Aplington-Parkersburg track and field carries momentum into state meet

GARNER – There were some surefire qualifiers in Mark Haren's view.

The A-P boys track and field coach knew the Falcons would have to put it all out there last Friday, and in doing so the Falcons got back big returns.

A-P will compete in seven events at state, with Morgan Knock and Jack Haren qualifying in the maximum of four events each as part of a generous contingent of Falcons flying down to the Blue Oval at Drake Stadium in Des Moines later this week.

Haren qualified as an individual in the 400 hurdles and long jump and is part of the qualifying shuttle hurdle and sprint medley teams. Knock joins Haren in the long jump and ran on the qualifying 4x200, shuttle hurdle and sprint medley teams.

Junior Bodden adds an individual qualification in the high jump and Gannon Oberhauser made it into the 110 hurdles with an at-large bid.

"The sprint medley set the tone and it was just a snowball effect," Haren said. "We've got a versatile nucleus of six or seven guys that can do just about anything for us, and those guys are able to get some other guys down to state for us in different relays. … Us coaches had nothing but praise for the kids, even if we didn't qualify for state in every event, every single event performed well."

JUNGLING WOWS AGAIN:Sophia Jungling's exceptional success in cross country and track and field can sometimes make the extraordinary seem mundane.

A-P head coach Alex Pollock knows that Jungling can still find ways to amaze, and he left impressed on Friday night when Jungling went from winning the distance medley in the anchor leg to winning the open 400 a mere 10 minutes later, two of five events that the Falcons will compete in at Des Moines this week.

"Just when you think you've seen everything, she wows you with something else," Pollock said. "Winning the 400 in the time that she did is one of the most unbelievable things she's ever done."

Jungling will run in the 400, 800, 1,500 and as part of that distance medley team. She's seeded third in the 400, eighth in the 800 and second in the 1,500. The distance medley team is seeded third.

A-P boys qualifiers

110 hurdles: Gannon Oberhauser

400 hurdles: Jack Haren

High jump: Junior Bodden

Long jump: Haren, Morgan Knock

4x200: Bodden, Jacob Kalkwarf, Terrence Colar, Knock

Shuttle hurdle: Jayden Mackie, Haren, Knock, Oberhauser

Sprint medley: Haren, Sam Bachman, Colar, Knock

A-P girls qualifiers

400: Sophia Jungling

800: Jungling, Megan Johnson

1,500: Jungling

4x800: Lily Hovenga, Sommer Stotler, Maci Freund, Johnson

Distance medley: Stotler, Karson DeGroote, Hovenga, Jungling

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