CHAMPIONS, AGAIN Ram boys’ snag state qualifying title, send eight to state
By BRANDON HURLEY
Sports Editor
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The champs have done it again.
The Greene County boys’ track and field captured a Class 2A state qualifying title Thursday in Manson, their second consecutive championship.
The Rams also won a state qualifying title in Woodward in 2019, track and field was not held last spring due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Greene County was powered by a trio of event titles May 13 and will send eight events to next week’s state meet in Des Moines, six of which were automatic qualifiers.
The boys’ captured victory in the shuttle hurdle relay thanks to the continued prowess of Nate Black, Bryce Stalder, Jaxon Warnke and Jackson Morton (1:02.27). Morton also won the 110-meter low hurdles championship (15.08) and earned an at-large bid in the 400-meter low hurdles after placing third in Manson with a time of 57.6.
Greene County’s Josh Ewalt shattered his season-best mark in the discus, winning the event title with an impressive throw of 139-08, securing his first trip to the state meet.
Junior Bryce Stalder finished second in the long jump with a career-best leap of 22-30.75, punching his ticket to Des Moines while Nate Black cleared 6-03 in the high jump to finish runner-up, securing an individual state berth as well.
The Rams’ 4-by-400-meter relay of Stalder, Warnke, Morton and Daugherty finished runner-up in Manson with a personal-best time of 3:35.83, securing a spot at next week’s state meet.
The Rams also earned an at-large bid in the 4-by-200-meter relay, earning the 18th-seed with a season-best time of 1:33.82 thanks to a third-place finish from Nathan Wailes, Warnke, Daugherty and Stalder in Manson.
RAM GIRLS SEND SIX TO STATE
A fairly tense evening of waiting gave way to a momentous afternoon Friday.
The Greene County girls will send six events to next week’s state track and field meet at Drake Stadium, anchored by Brooklynn Olson’s discus title.
The Rams produced a pair of automatic qualifiers at the Class 2A state qualifying meet Thursday, May 13 in Manson while they earned a quartet of at-large bids.
Olson launched a school-record toss of 123-05 in the discus to help secure a gold medal and a return to state, while the Rams’ 4-by-200-meter relay quartet of Olivia Shannon, Makala Kafer, Brianna Osterson and Natalie Heupel also tallied an automatic berth after finishing second in Manson with a season-best time of 1:50.31, which secured them the third-best time in Greene County history and a spot at state.
The Rams’ sprint medley relay quartet of Annie Twillie, Natalie Heupel, Olivia Shannon and Katrina Heupel earned an at-large bid after finishing fourth in Manson with a season-best time of 1:56.82.
Bri Osterson secured a return to state with an at-large berth in the long jump after finishing fourth in Manson with a season-best jump of 16-06. The senior placed top 15 in the long jump as a freshman.
Olson also earned an at-large bid in the shot put thanks to her school-record toss of 38-05 a few weeks back. The Rams’ 4-by-100-meter relay squad of Shannon, Osterson, Kafer and Natalie Heupel earned an at-large bid as well after finishing third in Manson with a time of 52.34.
The 2021 Iowa high school state track and field meet will be held Thursday, May 20 through Saturday, May 22.
Thursday’s 2A session begins at 9 a.m. with girls’ shuttle hurdle relay.
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