Willms ended her high school career with 14 first-place finishes. That’s only one short of the state's highest total. The Iowa State volleyball recruit broke the all-class state meet record in the 400 meters with a time of 53.96 seconds. The best time previously was held by Des Moines Roosevelt’s Natasha Kaiser, who went on to win a silver medal in the 4x400 relay in the 1992 Olympics. Willms also won gold in the Class 2A high jump with a leap of 5-foot-9 – well short of the nation’s best 6-1 mark she turned in earlier this season. Her other titles came in the 200 meters and 800 sprint medley.
Flood has 11 state meet gold medals to go with the three titles she won in cross country. The University of Washington recruit senior broke her own record in the 3,000 meters with a time of 9:27.25. It’s the fastest mark in the nation this season, according to DyeStat.com, and her fourth consecutive win in the event. She also anchored the Maroons’ 4x800 relay team – which won in a meet-record time of 9:15.65 – then captured the 800-meter run and posted another meet record in the 1,500 in 4:31.33.
Iowa boys track: Football, basketball stars fare well at state meet
The biggest star on Drake University’s famed "Blue Oval" during Friday’s session of the Iowa state track meet is much better known for his ability on the basketball court. MaxPreps' National Player of the Year, Harrison Barnes of Ames, participated in the Class 4A long jump. The North Carolina recruit finished in sixth place with a leap of 21 feet, 4.75 inches.
University of Iowa football recruits Tanner Miller of Mid-Prairie and Denison-Schleswig’s Brandon Scherff won gold medals. Miller, a 6-2, 190-pounder who was recruited as a defensive back, won the Class 2A 400 hurdles in 52.36. Scherff, who stands 6-5, 290 pounds, won his second 3A shot put title with a throw of 58-5.25. Fellow Hawkeye football recruits James Morris of Solon, Austin Vier of Ballard and Austin Blythe of Williamsburg also participated in the state meet.
Nebraska boys track and field: Burke hurdler makes history
History was made Saturday at the Nebraska state track meet in Omaha when Burke (Omaha) senior Stephon Washington – running on his home surface – won the 300 hurdles for the fourth straight year. Washington, who finished in a time of 37.709 seconds, is the first four-time winner in a Class A individual event since 1920.
Meanwhile, Beatrice’s Daniel Davie was the unexpected star in Class B. The junior pulled off back-to-back upsets in the 100 and 200 meters, defeating a pair of University of Nebraska football recruits. Davie won the 100 meters in a time of 10.371, which was .05 seconds faster than defending champion and future Husker Tyler Evans of Waverly, who finished third. Davie ran the 200 in 21.946, stretching past second-place finisher Evans and defending champion Tyler Wullenwaber of Centennial in third. The results were better for Wullenwaber in the long jump, where he set a Class B meet record with 23-7.
Ryne Reeves of Crete, Nebraska’s first commitment from the Class of 2011, won the Class B shot put with a heave of 54-1.25. Deverell Biggs, who was the star of Omaha Central’s Class A championship basketball squad, won the all-class gold medal in the high jump with a leap of 7 feet.
Nebraska girls track: Fujan is a four-time champion
Future Creighton basketball player McKenzie Fujan of Bishop Neumann (Wahoo) was the top finisher in the Class B 300-meter hurdles for the fourth consecutive year. The senior crossed the tape in a time of 45.87.
More history was made when Omaha North broke its own state and state meet records with a blazing time of 46.84 in the 4x100 relay. The Vikings also got four individual Class A medals from junior star LaQue Moen-Davis en route to a runaway first-place finish in the team competition.
Nebraska baseball: Papillion-La Vista takes home first title
Starter Deric Barber and reliever Mark Lukowski combined on a two-hitter as Paillion-La Vista defeated Creighton Prep, 3-1, in Friday’s Class A championship game at Sherman Field in Lincoln. The Titans went 4-0 in the double-elimination tournament and finished the year 28-6. It was the school’s first team state championship in any sport since opening in 2003.
Gross Catholic (Omaha) was an unlikely repeat champion in Class B. The Cougars entered the tournament with only a 9-13 record and lost in the first round to Nebraska City, but then won six straight games, including a pair over top-seeded Skutt Catholic for the championship. Senior Paul Rosales threw his second shutout of the tournament in the final 6-0 win.
Nebraska boys soccer: Perfect ending for Lincoln East
Lincoln East, playing in its state-best 20th state championship game in 23 seasons, won its sixth Class A boys state soccer title, defeating Omaha South, 4-2, in overtime at Morrison Stadium in Omaha.
East, ranked No. 3 nationally in last week’s National Soccer Coaches of America Association poll, finished the season 24-0. Omaha South, which had not played for a state title in any sport for two decades, closed the season 20-3. Jacob Ramsey finished the season with a state-best 33 goals – including the most important one of the season, which led Pius X to a 1-0 victory against Hastings for the Class B championship. Ramsey is headed to the University Nebraska-Omaha football team next season as a placekicker.
Des Moines-based Jamie DeMoney has covered high school sports and recruiting for more than 15 years. He is editor and founder of PrepNation.com. You can reach him at PrepNation@aol.com.