Linn-Mar Boys Track

Sophs Jacobus, Evans shine at Drake Relays

DES MOINES - Derek Jacobus is rapidly becoming a man for all seasons at Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

Jacobus soared 22 feet, 9 inches on his final leap Thursday and placed second in the prep long jump at the 103rd Annual Drake Relays on a gorgeous day in Des Moines.

Darius Pearson, a senior from Sioux City West, won the event at 22 feet, 11 1/2 inches. Jacobus, just a sophomore, finished only 2 1/2 inches behind with the best jump of his young career.

Josh Evans, a sophomore from Linn-Mar, finished third in the 3200 meter run with a personal best time of 9 minutes, 17 seconds.

Jacobus didn't know how far he went until the scorekeeper announced it for all the contestants to hear. Jacobus broke into a big smile, pumped his fist and acknowledged the cheers from his family, coaches and teammates in the stands.

"I had no clue," he said about his impressive leap. "When they called out 22-9 it was like 'Wow!' I did not feel that at all."

Jacobus is not a big name at Kennedy yet, but he could be soon. A four-sport athlete in football, basketball, baseball and track, he could be on the verge of an outstanding career with the Cougars. He's off to a good start with a silver medal at the prestigious Drake Relays.

"If I stay healthy the whole year it would be great to be the starting shortstop, the starting point guard, the starting quarterback with a couple of state championships along the way," he said.

His older brother, Devin, is the starting third baseman for the Kennedy baseball team, so there could be two members of the family on the left side of the infield this season. Devin Jacobus helped the Cougars win the Class 4A state baseball title in 2010 as a sophomore.

Jacobus was remarkably consistent in the long jump Thursday. He jumped 22-0 1/4, 21-10 3/4, 22-2 3/4, 21-10 1/4 and 22-9, with all five leaps within 10 3/4 inches of each other.

He landed awkwardly on his next-to-last jump and appeared to be in pain as he left the landing pit, but shook it off. "It just seemed like my quad tightened up," he said.

He took a deep breath, relaxed and flew 22-9 a few minutes later to climb into second place. His personal record in the long jump prior to the Drake Relays was 22-0 1/2, so he topped that twice Thursday.

Jacobus enjoys staying busy and plans to participate in all four sports during his entire prep career. In an age of increasing specialization, he's a throwback who enjoys the change of seasons.

At one time he thought his desire to play multiple sports might hurt his development and hinder his chances of playing in college, but he's changed his mind about that.

"The colleges want people who stay out of trouble and are active all the time," he said. "I'll just stay with it."

Jacobus plans to compete in the shuttle hurdle relay and 4x100 relay with Kennedy on Saturday at the Drake Relays. Baseball practice starts Monday, so his next season will begin before his current season ends in late May with the state track meet.

"I'll take Sunday off and start baseball practice Monday," he said with a smile.

EVANS RAN a strong race with his 9:17.00 clocking in the 3200 Thursday, but a couple of seniors were too tough for the sophomore from Linn-Mar. Cole Decker of West Des Moines Dowling won the 3200 in 9:08.96, edging Matt Butler of Bettendorf at the wire. Butler was timed in 9:09.30.

Evans, seeded No. 1 entering the meet, clipped three seconds off his personal best, but Decker and Butler pulled away from him early and stayed out front.

"I was looking to win today, but they went out fast," Evans said. "I didn't think they'd be able to hold it, so I stayed back a little. Even if I did try to go with them I would have died, so I ran the best race I could.

"I was right where I wanted to be, in perfect position right after the mile. And I tried to reign them in. I passed a couple of guys. It definitely worked, but I wasn't able to close enough."

Evans finished second at the state cross country meet last fall and now has a third-place medal from the Drake Relays for his young career. He was hoping to run a 9:15 Thursday, but missed his target by two seconds.

"It's not bad at all. I'm happy," he said. "That was my personal record, so I can't really complain."

Jacob Aune of Prairie placed eighth in 3200 run in 9:25.84. Lukas Mees of Marion finished ninth in 9:26.07, Mitch Pritts of Prairie was 18th in 9:36.69 and Etienne Nzoyisaba of Washington ran 19th in 9:47.33 in a race that featured five Metro runners.

Craig Murtha of Xavier placed eighth in the discus with a heave of 154 feet, 7 inches. Derek Seddon of Knoxville won the discus at 172-2.

Alex Bartz of Xavier tied for ninth in the girls high jump at 5-foot-3. Alexis Conaway of MOC-Floyd Valley won the event by clearing 5-foot-10.

Shannon Gorman of Washington finished 11th in the 3000 meter run in 10:27.00. Rebekah Topham, a freshman from Griswold, won the race in 9:58.39.

Thursday's complete prep results

Stamp builds top hurdlers at Linn-Mar

This year’s Drake Relays will mark a milestone for Linn-Mar hurdles coach Tim Stamp.

He’ll be there with one of the favorites to win the boys events, Lion senior Brandon Ophoff, and he’ll be following his star hurdler from last year, state champ Kyle Dunn, now a freshman on the perennial powerhouse Arkansas track and field contingent.

It’s an unusual circumstance for an unusual coach whose career has been as circuitous as the blue oval track at Drake Stadium.

Stamp, 54, coached his first Drake Relays and Iowa high school state champion in his very first year of coaching at Clinton 30 years ago. He got out of the profession a year later when his teaching job was eliminated, and only got back into coaching 10 years ago when he offered to help Ken Hopkins, his Cedar Rapids childhood pal and the Linn-Mar head coach.

In the meantime, Stamp spent 17 years in the construction and real estate business that were lucrative enough that he “retired” at the age of 41.

“I decided then that I was only going to do what I really wanted to do,” he said, “and what I really love to do. My passion is for teaching and coaching. And the hurdles are my addiction.

“I’m a teacher, and I’m here to teach guys how to hurdle.”

He’s so adept at it that no less an authority that Jefferson girls coach Bill Calloway, who has been coaching track for 38 years, called him “the finest hurdle coach in all of Iowa.”

“Obviously, there’s a lot of technique in hurdling,” said Calloway, who was Stamp’s track coach at Washington High School and is a longtime friend and biking buddy. “Tim has it all broken down. He studies it and sees things others don’t see.

“He knows what drills to do and when to do them. And the big thing is, he gets his kids to do it the right way.”

Although Stamp himself finished third in the state in the high hurdles in 1976, he and his old coach acknowledge that he possessed only average ability.

“He didn’t have a lot of speed, and it didn’t come easy for him,” said Calloway. “But even back then, Tim made the absolute most of what he had. He really worked hard at it. I think that’s what’s made him a pretty darned good coach.”

Stamp agreed fully with the man he calls his “mentor.”

“As a hurdler, I was OK. But I was always looking for better ways to do things, to find ways to beat the competition.

“I’m a detail-oriented person by nature. And I’m also very persistent. The hurdles are a skills event. If you know the proper techniques and work hard enough, you can be good at it.”

While most sprinters, for instance, are blessed with genetic advantages, Stamp termed his hurdlers “blue collar workers.”

“To be good,” he emphasized, “they really have to roll up their sleeves and work. The harder you work, the better you’ll be.

“In track, one-hundredth of a second can make all the difference. It’s the little things that can determine winners and losers.”

While Linn-Mar has gained an enviable reputation in the past decade for its shuttle hurdle relay teams, having back-to-back elite runners in the same event is a rarity. Stamp said both Dunn and Ophoff, though dissimilar in some ways, prove his point that attitude and attention to detail pay off in their track speciality.

Dunn has more raw speed, but Ophoff more strength.

“The key is, they’re both very efficient. They spend as little time in the air as possible. They keep contact with the ground," said Stamp.

For their part, both hurdle phenoms said Stamp has made them into winners, both on and off the track.

“I came into high school with kind of a chip on my shoulder,” said Dunn, who may compete in as many as four events at Drake this weekend. “He saw something in me. He made me into a hurdler, but he made me into a better person, too. He’s a life coach and a track coach.”

Ophoff, who plans to study civil engineering and compete in the hurdles at Iowa State next year, credits his coach for his achievements in school as well as on the track.

“Coach Stamp is all about maximizing your potential. He’s taught me that if you work hard in school or in the hurdles, anything is possible.”

The coach himself, who returned to the classroom nine years ago to teach industrial technology at Oak Ridge Middle School, described himself as “a builder and a teacher.”

“I built houses, and I build hurdlers. I’m passionate about sharing my knowledge. And I work extremely hard to teach my guys how to become successful. That’s my mission.”

Evans doubles his fun at Forwald Relays

IOWA CITY - Linn-Mar High School sophomore Josh Evans dominated the distance races at the Forwald Relays in Iowa City Thursday.

Evans broke the meet record and became the state leader in the 3200 meter run when he toured the Iowa City High track in 9:20.64. He also won the 1600 meter run in 4:25.05.

The Lions set another meet record and became the state leader in the 4x800 relay with a swift performance of 7:52.82 with Chase Grabau, Duggan Trenary, Jabez Walker and Matt Simon doing the honors.

Walker won the 400 meter low hurdles for Linn-Mar in 56.57 seconds. The Lions also won the sprint medley in 3:34.92 with Jake Luerkens, Tristan Freese, Simon and Grabau running the legs.

Brandon Ophoff, the state leader in the 110 high hurdles and 400 meter low hurdles for Linn-Mar, attended a church conference in St. Louis Thursday and did not compete.

Iowa City West ran away with the team championship with 175 points. Iowa City High finished second with 123 points and Linn-Mar placed third with 82.

FORWALD/COLEMAN RELAYS

Team Standings

1. Iowa City West 175, 2. Iowa City High 123, 3. Linn-Mar 82, 4. West Des Moines Valley 69, 5. Pleasant Valley 56, 6. Southeast Polk 24, 7. Des Moines East 21, 8. Muscatine 8.

Winners

4x800 relay - Linn-Mar 7:52.82 (meet record)
3200 - Josh Evans, Linn-Mar, 9:20.64 (meet record)
Shuttle hurdle relay - IC High 57.01 (meet record)
100 - Armando Williams, IC West, 11.04.
100 wheelchair - Jordan Houdeshell, Linn-Mar, 21.48 (meet record)
400 - Ryan Dorman, IC High, 50.44.
400 wheelchair - Jordan Houdeshell 1:25.28.
4x200 relay - IC West 1:28.45.
110 hurdles - Dan Roemerman, IC High, 14.84.
1600 - Josh Evans, Linn-Mar, 4:25.05.
200 - Armando Williams, IC West, 22.35.
400 hurdles - Jabez Walker, Linn-Mar, 56.57.
Sprint medley - Linn-Mar 3:34.92.
800 - Bailey Wetherell, IC West, 2:00.17.
4x100 relay - IC West 42.31.
4x400 relay - WDM Valley 3:23.91.
Discus - Nick Kleppe, Pleasant Valley 162-6.
Shot put - Jacob Campos, WDM Valley, 52-11.
Long jump - Richard Bryant, IC West, 21-4 1/2.
High jump - Dondre Alexander, IC West, 6-2.

Linn-Mar Placewinners
(Top 6)

1st - 4x800 relay (Chase Grabau, Duggan Trenary, Jabez Walker, Matt Simon) 7:52.82 (meet record: old 7:57.68).
1st - Josh Evans, 3200, 9:20.64 (meet record: old 9:24.53).
1st - Josh Evans, 1600, 4:25.05.
1st - Jabez Walker, 400 hurdles, 56.57.
1st - Sprint medley (Jake Luerkens, Tristan Freese, Matt Simon, Chase Grabau) 3:34.92.
3rd - Tommy Feller, 200, 23.35.
4th - 4x200 relay (Austin Fleider, Tristan Freese, Tim Wolf, Jake Luerkens) 1:31.75.
4th - 4x100 relay (Austiin Fleider, Jake Luerkens, Travis Kvach, Tristan Freese) 44.87.
4th - 4x400 relay (Jabez Walker, Duggan Trenary, Will Fuhrmann, Ryan Wirth) 3:28.60.
4th - Jake Halupnik, shot put, 46-3.
5th - Keegan Cook, 400, 53.31.
5th - Ellis McBrayer, 400 hurdles, 58.89.
5th - Keegan Cook, 800, 2:03.97.
6th - Tyler Chlystun, 3200, 10:05.39.
6th - Shuttle hurdle relay (Mike Keiser, Tristan Freese, Perion Scott, Colton Sanchez) 1:01.36.
6th - Devin Bettmann, 800, 2:04.58.
6th - Colton Sanchez, long jump, 19-9 3/4.

Ophoff shatters records at Hawkins Relays

Linn-Mar senior Brandon Ophoff claimed he got a little lucky at the 47th Annual Hawkins Relays at Prairie High School on Tuesday.

It's funny how lucky a guy gets when he combines talent, hard work and determination into great success.

Ophoff shattered meet records in the 110 meter high hurdles and 400 low hurdles, grabbed the state lead in both events, set personal bests in both races and broke Kyle Dunn's school record in the 110 highs.

"I got a little bit of a breeze at my back, a little bit of luck," Ophoff said after his remarkable performance. "I think God was looking over me tonight, that's for sure, because those were some good times. I'm glad today went the way it did."

Ophoff zoomed to victory in the 110 high hurdles in 13.9 seconds, smashing the meet record of 14.42 and breaking Dunn's school mark of 13.96 set just a year ago.

He claimed the 400 low hurdles in 53.49 seconds to snap the meet record of 54.1 that had stood for 25 years while setting another personal record in the process.

"It's great I ran fast tonight, but I have to run fast when it counts," he said.

It will count next week when Ophoff competes at the Drake Relays in Des Moines. The 110 high hurdles will be held on Friday, April 27 and the 400 low hurdles will be staged on Saturday, April 28.

Linn-Mar hurdles coach Tim Stamp credits Ophoff's success to a terrific work ethic, strenuous training and intelligence. He also notes Ophoff was a gymnast when younger, contributing to his great flexibility as he flies over the hurdles.

"He's the most efficient hurdler I've ever coached," said Stamp, who coached his first state hurdles champ in 1982. "He's just a tough, hard-nosed kid."

Dunn, now a freshman at track power Arkansas, won Class 4A state titles in the 110 highs and 400 lows last year. It appeared his school record of 13.96 in the 110 highs might last a while, but it lasted only one year.

Erase Dunn's name and insert Ophoff's.

"That's definitely something that was on my checklist for the year," Ophoff said after breaking Dunn's mark in the 110 highs, "but it was going to be a little iffy whether I could do that or not."

There was no "if" about it Tuesday.

Ophoff performed in Dunn's shadow last year, but he has the spotlight all to himself in the hurdles this season.

"Kyle is the best thing that could have ever happened to me, just being able to be behind him for three years," Ophoff remarked. "I never would have thought that times like that would ever be possible if it weren't for Kyle. He was right in my backyard for three years; (I was) watching him and trying to model myself after him."

Ophoff attacks the high hurdles like those wooden barriers are his enemy.

"You have to attack," he said. "You have to think 'through' the hurdles, not over them. You can't waste time in the air, because you're slowing down."

Ophoff set the pace on a record-setting night at the Hawkins Relays. Six records bit the dust, including a spectacular showing by Timauntay Jones of Jefferson in the 800 meter run. His clocking of 1:56.90 was the second-fastest in the state this year, according to the Iowa High School Athletic Association website.

Jacob Aune of Prairie set a meet record in the 3200 in 9:40.51, Xavier established a new standard in the 4x200 relay in 1:30.62 and the Marion Indians claimed a spot in the record book with a 58.62 showing in the shuttle hurdle relay.

Linn-Mar emerged from a tight three-way battle with Marion and Xavier to claim the team championship with 104.5 points. The Marion Indians finished second in the seven-team field with 98.5 points and the Saints placed third with 92. Prairie edged Jefferson for fourth place, 72-71.

Josh Evans raced to victory in the 1600 meter run in 4:22.73 for Linn-Mar, placing him among the state leaders in the event. The Lions also captured the 4x800 relay.

Craig Murtha doubled in the shot put and discus for Xavier and Alec Clasen claimed the high jump for the Saints at 6-foot-5.

Marion captured the sprint medley and 4x100 relay in addition to its record-setting effort in the shuttle hurdle relay.

Austin Dellamuth won the 400 meter dash for Prairie in a swift 50.39 seconds and Demetrius Harper took the long jump for the Hawks at 19 feet, 11 inches.

Nate Karlan flashed to victory in the 100 meter dash for Jefferson in 10.76 seconds. The J-Hawks also captured the 4x400 relay.

47TH ANNUAL HAWKINS RELAYS
At Prairie High School

Team Standings
1. Linn-Mar 104.5, 2. Marion 98.5, 3. Xavier 92, 4. Prairie 72, 5. Jefferson 71, 6. Iowa City West 68, 7. Western Dubuque 52.

High Jump
1. Alec Clasen (CRX) 6-5, 2. Isaac Frazier (MAR) 6-4, 3. Dondre Alexander (ICW) 5-10, 4. Jeremy Morgan (ICW) 5-10, 5. Lance Scallon (CRJ) 5-8, 6. Austin Schwartz (CRJ) 5-8.

Long Jump
1. Demetrius Harper (CRP) 19-11, 2. Riley Pfeiler (WD) 19-10, 3. Colton Sanchez (LM) 19-6, 4. DeQuan Coats (ICW) 19-0, 5. (tie) Gabe Kendall (LM) 18-7; Jared Samuelson (MAR) 18-7.

Shot Put
1. Craig Murtha (CRX) 48-9, 2. Zach Bornes (MAR) 48-3, 3. Justin Dolley (MAR) 46-4, 4. Ryan Eivins (CRJ) 46-1, 5. Jack Halupnik (LM) 45-7, 6. Jeff Rhulow (ICW) 44-0.

Discus
1. Craig Murtha (CRX) 152-9, 2. Colton Spicer (CRJ) 144-5, 3. Robbie Hanson (ICW) 144-3, 4. Zach Bornes (MAR) 143-5, 5. Zach Berryman (CRJ) 137-8, 6. Sam Manternach (CRP) 137-2.

3200 Meter Run
1. Jacob Aune (CRP) 9:40.51 (meet record; old 9:41.37), 2. Mitch Pritts (CRP) 9:42.70, 3. Ben Schueler (CRX) 10:06.53, 4. Daniel Murphy (LM) 10:10.52, 5. Taylor Mueller (CRJ) 10:10.99, 6. Tyler Chlystun (LM) 10:27.98.

4x800 Meter Relay
1. Linn-Mar (Brandon Decker, Josh Wick, Joe A'Hearn, Devin Bettmann) 8:29.99, 2. Marion (Trevor Hardman, Jordan Garthwaite, Peter Rethwisch, Mitchell Livingston) 8:37.75, 3. Prairie (Isaiah Vlasek, Luke Galloway, Connor Neuhaus, Steven Wallace) 8:40.48, 4. Iowa City West 8:42.98, 5. Xavier (Ben Valentine, Collin O'Connell, Evan Gradoville, Patrick Mullin) 8:44.11, 6. Jefferson (Aaron Carter, Colton Cortez, Trae Gesling, Devin Stone) 8:52.39.

Shuttle Hurdle Relay
1. Marion (Isaac Frazier, Andrew Davis, Cedrick Williams, Taylor Rogers) 58.62 (meet record: old 59.85), 2. Iowa City West 59.03, 3. Linn-Mar (Colton Sanchez, Mike Keiser, Tristan Freese, Brandon Ophoff) 59.06, 4. Western Dubuque 1:00.19, 5. Prairie (Mitch Dellamuth, Keagan Pinter, Jarred Edmonds, Haakon Wilz) 1:02.67, 6. Xavier (Noah Clasen, David
Kirpes, Nick Lang, Josh Nelson) 1:04.43.

100 Meter Dash
1. Nate Karlan (CRJ) 10.76, 2. Derrick Williams (MAR) 10.87, 3. Nick Steingreaber (CRX) 10.93, 4. Nick Ball (CRX) 10.97, 5. Jordan Weber (CRX) 11.08, 6. Dylan Chittick (CRJ) 11.13.

400 Meter Dash
1. Austin Dellamuth (CRP) 50.39, 2. Zach Stovie (CRX) 51.29, 3. Will Fuhrmann (LM) 52.45, 4. Noah Clasen (CRX) 52.48, 5. Trey Sampson (CRX) 52.85, 6. Amani Richardson (LM) 53.05.

4x200 Relay
1. Xavier (Nick Ball, Brandon Gradoville, Cal Stovie, Jordan Weber) 1:30.62 (meet record: old 1:30.9), 2. Marion (Derrick Williams, Isaac Smith, Cale Cannoy, Devin LeBeau) 1:31.05, 3. Jefferson A (Nate Karlan, Ryan Deerberg, Alex Baxter, Chance Tiedtke) 1:31.71, 4. Linn-Mar B (Tim Wolf, Mason Renner, Ellis McBrayer, Kevin Bogert) 1:34.23, 5. Linn-Mar A (Austin Fleider, Logan Nelson, Nick Suskind, Tristan Freese) 1:34.37, 6. Jefferson B (Jordan Selby, Aaron Gruwell, Tim Larson, William Orr) 1:34.38.

110 Meter Hurdles
1. Brandon Ophoff (LM) 13.90 (meet record: old 14.42), 2. Taylor Rogers (MAR) 14.97, 3. Mike Keiser (LM) 15.00, 4. Andrew Gilbaugh (ICW) 15.12, 5. Haakon Wilz (CRP) 15.21, 6. Josh Nelson (CRX) 15.32.

1600 Meter Run
1. Josh Evans (LM) 4:22.73, 2. Bailey Wetherell (ICW) 4:23.20, 3. Daniel Gardarsson (ICW) 4:25.22, 4. Chase Grabau (LM) 4:27.12, 5. Lincoln Rozeboom (ICW) 4:29.80, 6. Jacob Aune (CRP) 4:47.48.

200 Meter Dash
1. Garrett McDermott (WD) 23.15, 2. Cal Stovie (CRX) 23.36, 3. Jarred Edmonds (CRP) 23.82, 4. (tie) Chance Tiedtke (CRJ) 23.93; Daniel Beard (WD) 23.93; 6. Ethan Herran (MAR) 24.07.

400 Low Hurdles
1. Brandon Ophoff (LM) 53.49 (meet record: old 54.1); 2. Tyler Donovan (WD) 56.17, 3. Matt Feeley (ICW) 56.46, 4. Ellis McBrayer (LM) 56.96, 5. Lucas Vanous (CRJ) 58.48, 6. Haakon Wilz (CRP) 58.91.

1600 Sprint Medley Relay
1. Marion A (Derrick Williams, Devin LeBeau, Isaac Smith, Lukas Mees) 3:36.45, 2. Xavier (Nick Ball, Jordan Weber, Zach Stovie, Brandon Gradoville) 3:40.42, 3. Prairie (Austin Dellamuth, Demetrius Harper, Mitch Dellamuth, Mitch Pritts) 3:44.59, 4. Marion B (Nathan Scherbaum, Cedrick Williams, Arron Davis, Peter Rethwisch) 3:53.60, 5. Linn-Mar (Kevin
Bogert, Tim Wolf, Josh Wick, Will Fuhrmann) 3:58.00, 6. Iowa City West 3:58.19.

800 Meter Run
1. Timauntay Jones (CRJ) 1:56.90 (meet record: old 1:57.7), 2. Jabez Walker (LM) 1:57.28, 3. Kaleb Greiner (ICW) 1:58.57, 4. Greg Sam (MAR) 1:58.94, 5. Ryan Hermsen (WD) 1:59.43, 6. Duggan Trenary (LM) 2:00.58.

4x100 Relay
1. Marion (Derrick Williams, Isaac Smith, Jared Samuelson, Devin LeBeau) 43.97, 2. Western Dubuque 44.27, 3. Jefferson (Aaron Gruwell, Asim Wallace, Chance Tiedtke, Nate Karlan) 44.41, 4. Linn-Mar A (Austin Fleider, Nick Suskind, Travis Kvach, Tristan Freese) 44.81, 5. Linn-Mar B (Jordan Klepach, Zach Garnett, Gabe Kendall, Logan Nelson) 46.13, 6.
Xavier (Miles Sullivan, Hunter Baldus, Stephen Jones, Logan Clarahan) 46.16.

4x400 Relay
1. Jefferson (Alex Baxter, Timauntay Jones, Jordan Selby, Ryan Deerberg) 3:26.47, 2. Prairie (Austin Dellamuth, Alex Nelson, Jacob Aune, Demetrius Harper) 3:27.77, 3. Western Dubuque 3:28.64, 4. Marion (Isaac Frazier, Trevor Hardman, Cale Cannoy, Andrew Davis) 3:32.48, 5. Xavier (Ben Valentine, Brandon Gradoville, Noah Clasen, Zach Stovie) 3:34.18, 6. Linn-Mar (Amani Richardson, Josh Wick, Brandon Decker, Ellis McBrayer) 3:36.41.