DES MOINES -- Alex Carr delivered a message to high school track fans Saturday after Cedar Rapids Washington finished a close third in the 4x100 relay at Drake.

Don't count us out, he announced.

There was a bang-bang-bang finish in the 4x100 on a warm, sunny day in Des Moines. Cedar Falls won the event in 42.23 seconds, West Des Moines Valley finished second in 42.33 and the Warriors placed third in 42.39 in an exciting race.

Carr doesn't like to lose, but he was encouraged by the result. The Warriors had a slight bobble on one of their handoffs, which may have cost them the race.

"We can win it," Carr said. "I've never thought we couldn't win it. The sky's the limit."

Carr was talking specifically about the 4x100, but he also was talking about Washington winning another team championship at the Class 4A state meet May 19-21. The Warriors won the Class 4A championships in 2009 and 2010.

Carr, a senior, is hoping for a three-peat to end his prep sports career, and he thinks his team is headed in the right direction after a promising display at the 102nd Drake Relays.

Will Griffin and Carr tied for second in the 100 meter dash on Friday, then they helped the Warriors contend for top honors in the 4x100 on Saturday.

"I'm proud of us," Carr said. "I see that we're making strides and that we can be right up there with the good teams. We ARE one of the good teams.

"I mean, we're the defending state champs two years in a row. I still feel like we have the bull's-eye on our back, and that's how we have to feel each and every meet."

Alonzo Carr, Griffin and Kristopher Gardner ran the first three legs on the 4x100 relay. Griffin blazed down the backstretch on his leg to set the stage, then Alex Carr battled James Harrington of Cedar Falls and Isaac Lintz of Valley on the anchor leg.

"We were right there," Carr said. "Right there."

Harrington beat Griffin and Carr in the 100, then denied them again in the 4x100.

Metro athletes did not win any titles at Drake on Saturday, but there were some strong performances by runners from Washington, Prairie and Linn-Mar.

Brooke Foreman placed in three events for Washington on a busy day. She helped the Warriors finish third in the shuttle hurdle relay and fourth in the 4x100 relay and placed fourth in the 400 hurdles with a personal-best 63.88 seconds.

Taylor Vogel, Alissa Oney and Layloni Beard joined Foreman on the shuttle hurdle. The Warriors broke the meet record in 64.50 seconds, but Urbandale (63.65) and Waukee (63.83) were faster.

Jazz Royster, Oney and Beard joined forces with Foreman on the 4x100 in 49.41 seconds. Des Moines Roosevelt was the winner in 47.79.

Nick Lucas of Linn-Mar finished third in the 400 hurdles in 53.90 seconds. Nick Efkamp of Madrid won the race in 53.04.

The Lions placed seventh in the 4x400 relay witih Lucas, Aaron Razo, Jordan Kremer and Matt Simon touring the blue oval in 3:27.13. Carolyn Newhouse finished eighth in the 1500 for Linn-Mar in 4:48.24.

Cedar Rapids Prairie took fourth in the 4x800 relay in 7:57.58 with Kyle Stocker, Ryan Smith, Justin Burns and Matt Stocker breaking 8 minutes for the first time this season. Indianola won in 7:52.42.

Kyle Stocker came back later and finished fifth in the 1600 run in 4:20.53. Alec Baldwin of Spirit Lake Park was the winner in 4:14.76.