Cardinal boys edge PCM for fourth at Newton Coed Invitational

With qualification for the Drake Relays coming down to the final stretch, track and field teams from all over the state were hoping one last night would push them into next week’s annual event.

While no area boys team improved their standing on Thursday, there was plenty to celebrate at the Newton Coed Invitational.

The Cardinals mostly put their focus on relays and are now in the top 10 in the 4x200 in Class 3A, while PCM also turned in season-best times in three different relays.

Baxter also attended the meet and Matt Richardson and Carter Smith put together career-best performances to move into the top 13 of their respective events in 1A.

In the end, ADM ran away with the meet title. The Tigers, who are ranked No. 1 in the Bound Power Rankings, scored 151 points at the top of the standings.

Newton and PCM found their way into the top five, but Nevada scored 96 points in second and Grinnell totaled 88 in third. The Cardinals (77) edged the Mustangs (70) for fourth.

The rest of the 13-team field featured Pella Christian (54), South Tama County (42), Baxter (39), Ames (35), Bondurant-Farrar (34), Knoxville (17), Oskaloosa (13), Perry (12) and Saydel (12).

Newton was held out of the win column but registered four runner-up finishes.

Reilly Trease placed second in the 110-meter high hurdles and his career-best time of 15.29 seconds moves him to ninth in 3A.

The Cardinals also were second in the 4x200, 4x400 and shuttle hurdle relays.

Trease anchored the shuttle hurdle relay team with Caden Klein, Austin Arauz and Curtis Payne and the foursome posted a time of 1 minute, 3.03 seconds.

Klein and Payne also were part of the 4x200 and 4x400 relays.

Nate Lampe, Payne, Klein and Christian Ergenbright posted a season-best time of 1:30.85 to finish second in the 4x200. Grinnell edged the Cardinals by .53 seconds, but Newton’s new best time ranks 10th in 3A.

Newton did not better its 4x400 relay time. But the team of Lampe, Payne, Ergenbright and Klein finished the race in 3:28.62.

The Cardinals were third twice and they doubled up in four individual events.

Nick Milburn finished third in the shot put with a toss of 50 feet, 6 inches and Qhjuan Coley was fifth with a career-best heave of 44-7 1/2.

Isaiah Hansen and Cade Bauer finished 3-5 in the high jump. Hansen secured a career-best leap of 5-10 and Bauer was fifth with a jump of 5-6.

Nick Thomason and Coley both posted career-best times in the 100. Thomason was fifth in 11.555 and Coley placed sixth in 11.558.

Zach Felten (131-7 1/2) and Milburn (129-0) both had career-best tosses in the discus and placed fifth and sixth, respectively.

The final top-five individual finish came from Alameen Shanto. He placed fifth in the long jump with a leap of 19-5.

PCM’s lone win came in the 400 as Riley Graber won the race in 53.64.

Chase Wagaman was the runner-up in the high jump with a leap of 5-10 and the Mustangs’ 4x100 relay team also was second.

The foursome of Griffin Olson, Gabe Hobbs, Jacob Wendt and Evan Jones finished second in 44.25. The same group of four placed third in the 4x200 relay in 1:32.71.

Their best times in both events rank seventh and third, respectively, in 2A.

PCM was third in the 4x400, 4x800 and shuttle hurdle relays.

Graber, Olson, Hobbs and Wendt posted a season-best time of 3:35.54 in the 4x400 relay, while the team of Coby DeRaad, Carson Hansen, Joe Shaver and Kolby Clark finished the 4x800 relay in a season-best 8:48.07. Those two relays now rank in the top 22 in 2A.

The Mustangs’ shuttle hurdle relay team now sits 10th in 2A after the foursome of Gavin Van Gorp, Jaden Houser, Jake Winters and Olson placed third in a season-best 1:03.48. ADM won the race in 1:03.01 and Newton was second in 1:03.03.

Jones (11.39) and Tad Wilson (23.69) posted career-best times and placed fourth in the 100 and 200, respectively, while Mark Bussan (46-2) was fourth in the shot put.

Richardson and Max Handorf scored double points for Baxter in both the 1,600 and 3,200.

Richardson won the 3,200 in 10:07.31 and Handorf finished fourth in 10:16.62. Their best times in the event both rank in the top 10 in 1A.

They also went 4-5 in the 1,600. Richardson’s career-best time of 4:38.74 set a new school record and is now 13th in 1A. Handorf posted a career-best time of 4:44.09 and now sits 21st in 1A.

Smith set a personal-best throw in the discus and now ranks 11th in 1A with a toss of 143-9 1/2. That was good enough for third.

Cody Samson (54.73) had the final top-three finish as he was third in the 400.