Washington Boys Track

Corbett takes second in 400 behind Superman

DES MOINES - Nick Corbett came to the Class 4A state track meet Thursday to win the 400 meter dash, but he couldn't be too disappointed with second place.

He lost to Superman, aka James Harrington of Cedar Falls, one of the top high school track athletes of all time in Iowa.

Harrington normally torments sprinters in the 100 and 200 meter dashes, but he added the 400 to his bag of tricks Thursday to score more points for his team. The victim was Corbett, a rapidly improving junior from Cedar Rapids Washington.

Harrington won the Class 4A 400 in 48.27 seconds. Corbett took second in 49.46 and beat some good quarter-milers to claim the silver medal.

Harrington captured the sixth title of his record-setting career.

"He's got a full ride to Alabama. To finish second to him, you know it's a great race," said Corbett.

"I had the mindset that I could win this, because who wants to get second place? But it's James Harrington. It's tough to win."

If it's any consolation, Harrington had to lie down after exerting himself in the 400. Superman was sweating and still trying to catch his breath a full 10 minutes after the race.

It was only the third time all season that the Cedar Falls senior had run the open 400 in competition.

"I don't like the 400," he said. "You guys saw me on the ground over there. I couldn't move."

He moved swiftly during the race and beat Corbett by more than a second on a sunny, 80-degree day at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

It was a beautiful day for track, but not a particularly successful one for Metro athletes from Cedar Rapids and Marion. The 14 Metro boys and girls teams that are competing here did not produce a single winner on Day 1 of the three-day event.

Lukas Mees of Marion High School placed second in the 3200 meter run in Class 3A to score eight points for the Indians. Zach Buchheit of Pella won the race in 9:26.03, with Mees next in 9:31.34.

"I did everything I could," said Mees, who will run at Emory University in Atlanta next year.

Marion finished sixth in the 4x800 relay with Greg Sam, Brennen Kelly, Trevor Hardman and Jordan Garthwaite carrying the baton. The Indians, hoping to contend for the Class 3A state title, are in sixth place with 11 points. Decorah holds the 3A lead with 29 markers.

Alec Clasen of Xavier finished second in the Class 4A high jump for the second straight year by clearing 6-foot-6. Clasen was in position to win the state title at 6-6 on fewer misses, but Justin Randall of Burlington snatched the victory when he cleared 6-foot-8.

Randall, a long stringbean who stands 6-foot-7, surpassed his own height by an inch to keep Clasen out of the victory circle. "It kind of sucks to get second twice," said Clasen.

Clasen cleared 6-foot-8 last year as a junior, but couldn't get past 6-foot-6 this season while battling a sore ankle that needs to be surgically repaired now that the season is over. He has a bone spur in his left ankle, which is the ankle he uses to plant and jump.

"I had a rough year," he said, "but I'm not going to blame it on that."

Clasen plans to attend the University of Iowa and might join the Hawkeye track team as a walk-on.

The most surprising result Thursday came in the 3200 meter run in Class 4A. Linn-Mar sophomore Josh Evans challenged Dowling star Cole Decker during the first half of the race and stayed with him stride for stride, but Evans got worn out and Decker pulled away for a commanding victory in 9:17.65.

Jacob Aune of Prairie grabbed fourth place in 9:32.10 in the 3200. Evans, the top seed, faded all the way to seventh place in 9:36.88.

"I thought I could stick with him. Obviously I couldn't," said Evans. "It's really a bummer."

Craig Murtha of Xavier claimed fifth place in the Class 4A discus with a personal-best heave of 163 feet, 1 inch. He scored four points for Xavier, which combined with Clasen's eight points put the Saints in a fifth-place tie in the team standings.

Leslie Harder of Prairie finished fourth in the Class 4A high jump at 5 feet, 2 inches. Alex Bartz of Xavier and Sara Strauel of Linn-Mar tied for 10th by clearing 5 feet.

The Linn-Mar boys finished fourth in the 4x800 relay with Chase Grabau, Duggan Trenary, Jabez Walker and Matt Simon clocked in 7:56.52.

Shannon Gorman of Washington finished fifth in the 3000 meter run in 10:27.76. Alyssa Averhoff of Kennedy placed ninth in the 3000 in 10:55.98.

Rachel Perry of Linn-Mar placed fifth in the 400 meter dash in 58.45 seconds. Emma Edelen of Jefferson placed sixth in the discus at 124 feet, 6 inches.

The Xavier Saints rank the highest in the Class 4A boys standings among Metro teams with their 12 points, thanks to Clasen and Murtha. Washington is in ninth place, with Linn-Mar 11th and Prairie tied for 18th. The boys have completed five events, with 13 remaining. Dowling leads the pack with 22 points, followed by Bettendorf.

Waukee leads the Class 4A girls standings with 28 points, followed by Dowling. Prairie stands in 15th place, Linn-Mar and Washington are tied for 16th and Jefferson is 18th.

Hogg running straight to Harvard

Cedar Rapids Washington will have a Harvard man on its team for the Class 4A state track meet in Des Moines this week.

Robert Hogg, a superior student and one of the top half-milers in Iowa, will enroll at Harvard University this summer as a member of their cross country and track squads.

He visited the Ivy League school in Massachusetts this spring and fell in love with the historic college.

He likes the way "Harvard" sounds when you say it out loud.

"It's just an honor to be mentioned with that word. It's crazy," he said Monday before track practice.

"I'm really excited. I visited over spring break and I just had a blast out there. I'm just really excited. Loved the team, loved the coaches. You can't do anything but love the school."

Will Harte, who coaches the distance runners at Washington, helped steer Hogg to Harvard. Harte's brother attended Harvard and ran on the cross country team there.

Hogg ranks second in his class at Washington with a 4.6 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale, including a 4.95 GPA as a senior. He took six Advanced Placement courses this semester in biology, physics, literature, calculus, macro economics and micro economics and scored an eye-popping 35 on his ACT college entrance exam.

He's one of the valedictorians at Washington and will make a speech at commencement exercises on May 25. His theme is, "Don't Stop, Keep Moving Forward," which makes sense for a top student who can run 800 meters in 1 minute, 56 seconds.

He procrastinated with the speech before finding the right tone.

"I finally got it done," he said. "It was kind of hanging over my head. I'm glad it's over with."

Hogg has enjoyed a decorated career with the Washington track program the last four years. He helped the Warriors win Class 4A state team championships in 2009 and 2010 as a freshman and sophomore and ran on the championship 4x800 relay in 2010.

Hogg placed third in the open 800 at state last year in 1:56.45 and is seeded fourth for the 800 at the state meet this week. In addition, he helped the Warriors win the sprint medley at the 103rd Annual Drake Relays last month and was named the Mississippi Division Athlete of the Year in the Mississippi Valley Conference this season.

He's got one more state meet and wants to make it a good one for his team as the Warriors seek high honors again. "Compete, compete, compete," he said. "That's what I've thought since last year. We've got all the pieces to the puzzle we need."

Hogg will run on Washington's 4x400 and 4x800 relays and is listed as an alternate on the distance medley.

Hogg is thinking about studying pre-med at Harvard, but has not made a final decision. He plans to keep an open mind and sample a variety of classes.

His father is state Sen. Rob Hogg, but Robert is not thinking about a political career at this point. He's not the only son of a politician on the Washington track team. Nicolas Corbett, the son of Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett, is a premier quarter-miler for the Warriors.

"We joke that we have the most politically influential team in the state," said Hogg.

Hogg is actually Robert Hogg III. His grandfather, Bob Hogg, taught statistics at the University of Iowa for approximately 50 years before retiring to Colorado. His father, Rob, received his undergraduate degree from Iowa and his law degree from the University of Minnesota.

Hogg's track career at Washington will end this week with the state meet, but it won't be the end of his high school sports career. He plans to play for the Washington baseball team again this summer before heading to college.

In addition to all his sports and academic achievements, Hogg participated in choir and show choir at Washington and was a candidate for homecoming king.

He wasn't selected the homecoming king at Washington, but now he's headed to a college that has produced five U.S. presidents.

Hickok wins 3 events for Warriors

WATERLOO - Drake Hickok led Cedar Rapids Washington's march to Des Moines Thursday by winning three events at the Class 4A state qualifying track meet in Waterloo.

Hickok captured the 110 high hurdles and 400 low hurdles and ran the opening leg on Washington's triumphant 4x400 relay with Robert Hogg, Trevor Luebe and Nick Corbett.

The top two finishers in each event automatically qualified for the state meet in Des Moines next Thursday, Friday and Saturday. In addition, 12 at-large berths will be selected from around the state to make for 24 qualifiers in each event at state.

Etienne Nzoyisaba won the 3200 meter run for the Warriors.

Washington finished second in five events Thursday. Will Griffin placed second in the 100 meter dash and Nick Corbett placed second in the 400, and both Warriors finished behind Cedar Falls superstar James Harrington.

Harrington won the 100 in 10.75 seconds, with Griffin next in 10.87 seconds. Harrington took the 400 in 49.06 seconds, the fastest time in the state this year, and Corbett placed second in 49.24, which would have been the top time in Class 4A if Harrington hadn't run just a little faster. Harrington also won the 200 in 22.07 seconds.

Hogg took second place in the 800 in 1:58.43. The Warriors also finished second in the 4x800 relay and the distance medley. Luebe, Joe Berry, Sam Kline and Hogg ran on the 4x800 relay and Mitch Bredeson, Griffin, Corbett and Luebe formed the distance medley.

Timauntay Jones of Jefferson captured the 800 in 1:57.26 for his team's only victory. The J-Hawks did not have any runnerup finishes.

4A STATE QUALIFYING MEET
At Waterloo West

Team Standings
1. Cedar Falls 149, 2. Washington 132, 3. Waterloo West 105, 4. Jefferson 81, 5. Dubuque Senior 77, 6. Marshalltown 65.5, 7. Dubuque Hempstead 52, 8. Waterloo East 33.5.

100 Meter Dash
1. James Harrington (CF) 10.75, 2. Will Griffin (CRW) 10.87, 3. Tyrell Martin (WW) 10.88, 4. Aaron Taylor (WE) 11.05, 5. Luke Toyosi (CF) 11.19, 6. Nate Karlan (CRJ) 11.25.

200 Meter Dash
1. James Harrington (CF) 22.07, 2. Aaron Taylor (WE) 22.19, 3. Tyrell Martin (WW) 22.42, 4. Tad Steffensen (MTOWN) 22.60, 6. Nate Karlan (CRJ) 23.01.

400 Meter Dash
1. James Harrington (CF) 49.06, 2. Nick Corbett (CRW) 49.24, 3. Shane Shaddox (CF) 51.15, 4. Timauntay Jones (CRJ) 51.23, 5. William Orr (CRJ) 52.56, 6. Tim Wittman (DS) 52.73.

800 Meter Run
1. Timauntay Jones (CRJ) 1:57.26, 2. Robert Hogg (CRW) 1:58.43, 3. Dylan Eigenberger (DS) 2:01.17, 4. Anthony Ohl (WW) 2:02.63, 5. Etienne Nzoyisaba (CRW) 2:03.95, 6. Alex Hottle (WW) 2:04.36.

1600 Meter Run
1. Dylan Eigenberger (DS) 4:27.16, 2. Alex Hottle (WW) 4:28.93, 3. Etienne Nzoyisaba (CRW) 4:32.01, 4. Matthew Adrian (CF) 4:38.29, 5. Christian Kremer (M-TOWN) 4:39.76, 6. Joe Berry (CRW) 4:39.90.

3200 Meter Run
1. Etienne Nzoyisaba (CRW) 9:47.81, 2. Jonathan Specht (DH) 9:48.59, 3. Adam Streicher (CF) 9:51.99, 4. Taylor Mueller (CRJ) 9:56.39, 5. Blake Whalen (DS) 10:03.56, 6. Kody Fitzjerrells (DS) 10:14.74.

110 Meter Hurdles
1. Drake Hickok (CRW) 15.00, 2. Kalund Brown (CF) 15.43, 3. Savaun Bounds (CRJ) 15.51, 4. Forest Vega (CRW) 15.52, 5. Kelvin Clark (WE) 15.95, 6. Tanner Lund (CRJ) 16.17.

400 Meter Hurdles
1. Drake Hickok (CRW) 54.79, 2. Austin Cuvelier (CF) 55.31, 3. Forest Vega (CRW) 56.11, 4. Lucas Vanous (CRJ) 56.77, 5. Kolby Keeler (MTOWN) 57.35, 6. Mitch McElmeel (DS) 57.58.

4x100 Relay
1. Waterloo West 42.13, 2. Cedar Falls 42.17, 3. Washington (Mitch Bredeson, Will Griffin, Braedon Tovey, Joseph McBride) 43.08, 4. Jefferson (Shaq Harbor, Dylan Chittick, Chance Tiedtke, Nate Karlan) 43.60, 5. Waterloo East 43.70, 6. Marshalltown 44.47.

4x200 Relay
1. Waterloo West 1:28.97, 2. Cedar Falls 1:30.09, 3. Marshalltown 1:30.27, 4. Washington (Mitch Bredeson, Morris Williams, Braedon Tovey, Will Griffin) 1:30.44, 5. Jefferson (Nate Karlan, Chance Tiedtke, Ryan Deerberg, Dylan Chittick) 1:31.40, 6. Waterloo East 1:32.34.

4x400 Relay
1. Washington (Drake Hickok, Robert Hogg, Trevor Luebe, Nick Corbett) 3:24.99, 2. Cedar Falls 3:25.31, 3. Jefferson (Alex Baxter, Ryan Deerberg, Asim Wallace, Timauntay Jones) 3:25.84, 4. Marshalltown 3:25.98, 5. Waterloo West 3:29.31, 6. Dubuque Senior 3:29.99.

4x800 Relay
1. Dubuque Senior 8:07.98, 2. Washington (Trevor Luebe, Joe Berry, Sam Kline, Robert Hogg) 8:12.89, 3. Waterloo West 8:14.00, 4. Cedar Falls 8:21.33, 5. Hempstead 8:28.62, 6. Marshalltown 8:35.56.

Distance Medley
1. Marshalltown 3:35.69, 2. Washington (Mitch Bredeson, Will Griffin, Nick Corbett, Trevor Luebe) 3:35.85, 3. Dubuque Senior 3:41.57, 4. Cedar Falls 3:43.47, 5. Waterloo West 3:47.12, 6. Jefferson (Aaron Gruwell, Asim Wallace, Jordan Selby, Colton Cortez) 3:53.27.

Shuttle Hurdle Relay
1. Waterloo West 1:00.04, 2. Cedar Falls 1:00.28, 3. Washington (Drake Hickok, Forest Vega, Maliek Ketchens, Gregory Grunewald) 1:03.11, 4. Marshalltown 1:03.13, 5. Jefferson (Tanner Lund, Dakota Tomkins, Michael Moncivais, Savaun Bounds) 1:03.64, 6. Hempstead 1:04.16.

High Jump
1. Christopher Francis 9DH) 6-2, 2. Kalund Brown (CF) 6-2, 3. Nick Clark (CF) 5-10, 4. (tie) Nathan Sims (DH) 5-8; Elijah Evans (WW) 5-8; Pierce Kelly (MTOWN) 5-8.

Long Jump
1. Jason Millett (WW) 21-8, 2. Dequayvious Martin (WW) 21-4, 3. Brad Hennen (DH) 20-4, 4. Andrew Sorenson (CF) 20-1, 5. Graham Houselog (DH) 19-8 3/4, 6. James Carter (WE) 19-5 1/4.

Shot Put
1. Dan Behning (DS) 50-11 1/4, 2 Ross Pierschbacher (CF) 49-11 1/2, 3. Brady Waskow (CF) 49-8 3/4, 4. Collin Frazier (DS) 47-4, 5. Ryan Eivins (CRJ) 46-5 1/4, 6. Andrew Martin (WW) 46-1 1/2.

Discus
1. Joseph Weiner (DH) 164-8, 2. Brock Pappas (MTOWN) 150-2, 3. Collin Frazier (DS) 142-1, 4. Sam Techau (CRJ) 135-5, 5. John Vanhorn (MTOWN) 132-10, 6. Colton Spicer (CRJ) 131-0.

Hogg shines at Mississippi Division meet

IOWA CITY - Robert Hogg of Cedar Rapids Washington picked up three gold medals and a prestigious award Friday night at a Mississippi Valley Conference meet in Iowa City.

Hogg was named the Mississippi Division Athlete of the Year after winning the 800 meter run and helping the Warriors capture the 4x800 and 4x400 relays.

Iowa City High nipped Linn-Mar for the team championship, 118-117, and Washington made it an exciting three-team race by finishing third with 108 points.

Linn-Mar stars Josh Evans and Brandon Ophoff had challenging nights with mixed results. Evans won the 3200 meter run, but he was nipped in the 1600 by Dylan Eigenberger of Dubuque Senior. Eigenberger was clocked in 4:21.00 and Evans finished in 4:21.97 in a fast race.

Ophoff claimed the 400 low hurdles, but he was denied in the 110 high hurdles by Dan Roemerman of Iowa City High. Roemerman won the high hurdles in 14.31 seconds and Ophoff was second in 14.57. Last week at the Drake Relays, Ophoff finished second in the high hurdles and Roemerman was third.

Linn-Mar captured the 4x200 relay and sprint medley relay with Austin Fleider and Tristan Freese running in both events.

Nick Corbett claimed the 400 meter dash for Washington in 49.59 seconds, the second-fastest clocking in Class 4A this year, according to the IHSAA website. Corbett also anchored Washington's triumphant 4x400 relay. Trevor Luebe ran the third leg on both of Washington's winning relay teams.

Derek Jacobus of Kennedy won the long jump at 21 feet, 6 1/2 inches.

MISSISSIPPI DIVISION MEET
At Iowa City High

Team Standings
1. Iowa City High 118, 2. Linn-Mar 117, 3. Washington 108, 4. Dubuque Senior 71, 5. Waterloo West 67, 6. Kennedy 42, 7. Wahlert 32.

Discus
1. Kody Dailey (ICH) 157-11, 2. Danny Behning (DS) 145-7, 3. Collin Frazier (DS) 144-8, 4. Tyler Burrell (CRW) 144-5, 5. Dustin Smith (LM) 133-8, 6. Connor Norby (DS) 128-10.

Shot Put
1. Danny Behning (DS) 49-8 3/4, 2. Jack Halupnik (LM) 49-4 1/2, 3. Tanner Odle (ICH) 46-6, 4. Drew Heitland (CRK) 46-1, 5. Collin Frazier (DS) 46-0 1/4, 6. Michael Peterson (CRW) 45-8 1/2.

Long Jump
1. Derek Jacobus (CRK) 21-6 1/2, 2. Robert Hogg (CRW) 21-3 1/2, 3. Jason Millett (WW) 21-1 1/2, 4. Jasper Washington (ICH) 20-11, 5. Bryson Runge (ICH) 20-4, 6. Dequayvious Martin (WW) 20-2.

High Jump
1. Jeremy Johnson (ICH) 6-3, 2. Willie Rhodes (CRK) 6-2, 3. Elijah Evans (WW) 5-10, 4. Jared Walker (DW) 5-8, 5. Cameron Spears (ICH) 5-8.

3200 Meter Run
1. Josh Evans (LM) 9:55.03, 2. Blake Whalen (DS) 9:56.92, 3. Buddy Franson (DW) 10:04.49, 4. Chris Ohrt (ICH) 10:12.49, 5. Tyler Chlystun (LM) 10:20.86, 6. Kody Fitzjerrells (DS) 10:23.60.

4x800 Relay
1. Washington (Robert Hogg, Joe Berry, Trevor Luebe, Etienne Nzoyisaba) 8:05.22, 2. Linn-Mar (Chase Grabau, Duggan Trenary, Keegan Cook, Matt Simon) 8:09.34, 3. Dubuque Senior 8:11.56, 4. Iowa City High 8:11.57, 5. Waterloo West 8:16.63, 6. Kennedy (Evan Couch, Trent Seubert, Chris Blum, Trevor Oates) 9:12.51.

Shuttle Hurdle Relay
1. Iowa City High 56.38, 2. Linn-Mar (Brandon Ophoff, Colton Sanchez, Tristan Freese, Mike Keiser) 57.76, 3. Kennedy (Tom Kaiser, Derek Jacobus, Famiek Cook, Josh Jahlas) 59.07, 4. Waterloo West 1:02.69, 5. Washington (Drake Hickok, Forest Vega, Antonio Teague, Maliek Ketchens) 1:07.20.

100 Meter Dash
1. Tyrell Martin (WW) 10.84, 2. Will Griffin (CRW) 10.97, 3. Bryson Runge (ICH) 11.09, 4. Dequayvious Martin (WW) 11.12, 5. Desmond McCalla (ICH) 11.17, 6. Mitch Bredeson (CRW) 11.21.

400 Meter Dash
1. Nick Corbett (CRW) 49.59, 2. Max Flynn (DW) 50.35, 3. Gus Glab (DW) 51.29, 4. Jabez Walker (LM) 51.60, 5. Michael Gloer (ICH) 52.54, 6. Isiah Williams (WW) 52.87.

4x200 Relay
1. Linn-Mar (Austin Fleider, Tristan Freese, Perrion Scott, Jake Luerkens) 1:29.59, 2. Waterloo West 1:29.76, 3. Iowa City High 1:29.96, 4. Washington (Mitch Bredeson, Morris Williams, Braedon Tovey, Will Griffin) 1:30.30, 5. Kenendy (Josh Jahlas, Famiek Cook, Jacob Shannon, Derek Jacobus) 1:33.59, 6. Dubuque Senior 1:35.50.

110 Meter Hurdles
1. Dan Roemerman (ICH) 14.31, 2. Brandon Ophoff (LM) 14.57, 3. Drake Hickok (CRW) 14.87, 4. Mason Greer (ICH) 15.32, 5. Tom Kaiser (CRK) 15.89, 6. Mike Keiser (LM) 15.92.

1600 Meter Run
1. Dylan Eigenberger (DS) 4:21.00, 2. Josh Evans (LM) 4:21.97, 3. Etienne Nzoyisaba (CRW) 4:27.65, 4. Chase Grabau (LM) 4:33.46, 5. Brook Price (ICH) 4:38.09, 6. Peter Harber (DW) 4:40.59.

200 Meter Dash
1. Tyrell Martin (WW) 22.03, 2. Desmond McCalla (ICH) 22.34, 3. Nick Corbett (CRW) 22.70, 4. Jasper Washington (ICH) 22.76, 5. Jake Luerkens (LM) 22.77, 6. Mitch Bredeson (CRW) 23.04.

400 Meter Hurdles
1. Brandon Ophoff (LM) 54.66, 2. Drake Hickok (CRW) 55.54, 3. Mitch McElmeel (DS) 56.56, 4. Ellis McBrayer (LM) 57.15, 5. Mohamed Traore (ICH) 57.61, 6. Josh Jahlas (CRK) 58.03.

Sprint Medley
1. Linn-Mar (Austin Fleider, Tristan Freese, Ryan Wirth, Matt Simon) 3:37.29, 2. Dubuque Senior 3:40.93, 3. Washington (Morris Williams, David Tann, Noah Dostal, Trevor Luebe) 3:42.06, 4. Kennedy (Famiek Cook, Tom Kaiser, John Koelling, Trevor Oates) 3:42.57, 5. Waterloo West 3:45.05.

800 Meter Run
1. Robert Hogg (CRW) 1:57.16, 2. Jabez Walker (LM) 2:00.70, 3. Josh Evans (LM) 2:00.80, 4. Anthony Ohl (WW) 2:00.93, 5. Brook Price (ICH) 2:02.62, 6. Etienne Nzoyisaba (CRW) 2:02.67.

4x100 Relay
1. Iowa City High 42.28, 2. Waterloo West 42.64, 3. Washington (Mitch Bredeson, Will Griffin, Braedon Tovey, Joseph McBride) 42.93, 4. Linn-Mar (Travis Kvach, Jake Luerkens, Perrion Scott, Tristan Freese) 43.73, 5. Kennedy (John Koelling, Tom Kaiser, Jacob Shannon, Derek Jacobus) 44.76, 6. Dubuque Senior 45.77.

4x400 Relay
1. Washington (Drake Hickok, Robert Hogg, Trevor Luebe, Nick Corbett) 3:23.64, 2. Iowa City High 3:23.99, 3. Wahlert 3:24.97, 4. Dubuque Senior 3:29.00, 5. Kennedy (Chad Slaymaker, Trevor Oates, Rod Dooley, Josh Jahlas) 3:35.33, 6. Waterloo West 3:36.73.