Cedar Rapids Prairie junior Tysen VanDraska is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school boys this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday.

VanDraska collected an impressive victory at the Mississippi Valley Conference cross country meet Thursday and led Prairie to the team championship with a strong finishing kick.

VanDraska is ranked third among Class 4A cross country runners and has stamped himself as a serious threat to contend for the state title in Fort Dodge this fall. He finished 11th in the individual standings last year as a sophomore when Prairie won the Class 4A state title.

VanDraska measures only 5-foot-6 and 125 pounds, but he has a rare combination of speed and endurance. He had a neck-and-neck race with Daniel Murphy of Linn-Mar at the Super Meet Thursday, then left everyone behind with a punishing kick at the end.

VanDraska helped Prairie win the 4x800 relay at the Class 4A state track meet this past May as a sophomore with a strong anchor leg. He also finished fourth in the 800-meter run at state.