Washington High School - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Lions win medley, lead 4A standings

DES MOINES - Amber Decker has been collapsing after races ever since she began running for Linn-Mar High School as a freshman two years ago.

She collapsed -- and celebrated -- again Friday.

Decker ran the anchor leg as the Lions claimed the distance medley relay at the Class 4A state meet and stayed ahead of the pack in the race for the title.

Decker runs to the point of exhaustion, and sometimes beyond. She spent a few minutes bent over on the track at Drake Stadium on Friday after the medley, got to her feet, walked off the track and then reclined on her back on the field turf while her teammates hovered around.

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Rima claims state title in 400

DES MOINES - Jalen Rima scrunched his face and shook his head when former Cedar Rapids Prairie football coach Mike Morrissey told him to join the track team two years ago.

Rima did not want to run around in circles, but Morrissey made it perfectly clear: No track, no football.

"I wasn't going to go out my freshman year, but because of him I went out," Rima said Thursday, all smiles. "Thank god he made me."

Rima blazed to victory in the 400 meter dash in 48.85 seconds at the Class 4A state track meet in Des Moines and is now perfectly happy to run track instead of just running pass patterns.

In fact, the faster he runs in track, the more attention he gets from Division I college football teams. Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa and others called Morrissey a few days after Rima ran an incredibly fast 400 meter split in a relay at the Drake Relays this year.

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Kennedy wins meet at Gardner

Kennedy's Siedrra Hargens shot a 5-over par 41 to take medalist honors and lead the Cougars to a narrow two-shot victory over Washington in a five-team meet Thursday at Gardner.

Prairie was a close third with a 197. The Hawks' Emily Machula took second with a 43.

Kandis O'Donnell and Grace Claassen each shot 47s to lead the way for Washington.

TEAM SCORING: Kennedy 194, Washington 196, Prairie 197, Linn-Mar 216, Marion 238.

KENNEDY: Sierra Hargens 41, Val Davidson 48, Nicole DeCoste 51, Avery Haefner 54, Annette Marsalli 55, Abbie Haller 57.

LINN-MAR: Kristen Harding 50, Alexa Mindrup 52, Hannah Westfall 57, Danielle Gerlach 57, Allie Cahill 62, Megan Murphy 63.

MARION: Carly Eichelberger 54, Skylar Dede 54, Anna Martinson 64, Erin Thomason 66, Isabelle Webber 71.

PRAIRIE: Emily Machula 43, Hannah Stebral 49, Peyton Staab 51, Lexi Poundstone 54, Amanda Happel 57, Milayla Winter 57.

WASHINGTON: Kandis O'Donnell 47, Grace Claassen 47, Mady Goodwin 49, Brett Visser 53, Devon O'Donnell 55, Riley DeWolf 55, Anna Rhode 57.

Wash sending 4 players to state meet

MARSHALLTOWN - Washington's Kelly King defeated teammate Jennifer Grief, 6-0, 6-2, in a Class 2A regional final on Thursday.

Both Warriors advanced to the state meet as did the doubles team of Lilly Hartman and Hannah Sherman, a 6-4, 6-0 winner over Waterloo West's Din Kaitozavic and Tina Kaitozavic.