Demon boys get team title

WELLMAN - Washington High School captured its first team win at a boys track meet this season when it won the Hawk Relays at Mid-Prairie Tuesday. The hosts finished fifth.

'We don't do it for the team scores, but if everything goes well, that is what happens when everything somes together,” Washington coach Steve Roth said.

The Demons won the meet with only three event victories, but scored well throughout the lineup.

'It was a team deal,” Roth said. 'We had an issue last year, we talked about it on the bus and we were prepared. It was an exciting fun night. Everone contributed.”

Washington sophomore Spencer Sotelo won the long jump, leaping 20 feet, 0.5 inches and senior Lincoln Kleese was second at 18-7.5. Freshman Kasen Bailey won the high jump at 5 feet, 11 inches and Wyatt Stout, a sophomore, was fourth at 5-8. Junior Ethan Hunt was first in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 55.74 seconds.

'Hunt was just outstanding in all of his races,” Roth said. 'The high jumpers all missed at 6-foot, so it went down to 5-11 and Bailey handled it well. We have a lot of potential in our long jumpers too.”

Cade Hennigan, a senior, was second in the 110 high hurdles with a time of 15.93 and Kleese was fourth at 16.73. Senior Mitchell Driscoll took second in the 400 at 51.21. Freshman Lance Sobaski was third in the 3200 in 11 minutes, 13.31 seconds. Evan Horak ran to fourth place in the 1600, finishing in 4:54.96. Kleese was sixth in the 100 in 11.91.

The shuttle hurdle relay team of Kleese, Ben Schiefer, Sotelo and Hennigan placed second with a time of 1:03.21. In the sprint medley relay, Hennigan, Jacob Miller, Driscoll and Justin Simmering placed third with a time of 1:39.86. Hunt, Simmering, Luke Turner and Driscoll were fourth in the 4x400 relay at 3:34.92. Another fourth place was the 4x1 with Sotelo, Turner, Miller and Hennigan with a time of 45.35. Turner, Sotelo, Simmering and Horak ran the ditance medley in 3:54.26 to place fifth. Cade Pohren, Bryan Martin, Stout and Trevor Quigley were fifth in the 4x2 in 1:39.36.

For Mid-Prairie, the sprint medley team of Clarke Latcham, Tom Butters, Elmir Ganibegovic and Grant Boyse was victorious in 1:37.69. The same four athletes ran the 4x1 in 45.34 to place third. Brad Tornow, Justin Schwartz, Thaddeus Shelter, and Jacob Nonnenmann were third in the 4x8 with a time of 8:53.01. The distance medley was third at 3:48.1 with Latcham, Aidan Rath, Burrows and Quinn Schmidt.

Miles Burrows was second in the 400 hurdles in 58.28. Boyse's time of 53.23 was third in the 400 and Ganibegovic was fourth at 53.26. Lucas Bontrager was fourth in the 3200 at 11:33.3. Josh Wallington's time of 24.89 in the 200 was fifth. Micah Gugel placed fifth with a discus throw of 133-1. Jack Baker's shot put of 46-8.25 was fifth.

Hunt's time at the Hawk Relays in the 400 hurdles is the third best in Class 3A so far this season. Driscoll has the seventh-best time in the 400 in Class 3A, a 50.84 he ran at Mt. Pleasant. Washington's shuttle hurdle time Tuesday is ninth in 3A.

Mid-Prairie's sprint medley time at the Hawk Relays was the fourth best in Class 2A so far this season.

TEAM SCORES - 1. Washington 99, 2. Williamsburg 92.5, 3. Clear Creek-Amana 90, 4. Oskaloosa 59, 5. Mid-Prairie 58, 6. Mediapolis 57, 7. West Liberty 56, 8. Anamosa 29, 9. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont 23.5, 10. West Branch 17, 11. Wilton 8