Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – The future for Mason Woods lies in football.

The West High senior will join the Iowa football program in a matter of weeks.

In the final few weeks before turning his attention fully to the gridiron Woods has had an athletic epiphany or sorts.

“I didn’t really feel like this until recently but track is really, really fun,” Woods said on Friday. “Track is really fun. I love being an athlete and being able to do multiple things.”

What Woods did on Friday at the state track and field meet is what he enjoys most about track – he won.

Woods won the Class 4A long jump title on Friday at Drake Stadium in Des Moines with a career-best leap of 23-4 ½.

“It means a lot, I’ve been thinking about it all season,” Woods said. “This is really my first full season of long jumping so to get that first state title it means a lot.”

Woods became the second long jump champion in West High history and the first since Marvin Sims in 1987.

The winning jump of 23-4 ½ also broke the West High school record set by last year’s 4A long jump runner-up Aidan Jacobsen.

“It means a lot because my old teammate Aidan Jacobsen held the record and I’ve been texting him all year telling him I’m going to beat him and I finally did it,” Woods said. “Honestly the record means more to me than the state title if I’m being real. I’ve been thinking about that all season.”

Woods outdueled defending state champion T.Y. Pour of Cedar Rapids Prairie to win the title.

Pour finished runner-up with a leap of 23-0 ¾ which was matched by third-place finisher Miciah LeLaCheur of West Des Moines Valley.

Woods vaulted to first place on his fourth attempt before leaving the long jump to run the lead off leg on the West High distance medley relay team that placed fourth.

“I was arguing with my teammate Mason Goering because he wanted me to go run and I had one jump left,” Woods said. “I am still kind of gassed but that’s just what track is.”

Woods had to wait until Pour pulled up with an injury on his final attempt to make sure that he had secured the title.

“I was running and I was stressing wondering if I was still in first,” Woods said. “I kept hearing clapping and I was worried I was going to get beat.”

Woods joined Julian Manson, Goering and Moustafa Tiea on the West High medley team that finished fourth in 3:27.12.

West Des Moines Dowling won the distance medley in a time of 3:24.6.

The busy afternoon from Woods that included the long jump title and distance medley fourth-place finish highlighted a strong day for West High.

West High got a state title from Colin Whitters in the shot put and teammate James Barnett finished third as the Trojans climbed to second in the team standings with 43 points.

“Mason is excited about his long jump title, I am excited about my shot put title,” Whitters said. “It was just nice seeing him have that success.”

The Trojans finished eighth in the 4×200 relay as Manson, Woods, Goering and Harel Gameti finished in 1:27.74.

West High trails Cedar Falls by six points in the 4A team race entering the final session while West Des Moines Dowling is third with 38.5 points and Ankeny is fourth with 32.

“It feels great, I am going to enjoy it for sure with my teammates,” Woods said. “We still have more events to do, we still have a championship to win.”

Class 4A State Track Meet

Boys Results

Team scores (top 10/area teams) – 1. Cedar Falls 49; 2. West High 43; 3. West Des Moines Dowling 38.5; 4. Ankeny 32; 5. Ankeny Centennial 22; 6. Johnston 20; 7. Norwalk 15.5; 8. Dallas Center-Grimes 15; 9. West Des Moines Valley 14; 10. Waukee 13.5; 11. City High 12

Individual results (event winners; area competitors)

400 hurdles – 1. Jaxon Schreiber (Cedar Falls) 52.53; 11. Ely Smock (West High) 54.26; 22. Quinton Logan (Liberty High) 56.88

4×200 – 1. Ankeny Centennial 1:25.63; 8. West High (Mason Woods, Julian Manson, Mason Goering, Harel Gameti) 1:27.74

Distance medley relay – 1. West Des Moines Dowling 3:24.6; 4. West High (Mason Woods, Julian Manson, Mason Goering, Moustafa Tiea) 3:27.12

Long jump – 1. Mason Woods (West High) 23-4 ½; 9. Bernoli Luvandu (West High) 21-4 ½; 18. Damari Lacy (City High) 20-2 ½;

Shot put – 1. Colin Whitters (West High) 57-11 ¼; 3. James Barnett (West High) 53-11; 11. Tyler Rindels (City High) 49-8 ½; 18. Raphael Etuma (City High) 47-11 ¼

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