4 state titles for Shenandoah's Steng, 4 medals for Clarinda's Bird highlight track season
This season’s State Track and Field Championships saw 14 area events earn a medal, including four state championships by senior Titus Steng, to earn the Boys Para State Championship for the Mustangs.
Steng and Clarinda freshman Ellery Bird left the state meet with four medals while Clarinda senior Kylie Meier, junior Karson Johnson and sophomore Miley Wagoner earned three medals each.
This is the first in a series of three spring sports recap stories published this month. Look for golf and tennis stories over the next two weeks, followed by the released of the Spring Sports All-Area Team, and then stories on the spring season’s top male and female athlete.
Shenandoah senior Titus Steng takes the early lead Friday, May 22, in the 800-meter wheelchair at the State Track and Field Championships. Steng won the race in 2:12.57, beating the runner-up by nine seconds.
The goal all season for Steng was four gold medals at the state meet and he made good on that goal. He opened his state meet Friday, May 22, and won the 800-meter wheelchair event, the one race he didn’t win last year. The following day, he overcame a bit of a slow start in the 100, before cruising in the 200 and 400 to win four medals and a state championship team trophy.
Clarinda junior Karson Johnson competes in the 200-meter wheelchair Saturday, May 23, at the State Track and Field Championships. Johnson finished 4th.
Johnson is waiting in the wings. The Cardinal junior finished fourth, fourth and fifth in the 100, 200 and 400 and with the three athletes in front of him in all three races graduating, he has a chance to make a big move his senior season.
The Clarinda girls were strong all season and a group of five athletes combined to score 14 team points for a top 15 finish state in Class 2A.
Bird was the leader. What a season she had, bursting onto the scene at the state indoor meet in March. From there, she just got better, medaling in the state high jump and anchoring the medal-winning 4x100, 4x200 and sprint medley relays.
Clarinda sophomore Miley Wagoner (left) takes off from junior Alexa Barnes (right) during the 4x100-meter relay prelims Friday, May 22, at the State Track and Field Championships.
Clarinda junior Stevie Wilmes flies down the backstretch of the 4x400-meter relay Saturday, May 23, at the State Track and Field Championships. The Cardinals finished 5th.
Meier and Wagoner were part of those relays as well with juniors Alexa Barnes and Stevie Wilmes splitting the final spot in the relays.
Clarinda freshman Sydney Sperry watches her shot put Thursday, May 21, at the State Track and Field Championships. Sperry finished 18th at 34 feet, 5.75 inches.
Sydney Sperry was a state qualifier in the shot put for Clarinda and was joined by Kenley Sunderman and Alisha Buttercase to form a nice throwing core for the Cardinals.
Riley King was a contender all season in the distance races in her final run as a Cardinal. Rylee Maher and Aylah Johnson are a couple more young contenders that should shine going forward for the Clarinda girls.
Seeing Meier and Shenandoah’s Cole Graham end their fabulous track and field careers with another state medal was a highlight of a certain sports writer at the state meet.
Shenandoah senior Cole Graham (6 on chest) brings the baton home in the 800-meter medley relay Saturday, May 23, at the State Track and Field Championships. Graham and his teammates finished sixth, earning a state medal.
Graham was the fourth member of Shenandoah’s state championship relays in 2023 and 2024 and has been the leader of the Mustangs for the last two years. He qualified in four events but had just one more chance to earn one more medal on Saturday. One final kick put his team into third with one heat to go in the sprint medley relay, and they hung on for seventh.
Shenandoah junior Joey O'Rourke takes off with the baton after receiving it from senior Cole Graham Friday, May 22, in the 4x100-meter relay at the State Track and Field Championships.
The rest of that relay quartet returns next year in Gabe Buttry, Harley Wiley and Joey O’Rourke, keeping the Shenandoah sprint relays in good hands going forward.
Simon Hennings had a monster season in the discus, which included qualifying for the Drake Relays. His season didn’t end like he wanted it to with a throw well off his best at state. But seeing him come back for one final run next spring should make the discus a much-watch event again next season.
Another state meet highlight was watching Clarinda’s Jordan Butt and Shenandoah’s Tyler Babe, both seniors, make their state debut and compete well. These are two that have made headlines in other sports for their respective schools, football and baseball for Butt, and baseball and wrestling for Babe, but both earned the chance to compete on the state level in track and field and in talking to both afterwards, it was a fitting finish.
The Shenandoah boys also have a fun distance core coming back in Mason Sells, Carter Buttry and Conor O’Hara. None could find a way onto the Blue Oval this spring but will be contenders to do so next spring.
Shenandoah sophomore Carter Sells competes in the high jump Friday, May 22, at the State Track and Field Championships. Sells qualified for the state high jump for the second time, cleared 5-11 to finish 18th.
Carter Sells was a state qualifier in the high jump for the second straight year.
One Shenandoah athlete that found her way onto the Blue Oval was sophomore Susie Babe. She was the lone Fillies athlete that qualified for the state meet and earned valuable experience that will be needed in leading next year’s group.
Freshman Ava O’Rourke, junior Lilly Wittmer, sophomore Lilly Mather and junior Mya Young are just a few of the athletes who had big seasons and will be looking for more next spring.
Clarinda junior Kayden Hawley (right) takes off on the anchor leg of the 4x100-meter relay Saturday, May 23, at the State Track and Field Championships, after taking the baton from sophomore Cooper Baumgart. The Cardinals earned their second medal of the weekend, finishing 6th.
The Clarinda boys earned a pair of state medals in the 4x100 and 4x200-meter relays. A quartet of three sophomores in Cohen Phillips, Cooper Baumgart and Nolan Wagoner and a junior in Kayden Hawley ran well at the state meet but left a bit disappointed and wanting more going forward.
Clarinda senior Kaiden Roop competes in the long jump Thursday, May 21, at the State Track and Field Championships. A hamstring injury prevented Roop from being at 100 percent. He finished 20th with a best jump of 18-11.25.
An injury a few days before the state meet ended Kaiden Roop’s season prematurely after qualifying in both of those relays. He did work his way through it for three more jumps in the long jump. He had quite the career for Clarinda Athletics.
Isaiah Stogdill had a nice state debut in the 4x400 relay for Clarinda. Christian Gross and Lukas DeAnda emerged as hurdles contenders this season. Watch out for them going forward.
Isaiah Sholes represented the Essex boys team at the state meet for the second year in a row in the high jump.
Essex senior Ashon Kline competes in the long jump Thursday, April 16, in Shenandoah. Kline placed second in the event, nearly reaching the 20-foot mark.
Ashon Kline was another strong performer for the Trojans and a senior leader, along with Sholes. Those two and Mark Cabeen made up most of Essex’s sprint relays over the course of the season. Cabeen and Dominic Kirk will be the leading returners next season.
Essex freshman Piper Maher opens the 4x800-meter relay for the Trojanettes Tuesday, May 5, at the Corner Conference meet. The 4x800 was the first of four events for Maher.
Ella Sandahl and Piper Maher led the Essex girls all season, Sandahl in the distance events and Maher the sprints, mainly the 200 and 400.
Kylie Valdez was a senior leader for the Trojanettes, and along with Aila Valdez and Taylor Juarez were some key pieces this season. Kylie Valdez is the only senior.
Sidney was shut out of the state meet again this season but had some strong contributors all season.
Sidney junior Ashlyn Hayes sprints down the backstretch during the 800-meter medley relay Tuesday, May 5, at the Corner Conference track and field meet.
Keyana Haggerty and Jocelyn Tackett led the sprint relays with Tackett also enjoying a strong season in the high jump and Haggerty the long jump. Kyla Spurlock and Ashlyn Hayes made up the rest of the sprint relays. All return next year.
Aiden Stenzel led the sprint relays for the Sidney boys and was a senior leader for the Cowboys. Tate Mount, Joseph Lutz and Zach Boyd made up the rest of the usual sprint relay group.
Sidney junior Calvin Johnson takes on the backstretch of Bedford's track Tuesday, May 4, at the Corner Conference meet.
Calvin Johnson and Flynt Bell looked good for much of the year in the 400 and senior Ben Kingsolver was solid in the throws. Johnson, Lutz and Boyd return.
Many athletes will be featured again when the Spring Sports All-Area Team is released toward the end of the month, followed by the Spring Sports Male and Female Athletes of the Year.
Related
Shenandoah’s Titus Steng won four state titles and a team trophy at State Track
