Pekin state meet saw highs, lows

DES MOINES — Both Pekin girls and boys teams made a good showing at the state meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, but the best Pekin finish was Kerrigan Pope’s discus throw.

The Pekin boys placed 23rd in Class 2A with 10 team points, and the girls were 28th with eight points.

Pope was fourth with a toss of 127 feet, 5 inches Friday. It was her third time in the ring at Drake Stadium after throwing as a freshman and this April as a junior.

Thursday Pope threw the shot at Drake for the first time and got struck by nerves.

“I am not as confident in shot as I am in the discus so that was an issue.” She fouled on two of her three throws but the one good one was 36-10¼, and she was ninth.

“I just let my nerves get to me,“ Pope said. ”The discus outcome was pretty great. I had a huge smile on my face and looked over at my family and said, ’We did it.’“

She has been working with the Pekin school record holder, Kathy Snow.

“The record is 150-something, and it is a goal,” Pope said. With next year to refine her technique, a state title is a goal as well. “I still have some work to do.”

“We had both good and some bad luck on the track,” coach Davis Eidahl said. “There was some bad baton passing in the 4x200 relay when we had a good chance to place.”

The 4x200 was 24th in 2 minutes, 5.89 seconds with Makenzie Dahlstrom, Sabrina Reneker, Sarah Eubanks and Sophie Wittrock.

Lauren Dershied was 18th in the 1500 in 5:14.59.

The boys 4x800 relay was sixth in 8.24.8, their best time of the year by four seconds. The girls 4x8 was also sixth finishing in 10.01.1 after their leadoff runner collapsed.

Lily Fariss has competed all year with two primary stress fractures in her lower legs and could work out only two days a week and only run in one event. She gave it her all and collapsed after handing off to Audrey Fariss, who handed to Dershied and Eubanks ran anchor.

“It’s been a rough few days because it’s not our usual preparation,” Dershied said. "It was hard to see her lying right there as I ran past.“

Brady Millikin’s time of 4:25.97 in the 1600 was his personal best time by 10 seconds and the second best ever at Pekin. He placed fifth.

"Last event of my high school career in track and to be able to finish like that, it’s truly amazing,“ Millikin said. ”I was definitely feeling very tired with 400 to go, but I knew I would regret it for a very long time if I just didn’t go all out. I was able to do that.“

Zack Wise was 16th in the 1600 in 4:39.44, his best by more than seven seconds.

“We came here, and we did business, especially when we learned at the start of the season that we would be in 2A,” Wise said. “To come to the blue oval, you have to not hold anything back. There’s nothing in the tank including no regrets. Absolutely none.”

The 4x400 relay team of Sabrina Reneker, Dershied, Audrey Fariss and Eubanks was 17th in 4:15.

The distance medley was 19th in 4:29.41 with Dahlstrom, Wittrock, Eubanks and Dershied.

Wittrock placed 20th in the 100-meter dash.

Brayden Sobaski was 17th in the 400 in 53.2.

“Our boys and girls competed very hard. They had an excellent effort,“ Eidahl said.