Kennedy, Prairie chase ground-breaking state track title

DES MOINES — They're after the same prize. 'The big one,' as Bill Schwarz calls it.

'We've never won a trophy, much less the big one,' said Schwarz, the boys' track and field coach at Cedar Rapids Prairie.

Neither has Cedar Rapids Kennedy. And, as fate would have it, the Cougars and the Hawks are two of the top contenders for the Class 4A boys' championship at the state meet, which runs Thursday through Saturday at Drake Stadium.

Based on district results, Kennedy rides its massive field-event prowess as a slight favorite. Prairie is in the chase group, which also includes Cedar Falls, West Des Moines Dowling and defending champion Waukee.

'Absolutely, Prairie is going to be up there,' said Kennedy Coach Curt Pakkebier. 'Cedar Falls, I imagine. And a couple teams out west.

'Field events are an absolute key. They're more hit-and-miss than, say, the 200 and 400. There, you know what you're going to get. All the little elements of a field event, if you're off on one little thing, the whole thing is off.'

• State track and field: Boys' preview

Dalles Jacobus and Jackson Coker are projected to score big in the shot put and the discus. Shaun Beyer is a title contender in the high jump and long jump, and also headlines Kennedy's hurdle crew.

If those names sound familiar, it's because they led Kennedy to a dream football season last fall. Beyer and Jacobus will play football at the University of Iowa. Coker, a junior, is starting to pick up Division-I football offers.

'The culture of our sports programs has changed a lot,' Jacobus said. 'Nobody complains during the workouts, and I can't say that was the case a couple years ago.'

Prairie already has experienced massive success this spring at Drake Stadium, winning the Hy-Vee High School Cup at the Drake Relays three weeks ago. Four relays were involved with that competition.

This is an 18-event roller coaster.

'I anticipate that we won't be perfect. We'll have to deal with some adversity along the way; we'll see how we respond to it,' Schwarz said.

'There are eight to 10 events we could score in. If we get some fortunate results, we'll be competitive for three days.'

Jalen Rima, a UNI football recruit, is the defending champion in the 200 and 400. Tysen VanDraska should score well in the middle distances. Joah Wallace was the Drake champion in the 110-meter high hurdles.

'When I was a freshman, I thought we had a great team,' said VanDraska, who will run at Iowa next year and will return in the 800 and 1,600 after finishing second in both races last year.

'Now, to be a senior and be on the best team the school has had, it's super special to me.'

• State track and field: Girls' preview

To win a state championship, the stars must perform like stars. And a surprise or two is a plus.

'The 4-by-2 (at districts), that was a big surprise, and it's got an outside shot at scoring,' Pakkebier said. 'Our 4-by-4, I'm surprised it hadn't run faster yet.'

Waukee won the 2015 4A boys' title with 83 points. With a more balanced field this year, 70 might be enough.

'We know Kennedy is solid to score a lot of points. We're more nervous about Kennedy than anybody else,' Schwarz said. 'Our goal is to hit 60 points.

'If we can scratch out 10 more than that, it gives us a chance for the big one.'

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com