BOYS’ TRACK: Ram relays produce myriad of gold medals at Carroll Relays

By BRANDON HURLEY

Sports Editor
sports@beeherald.com

Greene County’s relays continue to shine as crunch time nears.

The Rams captured gold in three different relay events April 12, en route to a third place finish at the Carroll Relays.
Carroll took home the team title at its own meet, securing 128 points, followed by IKM-Manning (122) while Greene County just missed out on second with 119.5 points.

The Rams were piloted by wins in the sprint medley relay, the shuttle hurdle and the 4-by-100-meter. Greene County’s sprint medley relay quartet of Daniel Rivera, Nathan Wailes, Richard Daugherty and Jaxon Warnke finished first with a time of 1:41.84.
The shuttle hurdle quartet of Daugherty, Bryce Stalder, Warnke and Jaxon Morton secured gold with the 14th-fastest time in Iowa, across Iowa, sprinting to a time of 1:03.62. Greene County is currently in line to qualify for the Drake Relays, which will be held next week, Thursday, April 22. The top 16 shuttle hurdle teams, across all classes will qualify for the annual meet in Des Moines.

Greene County’s season-best time Monday places them in the top spot in 2A, nearly two seconds faster than Manson-Northwest Webster (1:05.27).
The Rams were also anchored by six silver medals Monday.

Wailes finished second in the 400-meter dash, cruising to a time of 56.99 seconds, a few paces behind gold-medalist Ben Englin of South Central Calhoun (56.90).

Logan Woodruff cruised to a time of 11:01.17 in the 3,200-meter run, well behind champion Quentin Dreyer of IKM-Manning (10:43.43) but strong enough for a silver medal. Woodruff also placed runner-up in the 1,600-meter run, securing a time of 5:12.55 which was once again behind Dreyer, who finished with a time of 4:53.31. Morton finished second in the 400-meter hurdles thanks to a personal-best time of 58.34, narrowly defeated by Audubon’s Gavin Smith, who placed first with a time of 57.64.

Greene County’s 4-by-200-meter relay squad of Morton, Stalder, Daugherty and Warnke rounded out the silver medals in the field events, finishing second with a time of 1:34.78, barely out-stepped by event-champion Carroll, who finished first with a time of 1:34.75.
Nate Black finished second in the high jump, clearing 5-10, just behind South Central Calhoun’s Cole Corey who won by leaping 6-feet flat. Stalder snagged a bronze medal in the long jump with a top leap of 21-feet, losing out to Carroll’s Tory Feldman, who came in first with a jump of 21-10 and runner-up Cole Corey, who jumped 21-02. Rivera also placed third in the 100-meter dash, finishing with a time of 11.99 seconds, a few steps behind event-winner Zach Dirkx, of Carroll (11.67).

MORTON SHINES AT VAN METER

Greene County’s Jackson Morton produced a record-breaking night April 8 in Van Meter. The junior set the Ram all-time mark in the 110-meter high hurdles, securing a gold medal with a blistering time of 15.33 seconds. The title-winning race places Morton as the 14th-fastest in Iowa, across all classes. It was eight-quickest at the time, but has since been surpassed in the following days. Morton currently ranks second in Class 2A, only behind Spirit Lakes Jack Latham, who ran a 15.09 last Thursday. The top 32 athletes, across all classes will qualify for next week’s Drake Relays. The cut-off is this Thursday evening, April 15.

The Rams’ 4-by-100-meter relay crew of Daniel Rivera, Bryce Stalder, Richard Daugherty and Jaxon Warnke secured gold as well in Van Meter, running to a season-best time of  45.58 seconds,