Allen scores big for New London boys

DES MOINES — Some athletes get intimidated by the larger crowds and added noise at the state tournament, not New London’s Carter Allen.

The Tiger junior zoned in on Thursday and Friday. He took fourth in Thursday’s Class 1A shot put competition, and then captured a second-place finish in Friday’s discus throw, collecting 13 points along the way.

“I came in here as the fifth seed and came in second,” Allen said after the discus wrapped up. “That's an awesome feeling, and I'm glad to be taking home hardware for New London.”

Allen had both of his best throws early. In the shot put, he threw his second out of six attempts 50 feet, 8¾ inches. In the discus, he threw his first attempt 160 feet, 6 inches.

“Getting a good one out early takes a lot of the nerves out,” Allen said. “Making it to the finals guaranteed was just great.”

Allen had been battling injuries all year. The injury bug has bit the New London boys team hard, including to sophomore high jumper Kade Benjamin.

Despite just recently coming back from an ankle injury, Benjamin still finished eighth, clearing 6 foot, 1 inch on his second attempt.

“ (The ankle) has set me back more than I’d like to admit,” Benjamin said. “But everything happens for a reason. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Benjamin said he used the weekend as a learning experience. Those lessons weren’t just limited to what to do during competition.

“Bring a poncho. That was the main thing I learned yesterday,” Benjamin said. “Today it's just keep moving, stay loose and make sure your legs are always loose before you get ready to jump.”

Columbus’ Mason Hodges finished ninth in the discus, throwing it 146 feet, 6 inches. WACO’s Braden Spain finished 23rd in the Class 1A high jump, clearing 5 feet, 7 inches.