Stafford sweeps wheel chair events

DES MOINES — Mid-Prairie junior Jayden Stafford is no stranger to the state meet. He has now been a staple of the wheelchair races at state for the last three years, but there was one goal he hadn’t quite hit.

On Saturday, Stafford finished off a historic season by winning the quadruple crown. He won the 100-meter wheelchair event, the 200, the 400 and the 800. A four-championship weekend for one of the state’s best.

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“The second I hit that finish line, all the tears came out,” Stafford said. “All that hard work at the end of the season, it showed.”

Stafford could have done the same last year, if not for a tumble in the 800. On Friday, he had the chance to wipe away last year’s crash and finish ahead of the field after two laps around the track.

“That was a huge setback.” Stafford said. “When I did the 800 this year, that just kept playing in my head. I wanted that win.”

Stafford won the 800 in 2 minutes, 14.15 seconds. He took the 400 in 1:02.90, the 200 in 32.42 seconds and the 100 in 18.46 seconds.

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Right behind him in most of those races was friend and basketball teammate Josh Anderson of Washington.

The Demon sophomore took second in the 100 by less than a second, n crossing the tape in 19.45 seconds. He finished third in the 200, crossing in 35.79 seconds, and he took third in the 100 as well, crossing in 1:11.01.

“I feel good,” Anderson said. “I cut down some time on my events, and I'm really proud of how I did this year.”

The pair will continue onto next year where they will renew their friendly rivalry.

“We're good friends,” Anderson said. “We push each other, and we're teammates in basketball. We train with each other in the offseason.”

The two will have plenty of company next year. Only two Top-5 finishers in the four wheelchair events were seniors.