By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette
T
he state-qualifying meets for ACGC and Panorama boys and girls track were last night, and the student-athletes impressed. It is something I marvel at each year. Making it to state felt like a rarity when I was at high school, but between ACGC and Panorama, across many sports, it feels like the norm.
ACGC
The ACGC boys, coming off a second-place finish at last year’s state track and field meet, showed they still have what it takes. First-year head coach Jacob Lacey, who admittedly has been with the team for several years, proved he can get the Chargers to the big stage, winning this year’s state-qualifying meet at Audubon. The boys won four events: Brexton Schneider in the 110-meter hurdles (something he has made a habit of this season), Preston Kent in the 3,200-meter run, the sprint medley relay team of Joe Crawford, Schneider, Thomas Skram and Talon Noland, and the 4×110-meter shuttle hurdle team of Skram, Morgun Nolte, Collin Stringham and Schneider. Plus, plenty of top-10 finishes. It will be fun to see how the Chargers finish this season versus last.
The ACGC girls did not win their meet outright but still won an event and will be sending a few girls to the state meet. The 4×200-meter relay team of Meranda Gruber, Savannah Akers, Cadence Petersen and Nora Langgaard came out on top and will be heading to state.
Panorama
The Panorama boys will be sending at least two athletes to the state meet: Reed Draper and Syler Shaffer. These two were the most likely to advance to state based on their performances this season. Draper in the long jump, and Shaffer in the 400-meter hurdles, were both consistently placing in the top two all season long. It will be interesting to see how they stack up against the rest of the state.
As for the girls, a familiar name will be at state on the blue track in Des Moines: Kylie Rochholz. Rochholz has become a staple in postseason events in both track and cross country since her freshman year, and this year is no different. Despite running limited races this season due to rehabbing from an injury, Rochholz waltzed into the state qualifier by winning the 1,500-meter run and placing second in the 3,000-meter run. Both are impressive feats. Let’s hope she continues to add to her impressive list of accolades at state.
It is great that these two schools continually have some of the best athletes in the state. I often find difficulty in rooting for my beloved Lincoln Rails. We are not good at much, except for soccer, much to my delight. But, come postseason, at least one of these two schools will give me someone or some team to root for. When it comes to track and field, that gives me almost too much to keep track of. I hope it stays that way.
Reach out with comments, suggestions, story ideas and more to cyote@dmcityview.com.