Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – For most throwers in track and field an arm injury like the one City High senior Raphael Etuma sustained this spring would be a season-ender.

Etuma decided the injury would only be a minor setback in what has become a senior season to remember.

Last month Etuma learned he had a partial tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow.

Rather than calling it a season Etuma elected to throw using his non-dominant left hand.

“I got to 106 in discus,” Etuma said of the left-handed throwing experiment. “And I was at 47 in shot so it wasn’t bad.”

A second opinion on the injury gave Etuma a second chance on the season.

After a few weeks of physical therapy Etuma avoided surgery and switched back to using his right hand.

On Thursday at the Class 4A state qualifying meet at City High Etuma showed he was back and better than ever.

“I got a second opinion and they told me that physical therapy should get it to feel better and potentially I won’t have to get surgery,” Etuma said. “It’s been feeling very good.”

Etuma won the discus with a season-best toss of 171-6 and finished second in the shot put with a career-best mark of 57-1 1/4 securing automatic berths to next week’s state track and field meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines in both events.

“I’m so excited,” Etuma said. “The beginning of the season was way tough for me and I’ve just been working, even at lunch I’ve been going down to the rings and working my positions and it’s paying off.”

The pair of top-two finishes from Etuma highlighted a strong showing from City High on its home track as the Little Hawks posted five auto qualifying performances while placing fourth in the team standings with 102 points.

Cedar Rapids Prairie won the team title with 157 points followed by Johnston with 141 and West High with 120.

Etuma was at his best on Thursday.

His throw of 171-6 in the discus was more than four feet further than his previous best throw this season of 166-10 and less than three feet off his career best.

The 57-1 ¼ in the shot put was more than two feet further than his previous career best set last week at the Mississippi Valley Conference divisional meet.

“That is almost a three-foot pr from last week and last week was a three-foot pr from last year,” Etuma said. “I felt really good, really smooth today.”
His throws on Thursday put Etuma fourth in Class 4A in the shot put and 10^th in the discus this season.

“I know that I have more in me, I know that I can put more into it,” Etuma said. “I am feeling good in the ring, I am feeling smooth now it’s just time to pop one off.”

Damari Lacy and Adams Kane join Etuma as individual auto qualifiers for the Little Hawks.

Kane was runner-up in the high jump clearing 6-4 and Lacy was runner-up in the long jump with a leap of 22-8 ¼.

The City High 4×800 team of Andrew Hamilton, Maxwell McDowell, Emmett Palmberg and Jarris Prottsman finished second in 8:08.8 to auto qualify for the state meet.

West High had its own strong showing on Thursday posting five automatic qualifiers led by its hurdle crew.

The state leader in the shuttle hurdle relay this season, the West High foursome of Ely Smock, Adan Carbajal, Cade Towler and Ryder Gorsh won the event in 56.65 on Thursday.

Smock finished runner-up in the 400 hurdles in 54.34 to earn an automatic spot at state qhile Gorsh was runner-up in the 110 hurdles in 14.86.

“I think (the hurdlers) are really a microcosm of our entire team, everyone has started to believe in themselves and started to really give themselves a chance in their own events and it’s been cool to see that,” West High coach T.J. Craig said. “It’s been so cool to see those kids come from where they were to where they are. That’s the real pearl of coaching.”

Sophomore James Barnett won the shot put for West High with a toss of 59-3 and Neil James was runner-up in the 200 in 22.3.

“I really have said this whole year we’ve had a really good team,” Craig said. “There wasn’t a lack of competing in a really tough state qualifying meet and I think we will still get a lot more things in.”

Liberty High junior distance standout Keegan Decker put together a stellar state qualifying performance winning the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 as well as anchoring the Lightning distance medley relay team to a third-place finish.

Decker won the 800 in 1:58.72, took the 1,600 title in 4:21.54 and added a title in the 3,200 in 9:19.26.

Victor Nakihinga cleared 6-5 to win the high jump for Liberty High.

Class 4A State Qualifying Meet

At City High School

Team scores – 1. Cedar Rapids Prairie 157; 2. Johnston 141; 3. West High 120; 4. City High 102; 5. Liberty High 80.5; 6. Mason City 57.5; 7. Cedar Rapids Washington 52; 8. Ottumwa 21

Individual events (state qualifiers; area placers)

100 – 1. Dawson Kahl (CRP) 11.16; 2. Stephen Tour (JON) 11.17; 5. Abdul Hodge Jr. (ICW) 11.37; 6. Brody Beaver (ICL) 11.68

200 – 1. Rylan Cooling (CRP) 22.06; 2. Neil James (ICW) 22.3; 5. Rylen Schweitzer (ICL) 22.73; 7. Wyatt Byrd (ICH) 23.27; 8. Cooper Lester (ICL) 23.44

400 – 1. Drew Bennis (CRP) 48.43; 2. Kade Erickson (CRP) 49.59; 4. Keyshun Fletcher (ICL) 52.01; 6. Logan Jacobsen (ICW) 53.89; 7. Eli Dunham (ICW) 54.73; 8. Silas Gillnick (ICH) 55.63

800 – 1. Keegan Decker (ICL) 1:58.72; 2. Blake Williams (CRP) 1:58.86; 4. Emmett Palmberg (ICH) 1:59.97; 7. Maxwell McDowell (ICH) 2:03; 8. Thomas Tong (ICW) 2:03.97

1,600 – 1. Keegan Decker (ICL) 4:21.54; 2. Jack Crossland (JON) 4:21.54; 6. Andrew Hamilton (ICH) 4:30.09; 7. Lars Hildebrand (ICL) 4:31.56; 8. Lars Pressler (ICW) 4:36.46

3,200 – 1. Keegan Decker (ICL) 9:19.26; 2. Jack Crossland (JON) 9:20.42; 6. Lars Hildebrand (ICL) 9:42.26; 7. Michael Hanna (ICW) 9:43; 8. Jake Weiler (ICW) 9:50.41

110 hurdles – 1. Fidel Tiah (CRW) 14.81; 2. Ryder Gorsh (ICW) 14.86; 4. Ely Smock (ICW) 14.96; 6. Gavin Washpun (ICH) 15.27; 7. Adams Kane (ICH) 15.84

400 hurdles – 1. Dane Mai (CRP) 53.94; 2. Ely Smock (ICW) 54.34; 3. Walee Ibrahim (ICW) 54.72; 7. Adams Kane (ICH) 58.99

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. West High (Ely Smock, Adan Carbajal, Cade Towler, Ryder Gorsh) 56.65; 2. Cedar Rapids Washington 57.62; 4. City High (Karl Tshibangu, Gavin Washpun, Adams Kane, Seth McLean) 1:01.8;

Distance medley relay – 1. Cedar Rapids Prairie 3:31.94; 2. Johnston 3:34.4; 3. Liberty High (Rylen Schweitzer, Cale Baldwin, Jaylen McDowell, Keegan Decker) 3:35.37; 4. West High (Kellen Craig, Tomi Olaleye, Aidan Nelson, Michael Hanna) 3:40.41;

Sprint medley relay – 1. Cedar Rapids Prairie 1:31.19; 2. Johnston 1:32.91; 3. West High (Bernoli Luvandu, Abdul Hodge Jr., Neil James, Cael Dunham) 1:33.98; 5. City High (Damari Lacy, Delonte Major, Zyaire Washpun, Marshall Sheldon) 1:34.46; 6. Liberty High (Leo Rozz, Rylen Schweitzer, Cale Baldwin, Jackson Burnes) 1:35.11

4×100 – 1. Cedar Rapids Prairie 41.57; 2. Johnson 42.15; 3. City High (Peter Pufall, Zyaire Washpun, Delonte Major, Damari Lacy) 42.78; 5. West High (Bernoli Luvandu, Neil James, Kellen Craig, Abdul Hodge Jr.) 43.95; 6. Liberty High (Jackson Burnes, Cale Baldwin, Victor Nakihinga, Leo Rozz) 44.14

4×200 – 1. Cedar Rapids Prairie 1:27.69; 2. Johnston 1:28.7; 3. City High (Marshall Sheldon, Zyaire Washpun, Kingston Wright, Wyatt Byrd) 1:29.41; 6. Liberty High (Leo Rozz, Cooper Lester, Terrence Thames, Victor Nakihinga) 1:31.27; 7. West High (Kellen Craig, Tomi Olaleye, Abdul Hodge Jr., Ethan Headings) 1:32.04

4×400 – 1. Cedar Rapids Prairie 3:17.43; 2. Johnston 3:20.36; 3. West High (Cael Dunham, Aidan Nelson, Advaith Gopinath, Mason Goering) 3:25.79; 4. City High (Marshall Sheldon, Gavin Washpun, Emmett Palmberg, Zyaire Washpun) 3:26.97; 5. Liberty High (Rylen Schweitzer, Cale Baldwin, Jaylen McDowell, Jackson Burnes) 3:27.47

4×800 – 1. Johnston 8:02.35; 2. City High (Andrew Hamilton, Maxwell McDowell, Emmett Palmberg, Jarris Prottsman) 8:08.8; 3. West High (Lars Pressler, Mohamed Musa, Thomas Tong, Zzachariah Bruzek) 8:08.9; 5. Liberty High (Hans Hildebrand, Julius Vidal, Maxwell Kinzer, Jens Strand) 8:32.18

High jump – 1. Victor Nakihinga (ICL) 6-4; 2. Adams Kane (ICH) 6-4; 3. Mason Middleton (ICW) 6-3; 5. Abe Bidanis (ICH) 6-0; 6. Carter Spark (ICW) 6-0; 8. TaeMajae Franklin (ICL) 5-10

Long jump – 1. Drew Hobart (MC) 22-11 ½; 2. Damari Lacy (ICH) 22-8 ¼; 6. Marcelin Kazumba (ICH) 21-0 ½; 7. Bernoli Luvandu (ICW) 20-10 ¾

Shot put – 1. James Barnett (ICW) 59-3; 2. Raphael Etuma (ICH) 57-1 ¼; 4. Colin Whitters (ICW) 53-3 ¼; 6. Preston Mensah (ICH) 50-1 ½;

Discus – 1. Raphael Etuma (ICH) 171-6; 2. Christ Kelly Nelson (CRP) 164-6; 3. Colin Whitters (ICW) 155-11; 5. Preston Mensah (ICH) 149-7

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