I’m just going to come out and say it. Track is an awesome sport.

It’s even more awesome when I have the chance to attend as a member of the media (for the Iowa Sports Connection, not my blog) and get a front row seat to watch the spectacular display of athletics. Aside from all the excitement, I also got to watch several future Iowa Hawkeyes tear up the Blue Oval at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

Here is a list of the future Hawkeyes and how they fared at State.

Austin Blythe, Williamsburg, Class 3A (2011 OL Recruit)

Shot Put: 7th

Discus: 15th

John Chelf, Iowa City High, Class 4A (2010 WR Walk-on)

400 Meter Hurdles: 10th

Shuttle Hurdle Relay: 10th in Preliminaries (Team did not advance to finals)

Blake Haluska, Carroll, Class 3A (2010 QB Walk-on)

100 Meter Dash: 11th in Preliminaries (Did not advance)

200 Meter Dash: 16th in Preliminaries (Did not advance)

Tanner Miller, Mid-Prairie, Class 2A (2010 S Recruit)

Tanner Miller gets set for the start of the Class 2A 400 Meter Hurdles

110 Meter Hurdles: 2nd

400 Meter Hurdles: 1st

200 Meter Dash: 2nd

4×400 Meter Relay: 4th

James Morris, Solon, Class 2A (2010 LB Recruit)

4×100 Meter Relay: 1st

4×200 Meter Relay: 2nd

Shuttle Hurdle Relay: 2nd

Shot Put: 4th

Brandon Scherff, Denison-Schleswig, Class 3A (2010 OL Recruit)

Shot Put: 1st

Discus: 3rd

Iowa Sports Connection (Click link for full story and rosters) — Safety Tanner Miller (Mid-Prairie) and running back James Morris (Solon) will compete in the 2010 Iowa Shrine Bowl Saturday July 24 at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames.

The Shrine Bowl features pre-college all stars pitted against each other on a North and South team. Both Miller and Morris will compete for the South.

All profits raised by the game are donated to Shriners Hospitals for Children.

For more information on the Iowa Shrine Bowl, visit their website: http://www.zagazigshrine.org/shrinebowl.htm.

James Morris’ passion for sports extends beyond the gridiron to the mat.

Though he’ll lend the University of Iowa his linebacking skills for the next four years, Morris has made a statement in this year’s Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament.

While Morris may have a tad more success on the football field, having helped lead Solon High School to its third straight state football championship, he shares his love for wrestling with many of his fellow Iowa athletes.

Iowans love their football whether it’s high school, college or professional. The Hawkeyes’ trumping of Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl shows promise for a team that has most the state excited for the 2010 season.

But for Iowans, wrestling is more than a sport. Calling it a way of life may come off as far too cliche but it’s simply a truth for many Iowans.

Iowa and wrestling are as inseparable as Canada and hockey.

Wrestling is a one-on-one battle against you and your opponent. It takes hard work, determination, passion and guts. As the legendary, former University of Iowa wrestling coach Dan Gable once said:

“Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy.”

The sport represents the pride and work ethic of the Midwest.

Many kids first learned wrestling in their own living rooms from their father, or from an older brother who learned it from their father and wanted an excuse to “hone their skills” on a little twerp.

Making it to the Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament is a feat in itself. James Morris is one of many young Iowans who have stood tests of endurance, strength, patience and pure heart.

Morris entered the tournament with an impressive 34-0 record but was handed his first defeat in the Class 3A 215-pound quarterfinals Friday afternoon by Senior Ryan Fank of Independence (40-2).

Morris will wrestle Logan Johnson of Algona High School tonight for a chance to wrestle for third place—no small accomplishment in the country’s best high school wrestling showcase.

Just placing is reason enough to hang your head high and Morris won’t finish any worse than sixth place.

No matter where he stands on the podium when it’s all said and done, Morris has shown that he has the right traits to make a mark in Norm Paker’s Iowa defense.

Hopefully for Morris, now that his wrestling career winds down, everything else will be easy.

Read this article and more Iowa Hawkeyes coverage on Bleacherreport.com.

Iowa City Press-Citizen– Future Hawkeyes A.J. Derby, James Morris and Matt Hoch were named captains of there respective all-state teams by the Iowa Newspaper Association.

Derby–whose position for the Hawkeyes is still to be determined–was named the 4A All-State Team Captain after leading Iowa City High School to the Class 4A State Championship with over 1,800 passing yards and 23 touchdown passes.

Morris helped the Solon Spartans win their third consecutive state title as a running back, linebacker and, in the season’s latter stages because of injury, quarterback. Morris was punishing as a running back and will help the Hawkeyes revamp a linebacking corps that loses seniors Pat Angerer and A.J. Edds.

Hoch was named Class 3A’s Team Captain. Hoch stands at a domineering 6′-4” with a matching 245-pound frame. Hoch helped Harlan to a state championship and will line up for Iowa as a defensive end.

Even if your hometown high school football team didn’t make it to the Iowa high school state championships (mine went winless), if you’re a fan of Iowa Hawkeye football there will be plenty to watch as the state’s best teams battle it out on the gridiron.

Matt Hoch (Harlan Community), James Morris (Solon H.S.) and A.J. Derby (Iowa City High), all future Hawkeyes, will be competing for a senior year state championship at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls.

Class 4A – Iowa City, City High vs Marshalltown – Friday 7:05 p.m.

A.J. Derby, perhaps Iowa’s most interesting commit, will show off his versatility–he plays pretty much everywhere on the field–against Marshalltown for the Class 4A championship.

Derby says he wants to play QB. Scouts are saying he might fit better in the linebacker, safety or tight end positions–like I said, versatile.

Derby could be the most fun to watch of the three recruits.

Check your local TV listings to catch the live action.

Class 2A – Boyden Hull/Rock Valley vs. Solon – Saturday 1:05 p.m.

Morris of the Solon Spartans will put his hard-hitting on display as the Spartans attempt to cap off an undefeated season with the Iowa Class 2A State Championship.

Oh yeah, Morris is also the team’s dominant running back. He’ll likely be seen running up and down the field on both sides of the ball.

Class 3A – Harlan vs Pella – Saturday  4:05 p.m.

DE Matt Hoch will play in his last game as a Harlan Cyclone–he’ll learn to loathe that mascot.

Harlan comes into the game undefeated and will try to stop a 10-3 Pella team that has fought hard and shown a lot of heart to get to this point.

Hoch is ranked by Rivals.com as the 24th best strongside defensive end in the nation.

Check your local TV listings to catch the live action.

After perusing the depths of the many top recruiting websites, I was reminded of why I chose to create this blog: So that the avid Hawkeye fan that doesn’t want to sort through confusing recruiting jargon can enjoy a little inside knowledge of the Hawkeyes’ class of 2010.

I’ve compiled a list of who I believe are Iowa’s most valuable commits to this date. Iowa’s Class of 2010 could be a sleeper in terms of strength. Needless to say, many will disagree with the athletes I chose but I stand by my picks.

No. 5: Marcus Coker RB 6’1″/231 lbs. DeMatha High School (Hyattsville, Maryland)

Coker is an all-around running back but he has raw power that reminds one of Shawn Greene. It usually takes more than one defender to tackle him. On the season, Coker is averging 11.2 yards per carry and has 17 touchdowns on 114 carries for 1279 yards. He is on MaxPreps’  watch list for National Player of the Year.

No. 4: James Morris OLB 6’2”/215 lbs. Solon High School (Iowa)

Not many have heard of James Morris but Iowa can wave this native prospect around proudly. He is described as relentless. Head Coach Kirk Ferentz will love his work ethic. If he hadn’t committed to play for Iowa a year ago, he would have been swamped by offers from other major programs.

No. 3: Austin Gray MLB 6’2”/225 lbs. Fitzgerald High School (Warren, Michigan)

Austin Gray is a monster of a linebacker.  There’s no other way to describe it. He is ranked nationally in linebackers on many top recruiting websites and considered as the second best linebacker in the state of Michigan. He gets to the ball fast and hits hard. If there’s one area he may need to work on, however, it’s his pass coverage. Who better to teach him than Hawkeye Defensive Coordinator Norm Parker, who loves to drop linebackers back into coverage. Did I mention this guy is a hard hitting monster? I thought I should emphasize that.

No. 2: A.J. Derby 6’5”/220 lbs. Iowa City High School (Iowa)

Boy, are the Hawkeyes glad they got a hold of this kid. Derby is ranked as the 33rd best quarterback prospect in the nation by iowa.scout.com. Competition for signing Derby included strong programs such as LSU, Florida and Big Ten conference foe Michigan.  Derby is an all-around quarterback. In his junior year, Derby passed for 1,200 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. He showcased his skill on the ground with 1,065 yards and 13 touchdowns. While Derby says he’s a quarterback first, don’t be too surprised if he gets changed to linebacker in college.

No. 1: Andrew Donnal OT 6’7”/290 lbs. Anthony Wayne High School (Whitehouse, Ohio)

The potential for Andrew Donnal appears to be unlimited. He’s got All-American written all over him according to MaxPreps. Scouts.com lists Donnal as the 26th best tackle recruit in the nation. He’s got great speed, footwork and he can get down field better than any big man in the Midwest. Donnal has the frame to become a huge road block for defenders but he’ll have to work on gaining the extra pounds. Donnal is known for playing hard but will have to work on his overall strength. That shouldn’t be a problem. He’ll be in good hands with Iowa.