Staebler, Heitman lead Clayton Ridge to title

DES MOINES - About a half-mile Acre Street asphalt in Guttenberg separates Jasmine Staebler from Hope Heitman.

'It's within biking or walking distance,” Staebler said. 'We're always at one place or another.”

The best friends lifted Clayton Ridge to uncharted territory Saturday at Drake Stadium. The Eagles scored 54 points and grabbed the Class 2A girls' state track and field championship.

'We come from a little school that nobody knows about,” Staebler said. 'People are starting to find out now.”

Staebler won the 800-meter title Saturday, finished second to Saint Ansgar's Natalie Halfman in the sprint medley relay, and third behind Halfman and Heitman in the 200.

That last race wrapped up the crown for the Eagles.

Mount Vernon moved from fifth place into a second-place trophy spot by winning the 1,600-meter relay, finishing with 46 points.

Northeast (44), Osage (41) and Saint Ansgar (40) completed the top five.

An Iowa State recruit, Staebler was already a known track commodity. Heitman was more anonymous.

'I'm not sure what the difference was,” she said. 'I think I've just been practicing harder this year. This just shows how far we've come, how serious our program has gotten.”

Staebler left little doubt in the 800, breaking from the pack immediately and finishing in 2:14.07.

'I just wanted to get the lead right away,” she said. 'I knew I would be a little tired (after the sprint medley). I wanted to get out and get as much of a lead as I could.”

Mount Vernon's Emma Cochrane has followed in the fast footsteps of her older sister, Karly, who starred here a few years back. And, like Karly, she'll continue her career at Wartburg College.

'I really believe that track is what I was born to do,” Cochrane said after anchoring the Mustangs' 1,600 relay to a winning 3:59.76 effort. 'What we've done at Mount Vernon, it means the world to me. I'm blessed and lucky.”

Faith Anton, Maggie Davis and Libby Ryan ran the first three legs for the Mustangs.

West Branch's shuttle hurdle relay unit of Paige Miller, Abby Knoop, Megan Tadlock and Maddy Russell triumphed in 1:05.48, nearly 2 seconds ahead of the field.

'It's the best feeling in the world. I can't explain it enough,” Russell said. 'Last year, we came so close (finishing second). We weren't going to let that happen again.”

Russell and Knoop were second and fourth in the 100 hurdles.

Other area runners-up were Lucy Conroy of Mount Vernon in the 1,500, Macie Weber of Cascade in the 800 and Hayley Vogt of MFL MarMac in the 100.

'It was my last high-school race,” said Conroy, a senior. 'I was going to give it everything I had.”

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