Ham wins, in a photo-finish

(RESULTS)DES MOINES -- There's not much time to think in the course of a 110-meter hurdles race.But for Connor Ham, there was time to adjust. Time to come from behind. And time to win by the narrowest of margins.Ham won the Class 3A boys' title in the highs at the state track and field meet Saturday at Drake Stadium, finishing in 14.72 seconds, one-hundredth of a second ahead of Harlan's Austin Hess."I was running too high over them, so I changed my steps," said Ham, a sophomore at Solon High School. "I jumped lower and put less pop into it."Just in the nick of time.Ham helped lead Solon to an area-best fifth place in a tightly bunched 3A boys race. Pella edged Little Hawkeye Conference rival Knoxville, 46-45, for the crown. Mount Pleasant was next with 39 points, followed by Boone (37.5) and the Spartans (36).The days of breaking the tape at the finish line are long gone, so Ham didn't know the outcome of the photo-finish contest between Hess and himself for a split-second."I had a feeling I won, but I didn't know for sure until my name went up on the scoreboard," he said. "Thankfully, it did."Ham was one of three area winners in the 3A boys competition.Clear Creek Amana's Jared Ganschow added the 200 crown to the 400 title he had claimed Thursday, racing in 22.18 seconds."This was a big surprise because it was only the fourth 200 I've run all season," he said. "I could see (runner-up Brandon Norman of Iowa Falls-Alden) wide of me. I was just hopeful that I'd win, then thankful that I did."South Tama's Kaleb Davenport, Dylan Kalinay, Daryl Bidwell and Kyle Stephenson won the 400-meter relay in 42.87 seconds.Marion finished in 14th place with 21 points. The Indians got a second-place finish in the shuttle hurdle relay."Mount Pleasant had a great anchor leg," said Marion's Quinn Cannoy. "I just tried to keep pace. We were seeded fifth and we got second, so I was satisfied."