Unlike the championship teams of years’ past, the defending Class 3A track and field state title winners are reloading instead of rebuilding, and should challenge to make it back-to-back crowns this spring.
Of the 80.5 points scored in May of 2021, the Pella boys graduate 3A shot put champion Kody Huisman, 800 meter 3rd place finisher and two-time relay champion Tony Schmitz, relay champion and 400 meter placeholder Jackson Rozenboom, and hurdling specialist and member of the 2nd place shuttle hurdle relay Brandon Winegardner.
And while those were all-time great performers in school history, Dutch Head Coach Brent Van Hauen is excited that the rest of the championship team is back, as is a wealth of depth and talent not showcased at Des Moines last season that will get the chance to fill the shoes of those individuals and make their own special moments this spring.
Key Returners:
Karl Miller (2021 State: 4×400 – school record, 1st; 4×800 – school record, 1st; Distance Medley, 2nd; 5th in 400 meters)
Miller is the highest scoring returning Dutch athlete — placing in all four of his events at state in 2021, and was a critical member of the defending 3A champions, acting as an elite specialist in the 400 meter dash. Miller is coming off of a basketball ankle injury and has not competed in the indoor season, but he’s expected to be ready for outdoor competition in early April. Miller has the 2nd fastest 400 time returning from 2021 (50.27 seconds). Strong depth in the 400 and 800 meter lineups for the Dutch may allow Karl to stay fresh all season — and to potentially explore scoring points in different events, including tests in the sprint medley relay and 200 meter dashes.
Gage Huyser (2021 State: Shuttle Hurdle Relay – school record, 2nd; 110 meter hurdles, 5th; 400 meter hurdles, 2nd)
It could be argued the “MVP” of the 2021 championship team was Huyser. The hurdler had a breakout season in 2021, capped off with a weekend where he outperformed his seeding in his individual races — in the 400 hurdles, the 19th-seeded junior placed 3rd, and as the nine-seed in the 110 hurdles, Gage placed 5th. Those unexpected points allowed the Dutch to edge ADM in a tight battle for 1st. Huyser is the 2nd fastest returning 400 meter hurdler (56.11) and the 3rd quickest in the 110 (15.35 seconds) based on state finishes. Huyser aims to lead the Shuttle Hurdle Relay to an elusive 1st place finish and may contend for conference, district, and state championships in both of his individual races.
Nolan Clayberg (2021 State: Shuttle Hurdle Relay – school record, 2nd; 110 meter hurdles, 4th; Distance Medley, 2nd)
The fourth of a four-child household that has left an incredible mark on Pella athletics, Nolan is coming off of his strongest football season, earning 3rd team Class 4A All-State honors. And while his older brothers’ legacies will best be known for their work on the gridiron, the youngest from the Clayberg household will perhaps be most remembered for his incredible success on the track. In 2021, he was a part of three top-four finishes at state and specialized in the 110 hurdles. After the 1st and 3rd place teams in the shuttle hurdle relays graduated the vast majority of their talent, Clayberg — who is the 2nd fastest returning individual in the 110 (15.3 seconds), will be a key into finding gold medals for one of the best groups of hurdlers in the past three years in the state. The biggest question for him might be if he can contribute to a fourth event this year, or if instead, he’ll maintain the same workload to maximize potential in the three events he scored in last spring.
Reece Thoreson (2021 State: 4×400 – school record, 1st; Shuttle Hurdle Relay – school record, 2nd)
It’s a bit of déjà vu for a multi-talented hurdler and long sprinter — in 2021, he came back to compete on the track following an ACL tear suffered against Bondurant-Farrar in a road football game. In 2022, he’s coming back to compete on the track following n ACL tear suffered against Bondurant-Farrar in a road football game. Whether it was the experience from last year’s physical therapy or an extra two weeks difference for healing, Thoreson has reportedly looked strong in practice and should be ready to navigate another spring season. Reece was a key member in two relays that scored 18 points at state last year. Prior to his football injury this fall, Thoreson was discussed as a possibility to combine his two strengths — the 400 meter dash and the hurdles, but that will depend on his health. If cleared, Thoreson could follow in his older sister Elsie’s footsteps, as she finished her junior season as one of the top 400 meter hurdlers in the state. The Pella coaching staff will be keeping a close eye on Reece coming off of his second major knee injury in as many years, but a full-strength Thoreson could score even more points than his incredible 2021 contribution this spring season.
Chase Lauman (2021 State: 4×800 – school record, 1st; 1600 meter run, 11th; 3200 meter run, 18th)
A strong start in the state weekend last May on the first leg of the 4×800 state championship relay (2:00.023) was followed by difficult races in deep fields in the two distance races. And after an incredible junior campaign of cross country came to a surprising halt in Fort Dodge due to illness, Lauman has been highly motivated to remain among Iowa’s fastest in Class 3A. Chase has had a strong start to the indoor season — the 800 meter run he completed at the IATC Indoor State Meet (1:58.70) is the fastest in Class 3A so far this spring and would have placed him in the top eight at state last year and his 1600 meter run (4:32.16) is .21 seconds off of his state pace in 2021. Chase may be the prime candidate to replace the production of Tony Schmitz and handle more 800 meter races and less long runs — although his strong indoor season start in the mile may keep him in that race. Managing his workload over the season will be perhaps the biggest key for the Pella coaching staff, as it could be during the three days of the state meet should he qualify in multiple events. Lauman is a prime candidate to break out in his junior campaign and could score a ton of points for the Dutch in a variety of races from the 400 to the 3200.
Josiah Wittenberg (2021 State: 4×800 – school record, 1st; 800 meter run , 13th; 1600 meter run; 23rd)
A mainstay in the Pella cross country and track and field teams, Wittenberg aims to finish his time in green and white on a high note. Wittenberg has qualified for state in both sports in all six seasons available. He was self-admittedly a bit disappointed with how his weekend ended in May — the 3rd seeded 800 meter runner wasn’t able to stay in the scoring and the 9th seeded mile runner was nearly 20 seconds slower at the Blue Oval than state qualifying. That came after a strong split in the 4×800 relay (2:00.409) that smashed the school record and ran away with the title. But make no mistake — Wittenberg was a huge part of the 2021 season and will be counted on again if the Dutch will repeat in Class 3A and contend for the Little Hawkeye Conference title. Wittenberg is the 5th fastest returning in the 3A 800 race (2:00.58), and may be relied on more to handle that distance in multiple events as opposed to the 1600 and 3200, especially with the loss of Tony Schmitz to graduation.
Athletes to Watch:
Parker Elder (2021 State: High Jump – 13th)
“Pogo” Parker was one of Iowa’s most elite dunkers in his three varsity years with Dutch basketball team, and 2021-22 was no exception. That explosiveness pushed the relatively new-to-track athlete to the 3rd seed in the high jump heading into Drake Stadium last May. However, as is often the case in jumping events, Parker was unable to match his incredible district championship performance and finished a few inches off of his season high. Pella’s coaches believe Parker can jump to new heights in 2022, and while it will be a tough task to match the 6’9″ jump from champion Ian Collins of Charles City and runner-up Jack Noble of North Polk at 6’8″ — Elder might be the one to give them a chase this spring. Parker’s contribution, especially if he can improve on his long jump of 19-09.00 and eclipse the 20 foot mark, could prove critical as the Dutch seek ways to replace the points scored by Kody Huisman in his two field events at state last spring.
Brandon Fischer (2021 State: Discus – 17th)
An excellent tradition of throwing built over the past decade for the Pella boys culminated with a 3A shot put championship from Kody Huisman and 3rd place finish in the discus, as well as a Drake Relays banner for the outgoing senior. But while those shoes will be extremely hard to fill, don’t be quick to count out junior Brandon Fischer, especially in the discus. Fischer came on late in the 2021 season and had the 14th best throw (144-07) in the district meets across Class 3A. His preseason tosses at practice have topped 160 (there are no indoor discus competitions), which bests his season long of 157-08.00 last season. If he can climb into that territory and build from there, Fischer could contend to match or best the effort of Huisman at state in 2021. While it will be difficult in a deep shot put field for the Dutch to find success in that realm — 11 athletes have already topped 50 feet, Fischer’s early season shot put throw of 47-02.75 last Friday places him 25th in the class before the outdoor season, and less than a foot shy of a qualifying bid one year ago.
Quinn Gruver (2021 State: Distance Medley Relay – 2nd; Sprint Medley Relay – 7th)
As a sophomore, Gruver’s contribution at state may have been overshadowed by the impressive then-junior class. But Gruver provided two critical 200 meter sprints that led to a pair of podium-finishing relays at a state meet where the Dutch needed every point they scored to ultimately win. With the fastest returning 100 time (11.45 seconds) and 2nd fastest 200 (23.62 seconds), his state-level experience and a potential jump in speed, Gruver could factor into becoming an even more important contributor as Pella chases meet championships this spring. He has yet to run an individual 100 meter race since they don’t do so in the indoor season, but his performances in the 60 meters thus far has the Dutch coaching staff optimistic about his ability to run short sprints.
Kenson Fuller (2021 State: Sprint Medley Relay – 7th)
With the fastest returning 200 meter dash (23.36 seconds) on a Pella team that may not quite have an elite runner in the sprints as the season starts, Fuller could have his name called quite a bit as the Pella coaching staff mixes and matches relays this spring. Kenson — much like Gruver, is hopeful to make a big jump from sophomore to junior year as often happens for high school athletes, and his speed could make Pella’s 4×200, sprint medley relay, and distance medley relay stronger. The 200 meter race could be a deep place for in-squad competition — especially if Coach Van Hauen considers having Karl Miller, Reece Thoreson, Nolan Clayberg and other star contributors test their speed in those races again this year, but another strong round of races from Kenson may allow those seniors to focus on their strongest events and allow the junior to shine on his own and provide needed speed this spring.
Trey Van Hauen (2021 State: 4×800 alternate)
The middle son of Head Coach Brent Van Hauen will aim to step into the shoes of a talented 4×800 team — Trey was the first leg of the district champion relay last spring and the first alternate at state. The junior provides depth in the long sprints and middle distance events, and a breakout campaign could make Pella favorites to earn titles in the 4×8 and distance medley relays, especially if he can approach and potentially drop below the two-minute mark teammates Miller, Wittenberg, and Lauman frequent in two trips around the track. That speed could allow the Dutch to maximize Karl in his 400 meter races and allow Lauman and Wittenberg the flexibility to potentially go back to the longer races at some meets.
4×100 Relay (2021 State: 23rd)
It’s a bit of a cop out to lump a relay together — but one of the best moments of the 2021 season was when the 4×100 relay of Jacob Byers, Jrake Van Hemert, Nick Rus, and Blake Meyer shaved a second off of their regular season time at the district meet to snag a surprise state qualifying bid and cap off a remarkable district championship performance for the Dutch. Now seniors, all four athletes come back motivated to prove their late season surge wasn’t a fluke. There’s a lot of talented sprinters chomping at the bit for spots on this deep Dutch team and the 4×100 field remains extremely talented in Class 3A, but if this returning group shows incremental improvement, they might be more than a “feel good” story in 2022 and could be a place where Pella scores some points and finds more meet victories.
Class 3A Teams to Watch:
Based on indoor season performances and the 2021 outdoor state standings, it’s very likely the Class 3A team champion will be coming from central Iowa. While some all-time great performers graduate, track and field will be as good as it ever has been within an hour radius of the Des Moines metro.
ADM — 2021 Class 3A runners up
The loss of 800, 1600, and 3200 meter champion Nate Mueller will be difficult for the Tigers of Adel-DeSoto-Minburn to replace, but they didn’t score the other 45 points at state by accident either. The trouble for the Tigers is that Mueller wasn’t the only contributing Class of ’21 graduate and there are a lot of holes to fill if they are going to make a run at a top five finish. Their 4×400 (4th place) 4×800 (2nd place), distance medley (4th place), and sprint medley (1st place) relays all had at least two contributing seniors, and in the 4×8 and 1600 medley, three graduates leaving. However, 2021 freshman sensation Brevin Doll won the 200 meter dash and brings a host of talented sprinters back this spring, including a 4×100 relay that won the indoor state race earlier this month. ADM won’t probably get to 75 points again at the state meet, but it could be argued that Pella won’t likely be topping 80 again, either, and the 3A field remains open with a lot of the contenders clashing against each other in several events.
Dallas Center-Grimes – 2021 Class 3A 3rd place
The Little Hawkeye Conference holds a remarkable four championship streak thanks to the Mustangs — but DCG isn’t just limited to the hardwood. DCG comes in as a strong challenger for a Class 3A crown. They have the top returning distance runner in Aidan Ramsey — the 2021 3A cross country champion on the three-time defending 3A title team in Fort Dodge and the 2nd place finisher behind ADM’s Nate Mueller in the 1600 and 3200 meter races. However, DCG graduated a lot of talent from their track squad a year ago, including three seniors from both the 4×100 championship relay and 4×200 relay 2nd place finishers at the Blue Oval. But with two team championships in other sports already this academic year, the boys from DCG will be a tough out in the conference meet and at state this spring.
North Polk – 2021 Class 3A 4th place
Second only to Pella, the Comets had 19 entries at the Class 3A 2021 state meet. And while some teams were not a full strength, North Polk has come running out of the gates after winning the Iowa Track and Field Coaches Association Indoor State meet. The loss of multiple sprint place winner JD Elefson hurts, and there was a strong class of ’21 that filled many of their scoring events last spring. But jumping specialists Jack Noble and Sal Capaldo — the latter who is also a talented hurdler, and sprinter Brady Miller, make the Comets a contending team.
Clear Creek-Amana – 2021 Class 3A 6th place
If there’s one team that will break the Central Iowa favorites mold in 3A this spring, it’s the Clippers from Tiffin. Scoring 32 points in a 2021 meet overshadowed by the Pella/ADM showdown, CCA perhaps has as much returning state-quality talent of any Class 3A team and could create some really interesting head-to-head showdowns at Drake Stadium in May. The Clippers return the two fastest hurdlers in senior Harrison Rosenberg in the 110 hurdles and sophomore Gavin Zillyette in the 400 meter hurdles. They had several events at state just miss out on scoring with a lot of underclassmen. If any team from outside the top five in 3A has a great chance to budge their way in, it’s CCA.
Carlisle – 2021 3A 7th Place
With a strong finish to the 2021 season, Carlisle added to a lot of recent success on the oval and 2022 should be no exception. Senior Archer Ogbourne — a sprinting and hurdling specialist, leads a talented group that has performed extremely well during the indoor season that scored 51 points for 3rd place at the IATC Indoor State Meet. Their 2021 2nd place 4×100, champion 4×200, and 3rd place shuttle hurdle relays all lost multiple significant contributors, but they seem to have the talent to score in a lot of different ways. Ogbourne owns a 21 foot, 5.75 inch long jump during the indoor season — which would have placed 2nd at state last year. Aiden Chanthavong’s 6-3 high jump would have also been a top three finisher. The Wildcats will have decisions to make on where to best place Ogbourne’s many talents — and that might be a limiting factor to watch when it comes to the district meet. But the Wildcats seem to have some strong, potential point scorers in field events that will be hard to match for the other 3A contenders.
Washington – 2021 Class 3A 12th place
We may be diving into “sleepers” territory, but one would be wise to keep the Demons in mind in the Class 3A race. Junior Elijah Morris was the 400 meter champion in 2021 and won the indoor state meet in Ames, and also qualified in the 200 meter dash. Senior Lance Sobaski comes in off of a strong cross country season and three top 12 seeds in the 800, 1600, and 3200 last spring. His basketball teammate Ethan Patterson placed 3rd in the long jump and was part of a 4th place sprint medley that brings back three legs of that race and could contend for that championship. That trio alone could rack up enough points to make Washington a contender for a top five finish, especially if Sobaski can take the spots of the talented group of seniors graduating from the 3A field.
Central DeWitt – 2021 Class 3A 13th Place
The Sabers may be the fastest team in Class 3A coming into the 2021 season. Central DeWitt placed 2nd in the Sprint Medley Relay, 3rd in the 4×200, and 9th in the 4×400 — all with sophomores and juniors. Lucas Burmeister placed 2nd in the 200 meter dash after running the fastest times in the state preliminaries last May. The Sabers could be preseason favorites to win the 4×200, 800 medley, and 200 meter race, but what keeps them behind other contenders is a lack of returning state qualifiers elsewhere on the track. They’ll need strong finishes in their key returning events and others to find points to contend with the deeper teams in 3A. But Central DeWitt should have ample chances to add to an impressive trophy case for boys athletics at the school.
Newton – 2021 Class 3A 15th Place
It may be my Little Hawkeye Conference bias showing, but the Cardinals could be in for a special spring season. While they might not have the depth to contend with Pella and DCG on paper, they have a few standout athletes who could flip the conference meet — and more importantly, the state meet, on its head. Jackson Mace-Maynard was a four-event state track qualifier last year and is coming off of a remarkable 4th place finish in a deep 3A cross country field. He’s the second fastest returning 1600 and 3200 meter runner and should challenge DCG’s Aidan Ramsey all spring. Nate Maki qualified in three events but has had a huge leap already entering his senior season, winning the 60 meter dash at the IATC Indoor State Meet and posting the fastest 200 meter dash of the indoor season to date (22.8 seconds) that would have put him in the state finals last spring. Their 4th place 4×800 relay and 5th place distance medley return all four competitors as well. There will be a fine line between top five and top 15 at the state meet in 2022 and the Cardinals may fall on either side — but call me convinced that Newton could very well find themselves in the former group and a dark horse to nab a trophy.