Iowa state track 4A boys’ results: Iowa City Liberty reigns in 3,200-meter relay

DES MOINES — He checked the videoboard. He rounded the last curve.

He cracked a grin.

“It was such a good feeling,” Iowa City Liberty’s Bo Gryp said. “I knew we had it.”

They had it, all right.

Gavin Keeney, Jack Kinzer, Caleb Schillinger and Gryp raced to the Class 4A boys’ 3,200-meter relay title Thursday afternoon at the state track and field meet Thursday afternoon at Drake Stadium.

Their time: 7 minutes, 49.45 seconds. That's motoring, and that’s grin-worthy.

“Cedar Falls has been ahead of us all year,” Kinzer said. “That definitely motivated us. I thought we could beat them, and 7:50 has been our goal all year long. This puts us among some of the best all-time.”

Liberty was in control of the race virtually the whole way, and as Gryp rounded the final curve, he checked the videoboard one last time for challengers.

There wasn’t anybody in close proximity, and Liberty finished about 3 seconds ahead of runner-up Ames.

Cedar Falls accumulated 28 points in Thursday’s five events and leads the 4A boys’ team race. Ames is second with 23.5 points, followed by West Des Moines Dowling (21) and Linn-Mar (16).

Linn-Mar got a title out of McKade Jelinek in the discus. Jelinek took the lead early with a 175-foot fling, then — with victory secure — flung it 178-11.

“I came in thinking the conditions were going to be tough,” Jelinek said, referring to the on-and-off rain. “I slowed my spin a little, than once I got comfortable, I sped it up again.

“I tried to keep the disc as dry as I could.”

It wasn’t Jelinek’s first competition in crummy conditions.

“My freshman year at Iowa City West, the ring was flooded,” he said. “We had a scrimmage this year at Clear Creek Amana, and it was wet there.”

Linn-Mar scored all 16 of its points Thursday in the field events. T.J. Jackson was third in the high jump, clearing 6-4.

“I slipped a lot, late in my jumps, but I can’t make excuses. Everybody else was jumping in the same conditions,” Jackson said. “I felt like I forgot everything I was taught. I just didn’t perform well today.”

STATE TRACK & FIELD

At Des Moines

CLASS 4A BOYS

Teams (through 5 events) — 1. Cedar Falls 28, 2. Ames 23.5, 3. West Des Moines Dowling 21, 4. Linn-Mar 16, 5. Dubuque Senior 12, 6. Sioux City North 11, 7. Iowa City Liberty 10, 8. (tie) Ankeny Centennial and Muscatine 8, 10. Iowa City High 7.

High jump — 1. Logan Flanagan (Dubuque Senior), 6-5; 2. Jacob Kieler (Cedar Falls), 6-5; 3. T.J. Jackson (Linn-Mar), 6-4; T-4. Prosper Kapongo (Cedar Rapids Jefferson), 6-1; 7. Matt Schaeckenbach (Iowa City High), 6-1.

Discus — 1. McKade Jelinek (Linn-Mar), 178-11; 2. Nolan Recker (Muscatine), 173-3; 3. Corey Phillips (Ames), 171-4.

3,200 — 1. Jackson Heidesch (West Des Moines Dowling), 9:18.32; 2. William Lohr (Sioux City North), 9:24.73; 3. Will Ryan (West Des Moines Dowling), 9:25.86; 5. Alex McKane (Iowa City West), 9:37.80.

3,200 relay — 1. Iowa City Liberty (Keeney, Kinzer, Schillinger, Gryp), 7:49.45; 2. Ames, 7:52.60; 3. Cedar Falls, 7:53.98; 4. Iowa City High, 7:56.30.

400 — 1. T.J. Tomlyanovich (Cedar Falls), 47.54; 2. Thomas Collins (Ankeny Centennial), 48.70; 3. Tyrese Miller (Ankeny), 49.16; 4. Traijan Sain (Cedar Rapids Washington), 49.29.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com