4A race could be MVC monopoly

DES MOINES -- It's a cyclical thing, and it won't last forever.

But these days, the Mississippi Valley Conference is king in boys' track.

"It seems like right now, the conference is blessed with a lot of talented kids," said Brian Martz, coach at Iowa City West.

Barring something dramatically unforeseen, the MVC will grab its fourth consecutive Class 4A boys' championship (and its 16th in the last 21 years) at the state meet, which runs Thursday through Saturday at Drake Stadium.

Question is, which MVC team will it be?

Based on last week's district results, West is a slight favorite over Linn-Mar. But the reflection of the league's strength extends beyond the Trojans and the Lions.

Iowa City High, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids Washington and Cedar Rapids Prairie are hopeful of top-five finishes. Bettendorf, a member of the Mississippi Athletic Conference, is the most threatening interloper to a potential top-five MVC sweep.

Cedar Falls captured the title last year behind University of Alabama signee James Harrington, who returns for a final blaze of glory on the Jim Duncan Track. Washington was crowned in 2009 and 2010.

Rare is the event in which an MVC contestant -- and more often than not, one from the Cedar Rapids/Marion and Iowa City corridor -- is a title contender.

* Linn-Mar's Brandon Ophoff is the top seed in the 110-meter high hurdles and the 400-meter lows, and teammate Josh Evans ranks No. 1 in the 1,600 and the 3,200.

* West counters with relay strength across the board. They are top-seeded in the 800- and 3,200-meter relays, and sprinter Armando Williams matched Harrington's 100-meter effort of 10.75 seconds in two different district meets.

* City High ran third to West and Linn-Mar at last week's district meet -- "It was like a mini-state meet," Linn-Mar Coach Ken Hopkins said -- and is seeded No. 1 in the 400 relay and the shuttle hurdle relay.

* Prairie is the favorite in the 1,600 relay and the medley relay, and Jefferson's Timauntay Jones and Xavier's Alec Clasen are 4A leaders in the 800 and high jump, respectively.

It's an inexact science to pick a champion based on district performances. But, going by that barometer, West is projected to score 86 points, Linn-Mar 77.

"I'd like to think we have a shot at it," Martz said. "We've done everything we can do to put ourselves in position to have a chance. We have no control over what any other team does except ourselves."

West, which last won a title in 2007, has a 4A-high 23 state entrants.

"We've got our senior sprinters, and we've got our distance underclassmen," Williams said after the Trojans won the MVC Valley Division title. "We kind of have it all."

Linn-Mar was third last year. The Lions are aiming for their first title.

"There are three or four teams that have a chance, and I'd like to believe we're in that group," Hopkins said. "The three days at state, it's a roller-coaster ride.

"Whoever makes the fewest mistakes and comes up with a couple surprises is the team that's probably going to come out on top."