Jalen Rima gets a break — 'big-time' — and another title

DES MOINES — Jalen Rima had a gift for his little sister, the bullet from the starter's gun.

He admitted he may have received a gift himself.

'Yeah, big-time,' he said, a sparkle in his eye and slight grin on his lips.

Rima earned his second consecutive Class 4A boys' 400-meter title at the state track and field meet Thursday afternoon at Drake Stadium. He motored through his circuit in 48.55 seconds.

It just as easily could have never happened. Rima appeared to hitch in the blocks before the gun went off.

'I noticed it when I first stood up,' he said. 'I thought, 'Oh, God.'

But a second shot was never fired, a false start wasn't called. Rima collected himself and did his thing.

'I knew I was the guy to beat, but this year the times are faster, so I had to drop time,' he said.

He did, and received the bullet for his effort. He took it to younger sister Payton — 'That's my No. 1 fan right there,' Rima said — and a hug for his mother.

Both Prairie and Cedar Rapids Kennedy are seeking their first boys' team title, and neither did anything Thursday to lower their stock. Cedar Falls is the first-day leader with 22 points (through five events). West Des Moines Dowling is next with 20.5, followed by Bettendorf (18), Kennedy (17) and Prairie (15).

Kennedy's Jackson Coker claimed the discus title on his very last throw, 180 feet, 6 inches. That pushed him past Bettendorf's Cole Webster.

'When I went in the ring the last time, I told myself, 'I've done this before. I've got a chance. I have complete control of my destiny. Don't hold anything back.'

'And I threw it just far enough.'

Coker and Dalles Jacobus combined for a 1-5 discus finish.

'Last year didn't turn out so well for me here,' Coker said. 'One of the coaches from Iowa City West told me afterward that I was going to win it this year. People believe in me. I had to start believing in myself.'

Prairie also got a fourth-place finish from its 3,200-meter relay unit. Linn-Mar's Ryan Murphy was fourth in the 3,200.

STATE TRACK & FIELD MEET: CLASS 4A BOYS

Teams (through five events) — 1. Cedar Falls 22, 2. West Des Moines Dowling 20.5, 3. Bettendorf 18, 4. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 17, 5. Cedar Rapids Prairie 15, 6. Indianola 14, 7. West Des Moines Valley 11, 8. Waukee 10, 9. Clinton 8, 10. (tie) Ames, Lewis Central and Pleasant Valley 7.

Results (top 3, plus area)

Discus — 1. Jackson Coker (Cedar Rapids Kennedy), 180-6; 2. Cole Webster (Bettendorf), 178-9; 3. Bedale Naba (West Des Moines Valley), 168-0; 5. Dalles Jacobus (Cedar Rapids Kennedy), 165-0.

High jump — 1. Suni Lane (Bettendorf), 6-7; 2. Isaiah Strong (Indianola), 6-5; 3. (tie) Josh Dietrich (West Des Moines Dowling) and Tavian Williams (Sioux City North), 6-5; 6. Shaun Beyer (Cedar Rapids Kennedy), 6-3.

3,200 — 1. Ryan Schweizer (West Des Moines Dowling), 9:16.85; 2. Isaac Smith (Cedar Falls), 9:21.32; 3. Sam Schillinger (Cedar Falls), 9:22.84; 4. Ryan Murphy (Linn-Mar), 9:30.27; 6. Ali Ali (Iowa City West), 9:37.23.

3,200 relay — 1. Waukee (Modlin, Doty, Andrews, Penn), 7:47.08; 2. Cedar Falls, 7:47.46; 3. Indianola, 7:49.69; 4. Cedar Rapids Prairie, 7:56.29; 7. Iowa City High, 8:00.36.

400 — 1. Jalen Rima (Cedar Rapids Prairie), 48.55; 2. Quavon Jones (Clinton), 48.99; 3. Sam Parker (Ankeny), 49.41; 7. Wali Parks (Iowa City West), 50.01.

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