City High Senior Grant Claims High Jump Title On Strong Opening Day for Little Hawks
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
DES MOINES – Look good.
Feel good.
Be good.
That’s a motto Bernard Grant has repeated to himself this season.
Grant was great on Thursday.
The City High senior cleared 6-5 without a miss on his way to winning the Class 4A state high jump title at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.
“It’s a blessing, truly,” Grant said. “I’ve been working hard, trials and tribulations, and I’m here. I knew it could get it done, I wasn’t for sure, but I got it done so I am happy.”
Five jumpers cleared 6-5 in the 4A competition on Thursday.
It was Grant that was the cleanest, going over each of the first four heights without a miss to earn the title.
Grant becomes the third high jump champion in City High history and first since Paul Marchael in 1980.
“It feels like I definitely made it and all the hard work paid off,” Grant said. “I am just glad I am here.”
The title for Grant came in just his second ever season as a high jumper.
He didn’t even go out for track as a freshman. His sophomore season was derailed by a surgery.
In his first varsity season Grant finished 14th at the state meet clearing 6-1.
“I feel like it’s with me, it’s always been with me,” Grant said. “My coaches drive me, my teammates drive me and that’s what I do it for, I do it for them.”
On Thursday Grant put it all together.
He finished in front of runner-up Landon Pote of Ankeny, London Stone of West Des Moines Dowling, Logan Atherton of Norwalk and Joseph Alexander of West Des Moines Valley who all cleared 6-5.
“I am just glad with the little amount of time I had, what I made with it,” Grant said. “I am very happy.”
Grant cleared the opening height of 5-11 on his first attempt and followed by clearing 6-1 and 6-3 on his initial attempt.
He then took a brief break from high jumping to run on the City High shuttle hurdle relay team that narrowly missed a spot in the finals.
When Grant returned to the high jump he soared over the bar at 6-5 on his first try.
“That gets me warm and gets my legs activated,” Grant said of running the hurdles. “I felt great.”
City High junior Raphael Etuma joined Grant in picking up a medal on Thursday on a strong opening day for the Little Hawks.
Etuma finished seventh in the discus with a toss of 158-8 as City High picked up 12 team points.
Class 4A State Track Meet
Girls Results
Team scores (top 10/area teams) – 1. Ankeny 24; 2. Waukee Northwest 22.5; 3. Dallas Center-Grimes 20; 4. Cedar Falls 19; 5. Pleasant Valley 17.5; 6. Johnston 16; 7. Ottumwa 10; 8. Indianola 9; 9. Burlington 8; 9. West Des Moines Dowling 8; 14. City High 5
Individual results (event winners; area competitors)
400 – 1. Kloe Nissen (Cedar Falls) 55.78; 14. Chelsea VeDepo (Liberty High) 1:00.34
3,000 – 1. Piper Messerly (Dallas Center-Grimes) 9:52.08; 10. Nina Peterson (City High) 10:22.25; 21. Nicole Peterson (City High) 10:43.12
4×800 – 1. Pleasant Valley 9:00.75; 13. City High (Calissa Fruin, Eliza Doster, Naomi Downing-Sherer, Abigail Burns) 9:39.67
Discus – 1. Delilah Subsin (Ottumwa) 158-8; 4. Rachel Haack (City High) 137-5; 14. Hannah Braun (City High) 121-0
High jump – 1. Reagan Hanfelt (Ankeny) 5-6; 9. Sophia Austen (West High) 5-2; 14. Alice Edelen (City High) 5-0
Boys Results
Team scores (top 10/area teams) – 1. Ankeny 28; 2. Cedar Falls 21; 3. West Des Moines Dowling 20.5; 4. City High 12; 5. Johnston 11; 5. Waukee Northwest 11; 5. West High 11; 8. Des Moines Roosevelt 10; 8. Davenport West 10; 10. Norwalk 9.5
Individual results (event winners; area competitors)
400 – 1. Jashua Anglo (Johnston) 47.6; 17. Moustafa Tiea (West High) 50.56; 19. Cale Baldwin (Liberty High) 50.77; 21. KingSton Swayzer (West High) 50.88
3,200 – 1. Owen Marett (Des Moines Roosevelt) 9:00.17; 12. Keegan Decker (Liberty High) 9:17.04; 15. Noah Gregoire (Liberty High) 9:25.92
4×800 – 1. Ankeny 7:39.94; 7. West High (Dara Olaleye, Sam Showers, Maxwell Bruss, Moustafa Tiea) 7:51.78; 16. City High (Maxwell McDowell, George Karr, Emmett Palmberg, Dylan Beerends) 8:01.61
High jump – 1. Bernard Grant (City High) 6-5; 6. Victor Nakihinga (Liberty High) 6-3; 14. Mason Middleton (West High) 6-1
Discus – 1. Nolan Dempsey (Davenport West) 177-2; 2. Colin Whitters (West High) 169-9; 7. Raphael Etuma (City High) 158-8; 8. Elite Mbulekoya (West High) 155-7
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