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Comet siblings Ian and Keely Collins match own school records while leaping for high jump gold at state championships

Comet siblings Ian and Keely Collins match own school records while leaping for high jump gold at state championships

Comet siblings Ian and Keely Collins match own school records while leaping for high jump gold at state championships
Press photos by John Burbridge
Charles City sophomore
Keely Collins, shown in top photo matching her school-record girls high jump mark during the NEIC Meet, and senior Ian Collins, shown in lower photo recently accepting an award for “Best Comet Athletic Performance” for his accomplishments at the State Track and Field Championship last year, both won state titles in the high jump on Thursday.

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

There will be no changes in the near future to the Charles City Track and Field All-Time School Record Board on display at Comet Field.

At least not in the Boys and Girls High Jumps.

Respective owners of those records, senior Ian Collins and his sophomore sister Keely Collins, both matched the heights they set last year while leaping for gold during Thursday’s session of the State Track and Field Championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

Ian Collins, who just missed clearing 6 foot, 10 inches at last week’s Class 3A State Qualifier, had three more attempts at 6-10 after securing his second-straight state championship by matching his personal-best with a 6-9 clear on his second attempt.

He and North Polk’s Jack Noble, who recently won the Drake Relays High School Boys High Jump at a top height of 6-9, were the last jumpers standing (or flying) after all other competitors struck out (three misses) at 6-6. Both opted to for forego 6-7 to have the bar raised to 6-8, which Collins cleared on his second attempt before Noble stayed alive with a successful third attempt.

Collins cleared 6-9 on his second attempt before winning the event when Noble failed thrice on his attempts.

Keely Collins matched her personal-best and school-record best of 5 feet, 6 inches while winning the Class 3A Girls High Jump — her first state championship after placing second as a freshman at last year’s meet and more recently placing third at the Drake Relays.

Collins tied for first with Soren Maricle of Central DeWitt — both jumpers missed their three attempts at 5-8 and each had four misses during the competition.

London Warmuth of ADM, Adel and Avery Beckett of Waverly-Shell Rock also topped off at 5-6 before striking out at 5-8. With a total of five misses, Warmuth was awarded third; Beckett, with six misses, was awarded fourth.

Ian Collins is scheduled to defend his Class 3A Boys Long Jump title on Friday starting at 2 p.m. He is also Charles City’s school record holder in the LJ (23 feet, 1 1/2 inches) and is ranked No. 1 among qualifiers with sophomore teammate Josiah Cunnings ranked No. 2. Cunnings also qualified in the high jump, but no-heighted.

He is also due to be apart of the Comets’ Class 3A Boys 4-by-400 Relay with teammates Malcolm Lopez, Jacob Vais, Griffin Franksain, Reed Peters and Ethan Peterson. Race prelims are scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m.

Keely Collins was due to compete in the Class 3A Girls Shuttle Hurdle Relay with teammates Kaylee Hennick, Lauren Staudt, Olivia Litterer, Anya Ruzicka and Mackenzie Zwiebohmer in the race prelims late on Thursday. She will also run in the Class 3A Girls 100-Meter Hurdles scheduled for Friday at 3:50 p.m.

Also competing on Thursday for the Comets was senior Mario Hoefer, who with an 17th-place time of 11.49 seconds in the Class 3A Boys 100-Meter Dash, didn’t qualify for the finals. But Hoefer is due to be back in action with fellow Comets Jakob Sindlinger, Jalil Jones, Josiah Cunnings, Tino Tamayo and Xavier Scott for the Class 3A Boys 4-by-100 Relay prelims scheduled for Friday at 6:50 p.m.

* Nashua-Plainfield had a productive Thursday session in Des Moines.

Freshman Kadence Huck won the first girls state title in Nashua-Plainfield history with a first-place time of 57.35 seconds in the Class 1A Girls 400-Meter Dash. She will try to make more history with the Huskies on the Class 1A Girls Distance Medley Relay with teammates Mackenzie Foelske, Jennah Carpenter, Abbie Hyde, Jordyn Frost, Amberley Gerholdl — prelims Friday at 9 a.m.; the Class 1A Girls 4-by-400 Relays with teammates Abbie Hyde, Jennah Carpenter, Jordyn Frost, Ellie Eick and Kara Levi — prelims Friday and 1:20 p.m.; and the Class 1A Girls Sprint Medley Relay with teammates Abbie Hyde, Rylee Weiss, Mackenzie Foelske, Bailey Fisher and Maci Maloy — prelims Saturday at 9 a.m.

N-P senior Breanna Hackman placed third in the Class 1A Girls Shot Put with a throw of 38 feet, 7 3/4 inches. Hackman is the No. 1-ranked qualifier in the Class 1A Girls Discus due to take place Friday at 9 a.m.

Mackenzie Foelske will represent the Huskies during Saturday’s Class 1A Girls 100 and Girls 200 finals  — on Thursday, she was the third-place qualifier in the 100 and eighth-place qualifier in the 200.

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