Rapid City Stevens star Birnbaum edges Dowling Catholic standout Heidesch by 4:02.36 to 4:02.76 margin to secure first victory in four career matchups; Buettner-Cable of Des Moines Roosevelt clocks 4:49.58 to hold off Ballard Community’s Noe (4:49.91), adding mile triumph to 800 win

By David Woods for DyeStat 

Photos by Ava Kitzi and Lily Dozier

DES MOINES, Iowa – “Iowa Stubborn” is a song from the 1957 musical “The Music Man,” which recently featured a revival on Broadway.

A case could be made such stubbornness still applies.

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At least it does to Caitlin Clark and Jackson Heidesch, both of West Des Moines’ Dowling Catholic High School.

Clark is a transcendent basketball player who carried the Iowa Hawkeyes to the championship game of the women’s Final Four, a matchup against LSU that drew record TV ratings.

Heidesch said he and Clark attended the same elementary and middle schools, and were at Dowling Catholic together for one year. Heidesch is friends with Colin Clark, who is Caitlin’s younger brother.

“It’s kind of cool, seeing all the things she’s doing for women’s sports,” Heidesch said. “I try to do the same thing she’s doing on a much smaller scale for Iowa high school running. She’s a big role model.”

Iowans like track and field, too. During introductions for the invitational boys mile Friday night, the 113th Drake Relays crowd was more animated than at any time this week.

Even though Heidesch figured a bid to become Iowa’s first prep sub-4-minute miler might be futile – no pace-setter, 54 degrees, 15 mph wind – he stubbornly refused to relent. No backing down from the attempt, no backing down from Simeon Birnbaum of Rapid City Stevens High in South Dakota.

“We knew the odds were against us,” Heidesch said, “but we still went into it with a really good mindset.”

In front-running not always seen in the mile – races are sit-and-kick or a parade behind a pacer – the two tall teens went at it like boxers. Birnbaum overtook Heidesch down the stretch of the Blue Oval, clocking 4:02.36. Heidesch, who had been 3-0 in his career against Birnbaum, was second in 4:02.76.

Heidesch led at 409 meters and Birnbaum at 809, and then Heidesch reclaimed the lead before the last lap. Birnbaum’s closing 400 of 58.94 was enough to beat the hometown favorite (59.61).

“My goal for this week was to be the villain,” Birnbaum said, “and I think I accomplished that.”

Birnbaum’s mile is the fastest outdoors by a high schooler this year, as is his come-from-behind 8:34.10 effort to win the 3,200 meters April 8 at the 55th Arcadia Invitational in Arcadia, Calif.

Heidesch said this inaugural race lost its pacer a few days ago.

Clay Shively of Wichita Trinity High in Kansas, a junior whose 4:04.95 mile broke Jim Ryun’s 58-year-old Kansas indoor record, withdrew Friday morning. (In the New Balance indoor nationals March 12 at Boston, Heidesch was first in 4:02.25, Birnbaum fourth in 4:06.13 and Shively seventh in 4:06.51.)

Birnbaum told Heidesch he didn’t travel 625 miles to run 4:10. The two didn’t agree to share the pace but to go hard from the front “and see who can hang on,” Heidesch said.

Birnbaum did.

“I think the 4-minute barrier was on my mind more today than winning,” Heidesch said. “And the best man won today, and that was Simeon.”

Birnbaum, who ran a 3:59.51 mile in Seattle last year, is one of three juniors (along with Ryun and Connor Burns of Southern Boone County in Missouri) to go sub-4 in high school. For college, Birnbaum has committed to Oregon and Heidesch to Duke.

Birnbaum’s mother, the former Sarah Pluim, won the girls 800 meters in 2:12.19 for Unity Christian 30 years ago at the Drake Relays. The son said his mother was more excited to be here than he was.

He acknowledged he was excited, too.

“I think this is one of the best meets in the world, environment-wise,” Birnbaum said.

Wyatt Haughton of Shawnee Mission East in Kansas took third in 4:05.99 and Ford Washburn of Iowa City fourth in 4:07.08.

Buettner-Cable surprises herself with 800/mile double

Adrienne Buettner-Cable had won the 800 meters earlier Friday and Paityn Noe was victorious in the 3,000 meters Thursday night.

They met in the middle – in the mile – and her victory had Buettner-Cable re-evaluating everything.

“This was a really big surprise,” she said. “I never thought it would go this well. I think moving forward, I have to set my goals a little bit higher.”

Buettner-Cable, a senior at Des Moines Roosevelt, came from behind to finish in 4:49.58 – fastest ever by a girl on Iowa soil. Noe, of Ballard Community, was second in 4:49.91.

Addison Dorenkamp of West Des Moines Valley was third in 4:51.15.

The trio elevated to the Nos, 2, 5 and 6 all-time Iowa high school mile competitors.

Buettner-Cable came from behind, as she did in winning the 800 in 2:10.62 over Van Meter’s Clare Kelly, 2:10.81.

“I know the race was primarily put together for the boys, but I’m glad they included us in it,” Buettner-Cable said.

Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.