Hounds wrap weekend at state meet in Des Moines

DES MOINES – Fort Madison senior Brylie Lorence capped a solid Bloodhound career with a 2nd-place finish in the girls' 3A shotput at the IHSAA/IGHSAU State Track and Field meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines on Friday.
Lorence worked her way through the first three qualifying throws, going from 37’0.25” in her first throw to a 40’10.25” to get her into the finals. She then had a couple 41’plus throws before letting loose with a 44’8.25” throw on her last throw.
Charlee Morton of Hampton-Dumont-CAL then came up with a 47’6.25” to win the event. Lorence’s final throw was 3rd-best in the state in all classes behind Morton's and Burlington’s Kylee Hill in 4A.
“I just wanted to go out and give it all I got for my last time. I mean, I'll be competing at the college level, but nothing's like high school,” she said.
“I’m just happy. I was stuck in the 41s and  I even threw a 37, so i was just happy that i got out of that slump. I talked with my coach and he was like just like, give it all you got. It’s your last throw.”
Lorence will be throwing for Indian Hills with former Bloodhound and Hawkeye standout Elijah Barnes.
On Friday, Hounds' senior Dayton Lamar, competing in the long jump for the first season ever, jumped his way to a 6th-place finish with a 21’10.75 on his fifth jump of the day in the finals.
“I’m a little disappointed, but then I’m pretty happy because this was the first year doing this and I still got 6th place. I think it was the preparation. I don't think I did the right stuff, I don't think I did the right things for today,” he said.
“I would’ve slept better last night. I think I went to bed at 11 and I had a couple desserts over the weekend.”
Lamar said he may want to continue this in the future and he’s had a couple conversations with coaches about competing at the next level.
Urijah Brooks and Caden Barnes both competed in the 3A boys' shotput. Brooks' best throw was a 50’6.25” good enough for 10th-place overall. Barnes fouled on his first two throws and finished with a 45’6.25” for 21st place.
Peyton Lambert finished the boys' 3A open 400 Saturday at 51.59, one of his fastest times of the year, and finished 17th overall with a very speedy field. Nolan Guzman finished 19th in the 800-meter run at 1:58.85.
“I didn’t get out very good. It was a little faster and I wanted to hang with them a little bit more. I thought I picked it up good along the stretch to kind of get myself settled in right where I wanted to be on the first lap and that was fine, and then everyone took off and I was like ‘oh my goodness, I'm gonna die no matter what so, I might as well die trying’,” he said laughing.
He said the 1:58 on Saturday was a second off his best time of the year.
“I haven’t been running that fast lately, so I’m pretty happy with a 1:58.”

Guzman, a junior, will have one more year to get back to the meet and that’s something that’s on his radar.
Quentin Nauman of Epworth-West Dubuque set a new state record, state meet record, and a top-7 national time with a 1:49.41 to take the 3A title.
“I don’t want to be like a fanboy or anything, but he’s special, and whenever you can get a chance to watch a guy like that, I encourage anyone to do that. That's the best athlete in Iowa. I mean, that's insane what he can do.”
In the girls' 800, Fort Madison’s Mara Smith ran a 2:22.39, good enough for 15th and her best time of the season.
Avery Rump and Jordyn Marshall both ran in the 3000 and the 1500. Saturday’s 1500 saw Rump finish about seven spots ahead of her seeding with a 4:54.09, which was her best time of the season.
Brandon Klein took home a 2nd-place finish in the wheelchair shotput with an 18’2.75” throw. He also brought home fifth-place finishes in the 100- and 200-meter wheelchair runs. He finished sixth in the 400-meters.
Klein said he was just happy to be representing Fort Madison and he put in some extra work in the weight room this year for the state meet. Klein competed in the same events last year and improved on each time this year.
“I just need to work more on speed than anything,” he said about the races.
His 18’2.75 inches was his best throw of the year and he said he worked on some different things prior to Saturday’s competition.
“I worked more on height than i did for distance, so if I can get it up further, I know I can get it passed those marks,” he said. “I’m usually lifting weights and then I'll come out to the track once in a while to do laps. It feels great to be here and I'm glad I got to participate in everything.”
Central Lee’s Kegan Damico ran a 58.58 in the 400-meter hurdles on Friday. That finished him at 22nd in Class 2A. Ryker Dengler of West Liberty ran a 53.68 to take the title.
Damico said he’s just glad he finally got the chance to run at state.
“It's different here, yeah. It's a big change with a lot more people and really good atmosphere. It’s just really nice to get to come out here.”
He said the track is easier to run on and allows for a more steady stride.
“It's a little nicer, and little smoother, and a little easier to keep my stride. I just wanted to go out and try my best. I’ve been working hard for a while and gave it everything I got for one last run. I’ve been doing this for four years and just missed it last year so it's a great opportunity to come up here and perform.”
In all, the Hounds had 18 student athletes competing in 18 different events over the weekend. Central Lee’s Damico was the only Hawk to qualify for the weekend trip.