Iowa City West piles up the titles, and the points, in the 4A boys’ field events

DES MOINES — Saturday will determine Iowa City West’s ultimate fate at the state track and field meet.

Regardless of what happens, the Trojans have this distinction:

Kings of the field.

Mason Woods won the Class 4A boys’ long jump, then Colin Whitters and James Barnett teamed for a 1-3 finish in the shot put Friday afternoon at Drake Stadium.

The final tally: 35 points in four field events. That’s a load.

“I didn’t feel like this until recently, but track is really, really fun,” Woods said after claiming the long jump with a leap of 23 feet, 4 1/2 inches. “I’m going to enjoy this for sure.”

The Trojans go to bed tonight in second place in the 4A boys’ race. Cedar Falls is the leader with 49 points, then it’s West with 43.

The final nine events are Saturday.

Whitters had placed second in the discus Thursday — “I hate second place,” he said — then overtook Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Shem Mally on the final heave in the shot, an effort of 57-11 1/4.

Mally threw 56-8 3/4, Barnett 53-11.

“I responded well,” Whitters said. “As soon as it left my hand, it felt good. When it feels light, it goes far.

“Once I got comfortable in the finals, I calmed down and made it happen.”

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Like Whitters, Mally is a junior.

“I came in confident, but it just wasn’t a great day,” he said.

Last year’s long jump champion, Cedar Rapids Prairie’s T.Y. Pour battled a sore hamstring and settled for second behind Woods this time at 23-0 3/4.

“It hadn’t been a single issue,” Pour said. “I started feeling it after my first jump. I tried to fight my way through it.

“I’m grateful to be here. I thank God for being here.”

Woods left the long jump, mid-event, to lead off West’s distance medley relay which placed fourth.

STATE TRACK & FIELD

Class 4A Boys

Top 10 teams (through 10 events) — 1. Cedar Falls 49, 2. Iowa City West 43, 3. West Des Moines Dowling 38.5, 4. Ankeny 32, 5. Ankeny Centennial 22, 6. Johnston 20, 7. Norwalk 15.5, 8. Dallas Center-Grimes 15, 9. West Des Moines Valley 14, 10. Waukee 13.5.

Shot put — 1. Colin Whitters (Iowa City West), 57-11 1/4; 2. Shem Mally (Cedar Rapids Kennedy), 56-8 3/4; 3. James Barnett (Iowa City West), 53-11; 7. Nelson Evans IV (Cedar Rapids Jefferson), 52-4.

Long jump — 1. Mason Woods (Iowa City West), 23-4 1/2; 2. T.Y. Pour (Cedar Rapids Prairie), 23-0 3/4; 3. Miciah LeLaCheur (West Des Moines Valley), 23-0 3/4; 7. Denzil Green (Cedar Rapids Prairie), 21-7 3/4.

Distance medley relay — 1. West Des Moines Dowling (Miller, Strang, Drexler, Wolfe), 3:24.60; 2. Cedar Falls, 3:26.90; 3. Dallas Center-Grimes, 3:26.91; 4. Iowa City West, 3:27.12.

800 relay — 1. Ankeny Centennial (Ross, McGhee, Reed, Jackson), 1:25.63; 2. West Des Moines Dowling, 1:26.13; 3. Johnston, 1:26.79; 7. Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 1:27.68; 8. Iowa City West, 1:27.74.

400 hurdles — 1. Jaxon Schreiber (Cedar Falls), 52.53; 2. Cael Woods (Ankeny Centennial), 52.54; 3. Gunner Steele (Waterloo West), 53.16.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com