and downs for Loveless and the Trojans.

Loveless anchored the West High 4×200 relay team to a third-place finish on Friday and the Trojans’ 4×100 team featuring Loveless failed to reach the finals.

Loveless finished third in the 100 in 10.89 to open his final day in a West High uniform on Saturday morning.

He closed with a state title.

“This was my last race to prove something for this team at West High,” Loveless said. “I am so glad it was my favorite event in my last race here and I could get a title.”

Loveless pulled away from the Ankeny trio of Jackson Belding and Logan Fairchild over the final 50 meters to claim his first individual title.

Belding was runner-up in 21.75 while Fairchild was third in 21.92.

“The last 100 I kind of looked the corner of my eye and saw Belding and he was coming,” Loveless said. “I had to push myself even harder and further than I’ve ever gone before and it showed on the track.”

With his title in the 200 Loveless joined teammates Tiea and Aidan Jacobsen as Trojans to win individual titles this weekend.

Jacobsen won the 400 hurdles on Friday and Tiea won the 800 meter title on Saturday morning.

“Our trio,” Loveless said of himself, Jacobsen and Tiea. “I think it’s the best trio to ever touch West High in history.”

Tiea claimed his first state title earlier on Saturday when he outraced a pack of runners over the final 100 meters to win the 800 in 1:54.24.

“I know I don’t really have the badges of everyone else but in my head I just get dreams,” Tiea said. “I’m always telling myself I have to win this or else I am just a bystander, just a person to get passed. I don’t want to be that kind of person.

Tiea was in sixth place with more than 200 meter to go but made his move on the final curve.

Once he hit the final 100 meters Tiea passed a pack of runners that included runner-up Aydin McNeley of Southeast Polk (1:54.82) and Tony Anania of Norwalk who finished third in 1:54.83.

“It’s the one (event) that should have a kick,” Tiea said. “If any event if going to go through two minutes of hell it’s going to finish with a kick. The 1,600, it’s to slow for that. The 400 you can have your kick right out the blocks. The 800, if you want to be the best at it you always have to have some ammo in the back at the 200 (meter).

Boys Results

Class 4A State Meet

At Drake Stadium in Des Moines

Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Ankeny 112; 2. Cedar Falls 86; 3. West Des Moines Dowling 82; 4. West High 62; 5. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 39; 6. Cedar Rapids Prairie 34; 7. North Scott 31; 7. Ankeny Centennial 31; 7. Waukee 31; 10. Norwalk 27; 29. Liberty High 3

Individual results (Event winner; area participants)

100 – 1. Logan Fairchild (Ankeny) 10.89; 3. Izaiah Loveless (West High) 10.89

200 – 1. Izaiah Loveless (West High) 21.69

800 – 1. Moustafa Tiea (West High) 1:54.24; 14. Sam Showers (West High) 1:58.15

1,600 – 1. Tony Anania (Norwalk) 4:11.9; 7. Aidan Decker (Liberty High) 4:20.76; 23. Noah Gregoire (Liberty High) 4:30.11; 23. Moustafa Tiea (West High) 4:30.71

110 hurdles – 1. Quinton Alexander (Cedar Rapids Prairie) 13.95

Sprint medley relay – 1. Cedar Falls 1:30.32; 9. West High (Todd Rent, Mason Woods, Julian Manson, Aidan Jacobsen) 1:32.88; 15. City High (Jermaine Holmes, Deon Brown, Phillip Kaplan, Jeremiah Madlock) 1:34.8

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. Cedar Falls 57.37

4×100 – 1. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 41.27

4×400 – 1. Ankeny 3:14.9

Girls Results

Class 4A State Meet

At Drake Stadium in Des Moines

Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Pleasant Valley 92; 2. Waukee Northwest 81; 3. Johnston 62; 4. Waukee 53; 5. Dubuque Hempstead 52; 6. West Des Moines Valley 46; 7. West Des Moines Dowling 40; 8. Ankeny 34; 9. Linn-Mar 26; 9. Sioux City East 26; 22. Liberty High 9; 24. West High 6; 27. City High 4

Individual results (Event winner; area participants)

100 – 1. Elliana Harris (Sioux City East) 12.25

200 – 1. Giada Grimes (Johnston) 25.08

800 – 1. Keelee Leitzen (Dubuque Hempstead) 2:09.15; 19. Averie Bilskemper (ICL) 2:27.37

1,500 – 1. Addison Dorenkamp (West Des Moines Valley) 4:25.32; 23. Cori Mac (Liberty High) 5:37.8

100 hurdles – 1. Emma Havigburst (West Des Moines Valley) 14.54

Sprint medley relay – 1. Waukee 1:45.38; 22. City High (Ellie Fraga, Shaniya Jackson, Ruth Cloyd, Josephine LeClair) 1:56.45

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. West Des Moines Dowling 1:01.57; 5. West High (Erinn Varga, Jaylin Herring, Eriniah Carter, Sophia Olivo) 1:04.61

4×100 – 1. Waukee Northwest 47.22

4×400 – 1. Pleasant Valley 3:48.47

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