Van Meter boys soccer hits its stride, girls track and boys golf win conference meets
The Van Meter soccer team has appeared to find its rhythm after a bit of an up-and-down start to the season.
The Bulldogs have won their past three games, and head coach Jonah Waldron said it has been due to Van Meter’s change in formation.
“We were just trying to find ourselves as a team and what our identity was I think, how we wanted to play, I think we finally found it,” Waldron said.
Waldron added that although Van Meter’s defensive shape has looked good this season, the team hadn’t been able to get a clean sheet yet, which he said is what the focus was on when the shape changed.
After the Bulldogs changed things up, Waldron noticed an improvement, as they have only given up one goal in three games.
With the team appearing to be peaking at the right time, Van Meter will be looking to finish the season strong and carry that momentum into the postseason.
“We talk a lot about how we want to make sure we end on a high note going into the end of the regular season knowing that postseason is coming up,” Waldron said. “We know that we have a lot of tough opponents, so we wanted to show what we can do against these tough opponents.”
He added that the Bulldogs will be trying to get back to .500 after playing so many higher class teams, but they know they are getting better each game.
That was evident after Van Meter defeated high-ranked Underwood 1-0 on senior night to kick off its three-game win streak.
Waldron said the seniors on the team have been awesome, so it was great to get that win after the hard work the seniors have put into the program.
“They’re kind of the lead by example type of group,” Waldron said. “They’re not loud or yelly or trying to motivate that way but they’re more lead by example, which is really cool.”
He added that it gave some younger guys the opportunity to develop as vocal leaders, which will be helpful for the team in the coming years.
Van Meter will finish the regular season against Pella at 7 p.m. May 12 at Pella Christian High School.
Girls track and field tops conference
The Van Meter girls track and field team had another strong finish, this time taking first at the conference meet.
The Bulldogs competed at the West Central Activities Conference meet on May 2, placing first with a score of 139.
Van Meter placed first in seven events at the meet, including three individual events.
Seniors Clare and Mary Kelly each placed first in the 1,500-meter and 800-meter run respectively while junior Eden Moore grabbed first in the 400-meter hurdles.
Clare Kelly also placed second in the 400-meter dash while Moore finished second in the 100-meter dash.
Van Meter also placed first in the sprint medley relay, distance medley relay, 4x400 and 4x800 meter relays. Its shuttle hurdle relay finished second at the meet as well.
The Bulldogs will next compete in the state qualifiers at 4 p.m. May 11 at Van Meter High School.
Boys golf makes history
The Van Meter boys golf team made school history by winning the WCAC meet for the first time.
The Bulldogs competed at the conference meet on May 3, finishing first with a score of 338.
Van Meter was led by junior John Braun, who placed fourth with a score of 83, and senior Carter Durflinger, who finished fifth with a score of 84.
Junior Slade Montgomery followed with a score of 85 while freshman Caden Norris finished with an 86.
Braun, Durflinger, Montgomery and Norris all earned First-Team All-Conference while seniors Drew Jones and Hagan Miller earned Second Team with scores of 90 and 92 respectively at the meet.
Van Meter will begin the postseason by competing at sectionals at 10 a.m. May 10 at the Shenandoah Golf Club.
This article originally appeared on Dallas County News: Van Meter boys soccer hits its stride, girls track, boys golf win conference
