Derek Jacobus woke up Saturday morning and felt he was ready for a really good day at the Draxton/Stiers/Wilkinson Invitational coed track meet at Kingston Stadium.

He had no idea how good.

Jacobus soared 23 feet, 1 1/2 inch in the long jump to break the Kennedy record and move into the No.1 spot in the state rankings. He won the long jump at the Class 4A state meet last year at 22 feet, 10 1/4 inches, so he's already ahead of his junior campaign despite an assortment of ailments.

Jacobus has battled a kidney illness for much of the school year, requiring a regular dose of medications that had his face all puffy with retained water, and he tweaked a hamstring muscle earlier this month that led to him skipping a meet.

Jacobus looked good and felt good Saturday, though.

"Yes, finally," he said. "And it's good to get some good weather, too. I felt real good today. I felt like I was soaring, really. I've never never had that feeling.

"I knew it would be a great day. I was feeling good this whole week in practice."

Jacobus set the tone as Kennedy won nine of 18 events and ran away with the team championship with 167 points.

The Jefferson girls won eight of 19 events and surged past Kennedy for top honors in their half of the coed meet with 146 points.

Jacobus put on a dazzling show in the long jump. He topped 22 feet on his first jump, good enough to qualify for the Drake Relays and win Saturday's event, but he elected to keep jumping, aiming for the school record of 23 feet.

Jacobus has altered his approach in the long jump with a faster start. He feels the extra speed helps him jump further, but he did not expect a 23-foot leap Saturday. He was aiming for 21 feet, 8 inches.

"I got a little bit over that, I guess," he said with a smile.

Now that he's jumped 23 feet, he'll start thinking about hitting 24. "It could be a goal," he said. "If I get a good one off, a 24 could be in reach."

Jacobus is a four-sport athlete at Kennedy in football, basketball, track and baseball. He'll run track at the University of Northern Iowa next year, where he'll compete in the long jump and possibly dabble in the decathlon.

Jacobus likes to keep busy and is intrigued with the decathlon. He's already a hurdler, sprinter and long jumper, but he'd have to learn a few more events that's he's never tried before.

"I think it would be good for me and learn something new all the time," he said. "It may be a fun thing to be in. A lot to learn."

Jacobus helped Kennedy place second in the shuttle hurdle relay at state last year. The Cougars have another strong unit in that event this year and dominated the race Saturday with Jacobus, Shaun Beyer, Marcus Perkins and Famiek Cook.

Cook barely made it to Kingston Stadium in time for the shuttle hurdle relay after taking the ACT exam Saturday morning.

Perkins, Cook, Jacobus and Jacob Shannon combined to claim the 4x100 relay. The Cougars also got individual titles from Drew Heitland in the shot put (51-5 1/4), Mark Schultz in the 400 (52.69), Cook in the 200 (23.61) and Perkins in the 400 hurdles (56.30).

The Kennedy boys also won the distance medley and the 4x400 relay.

The Jefferson girls had three individual winners with Jasmine Blue in the 100 (13.52), Madison Ranschau in the 100 hurdles (15.59) and Lucy Schneekloth in the 200 (27.09).

The J-Hawks also claimed the shuttle hurdle relay, 4x200 relay, sprint medley, 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay. Blue and Schneekloth ran on three winning relays, making them four-time champs in the meet.

The Linn-Mar boys won three events. Josh Evans blazed to victory in the 800 (1:57.53) and Daniel Murphy claimed the 1600 (4:34.55). The Lions also won the 4x800 relay.

Nate Karlan won the 100 for Jefferson. The J-Hawks also captured the 4x200 relay.

Quinn Cannoy won the 110 hurdles for Marion (15.71). Jacob Schmitt took the 3200 for Xavier (10:41.37).

The Kennedy girls claimed four individual crowns with Jade Irish in the high jump (5-0 1/2), Alyssa Averhoff in the 3000 (11:21.01), Kirsten Siebenga in the 800 (2:33.35) and Kelsie Coates in the 400 hurdles (1:11.69). The Cougars also won the distance medley.

BOYS STANDINGS

1. Kennedy 167, 2. Linn-Mar 117, 3. Jefferson 90, 4. Center Point-Urbana 67, 5. Marion 57, 6. Xavier 40, 7. Burlington 20.

BOYS WINNERS

High jump - Levi Gatrost, Center Point-Urbana, 6-3

Long jump - Derek Jacobus, Kennedy, 23- 1 1/2

Shot put - Drew Heitland, Kennedy, 51-5 1/4

Discus - Andrew Reeves, Center Point-Urbana, 143-8

4x800 relay - Linn-Mar (Dalton Gosch, Greyson Dolezal, Joe A'Hearn, Andrew Schuring) 8:30.88

3200 - Jacob Schmitt, Xavier, 10:41.37

Shuttle hurdle relay - Kennedy (Famiek Cook, Derek Jacobus, Marcus Perkins, Shaun Beyer) 58.80

100 - Nate Karlan, Jefferson, 11.72

400 - Mark Schultz, Kennedy, 52.69

4x200 relay - Jefferson (Alphonso Soko, Nate Karlan, Jacob Beaton, Dan Larson) 1:30.74

110 hurdles - Quinn Cannoy, Marion, 15.71

1600 - Daniel Murphy, Linn-Mar, 4:34.55

200 - Famiek Cook, Kennedy, 23.61

400 hurdles - Marcus Perkins, Kennedy, 56.30

1600 medley relay - Kennedy (Chase Baker, Triston Christopher, Mitchell Gaffey, Mark Schultz) 3:40.33

800 - Josh Evans, Linn-Mar, 1:57.53

4x100 relay - Kennedy (Marcus Perkins, Famiek Cook, Jacob Shannon, Derek Jacobus) 43.97

4x400 relay - Kennedy (Zach Tinkey, Mitchell Gaffey,  Hunter Schoenauer, Nick Duehr) 3:29.85

GIRLS STANDINGS

1. Jefferson 146, 2. Kennedy 128, 3. Hempstead 90, 4. Cedar Falls 80, 5. Prairie 75, 6. Center Point-Urbana 50, 7. Xavier 13.

GIRLS WINNERS

High jump - Jade Irish, Kennedy, 5-0 1/2

Long jump - Nakiah Kimble, Hempstead, 15-7 3/4

Shot put - Allison Griffin, Cedar Falls, 40-3 1/2

Discus - Hope Koerperich, Hempstead, 131-6

3000 - Alyssa Averhoff, Kennedy, 11:21.01

4x800 relay - Hempstead 10:25.66

Shuttle hurdle relay - Jefferson (Abbie Ranschau, Ellie Trosky, Sam Kitterman, Madison Ranschau) 1:08.53

100 - Jasmine Blue, Jefferson, 13.52

Distance medley - Kennedy (Jade Irish, Tianna Drahn, Kelsie Coates, Kirsten Siebenga) 4:33.18

400 - Bailey Ohesorge, Hempstead, 1:03.18

4x200 relay - Jefferson (Abbie Ranschau, Jasmine Blue, Morgan Meese, Lucy Schneekloth) 1:44.97

100 hurdles - Madison Ranschau, Jefferson, 15.59

800 - Kirsten Siebenga, Kennedy, 2:33.35

200 - Lucy Schneekloth, Jefferson, 27.09

400 hurdles - Kelsie Coates, Kennedy, 1:11.69

Sprint medley relay - Jefferson (Madison Ranschau, Morgan Meese, Lucy Schneekloth, Jasmine Blue) 1:53.85

1500 - Cassidy Christopher, Cedar Falls, 5:14.97

4x100 relay - Jefferson (Lucy Schneekloth, Abbie Ranschau, Morgan Meese, Jasmine Blue) 49.91

4x400 relay - Jefferson (Sam Kitterman, Autumn Anderson, McKayla Belew, Meredith Koenigsfeld) 4:15.76