Raider boys’ track brings home team championship

A team championship in the Panther Relays at Mount Pleasant Tuesday, April 18, was the latest accolade to what has been another outstanding season for the Williamsburg boys' track team.

Finishing first and second in 10 events, coach Matt Matthes' Raiders held off the host Panthers by 12 points for the title, 139-127. Washington placed third in the eight-team field with 120.5 points. Derek Weisskopf and Trey O'Neil went first and second for Williamsburg in the high jump, and Owen Douglas and Clayten Steckly did the same in the 100-meter dash.

Weisskopf and O'Neil cleared 6' 2" and 6', respectively, and Douglas and Steckly ran 11.47 and 11.97. In addition to winning the 100, Douglas anchored the Raiders to victories in the 4 x 200 and 4 x 100-meter relays. Braylon Wetjen and Carson Huedepohl joined Douglas in both races, with O'Neil filling out the 4 x 2 team and Kellen Cockrell the 4 x 1 squad — their times 1:32.42 and: 44.19.

Cockrell also ran with Alex Reese, Grady Wetjen and Rayce Heitman on the winning sprint medley relay team (1:39.73), and Calvin Seeman, Devin Busch, Jake Buchholtz and Sam Rich combined to take top honors in the 4 x 800 meter relay (8:31.20). Cockrell, O'Neil, Rich and Braylon Wetjen were runners-up in the 4 x 400-meter relay (3:37.7), as were Weisskopf in the discus (128-3), Adam Arp in the wheelchair 100 meter dash (: 32.42) and Cockrell and Rich in the 200 and 400 meter dashes (: 23.71 and: 53.40). Weisskopf added a third place in the shot put (47-7 1/2).

Also scoring team points were: fourth places — O'Neil, 400-meter low hurdles, 58.98; Busch, 1,600 meter run, 4:48.6; Steckly, 200 meter dash, 24.25; fifth places — Grady Wetjen, long jump, 18-2 1/2; Braden Plotz, discus, 118-1; sixth places — Plotz, shot put, 39-5 1/4; Caleb Welsh, Alex Reese, Dylan Weisskopf, Ian Wilde, distance medley relay, 4:08.56.

Finish fourth at Assumption

Williamsburg competed in the Last Chance Drake Relays Qualifier Friday, April 21, at Davenport Assumption. The Raiders scored 79 points to finish fourth in the team standings behind Clear Creek Amana (176), Cedar Rapids Xavier (114) and the host Knights (106).

Derek Weisskopf placed second for the Raiders in the shot put (51-5 3/4) and discus (142-10), Huedepohl, Heitman, O'Neil and Douglas were runners-up in the 4 x 200 relay, and Buchholtz, Seeman, Busch and Rich ran second in the 4 x 800 relay (8:36.79). Weisskopf's shot put performance was a personal best.

Top four at Pacha Relays

Minus their top five sprinters and two best high jumpers — attending the Drake Relays and a golf meet — Williamsburg still managed to score 76 points and place fourth out of 13 teams in the Pacha Relays Thursday, April 27, at Tiffin.

Braden Plotz' second-place effort of 44' 11-1/2" in the shot put, and a two-three finish by Rayce Heitman and Sam Rich in the 400 meter dash in 52.2 and 52.4, topped the Raiders. Devin Busch, in the 3,200-meter run, and the 4 x 800 meter relay team of Carter Capper, Grady Wetjen, Alex Reese and Landon Jepson, added third places.