Warrior boys in 4A title hunt with a bunch of other teams

DES MOINES - Bill Pinckney said his boys' track team at Cedar Rapids Washington is completely capable of winning the Class 4A championship here this week at the co-ed state track meet.

And he knows several other coaches who feel the same way.

“This is a great year for track in this state,” Pinckney said hours before the team bus headed west for the meet that begins this morning. “It's tough. There's probably six to eight teams that can score within six to eight points of one another at the top. It's going to be a dogfight.”

The Warriors are the defending champion, having edged Mississippi Valley Conference rival Iowa City West a year ago. It was Washington's third state title and its first since 1977 when it won for the second time in three years.

Pinckney expects the likes of Linn-Mar, Cedar Falls, Indianola, West Des Moines Valley, Ames, Southeast Polk and Iowa City High to be right there in title contention.

“It should be a great meet,” he said. “This is much different than last year. There are some very, very good teams.”

Cedar Falls beat the Warriors for the top spot at the district meet. The two were co-champions in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

“We've kind of battled them all year,” Pinckney said. “We did well in qualifying for a lot of events.”

Washington is missing some key pieces from its title-winning team of last year. Half of its 400 and 800 relay teams are new. A spot on the shuttle hurdle and 3,200 relays also opened up.

“In almost every spot we had a number of positions to replace,” Pinckney said.

Sprinter Keenan Davis is now a receiver for the Iowa football team. Other top performers like Wyatt Suess, Larry Johnson and Lewi Manirumva moved on.

Veterans Ronnie Henderson and Alex Carr remain and are motivated to keep the trophy in their building.

“They are going down there to get that top spot,” Pinckney said. “That's been the goal at the start of the year. They also know they have to perform.”

The Warriors won just one individual event a year ago - the 800 relay - but placed high in several others.

“That was the secret to last year,” Pinckney said. “We've positioned ourselves (this year) to score in the top in numerous events. ... If each one understands that their job is equally important you are giving yourself a shot to do your best.”

By Eric Petersen, Correspondent