The Stocker twins, Matt and Kyle, will try to help Prairie win awards in boys track this season, but they could end up competing against each other when they get to college.

Matt Stocker plans to run at Minnesota State next year, while Kyle Stocker plans to run at Missouri-Rolla. Both are NCAA Division II schools, and both Stockers run the same events.

"We might compete at the Drake Relays in college," Matt observed, "and we also might see him in a national meet."

Don't bet against it. Both Stockers specialize in the 800, 1500 and 3200 in track, and they helped Prairie win the Class 4A state cross country title last fall.

For now, college can wait. The Stockers are ready for a final push in high school.

They served notice at the Mississippi Valley Conference indoor meet March 14 at the UNI-Dome when they finished 1-2 in the 800-meter dash. Matt Stocker won the race in 1:58.76 and Kyle Stocker was second in 1:59.51, excellent times for a 200-meter track.

"It was really surprising to me," Kyle said after his 1:59.51 performance. "This early in the season, I didn't expect to break two minutes here. I expected to break it somewhere in the outdoor season before Drake."

The Drake Relays are scheduled for April 28-30. The state meet is set for May 19-21 in Des Moines.

Competitive siblings

Matt Stocker began his distance running career during the cross country season in middle school, but Kyle Stocker played football in the fall until the 10th grade.

"In the summer before my junior year, that's when I started to run," said Kyle. "And he (Matt) recruited me."

Matt got a head start, but Kyle is not far behind. Matt finished sixth in the individual standings at the state cross country meet last fall in 15 minutes, 36 seconds for 5 kilometers, while Kyle was eighth in 15:40, just four seconds behind.

They ran neck-and-neck again at the Mississippi Valley Conference indoor meet in Cedar Falls, with Matt topping Kyle by just three-quarters of a second in the 800. There doesn't seem to be much of a sibling rivalry, however.

"We're not getting closer and closer of me beating him," said Kyle, "but we are getting closer and closer to our goals."

Those goals include high finishes at the 2011 state meet, both for themselves and the team. Matt Stocker finished fifth in the 800 last year at state in 1:56.06 and helped the Hawks place sixth in the distance medley. Both Stockers ran on the 4x800 relay that finished sixth in Des Moines.

Prairie finished 22nd in the team standings at the state track meet last spring, but the Hawks are looking to move up.

"We can do good things, as long as we put our work into it like we did in cross country," said Matt. "We could put together a pretty good 4x800."

Another set of running twins

The Burns twins, Jordan and Justin, could join the Stockers on that 4x800 relay. Jordan Burns placed 22nd at the state cross country meet in 16:04,and Justin Burns was just a tick behind in 23rd in 16:05. Another possibility for the 4x800 is Jacob Aune, who finished 29th in the state cross country meet in 16:09.

Prairie clocked 7:59.37 in the 4x800 at state last year when it placed sixth, but Matt Stocker knows they need to chop about 10 seconds off that time to compete for the top. Cedar Rapids Washington won the 4x800 last year in 7:48.70.

"It has to be quick," said Matt.

The Stocker twins and Burns twins were juniors last year. Now they're seniors, with one last chance.

Prairie should be strong in the middle distance and distance races this season. The Hawks also have talented sprinters with Tom Frieden, Austin Dellamuth and Demetrius Harper, who helped Prairie finish 20th in the 4x200 relay at state last year. Frieden and Harper also ran on the distance medley that placed sixth.

Prairie also features Sam Joens, who finished sixth in the discus at 169 feet, 6 inches.