March 28, 2024

Hawks edge Mustangs for 2nd at CMB Raiders Relays

CMB places fourth, C-M seventh

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BAXTER — Sophomore Tyson Vander Linden had mixed feelings about Lynnville-Sully’s 4x800-meter relay win Friday night.

Vander Linden would rather be the lead-off runner in relays, but he also wants to do what’s best for the team.

Vander Linden anchored the relay to a gold medal, and that win as part of six victories on the night for a Hawks team that finished second in the team standings. Vander Linden also won the 400 hurdles in a season-best time.

“I would rather start the relay, but Corey (McCoy) is our fastest 800 runner,” Vander Linden said. “He got us a great lead, and the rest of the us finished it off.”

McCoy kicked off the winning 4x800 relay that featured Vander Linden and juniors Carson Dunsbergen and Brevin Hansen. McCoy later won the 800, and then completed the night by anchoring the 4x400 relay to a victory. Dunsbergen and Vander Linden were a part of that relay, too.

The Hawks’ six victories and six top-four tallies led to the best finish among four area programs competing in the CMB Raider Relays.

Gilbert won the meet with 124 points. Lynnville-Sully, Prairie City-Monroe and Collins-Maxwell/Baxter were separated by nine points in second, third and fourth, respectively.

“It was a great night for us,” Lynnville-Sully coach Mike Parkinson said. “We ran really well and competed against some of the best track programs around. We rose to the challenge and pushed ourselves.

“As we continue to move forward, we were able to see and have some questions answered about our training, our effort, and our mindset — all of which were positive.”

The Hawks scored 98 points. PCM won three races and was runner-up in seven others for 96 points. CMB got two wins from senior Brady Kemp in shot put and discus, and that helped the Raiders to 89 points.

Colfax-Mingo, who was missing senior Jimmy Camp, junior Alex Lewis and freshman Zack Barnes, finished seventh with 36 points.

PCM did not have the services of senior Noah Clark, who missed the meet due to injury. He won the discus at his last two meets and has the best throw this season in the event among the competitors in the field Friday.

Bondurant-Farrar (83) finished in fifth, followed by Pleasantville (55). Montezuma (6) and Grand View Christian (2) completed the field.

McCoy got the L-S boys out to a lead in the 4x800. The foursome finished off the win with a season-best time of 8 minutes, 45.98 seconds.

McCoy’s winning time in the 800 was clocked at a season-best 2:07.05. PCM’s Chris Ellens was second to the finish line in 2:11.02.

Vander Linden’s winning time in the 400 hurdles was a season-best 57.15 seconds. Colfax-Mingo’s Zarek Hill was the runner-up in 1:00.70.

“I finally had better form, and that felt good,” Vander Linden said. “I am really working on not launching over the hurdles and no stutter steps. It’s still there but not as much today.”

The Hawks’ 4x400 relay team finished the night with a victory that put them in second place. The foursome of sophomore Gage Vander Leest, Vander Linden, Dunsbergen and McCoy finished in a season-best 3:36.65.

The final two wins came from senior Ryan Hofer in the 110 high hurdles and the shuttle hurdle relay. Hofer finished the 110 highs in a season-best 15.60. PCM sophomore Cole Dustin grabbed second in a season-best 15.72 and Vander Leest was third in a season-best 16.08. CMB freshman Brett Livesay finished fourth in a season-best 17.18.

Hofer and Vander Leest teamed up with junior Colten Arment and senior Caden Dunsbergen to win the shuttle relay. That foursome crossed the finish line in 1:04.15.

Gilbert’s Eric Swart won the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 10 inches. Five area competitors were next. Lynnville-Sully junior Drake Ehresman, Colfax-Mingo’s Reegan Van Dyke, Carson Dunsbergen and CMB sophomore Ben Huff all cleared 5-8. They finished second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.

PCM junior Noah Anderson was part of two of the Mustangs’ three wins. He won the 200 in a season-best 22.88 and then anchored the 4x100 relay to a victory and season-best time of 45.43. That foursome included senior Luke Greiner and sophomores Preston Van Wyk and Brayton Van Dyke.

Anderson credits his big improvements from last year to a lot of work in the offseason.

“I just did lots of leg work in the weight room and a lot of running,” Anderson said. “I think rehab with my broken ankle helped strengthen certain muscles, too.”

Ellens had the team’s other win. He cruised to an easy victory in the 3,200 with a time of 10:20.56.

The Mustangs were second in two other individual events. Greiner was the runner-up in the long jump with a leap of 18-7 1/2, and Van Wyk finished second in the 100 with a time of 11.83.

The Mustangs were the runner-up in three relays — the sprint medley, shuttle hurdle and 4x200.

In the sprint medley, Greiner, Van Wyk, junior Noah Henkenius and Anderson crossed the finish line in 1:40.47. The same foursome ran in the 4x200 and finished in 1:36.48.

The shuttle hurdle team of sophomores Jarron Trausch, Nick Dredge, Nick Buswell and Dustin finished in 1:05.36.

Kemp and sophomore Will Clapper went 1-2 in the shot put and discus.

Kemp defeated Clapper in the shot put for the first time this season with a winning season-best throw of 50-11. Clapper’s best toss covered 48-7.

Kemp’s winning throw in the discus was a season-best 136-2. Clapper’s runner-up heave was marked at 132-9.

Kemp gave credit to former long-time CMB track coach Neil Seales for him reaching 50 feet in the shot put for the first time this season. Seales tweaked a few things in practice last week.

“Coach Seales came and helped this past week. He changed my technique and moved my placement a little bit,” Kemp said. “I tend to over-think things too much. Tonight, I just relaxed and treated this like a practice.”

Sophomore Ian Thomson and freshman Logan Berg gave the Raiders more double points in the 3,200. Thomson finished fourth in a season-best 10:42.38 and Berg fifth in a season-best 10:55.33. Thomson also was fourth in the 1,600 in 5:13.40.

The Raiders’ distance medley relay team was second. That foursome included senior Zach Schafer, Kemp, junior Braydon Aker and senior Evan Bianchi, and they finished in 4:05.80.

“I told coach I wanted to run more,” Kemp said. “I want to get more involved and help the team out however I can. If he needs me to run some relays or whatever, I want to do it.”

Senior John Newton completed CMB’s top-three finishes with a bronze medal in the 100 in a season-best 11.85.

Camp was missing from Colfax-Mingo’s lineup because of a college orientation, while Barnes and Lewis were both out with illnesses.

Hill’s runner-up finish in the 400 hurdles was the Tigerhawks’ best finish of the night. Van Dyke was third in the high jump, and sophomore Ethan Summy placed fourth in the long jump.

“I still have to work on finishing my form,” Hill said of the 400 hurdles. “I hit three hurdles because I got tired. I need to work on my stamina and getting a better start. I hope to be in the top 10 by the end of the year.”

Colfax-Mingo’s sprint medley team was third overall.

That relay included Summy, sophomore Holister Koenig, Hill and senior Adam Teed, and they finished in a season-best 1:43.90.

The 4x400 relay included Koenig, Teed, Summy and Hill and that group placed fourth in a season-best 3:48.22.

CMB and Colfax-Mingo take part in the Raiders’ co-ed meet at 4:30 p.m. Monday in Baxter. PCM and Lynnville-Sully compete at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday at Pella Christian.