Washington Boys Track

Griffin sweeps sprints, Warriors win district title

IOWA CITY - This has turned out to be an outstanding year for prep high jumpers in Iowa.

Now you can add Alec Clasen of Xavier to the list.

Clasen cleared 6-foot-8 in the high jump Thursday to capture top honors at the Class 4A district meet in Iowa City and automatically qualify for the state meet next week.

Clasen eclipsed his personal best by two full inches.

"I was feeling pretty good," he said. "The weather was a lot nicer than it has been in my other meets. I'm excited about it."

Cedar Rapids Washington won the district title by a comfortable margin with 133 points on a hot day, serving notice that the Warriors plan to make a serious run at their third state title in a row in Des Moines May 19-21.

Cedar Rapids Prairie and Cedar Rapids Kennedy also had impressive performances and will be well-represented at the state meet at Drake Stadium.

Clasen already owned the Xavier school record in the high jump at 6-foot-6, but he left that mark in the dust. He easily cleared 6-5, 6-6 and 6-7 on his path to 6-8.

"Yeah, I was feeling pretty good going over them," he said.

He cleared 6-foot-8 on his third and final try, but could not go any higher. "I would have liked to get 6-9 today, that's for sure," he remarked.

Tyler Donels of Southeast Polk has cleared 7-foot-2 this season, just shy of the Iowa prep record of 7-3 1/2 set by Brian Tietjens of North Central in 1981. Trey Sathoff of Pekin has jumped 6-10 1/2 this spring, Jordan Cress of Olin has gone 6-10 1/4 and Nick Day of Solon has cleared 6-9.

Clasen knows he might have to jump higher than ever at the state meet. "I'm going to have to probably P.R. to place in the top three or four," he remarked.

Will Griffin was a triple-winner for Washington in the sprints Thursday. He captured the 100 and 200 dashes and helped the Warriors win the 4x200 relay. Etienne Nzoyisaba won the 3200 for Washington to punch a ticket to state.

Matt Stocker was a double-winner in the 800 and 1600 for Prairie, nudging his twin brother Kyle in both events. Sam Joens won the discus, Tom Frieden claimed the 400 hurdles and Kyle Stocker anchored the 4x800 relay to victory for the Hawks.

Anthony Crawley had a big day for Kennedy. He won the 400 and anchored the distance medley and 4x400 relay to the victory circle.

District champions automatically qualify for the state meet. Individuals who finished second, third or fourth will qualify for state if they beat a statewide standard. The same holds true for relay teams.

Additional state qualifiers will be announced by the IHSAA on Friday.

Some of the notable Metro performers who stand a good chance of qualifying include Caleb Mere of Kennedy in the long jump, Alex Carr of Washington in the 100, and Kyle Stocker in the 800 and 1600. Washington also hopes to send its 4x100 relay.

CLASS 4A DISTRICT MEET
At Iowa City High

Team Standings

1. Washington 133, 2. Prairie 107, 3. Iowa City West 105, 4. Iowa City High 96, 5. (tie) Kennedy 80, Xavier 80, 7. Jefferson 52, 8. Muscatine 49.

High Jump
1. Alec Clasen (CRX) 6-8; 2. Jeremy Johnson (ICH) 6-7; 3. Griffen Gaeta (MUSC) 6-2; 4. Dondre Alexander (ICW) 6-2; 5. Keith Clay (ICW) 6-1; 6. Cameron Spears (ICH) 6-1.

Discus
1. Sam Joens (CRP) 169-4; 2. Derek Norland (ICW) 150-2; 3. Craig Murtha (CRX) 148-7; 4. Kody Dailey (ICH) 142-4; 5. Nick Beckman (ICH) 140-8; 6. Isaac Ales (MUSC) 139-7.

Long Jump
1. Bobby Millard (ICH) 22-7 3/4; 2. Caleb Mere (CRK) 22-3 1/4; 3. Jasper Washington (ICH) 21-6 1/4; 4. Robert Hogg (CRW) 21-01/4; 5. Richard Bryant (ICW) 20-11; 6. Sam Joens (CRP) 20-9.

Shot Put
1. Isaac Ales (MUSC) 53-7 1/2; 2. Derek Norland (ICW) 47-3 3/4; 3. Chase Kleopfer (CRX) 46-10 1/2; 4. Storhm Henry (CRW) 46-6 1/4; 5. Ryan Eivins (CRJ) 45-3; 6. Kody Dailey (ICH) 44-10.

3200 Meter Run
1. Etienne Nzoyisaba (CRW) 9:45.45; 2. Daniel Gardarsson (ICW) 9:45.65; 3. Isaac Jensen (ICW) 9:51.98; 4. Mitch Pritts (CRP) 9:54.01; 5. Trevor Oates (CRK) 9:59.73; 6. Zach Greimann (ICH) 10:06.15.

4x800 Relay
1. Prairie (Ryan Smith, Jordan Burns, Justin Burns, Kyle Stocker) 8:02.68; 2. Iowa City West 8:06.00; 3. Jefferson (Timauntay Jones, Peter Thullen, Matthew Hildebrand, Joe Kelly) 8:06.99; 4. Iowa City High 8:07.01; 5. Muscatine 8:19.87; 6. Washington (Laurent Hakizimana, Saromo Mugisha, Brenice Ndayizeye, Andrew Mugemangango) 8:32.99.

Shuttle Hurdle Relay
1. Iowa City West 57.98; 2. Kennedy (jake Losch, Tom Kaiser, Caleb Mere, Josh Jahlas) 58.47; 3. Iowa City High 58.56; 4. Washington (Drake Hickok, Adam Sailor, Forest Vega, Antonio Johnson) 58.94; 5. Muscatine 59.97; 6. Xavier (Justin Fenske, David Kirpes, Josh Nelson, Carter Valentine) 1:00.19.

400 Meter Dash
1. Anthony Crawley (CRK) 50.37; 2. Demetrius Harper (CRP) 50.73; 3. Sterling Harris (ICH) 51.39; 4. Nicolas Corbett (CRW) 51.80; 5. Austin Short (CRJ) 52.24; 6. Aaron Peller (ICW) 52.31.

4x200 Relay
1. Washington (Alonzo Carr, Kristopher Gardner, Will Griffin, Alex Carr) 1:28.73; 2. Iowa City West 1:29.49; 3. Xavier (Nick Ball, Eric Zenisek, Jordan Weber, Eric Hovda) 1:29.85; 4. Iowa City High 1:30.38; 5. Jefferson (Sam Otis, Chance Tiedtke, Ryan Deerberg, Nate Karlan) 1:31.87; 6. Kennedy (Josh Jahlas, Alex Hillyer, John Koelling, Jed Haycraft) 1:33.35.

110 Meter Hurdles
1. Jared Hetzler (MUSC) 14.95; 2. Carter Valentine (CRX) 15.08; 3. Lucas Brenneman (ICW) 15.14; 4. Dan Roemerman (ICH) 15.22; 5. Drake Hickok (CRW) 15.23; 6. Antonio Johnson (CRW) 15.36.

1600 Meter Run
1. Matt Stocker (CRP) 4:31.17; 2. Kyle Stocker (CRP) 4:31.43; 3. Robert Hogg (CRW) 4:32.56; 4. Etienne Nzoyisaba (CRW) 4:33.21; 5. Tom Singer (CRK) 4:34.85; 6. Ben Schueler (CRX) 4:41.17.

100 Meter Dash
1. Will Griffin (CRW) 10.83; 2. Alex Carr (CRW) 11.01; 3. Nate Karlan (CRJ) 11.18; 4. Eric Hovda (CRX) 11.34; 5. Nick Steingreaber (CRX) 11.53; 6. Alex Hillyer (CRK) 11.57.

200 Meter Dash
1. Will Griffin (CRW) 22.20; 2. Eric Hovda (CRX) 22.53; 3. Kristopher Gardner (CRW) 22.77; 4. Nate Karlan (CRJ) 23.16; 5. Nick Steingreaber (CRX) 23.58; 6. Peter Krumm (ICH) 23.66.

Distance Medley
1. Kennedy (Caleb Mere, Alex Hillyer, Jed Haycraft, Anthony Crawley) 3:37.32; 2. Washington (Alonzo Carr, Kristopher Gardner, Alex Carr, Trevor Luebe) 3:38.45; 3. Prairie (Austin Dellamuth, Demetrius Harper, Tristan Beyer, Matt Stocker) 3:38.56; 4. Muscatine 3:38.92; 5. Iowa City High 3:39.49; 6. Jefferson (Sam Otis, Ryan Deerberg, Austin Short, Matthew Hildebrand) 3:42.02.

400 Meter Hurdles
1. Tom Frieden (CRP) 55.49; 2. Jake Losch (CRK) 55.76; 3. Drake Hickok (CRW) 55.91; 4. Lucas Brenneman (ICW) 57.94; 5. Miles Barton (CRW) 58.39; 6. Mohamed Traore (ICH) 58.43.

800 Meter Run
1. Matt Stocker (CRP) 1:56.98; 2. Kyle Stocker (CRP) 1:57.49; 3. Timauntay Jones (CRJ) 1:57.90; 4. Robert Hogg (CRW) 1:57.91; 5. Tom Singer (CRK) 2:03.01; 6. Kaleb Greiner (ICW) 2:03.32.

4x100 Relay
1. Iowa City West 42.67; 2. Washington (Alonzo Carr, Will Griffin, Kristopher Gardner, Alex Carr) 42.71; 3. Xavier (Nick Ball, Eric Zenisek, Jordan Weber, Eric Hovda) 42.85; 4. Iowa City High 43.36; 5. Jefferson (Sam Otis, Nate Karlan, Austin Short, Chance Tiedtke) 44.16; 6. Muscatine 44.98.

4x400 Relay
1. Kennedy (Jake Losch, Josh Jahlas, Jed Haycraft, Anthony Crawley) 3:25.65; 2. Prairie (Tristan Beyer, Tom Frieden, Austin Dellamuth, Demetrius Harper) 3:26.13; 3. Iowa City High 3:26.88; 4. Xavier (Brandon Gradoville, Zach Stovie, A.J. Worden, Jordan Weber) 3:30.24; 5. Jefferson (Dylan Chittick, Ryan Deerberg, Hunter Scott, Alex Baxter) 3:31.96; 6. Muscatine 3:33.26.

Griffin next great Wash tailback?

Will Griffin thundered down the track at Kingston Stadium Friday night in the Mississippi Valley Conference meet with a rare combination of speed, power and grace.

He has immense thighs, a powerful torso and a muscular upper body, capable of running the 100-meter dash in 10.8 seconds for Cedar Rapids Washington High School.

He stands 5-foot-8 and 195 pounds, and pity the poor defensive back who tries to tackle him this fall when he becomes the No.1 tailback at Tailback High.

"I expect 2,000 yards out of him," said Alex Carr, Griffin's teammate, friend and mentor.

That's no idle boast by Carr. Andre Dawson rushed for 2,212 yards as Washington's No.1 tailback in 2009 and Carr scooted for 1,911 yards last fall for the Warriors.

"I expect that out of every running back at Washington," Carr remarked. "We've always had a tradition of having good running backs. I don't think anything is going to fall off.

"He's a little different than Andre and I are, but he's just as good."

Dawson looked like he was gliding on a football field, while Carr had great feet and quickness. Griffin, by contrast, can run through a would-be tackler, take numbers and dash to the end zone.

Washington Coach Tony Lombardi loves his tailbacks. He's given them the ball 30 or 40 times a game, and Griffin appears capable of carrying the load this year.

Griffin was Carr's understudy last fall in Washington's backfield. He carried the ball 55 times for 452 yards during the regular season for a healthy average of 8.2 yards per carry.

Carr, by contrast, averaged 7 yards per crack as one of the fastest tailbacks in the state. Griffin is slightly faster than Carr, despite being 20 pounds heavier.

Pity those poor defensive backs.

Griffin has run the 100-meter dash this season in 10.83 seconds, slightly faster than Carr (10.86). And he's run the 200 in 22.19 seconds, also slightly faster than Carr (22.30).

They are two of the top sprinters in the state, capable of winning either race on a given day and forming 50 percent of Washington's premier 4x100 and 4x200 relays.

In both cases, they are football players first and track athletes second. Carr will join the University of Northern Iowa football team this summer as a defensive back and put his track career on hold, while Griffin makes it clear which sport he prefers.

"Football all the way," he said. "There's nothing like the Friday night lights."

Carr craved those Friday night lights, and he's instilled that same passion in Griffin, who speaks fondly of his buddy.

"Ever since I got here, he's been a big influence on me," Griffin remarked. "He's helped me out with track, football and everything. He tells me stuff I need to do. He tells me to work harder if I need to work harder."

By the way, Griffin is not satisfied at 195 pounds. He wants more size and even more strength.

"I'm trying to get to 210 for next year," he said. "Just so I can be a sturdier back."

Lombardi thinks 200 pounds will be plenty, but imagine a 5-foot-8, 200-pound tailback who runs the 100 in 10.8 seconds.

Griffin ran well at the Drake Relays last month, tying Carr for second place in the 200 and helping the Warriors place third in the 4x100 relay. That Monday morning, University of Iowa assistant coach Reese Morgan came to Washington High School at 6:30 a.m. to watch Griffin work out in the weight room.

Griffin said he's received questionnaires from college football programs, but no offers yet. That could change.

Carr will be keeping a close eye on Griffin this fall.

"He's got a lot of lower body strength and he does a good job of using it," Carr said. "As big as he is, nobody should be able to tackle him. I expect big things out of him."

Griffin will try to help Washington win its third state track title in a row May 19-21, then will focus on football.

"I'm excited about it," he said. "I'm working really hard for next season. I think we'll have a good team."

Pity those poor DBs.

Warriors 3rd in MVC boys track

The Linn-Mar boys track team took a special victory lap at Kingston Stadium Friday night.

The Lions won a Mississippi Valley Conference title for the first time since joining the league in 1986, according to Coach Ken Hopkins, and they did it by beating two other strong MVC teams to the finish line.

"I'm pretty proud of the kids," Hopkins said. "I'm pretty proud of what they've done."

Linn-Mar rolled up 140 points on a comfortable evening to win the Mississippi Division title in a good three-team race with Iowa City High (128) and Washington (118).

Linn-Mar senior Kyle Dunn won three individual events and turned in a blazing 46.9-second split on the 4x400 relay, but he had plenty of help from his teammates.

The Lions clinched the title when Matt Simon won the 800 in 1:59.79 with a strong kick and Nick Gentzler finished third, giving Linn-Mar 16 points in one race.

The Lions also captured the 4x800 relay with Simon running the anchor, got a victory from Josh Evans in the 3200 and scored 14 points in the shot put with a 2-3 finish by Jack Halupnik and Brandon Allen.

"I think the true story is the way our team competed," Dunn remarked. "Everyone stepped up. We couldn't win a conference (title) without the atmosphere we have."

The Mississippi Valley Conference once held a "super" meet with all 14 teams competing, but the league now holds two divisional meets with seven teams apiece. Cedar Falls captured the Valley Division title Friday in a three-team race with Iowa City West and Prairie at Xavier.

Linn-Mar, Cedar Falls, Iowa City West, Washington, Prairie and Iowa City High all have high aspirations for the state meet in Des Moines on May 19-21. Washington won its second state title in a row last season and the Lions placed fourth in 2010.

"I think we have a really good chance this year, if not better than last year," Dunn remarked.

"I think we'll be in the hunt," said Hopkins, who was named the Mississippi Division Coach of the Year Friday with his staff.

Dunn thinks winning the conference title will give the Lions a boost for Thursday's district meet, which will determine who qualifies for state.

"I think it's a huge steppingstone for the team," he said. "For us to look at a meet and say, 'Hey, we're going to try and win that,' and then for us to execute the way we wanted to and come here and win it, it's a huge confidence boost for the whole team.

"I feel phenomenal coming out of this, going into districts and state," he said.

Dunn won the 400 meter dash, the 110 high hurdles and the 400 low hurdles, but he was running for points - not impressive times - after having a busy schedule on a cold night at the Linn-Mar Relays on Tuesday.

"Coming off that Tuesday, I was a little bit tired," he said. "My goal (Friday) was to score as many points as I could."

Dunn did not look tired on the anchor leg of the 4x400 relay. He got the baton in fourth place and blazed around Kingston Stadium in 46.9 seconds to finish second behind Iowa City High. It was the fastest 400 split of his record-setting career.

"It's a lot easier to run like that, with the target on somebody else's back," he said.

Washington won five events Friday and senior Alex Carr was named the Mississippi Division Athlete of the Year. Carr anchored the 4x100 and 4x200 meter relays to victory, won the 200 and placed second in the 100 behind teammate Will Griffin despite a nagging hamstring injury.

Alonzo Carr, Kristopher Gardner, Griffin and Alex Carr ran on both triumphant relay teams. Robert Hogg took the 1600 and Griffin finished second behind Carr in the 200.

Kennedy placed fourth in the meet but did not win any events.

MVC MISSISSIPPI DIVISION
At Kingston Stadium

Team Standings
1. Linn-Mar 140, 2. Iowa City High 128, 3. Cedar Rapids Washington 118, 4. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 51, 5. Dubuque Senior 46, 6. Dubuque Wahlert 37, 7. Waterloo West 36.

Shot Put
1. Dan Behning (DS) 47-1 1/2; 2. Jack Halupnik (LM) 47-0 1/2; 3. Brandon Allen (LM) 46-0 1/2; 4. Nick Beckman (ICH) 45-9 1/2; 5. Tre Keller (WW) 45-9; 6. Kody Dailey (ICH) 45-7.

Discus
1. Kody Dailey (ICH) 148-5 3/4; 2. Dan Sisler (DW) 137-10 1/2; 3. Colin Hennessy (CRW) 135-5 1/2; 4. Dan Behning (DS) 131-10 1/2; 5. Nick Beckman (ICH) 131-9 1/2; 6. Tre Keller (WW) 131-5 3/4.

High Jump
1. Jeremy Johnson (ICH) 6-5; 2. Cam Spears (ICH) 6-1; 3. Wesley Akin (WW) 6-0; 4. Brandon Ophoff (LM) 6-0; 5. Will Bradford (DS) 5-8.

Long Jump
1. Bobby Millard (ICH) 21-7; 2. Jasper Washington (ICH) 21-3; 3. Kristopher Gardner (CRW) 21-1; 4. Colton Sanchez (LM) 20-7; 5. Robert Hogg (CRW) 20-5; 6. Michael Detert (LM) 20-2.

3200 Meter Run
1. Josh Evans (LM) 9:54.03; 2. Andrew Brimeyer (DS) 9:57.13; 3. Etienne Nzoyisaba (CRW) 10:01.32; 4. Trevor Oates (CRK) 10:06.24; 5. Zach Greimann (ICH) 10:13.87; 6. Tyler Chlystun (LM) 10:29.73.

4x800 Relay
1. Linn-Mar (Aaron Razo, Nick Gentzler, Jabez Walker, Matt Simon) 8:13.09; 2. Iowa City High 8:17.74; 3. Wahlert 8:17.83; 4. Waterloo West 8:19.31; 5. Dubuque Senior 8:28.62; 6. Washington (Trevor Luebe, Laurent Hakizimana, Saromo Mugisha, Andree Mugemangango) 8:50.21.

Shuttle Hurdle Relay
1. Iowa City High 59.23; 2. Washington (Drake Hickok, Adam Sailor, Forest Vega, Antonio Johnson) 59.56; 3. Kennedy (Jacob Losch, Derek Jacobus, Thomas Kaiser, Josh Jahlas) 1:00.01; 4. Linn-Mar (Colton Sanchez, Ryan Wirth, Brandon Ophoff, Mike Keiser) 1:00.50; 5. Waterloo West 1:01.38; 6. Dubuque Senior 1:02.41.

100 Meter Dash
1. Will Griffin (CRW) 11.19; 2. Alex Carr (CRW) 11.38; 3. Tyrell Martin (WW) 11.44; 4. Hector Montelongo (ICH) 11.73; 5. Haris Nuhanovic (WW) 11.78; 6. Aaron Schueller (DW) 11.80.

100 Meter Wheelchair
1. Jon Litzkow (WW) 21.21; 2. Jordan Houdeshell (LM) 27.16.

400 Meter Dash
1. Kyle Dunn (LM) 50.35; 2. Sterling Harris (ICH) 52.11; 3. Ryan Giesemann (DS) 52.46; 4. Nicholas Corbett (CRW) 52.48; 5. Jordan Kremer (LM) 52.80; 6. Zach Putnam (ICH) 53.68.

400 Meter Wheelchair
1. Jon Litzkow (WW) 1:13.46; 2. Jordan Houdeshell (LM) 1:33.92.

4x200 Relay
1. Washington (Alonzo Carr, Kristopher Gardner, Will Griffin, Alex Carr) 1:30.05; 2. Waterloo West 1:31.59; 3. Kennedy (Alex Hillyer, John Koelling, Jed Haycraft, Anthony Crawley) 1:32.12; 4. Wahlert 1:33.42; 5. Linn-Mar (Brandon Jeffries, Tommy Feller, Jake Luerkens, Aaron Hunter) 1:33.84; 6. Dubuque Senior 1:37.93.

110 High Hurdles
1. Kyle Dunn (LM) 14.79; 2. Brandon Ophoff (LM) 14.92; 3. Dan Roemerman (ICH) 15.52; 4. Jacob Losch (CRK) 15.82; 5. Drake Hickok (CRW) 16.00; 6. Adam Sailor (CRW) 16.06.

1600 Meter Run
1. Robert Hogg (CRW) 4:31.55; 2. Brook Price (ICH) 4:32.19; 3. Thomas Singer (CRK) 4:32.46; 4. Josh Evans (LM) 4:32.77; 5. Etienne Nzoyisaba (CRW) 4:34.37; 6. Chase Grabau (LM) 4:34.59.

200 Meter Dash
1. Alex Carr (CRW) 22.71; 2. Will Griffin (CRW) 22.84; 3. Jake Luerkens (LM) 23.49; 4. Hector Montelongo (ICH) 23.66; 5. Jed Haycraft (CRK) 23.76; 6. Jordan Kremer (LM) 24.33.

200 Meter Wheelchair
1. Jon Litzkow (WW) 40.98; 2. Jordan Houdeshell (LM) 48.73.

400 Meter Hurdles
1. Kyle Dunn (LM) 54.25; 2. Jacob Losch (CRK) 55.91; 3. Brandon Ophoff (LM) 56.26; 4. Josh Jahlas (CRK) 57.73; 5. Trevor Hein (DS) 58.05; 6. Jamie Medina (WW) 58.73.

Distance Medley
1. Wahlert 3:36.11; 2. Linn-Mar (Aaron Hunter, Tommy Feller, Aaron Razo, Jabez Walker) 3:40.68; 3. Iowa City High 3:44.57; 4. Dubuque Senior 3:44.62; 5. Waterloo West 3:47.62; 6. Washington (Antonio Johnson, Adam Sailor, Nicholas Corbett, Trevor Luebe) 3:47.81.

800 Meter Run
1. Matt Simon (LM) 1:59.79; 2. Robert Hogg (LM) 1:59.99; 3. Nick Gentzler (LM) 2:01.71; 4. Saromo Mugisha (CRW) 2:03.90; 5. Alex Hottle (WW) 2:04.22; 6. Thomas Singer (CRK) 2:06.03.

4x100 Relay
1. Washington (Alonzo Carr, Will Griffin, Kristopher Gardner, Alex Carr) 42.74; 2. Iowa City High 43.56; 3. Wahlert 43.58; 4. Kennedy (Alex Hillyer, Josh Carew, Trevor Walker, Jed Haycraft) 46.03; 5. Dubuque Senior 47.73.

4x400 Relay
1. Iowa City High 3:25.64; 2. Linn-Mar (Aaron Razo, Jordan Kremer, Duggan Trenary, Kyle Dunn) 3:26.21; 3. Kennedy (Jacob Losch, Trevor Wood, Josh Jahlas, Anthony Crawley) 3:29.27; 4. Dubuque Senior 3:30.10; 5. Wahlert 3:32.37; 6. Washington (Drake Hickok, David Tann, Trevor Luebe, Robert Hogg) 3:47.27.

Washington boys 2nd at Linn-Mar Invitational

Kyle Dunn is sorry. And he's back, as good as ever.

Dunn returned from a three-meet suspension Tuesday and starred at the Linn-Mar Relays with strong performances in his signature events on a chilly night.

He won the 110 hurdles and 400 hurdles with excellent times, then anchored Linn-Mar's 4x400 relay to victory with a 48.5 second split to finish the night in style.

Dunn, a senior at Linn-Mar and one of the top track athletes in the state, was arrested at 1:57 a.m. on Saturday, April 16 and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and failure to maintain control.

He was suspended for 20 percent of the season, according to school rules, and was not allowed to compete in the prestigious Drake Relays, where he was the defending champion in both hurdles events. Dunn sat in the stands at Drake last week as a spectator, unable to participate and defend his titles.

"It was pretty tough," he said. "Just hearing the announcer call 'Linn-Mar' and knowing I should be out there, it was was really tough. I don't want to experience that ever again."

Dunn expressed remorse for setting a bad example and disappointing the Linn-Mar community, especially younger kids.

"I understand they're probably looking at me and they lost most, if not all, of their respect for me," he said. "But I want everyone to know I'm going to work my butt off to get that back and show everyone that I really care about them and I care about the sport.

"I have a whole new view of racing. A whole new appreciation, really," he said.

Dunn attributed his arrest to a temporary lapse of judgment.

"The last couple of weeks have definitely been a time for me to mature and work my way back," he said. "Retrospect is always 20-20, but I've got to look back on my mistakes and learn from them."

Dunn practiced with Linn-Mar during his suspension and was in excellent form Tuesday. He won the 110 high hurdles in 14.39 seconds, just a tad behind the 14.32 he ran earlier this season, then blazed through the 400 low hurdles in 51.59, by far the best time in the state this year.

"He's been practicing hard. He's been focusing. And he's determined," Linn-Mar Coach Ken Hopkins remarked.

Dunn has won five major titles during his prep career - three at the state meet and two at the Drake Relays. He forfeited his chance for more glory at Drake this year, but sounds determined to have a strong finish at the Class 4A state meet in Des Moines May 19-21.

"I have to show everyone that I can still run and that I have a strong character," he said.

Dunn has signed with the University of Arkansas, and Arkansas Coach Chris Bucknam has said Dunn's suspension will not affect his status with the Razorbacks.

Dunn won the 400 hurdles at state last year in 51.41 seconds, so his 51.59 Tuesday was just a tick slower. He had been leading the state in the event this year at 52.43 seconds, so he clipped nearly a second off that pace on the new Linn-Mar track.

"I'm feeling right where I need to be," he said. "That race tonight was pretty encouraging about my fitness level."

Linn-Mar cruised to the championship of its own Clark Weaver Relays with 167 points with Dunn leading the way. Cedar Rapids Washington placed second in the six-team meet with 125 points. Xavier finished fourth and Prairie was fifth.

Linn-Mar got victories from Jack Halupnik in the shot put (46-10 1/2), Josh Evans in the 3200 (9:40.06) and Matt Simon in the 800 (2:00.15). The Lions also won the 4x800 relay, shuttle hurdle relay and distance medley.

Will Griffin and Alex Carr finished 1-2 in the 200 meter dash for Washington in 22.43 and 22.54 seconds, respectively. Robert Hogg won the 1600 for the Warriors in 4:29.86 and Washington won the 4x100 relay in 43.14.

Xavier collected victories from Alec Clasen in the high jump (6-4) and Jordan Weber in the 400 (52.44).

Prairie senior Sam Joens, fresh off his victory at the Drake Relays, won the discus with a toss of 161 feet, 4 inches.

LINN-MAR CLARK WEAVER RELAYS

Team Standings

1. Linn-Mar 167, 2. Washington 125, 3. Waterloo West 100, 4. Xavier 83, 5. Prairie 55, 6. Waterloo East 21.

High Jump
1. Alec Clasen (CRX) 6-4, 2. Tylor White (WE) 6-2, 3. Wesley Akin (WW) 6-2, 4. Miles Barton (CRW) 5-8, 5. Brandon Ophoff (LM) 5-6.

Long Jump
1. Dequayvious Martin (WW) 21-6 1/2; 2. Colton Sanchez (LM) 20-11 1/4; 3. Robert Hogg (CRW) 20-4 3/4; 4. Sam Joens (CRP) 20-3; 5. Michael Detert (LM) 20-1 1/4; 6. Andrew Sodawasser (CRX) 17-7.

Discus
1. Sam Joens (CRP) 161-4; 2. Tre Keller (WW) 147-9; 3. Mac Mahmens (LM) 138-2; 4. Craig Murtha (CRX) 133-3; 5. Colin Hennessy (CRW) 127-2; 6. Andrew Martin (WW) 124-4.

Shot Put
1. Jack Halupnik (LM) 46-10 1/2; 2. Jordan Harrington (WW) 45-4 1/2; 3. Frank Davis (LM) 45-0; 4. Cameron Winters (WE) 44-7; 5. Chase Kleopfer (CRX) 44-4 1/2; 6. Tre Keller (WW) 42-11.

Shot Put Wheelchair
1. Jordan Houdeshell (LM) 14-1 1/2.

3200
1. Josh Evans (LM) 9:40.06; 2. Etienne Nzoyisaba (CRW) 10:04.99; 3. Kyle Read (LM) 10:41.58; 4. Scott Titler (CRP) 10:42.16; 5. Christian Choplick (CRP) 10:45.02; 6. Daniel Pape (CRX) 11:05.48.

4x800 Relay
1. Linn-Mar (Aaron Razo, Nick Gentzler, Duggan Trenary, Jabez Walker) 8:10.40; 2. Waterloo West 8:22.92; 3. Washington (Brenice Ndayizeye, Saromo Mugisha, Laurent Hakizimana, Andrew Mugemangango) 8:49.40; 4. Prairie (Mitchell Christensen, Zach Waite, Conner Neuhaus, Luke Galloway) 8:59.50; 5. Xavier (Patrick Mullin, Jacob Morrow, Collin O'Connell, Nick Robinson) 9:02.71.

Shuttle Hurdle Relay
1. Linn-Mar (Nick Lucas, Colton Sanchez, Brandon Ophoff, Mike Keiser) 58.93; 2. Washington (Drake Hickok, Adam Sailor, Forest Vega, Antonio Johnson) 59.70; 3. Xavier (Justin Fenske, Josh Nelson, David Kirpes, Carter Valentine) 1:01.28; 4. Prairie (Tom Frieden, Solomon Wilharm, Haakon Wilz, Joe Costigan) 1:03.68.

100
1. Tyrell Martin (WW) 11.01; 2. Kristopher Gardner (CRW) 11.13; Haris Nuhanovic (WW) 11.22; 4. Eric Hovda (CRX) 11.35; 5. Aaron Taylor (WE) 11.36; 6. Alonzo Carr (CRW) 11.66.

100 Wheelchair
1. Jordan Houdeshell (LM) 27.08.

400
1. Jordan Weber (CRX) 52.44; 2. Jordan Kremer (LM) 53.00; 3. Brandon Gradoville (CRX) 53.74; 4. Trevor Luebe (CRW) 53.89; 5. Isaah Williams (WW) 54.97; 6. Will Fuhrmann (LM) 55.02.

4x200 Relay
1. Waterloo West 1:31.39; 2. Washington (Alonzo Carr, Kristopher Gardner, David Tann, James Hall) 1:34.41; 3. Linn-Mar (Michael Detert, Tommy Feller, Aaron Hunter, Brandon Jeffries) 1:34.66; 4. Prairie (Demetrius Harper, Tristan Beyer, Austin Dellamuth, Josh Rundall) 1:35.28; 5. Xavier (Cal Stovie, Eric Zenisek, Nick Steingreaber, David Kirpes) 1:35.57.

110 Hurdles
1. Kyle Dunn (LM) 14.39; 2. Brandon Ophoff (LM) 14.75; 3. Carter Valentine (CRX) 15.34; 4. Drake Hickok (CRW) 15.37; 5. Justin Fenske (CRX) 16.28; 6. Tom Frieden (CRP) 16.33.

1600
1. Robert Hogg (CRW) 4:29.86; 2. Ben Schueler (CRX) 4:40.79; 3. Etienne Nzoyisaba (CRW) 4:42.83; 4. Keegan Cook (LM) 4:45.23; 5. Tyler Chlystun (LM) 4:49.37; 6. Aaron O'Leary (WW) 4:51.43.

400 Hurdles
1. Kyle Dunn (LM) 51.59; 2. Tom Frieden (CRP) 56.08; 3. Drake Hickok (CRW) 56.27; 4. Aaron Razo (LM) 58.73; 5. Zach Newell (WW) 1:00.11; 6. Jamie Medina (WW) 1:01.39.

200
1. Will Griffin (CRW) 22.43; 2. Alex Carr (CRW) 22.54; 3. Aaron Taylor (WE) 22.98; 4. Demetrius Harper (CRP) 23.59; 5. Jordan Kremer (LM) 23.87; 6. A.J. Worden (CRX) 24.02.

200 Wheelchair
1. Jordan Houdeshell (LM) 53.99.

800
1. Matt Simon (LM) 2:00.15; 2. Chase Grabau (LM) 2:00.92; 3. Trevor Luebe (CRW) 2:04.36; 4. Robert Hogg (CRW) 2:04.53; 5. Brandon Gradoville (CRX) 2:10.95; 6. Brady Heckenlively (WW) 2:10.96.

Distance Medley
1. Linn-Mar (Aaron Hunter, Tommy Feller, Brandon Ophoff, Nick Gentzler) 3:42.45; 2. Waterloo West 3:44.38; 3. Prairie (Demetrius Harper, Tristan Beyer, Austin Dellamuth, Mitch Pritts) 3:49.50; 4. Xavier (Cal Stovie, Nick Steingreaber, Josh Giles, Nick Robinson) 4:04.08; 5. Washington (Antonio Johnson, James Hall, Kelvin Hootman, Saromo Musha) 4:10.47.

4x100
1. Washington (Alonzo Carr, Will Griffin, Kristopher Gardner, Alex Carr) 43.14; 2. Waterloo West 43.76; 3. Xavier (Nick Ball, Eric Zenisek, Jordan Weber, Eric Hovda) 44.18; 4. Linn-Mar (Michael Detert, Tommy Feller, Aaron Hunter, Jake Luerkens) 44.82; 5. Prairie (Austin Dellamuth, Josh Rundall, Tristan Beyer, Demetrius Harper) 46.03; 6. Waterloo East 46.18.

4x400
1. Linn-Mar (Nick Lucas, Aaron Razo, Jordan Kremer, Kyle Dunn) 3:27.33; 2. Waterloo West 3:33.18; 3. Xavier (Zach Stovie, A.J. Worden, Ben Valentine, Josh Nelson) 3:37.05; 4. Washington (David Tann, Flynn Heald, Nicholas Corbett, Trevor Luebe) 3:38.00; 5. Prairie (Tom Frieden, Jordan Burns, Ryan Smith, Justin Burns) 3:43.78; 6. Waterloo East 3:47.35.