How Collins-Maxwell senior Luke Huntrods plans to earn a medal in the boys discus at state

It took a while for Collins-Maxwell senior boys' discus thrower Luke Huntrods to get used to practicing in a real throwing ring.

Collins-Maxwell started its own high school sports program during the 2017-18 school year after its sports sharing agreement with Baxter ended. But the high school didn't have its own track to run on, forcing the athletes and coaches to get creative with how they approached practices.

But after a longer-than-anticipated wait the school's football field and track remodeling and high school upgrade project was completed this school year. The track was ready for use at the start of the track and field season and the Spartans just hosted their first meet last Tuesday.

“I didn’t have a real throwing ring to throw in,” Huntrods said. “I had a little cement pad with paint on it. When our school finally got the ring in, I realized I was scratching out in the front a lot, which hurt me the first couple meets.”

But once he got comfortable, Huntrods started reeling off impressive throw after impressive throw.

“After I started figuring it out, I started throwing it farther,”Huntrods said. “Hopefully one of these meets I’ll really be able to chuck one.”

Huntrods did not get to throw his freshman year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But as a sophomore he took Class 1A by storm, qualifying for state and peaking with a throw of 138 feet, 2 inches.

"Luke has always been a natural discus thrower from when I first saw him throw at practices in junior high," Collins-Maxwell coach Cole Billerbeck said. "He was outthrowing my varsity guys on a daily basis at practice. He has worked with his uncle Clint Huntrods, who was a great thrower for Collins-Maxwell-Baxter, over the years and is a very coachable kid. He took that coaching and he will go out on his own on the weekends to get some throws in and is willing to put in the hours outside of practice."

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Last year he hit a career all-time best throw of 151-5 and placed 12th in 1A at state, up from his 17th-place finish as a freshman.

“Nobody knew about me as a sophomore and I started winning meets and going to state,” Huntrods said. “Now that I’m a senior other coaches come up to me and say, ‘you’re still throwing here...I thought you graduated.”

Huntrods' best throw so far in 2023 is 146-10, which ranks seventh in 1A. He threw 140-10 Friday at the Dave Robinson Relays hosted by Colo-NESCO at Cub Stadium in Nevada to place second behind the 149-7 thrown by Coon-Rapids-Bayard's Lance Clayburg.

He knows he can do better.

"I’ve seen him hit over 150 feet in practice and some may have been pushing 160," Billerbeck said. "Having the new facility and an actual throwing ring to practice in has helped him tremendously."

Huntrods also enjoys being able to only focus on throwing events. His only other regular event at meets is the shot put.

“It helps a lot,” Huntrods said. “I’m glad my coach knows I’m competitive in discus and he lets me compete in that to the best of my ability.”

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As the season progresses Huntrods plans to inch up the 1A rankings and peak at state. Now that he is finally used to practicing in a real throwing circle every day, his form will keep getting better and better and he will have the potential to shatter his personal best mark.

“I have high expectations for myself,” Huntrods said. “Distance-wise I’d like to get up in the 155-160s. I know I can throw it...I just have to do it in a meet. At state I at least want to medal. Top four, maybe even top two, would be really cool."

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: C-M discus thrower Luke Huntrods wants to earn a medal at state track