Marion breaks through, wins state track championship

DES MOINES — Blair Brooks and Myles Bach are the headliners for the Marion High School boys' track and field team, there's no disputing that.

'We have some superstars, and sometimes it's pretty hard to get out of their shadow,' Dawson Kirk said.

The aces did their thing, but in a back-and-forth Class 3A team race, the Indians needed an extra boost. It came early Saturday, from the sprinters.

The result was history.

A second-place finish in the sprint medley relay started Saturday's program, and it helped propel Marion to its first title in the sport. The Indians finished with 69 points, 11 more than runner-up Mount Vernon.

'I can't explain how proud I am of these young men,' Coach Chad Zrudsky said. 'They're gamers. They stepped up in every event.'

Marion entered the day with a one-point edge on the Mustangs. The sprint medley crew of Ryan Bettenga, Kirk, Grant Meth and Chris Mohwinkle set the tone for the closing surge.

Brooks' third-place finish in the 110 hurdles gave Marion the lead for good. Then, in the 1,600, Bach clinched the championship with his second triumph of the weekend, in 4:25.12.

'This is the one I really wanted,' Bach said. 'The 1,600 is my favorite race; it's a lot more intense. I knew there were going to be a lot of good competitors.

'I love winning this with these guys. I know how much work they put into it. Coach Zrudsky really deserves it.'

Bach, a junior, is now a two-time champion in both the 1,600 and 3,200.

Mount Vernon's Jeremy Krogmann finished second in the 800-meter run, in 1:57.17. Landon Boomsma of Iowa Falls-Alden won it in 1:55.96.

'I can't complain,' Krogmann said. 'I don't have much of a kick, so I had to get out as fast as I could.'

JoJo Frost anchored Center Point-Urbana to second place in the 1,600-meter relay and third in the sprint medley.

West Liberty's Tanner Iske was the 100-meter runner-up, finishing behind West Burlington-Notre Dame star Isaiah Trousil.

But Saturday was Marion's day. And Mohwinkle relished in it.

'The last three years, we haven't gotten a lot of credit,' he said. 'We wanted to get Marion back on the map.'

Done.

STATE TRACK & FIELD: 3A BOYS

Teams — 1. Marion 69, 2. Mount Vernon 58, 3. Dallas Center-Grimes 45, 4. Sergeant Bluff-Luton 40, 5. (tie) Carlisle and Boone 39, 7. Mount Pleasant 38, 8. West Burlington-Notre Dame 36, 9. Glenwood 33, 10. Dubuque Wahlert 32.75.

Results (top 3 and area placewinners)

Sprint medley relay — 1. Glenwood (Saddler, Bowden, Decker, Kennedy), 1:33.68; 2. Marion, 1:34.73; 3. Center Point-Urbana, 1:34.98; 7. Decorah, 1:37.00.

800 — 1. Landon Boomsma (Iowa Falls-Alden), 1:55.96; 2. Jeremy Krogmann (Mount Vernon), 1:57.17; 3. Will DeHaan (DeWitt Central), 1:58.83; 6. Zach Krogmann (Mount Vernon), 2:00.03.

Shuttle hurdle relay — 1. Carlisle (Goodhue, Brunsen, Black, Wright), 56.77; 2. Mount Pleasant, 57.39; 3. Spirit Lake, 57.82; 8. Decorah, 1:00.14.

100 — Isaiah Trousil (West Burlington-Notre Dame), 12.74; 2. Tanner Iske (West Liberty), 11.09; 3. Rancy Freeman (Dallas Center-Grimes), 11.28; 5. Jared Helle (West Delaware), 11.25.

110 hurdles — 1. Lantz Reed (Boone), 14.68; 2. Dallas Wright (Carlisle), 14.78; 3. Blair Brooks (Marion), 14.99; 5. Luke Ira (Solon), 15.27.

200 — 1. Isaiah Trousil (West Burlington-Notre Dame), 21.22; 2. Alden Kuntz (Dubuque Wahlert), 22.43; 3. Rancy Freeman (Dallas Center-Grimes), 22.78.

1,600 — 1. Myles Bach (Marion), 4:25.12; 2. Trey Engen (Algona), 4:26.55; 3. Logan Murray (Mount Pleasant), 4:26.63; 5. Andrew Kephart (Decorah), 4:28.37; 7. Jack Young (Mount Vernon), 4:30.26.

400 relay — 1. Dallas Center-Grimes (Madsen, Freeman, Brown, Washington), 42.65; 2. West Burlington-Notre Dame, 43.21; 3. Sergeant Bluff-Luton, 43.78; 6. Marion, 44.15.

1,600 relay — 1. Sergeant Bluff-Luton (Schwedler, Kroll, Delperdang, Boekelman), 3:20.67; 2. Center Point-Urbana, 3:23.62; 3. Glenwood, 3:23.85; 5. Mount Vernon, 3:25.46.

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