Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – It was quite a week for the Clear Creek Amana track and field team.

The Clippers scored in eight events, had seven top-five finishes and won four titles while scoring the most team points and posting the highest state meet finish in program history.

Tay Seals won an individual title and anchored the Clipper shuttle hurdle relay team to another title as Clear Creek Amana finished in a tie for third with Gilbert with 55 points on Saturday at the Class 3A state track and field meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

“It’s just amazing,” Seals said. “It feels incredible and to be able to do this with all these guys it just makes it even better.”

On a week when Clear Creek Amana got two titles from throwing standout Landon Prince it was Seals that stole the spotlight on Saturday.

The sophomore star set a meet record and posted the second fastest time in state history at 13.58 while winning the 110 hurdle title.

The fastest 110 hurdle time in state history of 13.55 was run earlier this season by Cedar Rapids Prairie senior Quinton Alexander who won the 4A 100 hurdle title just after Seals won the 3A crown.

“That is absolutely amazing,” Seals said of his time. “Following the great Quinton Alexander it feels amazing to go that fast.”

Seals added a fourth-place finish in the 100 and anchored the Clear Creek Amana shuttle hurdle team to a title in a 3A meet record time of 57.49.

He did it all in a span of less than an hour on Saturday.

“I describe this as unreal,” Seals said. “I’ve got these great guys I am going against and I am just trying to push myself. I have a lot of races and I am just trying to hydrate myself and stay above the game. It’s crazy.”

Seals was sensational on Saturday but he certainly had help.

He was joined on the shuttle hurdle relay team by seniors Owen Rosenberg and Luke Higdon and freshman Eliezer Mipata.

Rosenberg and Higdon were both on the Clear Creek Amana shuttle hurdle teams at state the past two seasons including last year’s team that was disqualified in the prelims.

“Last year we got DQ’d and coming back we knew we had to win,” Rosenberg said. “Being with these guys, they are like my family right now, these guys are amazing to be with.”

Clear Creek Amana had the second fastest time from Thursday’s prelims at 58.72, trailing only Ballard which ran a 58.45.

The Clippers flipped that result in the finals finishing in 57.49 while Ballard was runner-up in 58.45 and MOC-Floyd Valley was third in 58.8.

“We all knew we could do it,” Higdon said. “We just had to execute it.”

Rosenberg got the Clippers off to a strong start and Higdon had Clear Creek Amana in the lead for freshman Mipata who ran the third leg.

Mipata, the lone newcomer on this year’s shuttle hurdle relay team, kept the Clippers in striking distance for Seals.

“Eliezer came in as a freshman and I think he’s the reason we won,” Higdon said. “Without him I don’t think we win.”

Seals easily outdistanced Ballard and MOC-Floyd Valley down the stretch to lift Clear Creek Amana to the second shuttle hurdle title in program history and first since 2009.

“Our coach told us, ‘leave on time, get over the hurdle and say go’,” Rosenberg said. “That’s what he said, we just wanted to make it smooth.”

Seals finished fourth in the 100 in 10.74 and ran the anchor leg on the Clear Creek Amana 4×100 team that finished fourth.

It was a perfect finish for Seals who left with a pair of state records.

“I certainly did not think I would take down two state records,” Seals said. “The shuttle hurdle, I knew my guys and I could do it. I had faith in myself but I was more focused on my guys even more than me and breaking this 110 record is just amazing.”

The Clear Creek Amana sprint medley relay team of Brayden Frank, Rosenberg, Joey Dains and Quade Jensen finished eighth in 1:33.85.

The foursome of Frank, Rosenberg, Dains and Seals was fourth in the 4×100 in 42.55.

Class 3A State Track Meet

Girls Results

Team scores (top 10/area teams) – 1. ADM 67; 2. Mount Vernon 58; 2. Gilbert 58; 4. Marion 50; 5. Clear Lake 40; 6. Decorah 39; 7. Sioux Center 37; 8. Pella 30; 8. Dubuque Wahlert 30; 10. Davenport Assumption 28; 29. Solon 5; 39. Clear Creek Amana 1

Individual results (event winners; area competitors)

100 – 1. Kelly Grobstich (Davenport Assumption) 11.83

200 – 1. Kelly Grobstich (Davenport Assumption) 24.32

800 – 1. Keira Andersen (Gilbert) 2:13.88

1,500 – 1. Sarah Feddersen (Gilbert) 4:36.73

100 hurdles – 1. Josie Dufoe (ADM) 14.5

Sprint medley relay – 1. Clear Lake 1:45.39; 14. Solon (Piper Stahle, Marin Ashbacker, Kobi Lietz, Jerzey Haluska) 1:50.27

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. ADM 1:01.15; 8. Clear Creek Amana (Sydney Pfeiffer, Addilyn Scheetz, Bella Behrens, Jaylin Herring) 1:08.16

4×100 – 1. Gilbert 48.49

4×400 – 1. Dubuque Wahlert 3:53.33

Boys Results

Team scores (top 10/area teams) – 1. Newton 60; 2. Pella 56; 3. Clear Creek Amana 55; 3. Gilbert 55; 5. Western Dubuque 53; 6. Center Point-Urbana 48; 7. Waverly-Shell Rock 40; 8. Des Moines Christian 35; 9. Algona 31; 10. ADM 29.4; 38. Solon 1.2

Individual results (event winners; area competitors)

100 – 1. Connor Kunze (Nevada) 10.57; 4. Tay Seals (Clear Creek Amana) 10.74

200 – 1. Caden Klein (Newton) 21.58

800 – 1. Quentin Nauman (Western Dubuque) 1:49.41; 22. Jackson VanHorn (Clear Creek Amana) 2:00.29; 23. Isaac Sorensen (Clear Creek Amana) 2:02.71

1,600 – 1.

110 hurdles – 1. Tay Seals (Clear Creek Amana) 13.58

Sprint medley relay – 1. Center Point-Urbana 1:30.53; 8. Clear Creek Amana (Brayden Frank, Owen Rosenberg, Joey Dains, Quade Jensen) 1:33.85

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. Clear Creek Amana (Owen Rosenberg, Luke Higdo, Eliezer Mipata, Tay Seals) 57.49

4×100 – 1. Gilbert 41.94; 4. Clear Creek Amana (Brayden Frank, Adam Zeman, Owen Rosenberg, Tay Seals) 42.55

4×400 – 1. Center Point-Urbana 3:17.61

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