Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – City High made a last-minute switch to the order of its 4×800 relay team on Thursday at the Class 4A state track and field meet.

Ammon Smith who anchored the Little Hawks to a 4×800 win at the Drake Relays last month moved into the leadoff leg with Truman Thompson taking over at anchor.

The reason for the move?

“We wanted to get out fast,” Smith said.

Smith got out fast, Thompson finished even faster and City High capped an emphatic opening day with a record-setting 4×800 title at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

Truman posted a 1:51.8 on the anchor leg to fend off Johnston anchor Carson Lane over the final 300 meters as City High won the 4×800 in an all-time Iowa best time of 7:37.66.

“All year we’ve been thinking about the record in the back of our mind anytime the four of us run together,” Thompson said. “It was so awesome that we could do it.”

The 4×800 title capped an emphatic opening session for the defending 4A runner-up Little Hawks.

City High got runner-up finishes from Ford Washburn in the 3,200 and Matt Schaeckenbach in the high jump and Michael Etuma was sixth in the discus as City High sprinted to the front of the 4A team pack with 29 points.

Linn-Mar is second with 22 points after five events and Ankeny is third with 18.

“We knew we needed the points,” Washburn said. “The first day we had a lot of guys that could do well in their events. I got second in the 3,200, Matt got second in the high jump it was a big scoring day for us.”

Washburn, Thompson, Smith and Ayman Noreldaim put the exclamation point on the opening statement from City High with the best 4×800 in state history.

It was only the second time the foursome had run together this season.

The other time they teamed up to win the Drake Relays title last month.

“We’ve only stacked it twice and we won both,” Noreldaim said. “We knew we couild run that fast and we’ve been thinking about it all year we just had to find the right combination the right day and we went out and got it.”

Smith moved from the anchor to the lead leg and as he planned he got the Little Hawks out to the lead from the gun covering the opening 400 in 55 seconds.

“I wanted to get out fast,” Smith said. “That the was the rational for putting me on the start is we wanted that gap early. My job was to get us a gap, right off from the gun get separation.”

City High never trailed after Smith ran 1:54.2 on the opening leg but still couldn’t shake Johnston until the final few meters.

Thompson and Lane were nearly even when they took the baton for the final 800.

Lane closed in 1:52.8 but couldn’t pull even with Thompson who was anchoring for the first time.

“At the last minute we made the change to switch Truman on the anchor,” Smith said. “The way he has been anchoring the 4x4s it made so much sense to throw him on the anchor.”

Thompson maintained a stride lead over Lane for nearly the entire final 800 meters before finally getting some separation in the final 100 meters.

“With like 300 to go I already felt like I was doing my kick and Carson (Lane) was still with me with 200 to go so I knew I had to go give it everything,” Thompson said. “He’s an excellent 800 runner so I knew I had to give it everything.”

Johnston finished runner-up in 7:38.12, second fastest in state history, joining City High as the first teams to break 7:40 in the event.

City High broke the previous state record of 7:41.43 set by Ames in 2015.

“In our coaches off he has a poster of when the 4×8 won at state a few years ago and every time we saw that we knew it was something we could do,” Thompson said. “It feels awesome.”

The times for City High and Johnston rank second and third nationally this season in the 4×800.

A note that wasn’t lost on Thompson.

“I think it’s going to put Iowa on the map,” Thompson said. “I think that’s the number two and three times in the nation right now and it’s really awesome to have both those teams from Iowa.”

BOYS 

Class 4A

State Track and Field Meet

At Drake Stadium in Des Moines

Team scores (top 10; area teams) – 1. City High 29; 2. Linn-Mar 22; 3. Ankeny 18; 3. Johnston 18; 5. West Des Moines Dowling 17; 6. Waukee Northwest 12; 7. Cedar Falls 9; 8. Bettendorf 7; 9. Mason City 6; 9. Cedar Rapids Prairie 6

Individual events (winner; area participants)

High jump – 1. TJ Jackson (Linn-Mar) 6-11; 2. Matt Schaeckenbach (City High) 6-11; 11. Da’Shon Fisher (Liberty High) 6-1

Discus – 1. Lucas Morrison (Waukee Northwest) 183-1; 6. Michael Etuma (City High) 161-1; 13. Colin Whitters (West High) 146-8

400 – 1. Jackson Belding (Ankeny) 47.94; 13. Carter Meyers (Liberty High) 51.07; 17. Carson Teghanemt (West High) 51.84; 21. Mason Van Waning (West High) 52.55

3,200 – 1. Jackson Heidesch (West Des Moines Dowling) 9:06.86; 2. Ford Washburn (City High) 9:13.16; 22. Noah Carey (City High) 10:06.24

4×800 – 1. City High (Ammon Smith, Ayman Noreldaim, Ford Washburn, Truman Thompson) 7:37.66; 17. Liberty High (Aidan Decker, Noah Gregoire, Jacob Madsen, Nathan Kinzer) 8:14.24; 18. West High (Sam Showers, Mason Van Waning, Brice Wahe, Moustafa Tiea) 8:16.39

Class 1A

Team scores (top 10; area teams) – 1. Council Bluffs St. Albert 15; 2. Mount Ayr 10; 2. Winfield-Mount Union 10; 2. Wapsie Valley 10; 2. Danville 10; 2. Akron-Westfield 10; 2. Earlham 10; 8. Newell-Fonda 8; 8. Wapello 8; 8. Woodbine 8; 8. Lawton-Bronson 8

Individual events (winner; area participants)

Long jump – 1. Cam Buffington (Winfield-Mount Union) 21-8

Shot put – 1. Ian Blowe (Akron-Westfield) 55-11 ½

400 – 1. Ryce Reynolds (Mount Ayr) 48.21; 19. Alex Jensen (Regina) 52.49

3,200 – 1. AJ Bonnesen (Danville) 9:10.37

4×800 – 1. Earlham 8:11.05

GIRLS

Class 4A

Team scores (top 10; area teams) – 1. Ankeny 27; 2. Pleasant Valley 18; 3. Johnston 15; 4. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 14; 5. Waukee Northwest 13; 5. West Des Moines Valley 13; 7. Waukee 10; 7. Des Moines Roosevelt 10; 7. Norwalk 10; 10. Southeast Polk 8; 10. Dallas Center-Grimes 8

Individual events (winner; area participants)

High jump – 1. Josie Moreland (Waukee) 5-5; 4. Meena Tate (West High) 5-2; 19. Cassidy Hartman (Liberty High) 4-10

Discus – 1. Reese Goodlet (Pleasant Valley) 146-7; 17. Rachel Haack (City High) 108-6; 18. Jolie Nordell (Liberty High) 107-6; 22. Hannah Braun (City High) 96-1

400 – 1. Claire Farrell (Norwalk) 55.62; 11. Ani Wedemeyer (City High) 58.83; 20. Erinn Varga (West High) 1:01.78

3,000 – 1. Addison Dorenkamp (West Des Moines Valley) 9:46.33; 11. Cori Mac (Liberty High) 10:33.11; 12. Nicole Peterson (City High) 10:42.4; 22. Nina Peterson (City High) 11:01.33

4×800 – 1. Ankeny 9:17.69; 22. West High (Lydia Evans, Gabby Moniza, Cindy Wang, Kate Van Waning) 10:16.92

Class 1A

Team scores (top 10; area teams) – 1. AGWSR 16; 2. Highland 20; 2. Calamus-Wheatland 10; 2. Nashua-Plainfield 10; 2. Grand View Christian 10; 2. Algona Garrigan 10; 7. GTRA 8; 7. Bedford 8; 7. East Buchanan 8

Individual events (winner; area participants)

Long jump – 1. Sarah Burton (Highland) 17-8 ¼

Shot put – 1. Audi Crooks (Algona Garrigan) 44-0 ¾

400 – 1. Kadence Huck (Nashua-Plainfield) 55.94

3,000 – 1. Noelle Steines (Calamus-Wheatland) 10:13.95; 18. Mya Whitaker (Regina) 11:52.7

4×800 – 1. South Winneshiek 9:41.43

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