Joah Banks cements his legacy

DES MOINES — Only one question remains to be asked of Joah Banks:

What's next?

'You'll have to wait and see,' he said. 'I'm not giving any hints yet.'

This much is in cement — he's the best short hurdler Iowa has seen.

A day after setting the all-time Iowa best in the preliminaries, Banks captured the Class 4A boys' 110-meter hurdles championship at the state track and field meet Saturday at Drake Stadium.

When it was over, he sauntered to the stands to share in his glory. There were hugs and some complex handshakes.

'Just my supporters, my family and friends,' Banks said. 'They're my closest supporters.

'I wasn't supposed to win it last year. There was a lot more pressure on me this time. It's better to do it twice.'

Banks finished in 13.98 seconds Saturday, a notch slower than the state-record 13.91 he posted Friday. He is a two-time state champion and a two-time Drake Relays champion.

'Winning was the main goal, and breaking 14 seconds was a personal goal,' he said.

The next step is to find a college. But we'll have to wait and see.

West Des Moines Valley edged Waukee, 73-69, for the 4A boys' title. One of the smallest 4A schools, Western Dubuque was third with 54.

The Bobcats wrapped up their trophy run by winning the 400-meter relay. G Bennett, Max Steffen, Kenny Beard and Brandon Beard circled the track in 42.00 seconds, just ahead of Cedar Rapids Washington (42.13).

'We weren't satisfied with ourselves (after winning two relays at the Drake Relays),' Kenny Beard said. 'We had a target on our backs, but we still knew we could do it.'

Ryan Murphy of Linn-Mar concluded a distance sweep, and did it in familiar fashion, outkicking future University of Arkansas teammate Sam Schillinger of Cedar Falls down the stretch.

'I figured after the 3,200, he was going to take it out hard,' said Murphy, who finished in 4:15.36. 'I just wanted to get into good position. I developed a good kick at the end of the season, so I didn't think there was any need to go out and lead the race.'

The reason for the increased speed, Murphy said, is simple.

'It's a matter of being healthy,' he said, referring to the IT band injury he dealt with during cross country season. 'I've been doing a little more high mileage and racing less.'

Linn-Mar was second in the shuttle hurdle relay; Western Dubuque finished second in the sprint medley.

STATE TRACK & FIELD: 4A BOYS

Teams — 1. West Des Moines Valley 73, 2. Waukee 69, 3. Western Dubuque 54, 4. Cedar Falls 48, 5. Waterloo West 42, 6. Ankeny Centennial 41, 7. (tie) Linn-Mar and West Des Moines Dowling 38, 9. Iowa City West 35, 10. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 32.

Results (top 3 and area placewinners)

Sprint medley relay — 1. Bettendorf (Anderson, Graves, Nicholson, Porter), 1:32.09; 2. Western Dubuque, 1:32.64; 3. Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 1:32.77; 6. Iowa City West, 1:33.09.

800 — 1. Josh Andrews (Waukee), 1:54.31; 2. Matt Fraizer (West Des Moines Dowling), 1:54.44; 3. Seb Gearhart (Cedar Falls), 1:55.87; 7. Derek Nugent (Iowa City West), 1:56.53.

Shuttle hurdle relay — 1. Ankeny Centennial (Moss, Mudge, Pinegar, Weil), 56.23; 2. Linn-Mar, 56.90; 3. West Des Moines Valley, 57.02; 4. Western Dubuque, 57.35; 5. Cedar Rapids Washington, 57.76; 6. Iowa City West, 58.82.

100 — 1. Dan Blocker (Waukee), 11.12; 2. Ryan Van Baale (Ankeny Centennial), 11.16; 3. Jayson Murray (West Des Moines Dowling), 11.19; 6. G Bennett (Western Dubuque), 11.31.

110 hurdles — 1. Joah Banks (Cedar Rapids Prairie), 13.98; 2. Riley Moss (Ankeny Centennial), 14.62; 3. Keaton Floss (West Des Moines Valley), 14.72; 5. Zeal Baker (Linn-Mar), 14.76.

200 — 1. Tayshaun Cooper (Waterloo West), 21.72; 2. Collin Glazek (Davenport North), 22.24; 3. Carlton Todd (Waterloo West), 22.25.

1,600 — 1. Ryan Murphy (Linn-Mar), 4:15.36; 2. Sam Schillinger (Cedar Falls), 4:16.28; 3. Matt Fraizer (West Des Moines Dowling), 4:17.23; 7. Kolby Greiner (Iowa City West), 4:21.06.

400 relay — 1. Western Dubuque (Bennett, Steffen, K.Beard, B.Beard), 42.00; 2. Cedar Rapids Washington, 42.13; 3. Davenport North, 42.13; 4. Iowa City High, 42.41; 6. Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 42.87.

1,600 relay — 1. Cedar Falls (Gearhart, Timmer, O'Hair, Hoy), 3:17.88; 2. Waterloo West, 3:18.70; 3. Iowa City High, 3:18.87; 4. Western Dubuque, 3:19.91; 6. Iowa City West, 3:21.05.

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