Prairie Boys Track

Kyle Stocker 10th in 3200 at Drake

DES MOINES -- Linn-Mar senior Amanda Piche lived dangerously at the 102nd Annual Drake Relays on Thursday.

She was almost disqualified for wearing the wrong number on her uniform (not her fault), then almost failed to qualify for the finals in the discus after winning the event here last year.

"I was kind of freaking out," she said.

The day had a mostly happy ending. Piche overcame the misadventures and finished second in the discus at 137 feet, 9 inches. That was better than her winning toss of 136-9 last year, but not good enough to beat Dakotah Goodell of Williamsburg (140-0).

"I'm a little disappointed, because I won last year," Piche said, "but I'm really excited that I actually made it to the finals. Because, wow, I did terrible in the first round of throws."

Piche threw 112 feet, 8 inches on her first toss, then was stopped before she could return to the ring for her second throw. One of the Drake Relays officials noticed she was wearing entry No. 4184 on her uniform when she was supposed to be No. 4186.

Somehow, Piche and Linn-Mar distance runner Carolyn Newhouse mistakenly had each other's number and for a while it looked like they wouldn't let Piche take her second throw.

"I don't know how they got mixed up," Piche said. "When they (Linn-Mar's coaches) gave them out to us they thought it as the right number. I guess it must not have been right in the packet or something."

After a short delay, a Drake official told Piche she could take her second throw and they'd resolve the problem later. Piche promptly had her worst throw of the day and deliberately scratched by stepping out of the front of the ring.

"It kind of broke my concentration," she said. "I was a little worried that I was going to be DQ'd, and so I was kind of freaking out in my mind, and then I wasn't really focused on the throw.

"I was focused on the number, so that kind of threw me off a little. It was like a hundred feet. I didn't know what was happening."

This all happened at approximately 4 p.m., and by coincidence Newhouse was scheduled to compete in the 3000 meter run at 4:10 p.m. Newhouse had No. 4186, but was supposed to be No. 4184 and risked being disqualified as well.

Fortunately for Linn-Mar, the discus facility at Drake is near the track, where Newhouse was getting ready for her race.

"Our distance coach ran over, got her number and got my number and switched them," Piche explained. "Yeah, I was a little worried. I was a little flustered."

Linn-Mar Coach Craig Pilcher identified Kim Kuda as the distance coach who saved the day.

Piche regained her composure and had a toss of 126 feet, 5 inches on her third and final throw in the prelims to qualify for the finals. Only eight of 24 contestants made the finals, and Piche advanced with the seventh-best toss.

Given a fresh start, she uncorked throws of 137-9, 137-2 and 128-4 in the finals to finish in second place by 10 inches.

"I'm really happy I made runnerup," she said. "I came from the bowels of the competition and made it to second place, so I'm really happy about that."

Newhouse wasn't so fortunate in her event. She battled for third place during the first part of the 3000 meter run, but faded and finished ninth in 10:28.77. Shelby Houlihan of Sioux City East won the race in 9:56.71.

Xavier junior Alec Clasen tied for eighth in the boys high jump at 6 feet, 4 inches. Jordan Cress of Olin won the event at 6 feet, 8 inches.

Cedar Rapids Prairie senior Kyle Stocker finished 10th in the boys 3200 meter run in 9:36.79. Kevin Lewis of Ottumwa won the race and set a meet record in 9:05.58.

Cedar Rapids Washington junior Callie Stone finished 22nd in the girls long jump at 15 feet, 2 3/4 inches. Alex Gochenour of Logan-Magnolia won the long jump at 18-2.

The Drake Relays continue Friday and Saturday.

Hawks 5th at South Tama Invy

TAMA - Alec Clasen won the high jump and Xavier captured two sprint relays Tuesday to finish in second place at the South Tama Invitational boys track meet.

Clasen cleared 6-foot-2 for first place in the high jump.

Nick Ball, Eric Zenisek, Jordan Weber and Eric Hovda claimed the 4x200 relay (1:33.42) and the 4x100 relay (44.13) for the Saints.

Sam Joens of Prairie won the discus with a toss of 166 feet, 11 inches. The Hawks finished fifth out of 12 teams in the meet.

Pella won the team title with 138 points. Xavier was second with 120.

SOUTH TAMA INVITATIONAL
Team Standings

1. Pella 138, 2. Xavier 120, 3. Clear Creek Amana 93, 4. BCLUW 86, 5. Prairie 73, 6. South Tama 71, 7. Grinnell 60, 8. Williamsburg 57, 9. Grundy Center 31, 10. Benton Community 29, 11. Iowa Valley 19, 12. Meskwaki 3.

High jump - Alec Clasen (CRX) 6-2; Long jump - Nick Clancy (ST) 20-3; Discus - Sam Joens (CRP) 166-11; Shot put - Alan Pfadenhauer (Pella) 47-1.

3200 relay - South Tama 8:41.64 (Xavier, 3rd, 9:02.76); 3200 - Levi Storjohann (BCLUW) 10:08.37 (Ben Schuler, Xavier, 3rd, 10:27.26); Shuttle hurdle relay - Clear Creek Amana 1:00.70 (Xavier, 3rd, 1:03.43.)

100 - Chris Brogden (Pella) 11.62 (Nick Ball, Xavier, 3rd, 11.80); 400 - Jared Ganschow (CCA) 50.17 (Matt Stocker, Prairie, 3rd, 51.03); 800 relay - Xavier (Nick Ball, Eric Zenisek, Jordan Weber, Eric Hovda) 1:33.42.

110 hurdles - Hunter Stokes (CCA) 15.14 (Carter Valentine, Xavier, 2nd, 15.33); 1600 - Jay Welp (BCLUW) 4:45.42 (Scott Titler, Prairie, 3rd, 4:58.25); 200 - Jared Ganschow (CCA) 22.98 (Eric Hovda, Xavier, 2nd, 23.18).

400 hurdles - Zach Manders (CCA) 55.46; Distance medley - Grinnell 3:47.16 (Prairie, 2nd, 3:48.93); 800 - Jay Welp (BCLUW) 2:04.30; 400 relay - Xavier (Nick Ball, Eric Zenisek, Jordan Weber, Eric Hovda) 44.13; 1600 relay - Clear Creek Amana 3:31.89 (Xavier, 3rd, 3:40.85).

Prairie boys have 3 winners in rain-shortened meet

BURLINGTON -- Rain cancelled the Grayhound Relays co-ed track meet Thursday after 15 events. There were no team scores kept.

Prairie had three winners in the seven boys events contested. Sam Joens won the discus, Tristan Beyer the 400 meters and the 4x800 relay also won.

The Kennedy girls also won the 4x800 relay. The Cougars also had third-place finishes in the distance medley and shuttle hurdle relays.  Prairie was second in all three relays.

GRAYHOUND RELAYS

GIRLS
Shot put — 1. Alicia Steffany (Burlington), 38-3 1/2; 2. Ranae Stock (Davenport West), 36-7 1/2; 3. Brianna Nash (Davenport Central), 35-2 1/2.

Long jump — 1. Brena Peterson (Burlington), 16-0; 2. Allanah McCorkle (Davenport Central), 15-9 1/2; 3. Kelly Bahl (Keokuk), 15-6 1/4.

100 — 1. Jaquoia Lindsey (Davenport Central), 13.03; 2. Desiree Davis (Davenport Central), 13.25; 3. Kelly Bahl (Keokuk), 13.33.

 400 — 1. Alisha Jones (Davenport North), 58.58; 2. Amanda Milne (Davenport West), 1:01.88; 3. Katie Carver (CR Prairie), 1:02.00.

 3,000 — 1. Mackenzie Eland (Burlington), 11:22.99; 2. Tara Mittelberg (CR Kennedy), 11:45.24; 3. Danielle Baresel (Davenport Central), 11:52.83.

 4x800 — 1. CR Kennedy (Allison Koch, Jessica Rodman, Allison Culver, Kathia Wampole), 10:24.82; 2. CR Prairie, 10:58.15; 3. Burlington, 11:35.27.

Distance medley relay — 1. Burlington (Olivia Porter, Courtney Carl, Olivia Perry, Katie Oleson), 4:33.40; 2. CR Prairie, 4:38.39; 3. CR Kennedy, 4:39.69.

Shuttle hurdle relay — 1. Burlington (Olivia Perry, Victoria Ita, Brena Peterson, Khanishah Williams), 1:07.35; 2. CR Prairie, 1:09.06; 3. CR Kennedy, 1:11.48.

BOYS
Discus — 1. Sam Joens (CR Prairie), 159-4; 2. Michael Smithburg (Fairfield), 155-9; 3. Brandtyn Lewis (Burlington), 134-2.

High jump — 1. Daniel Schwarz (Fairfield), 6-2; 2. Corbin Harwood (Fairfield), 5-10; 3. Demetrius Harper (CR Prairie), 5-8.

100 — 1. Darrion Sanders (Keokuk), 11.57; 2. Stacy Kinkeade (Keokuk), 11.71; 3. Jay Wilsey (Central Lee, 11.83.

400 — 1. Tristan Beyer (CR Prairie), 51.54; 2. Demetrius Harper (CR Prairie), 52.05; 3. Travis Schombert (Fairfield), 52.36.

3,200 — 1. Ben Witt (Burlington), 10:03.27; 2. Mitch Pritts (CR Prairie), 10:14.45; 3. Scott Titler (CR Prairie), 10:40.64.

4x800 — 1. CR Prairie (Jordan Burns, Ryan Smith, Isaiah Vlasek, Justin Burns), 8:35.55; 2. Fairfield, 9:06.76; 3. Davenport North, 9:09.03.

Shuttle hurdle relay — 1. Central Lee (Brock Mickelson, Justin Fett, Tyler Foreman, Jake Shannon), 1:01.85; 2. CR Prairie, 1:02.89; 3. Fairfield, 1:03.80.

Sam Joens carries family legacy in discus

Sam Joens carries more than a discus when he competes for the Cedar Rapids Prairie track team. He carries a family legacy.

A member of the Joens family began throwing the discus at Prairie more than 30 years ago. They've been good, too.

Sam's father, Scott Joens, holds the school record in the discus. Jake Joens, one of Sam's uncles, won a state title.

Craig Joens, another uncle, also threw at Prairie. So did two of Sam's aunts, Sara and Angie, and so did his sister, Amy. A bunch of cousins have thrown, too. Sara held the women's record in the discus at one time, until a cousin (Holly) broke it.

Sam Joens is the latest, and he's sustaining the family's proud tradition in the event. He finished sixth at the Class 4A state meet last year as a junior and currently ranks second in the state with a heave of 170 feet, 6 inches.

His father set the school record at 185 feet, 4 inches in 1982 and it's stood for 29 years. Sam wants to break his father's mark, but needs another 15 feet.

"That's what I'm aiming for," he said Tuesday. "He wants me to break it as much as I do."

Scott Joens thought Sam might have a shot at the record at the Prairie Relays on Tuesday, but the meet got rained out. Sam has won five discus titles this spring, but he hasn't had a chance to really cut loose on a warm, breezy day.

"My goal was that Sam would break my record so people would quit asking me about it," Scott Joens said. "That would be awesome. That would be my dream come true for my son."

Sam Joens has won discus titles this spring at the J-Hawk Relays (163-0), the Hollingsworth Relays (170-6), the Wilkinson Relays (161-9 1/2), the North Scott Invitational (159-0) and a meet in Ames this past Saturday (170-4 1/2).

Justin Baker of Sioux City Heelan leads the state at 178-0, so Joens is chasing him, chasing his father's school record and chasing his Uncle Jake's state title.

The Joens family has another tradition in track and field. Scott and three of his siblings - Doug, Jake and Sara - all competed at the University of Iowa, and Sam plans to uphold that tradition as well. He has signed with the Hawkeyes and will join them next season.

Sam will throw the discus at Iowa, but he also might take a shot at the decathlon. He competed in all four prep field events at a meet earlier this year - discus, shot put, high jump, long jump - and also has done the hurdles and running events. He'd have to add the javelin and pole vault in order to become a decathlete in college, but he's thinking about it.

At 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, he's got a good frame for a decathlete and room to grow. He's talked to the Iowa track coaches about it and could give it a try.

"They've joked about it to me a little bit. My dad has, too," he said. "Yeah, I'll try it. I would definitely give it a shot if I could."

Scott Joens and his wife, Robin, run Somersault Gymnastics in southwest Cedar Rapids, and Sam participated in gymnastics when he was younger, something that could help in the pole vault. "He's kind of fearless when it comes to flipping upside down," Scott Joens said.

Sam's sister, Amy, was a gymnast, and she participated in the pole vault for a while at the University of Northern Iowa.

The decathlon could be in Sam's future, but he's currently focused on the discus. In a perfect world, Sam would break his father's record and match his Uncle Jake with a state title in Des Moines next month.

"That would make me and a bunch of other people really happy and proud," Scott Joens said. "Very, very proud."