When the 2014 Greene County High School track and field season began, it appeared a strength of the boys’ team would be sprinter Roman Phillips. The girls looked to continue the tradition of outstanding hurdling that began in Jefferson some 30 years ago. Both areas were where the Rams had place winners at last weekend’s state coed meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. Both squads had two events place in the top eight as Phillips became a two-event place winner in the sprints and the girls had two events place in hurdling.

Phillips, a senior who had never before qualified for state competition, finished third in the Class 3A 100 meters and fourth in the 200, to score all 11 team points for Greene County. The Rams finished tied for 22nd place. He is believed to be the first male sprinter from a Jefferson-based track and field program to place that high in the 100 and 200 since Todd Cleverly won both events in 1985 for Jefferson High School.

Senior Kate Sandage placed sixth in the 3A 100 meter hurdles final and helped the Rams to a second straight top eight finish in the shuttle hurdle relay. Sandage ran on shuttle hurdle relays all four years of high school and on Saturday was joined on the relay by her sister, Sarah, a junior, along with freshman Nadia Fisher, and junior Mollie Sorber. Regular lead-off runner Eme Johnson grabbed the back of her right leg after clearing one hurdle in Friday’s 400 meter hurdled final, fell to the ground, and was done for the rest of the meet. Sorber, an alternate, was called to step in for Johnson and she anchored the Rams to an eighth place finish. It wasn’t the first state meet appearance for Sorber, who qualified for the high jump in 2012, but it was her first as a runner, and the state finals also marked just the second time Sorber had run the race in a meet all season. Jefferson-based girls’ shuttle hurdle relays have appeared at state meets 24 times since 1984, making it the signature event for Ram track & field.

Phillips, Kate Sandage, and a handful of other seniors will be missed, but the bulk of the girls and boys squads will return for the 2015 season. Dean Lansman is the boys’ head coach and Kelly Simpson is the head coach of the girls.