Schools throughout the state dealt with weather cancellations to start the spring season but some early scheduling kept the Mustangs warm. (Events covered March 25-April 1)
Boys Track
A number of Mustangs put themselves on track to get to the state meet with strong starts at last week's outdoor opener in Waukee.
In first place among a strong roster of competition from Johnston and Pella, sophomore Jack Meggison cleared through the 400-meter dash in 51.52 seconds with decent clearance for first place. His time was two seconds ahead of DCG’s state qualifier’s time at Drake.
The story was paralleled in the 800-meter run as well, with Sam Mora having virtually no competition en route to a first place time of 1:57. That time would have put him inside the top 15 at Drake last year.
Darien Walker in the 110-meter hurdles also booked a gold finish, clocked at 15.33 seconds for multiple strides over second place. Kolby Carpenter at 16.16 seconds placed fourth, putting a state qualification in sight if he can get under 16:00 over the next month.
Girls Track
Dallas Center found a couple of bright spots in a crowded field with the likes of Dowling Catholic and Ankeny Centennial at last week's early bird meet in Johnston, highlighted by their continued strength in distance runs.
Finishing her freshman season with 15th place in the 1,500-meter run at 4 minutes 53 seconds, Piper Messerly kicked off her outdoor season with a first place time of 4:51. Maddy Stevens crossed the tape third at 4:55, competing at a state-qualifying time as well.
With a new combination in the 1,600-meter medley that DCG made a state qualifying time of 4:14 last season, Ashlyn Menough, Anna Bahnsen, Leighton Stanford and Madalyn Schmitz placed first with 4:24 over three programs that placed top-eight in 2024.
Girls Soccer (0-0-1)
DCG’s three-time title defense started Monday evening hosting Johnston, looking for the team’s fifth-straight win over the Dragons. With a 1-1 final score, the streak has now shifted to five-straight non-losses — saved in the ending moments of the game.
With under 20 minutes left on the clock, DCG’s corner kick landed a header past Johnston’s goalie to even the score. There are no tiebreakers or penalty kicks this regular season, leaving Monday’s opener in a tie.
Dallas Center will get a couple of cracks to get into the win column Friday and Saturday at the Ankeny & Centennial Crosstown Invitational.
Boys Soccer (0-1)
Faced with a 2-1 deficit at halftime, the Mustangs found the net once more, but would fall 3-2 in Monday’s season opener against Johnston.
Getting involved early on, juniors Hudson Heidgerken and Colin Mandernach assisted each other on their goals.
The Mustangs have a week to prep for their next game, a Tuesday road trip to Norwalk.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: DCG ...
