Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – Brandon Pedersen always had the feeling he could something special on a track.

The West Branch junior just lacked a little bit of confidence to back up his belief.

As the times on the track began to drop this spring the confidence for Pedersen spiked.

On Saturday Pedersen showed the entire state exactly what he is capable of doing.

Pedersen blazed to Class 2A 100 title in a school-record time of 10.73 on the final day of the state track and field meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

“I would say I always knew I could do this I just didn’t always have the confidence,” Pedersen said. “Midway through the season I realized I’m the person.”

Pedersen added a third-place finish in the 200 and helped the West Branch 4×100 relay team to a third-place finish to cap a breakthrough weekend for the junior standout.

Pedersen clocked a 21.91 to finish third in the 200 and joined Cooper Gates, Keaton Gates and Connor Rios on the West Branch 4×100 relay team that finished third in 43.05.

“I was really taking my time on my warmup and really taking my time on everything I did,” Pedersen said. “I was just trying to stay as calm as I can and not thinking about anything other than winning the race and that’s what happened.”

The title in the 100 was the eye-opening moment from the ultra-talented Pedersen who is in his first full season of prep track.

Pedersen had the sixth fastest prelim time in the 100 but outsprinted the field to become the first state champion for West Branch since Hunter Wargo won the 110 hurdles in 2016.

“I just tried to not focus on the people beside me and just focus on my race and my race only and the stuff I can do,” Pedersen said. “I’m not looking next to me, I’m just focusing on me.”
Treynor junior Cauy Konz had the fastest time from the prelims at 10.78 and finished runner-up to Pedersen with the same time in Saturday’s final.

Pedersen ran a 11.01 in the prelims on Thursday but broke his own school record of 10.78 with his career-best time in the finals.

“Breaking down all the little stuff and getting better at that has been really important,” Pedersen said. “I worked on my acceleration and how I keep my top speed. My coach told me that my first 100 prelim I had my hips back so I just focused on keeping my hips forward and driving my knee to the ground.”

Pedersen became the first 100 champion in West Branch history and his time of 10.73 was the fastest for a 2A champion since Jack Lathan of Spirit Lake won in 10.61 in 2022.

“I was just happy and had a big smile,” Pedersen said. “I didn’t really know if I won and I looked at the time and saw I was first and just got a big smile.”

The West Branch 4×100 relay team had the fourth fastest time from Friday’s prelims at 43.21.

The Bear foursome anchored by Pedersen trimmed that time to 43.05 while finishing third on Saturday.

Treynor won the 4×100 title in a time of 42.09 while Spirit Lake was runner-up in 42.19.

The strong showing on Saturday helped West Branch finish 11^th in the Class 2A team standings with 22 team points.

Class 2A State Track Meet

Girls Results

Team scores (top 10/area teams) – 1. Pella Christian 80; 2. Van Meter 60; 3. Tipton 54; 4. Spirit Lake 46; 5. Mid-Prairie 33; 6. Emmetsburg 30; 7. Roland-Story 28; 8. Treynor 21; 9. Grundy Center 20.5; 10. Ogden 19.5; 34. West Branch 6; 34. Regina 6

Individual results (event winners; area competitors)

100 – 1. Rachel Kacmarynski (Pella Christian) 11.92

200 – 1. Meredith Van Wyk (Pella Christian) 24.87

800 – 1. Noelle Steines (Tipton) 2:11.49; 7. Grace Hamann (West Branch) 2:17.52

1,500 – 1. Noelle Steines (Tipton) 4:35.19; 11. Grace Hamann (West Branch) 4:56.44

100 hurdles – 1. Leah Bolluyt (Spirit Lake) 14.66; 3. Reese Naeve (Regina) 15.09

Sprint medley relay – 1. Pella Christian 1:46.68

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. Treynor 1:05.15

4×100 – 1. Pella Christian 48.22

4×400 – 1. Pella Christian 3:55.54

Boys Results

Team scores (top 10/area teams) – 1. Spirit Lake 65; 1. Okoboji 65; 3. Denver 48; 3. Treynor 48; 5. Grundy Center 40; 6. PCM 34; 7. Camanche 26; 7. Alburnett 26; 9. Oelwein 25; 9. Mid-Prairie 25; 11. West Branch 22

Individual results (event winners; area competitors)

100 – 1. Brandon Pedersen (West Branch) 10.73

200 – 1. Cauy Konz (Treynor) 21.7; 3. Brandon Pedersen (West Branch) 21.91

800 – 1. James Foreman (Unity Christian) 1:52.58

1,600 – 1. Alex Torres (Vinton-Shellsburg) 4:19.02

110 hurdles – 1. Brady Wallace (Treynor) 13.91

Sprint medley relay – 1. Grundy Center 1:31.84; 19. Regina (Gabriel Hegelheimer, Savion Miller, Edwin Gangba, Brendan Olney) 1:36.92

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. Iowa Falls 59.1

4×100 – 1. Treynor 42.09; 3. West Branch (Cooper Gates, Keaton Gates, Connor Rios, Brandon Pedersen) 43.05

4×400 – 1. Okoboji 3:16.41

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