IOWA CITY — The Solon boys track and field team showed up and showed out this past Saturday at the Eastern Iowa Track and Field Festival at Iowa City West High with a fifth place team finish.

Spectators packed bleachers to the brim with heavy overflow on the grass surrounding the track under clear blue skies and with a temperature of 65 degrees.

Fifty high schools from the eastern Iowa region competed in 21 events, and the pressure was on.

The Spartans participated in five relays, excelling in the 4×400-meter relay. When the starter pistol sounded, sophomore Owen Gange propelled down lane three as he raced to pass the baton to senior Evan Burg.

“The pressure was on,” said teammate Jackson Burk.

While teammates anxiously watched from the south end of the track, Burg passed the baton to sophomore Kaeden Hoeper, making the third leg. As Hoeper ran down the track, junior Eli Kampman stood at the white line, ready to take the baton to the finish line.

“Kampman is a leader,” said head coach Mark Sovers. “He comes prepared and puts his game face on…and never fails to make me and the other guys on the team proud.”

Kampman immediately took off, shoulder to shoulder with Mid Prairie’s Carson Humphrey.

The sound of spikes hitting the ground raised tension at the finish line, with Kampman taking considerable strides to finish the race. They quickly finished in fifth place with a time of 3:32.54, only .18 seconds ahead of the Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks. Cheers were heard from parents surrounding the fence, decked out in orange and black.