Your Prep Sports

Brandon Pedersen raised a few eyebrows with his performances early this season.

With the biggest meets of the season looming Pedersen is peaking at the perfect time.

Pedersen began his postseason push on Thursday winning a pair of individual titles and anchoring the West Branch 4×100 relay team to a first-place finish at the River Valley Conference meet at Tipton City Park in Tipton.

“I think I’m peaking at the right time,” Pedersen said. “I was pretty good at the start of the year but I’m definitely continuing to get better and I just need to keep improving on the small things and the big things will come.”

Pedersen won the 100 and 200 and helped the Bears to the 4×100 crown as West Branch finished sixth with 50 points.

Mid-Prairie rolled to the team title with 122 points followed by Anamosa with 76 points, Tipton with 68 points, Northeast with 61 points and Monticello with 52 points.

Regina was 12^th with 36 points.

Pedersen won the 100 in a time of 11.2 and added a title in the 200 in 22.15.

“I’d say I did pretty good,” Pedersen said. “The 200 was my main goal but the 100 was a big focus for me too. My start in the 100 wasn’t that good so what I need to do is work on that and I’ll be good from there.”
Regina junior Edwin Gangba was fourth in the 100 in 11.48 and was second in the 200 in 22.92.

“It feels pretty good,” Pedersen said. “My 200 has improved a lot. My start was better and I was striding out and keeping my speed.”

The West Branch 4×100 relay team of Cooper Gates, Keaton Gates, Connor Rios and Pedersen won in a time of 43.53, which ranks as the ninth fastest time in Class 2A this season.

Nolan Staker finished fourth in both the 110 hurdles and 400 hurdles for West Branch and West Branch was fifth in the 4×200 relay.

Regina was fourth in the 4×100 and Tate Wallace finished seventh in the shot put and eighth in the discus for the Regals.

River Valley Conference Meet

At Tipton City Park

Team scores – 1. Mid-Prairie 122; 2. Anamosa 76; 3. Tipton 68; 4. Northeast 61; 5. Monticello 52; 6. West Branch 50; 7. West Liberty 45; 8. Cascade 43; 9. Bellevue 41; 10. Wilton 39; 11. Durant 37; 12. Regina 36; 13. Camanche 34; 14. Maquoketa 21; 15. Dyersville Beckman 16

Individual results (event winners; area placewinners)

High jump – 1. Tyson Seeser (CAM) 6-10 ¼; 5. Gabe Schuessler (ICR) 5-10

Long jump – 1. Noah Gray (WIL) 22-1

Shot put – 1. Burke Berry (M-P) 56-0 ¼; 7. Tate Wallace (ICR) 46-4 ¾

Discus – 1. Grant Gray (NE) 172-0; 5. Nathan Parizek (ICR) 147-1; 8. Tate Wallace (ICR) 140-3

100 – 1. Brandon Pedersen (WB) 11.2; 4. Edwin Gangba (ICR) 11.48; 8. Gabriel Hegelheimer (ICR) 11.93

200 – 1. Brandon Pedersen (WB) 22.15; 2. Edwin Gangba (ICR) 22.92;

400 – 1. Gabe Manders (BEL) 50.4; 6. Brendan Olney (ICR) 53.09; 7. Lincoln Naber (WB) 53.9

800 – 1. Clay Bohlmann (TIP) 2:00.27

1,600 – 1. Clay Bohlmann (TIP) 4:33.49;

3,200 – 1. Emmett Swartzendruber (M-P) 9:54.42

110 hurdles – 1. Ryker Dengler (WL) 15.22; 4. Nolan Staker (WB) 16.02; 7. Gabe Schuessler (ICR) 16.23

400 hurdles – 1. Ryker Dengler (WL) 54.11; 4. Nolan Staker (WB) 57.97

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. West Liberty 1:01.32; 7. West Branch (Boone, Naber, Staker, Stout) 1:08.3

Sprint medley relay – 1. Bellevue 1:34.94; 8. Regina (Honore, Miller, Hegelheimer, Olney) 1:39.33

Distance medley relay – 1. Mid-Prairie 3:36.5; 7. West Branch (Rios, Christoffel, Strong, MacGillvary) 3:57.8

4×100 – 1. West Branch (Gates, Gates, Rios, Pedersen) 43.53; 4. Regina (Hegelheimer, Gangba, Honore, Miller) 44.35

4×200 – 1. Mid-Prairie 1:31.78; 5. West Branch (Capper, Gates, Gates, Harris) 1:34.35

4×400 – 1. Bellevue 3:27.95

4×800 – 1. Tipton 8:09.96

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