Just two hours after our sun was returned to us from the moon April 8, I was on a high school soccer field to referee.

What a moment we had.

So surreal.

Those of us in Iowa did not get to enjoy the “total” sun eclipse that some did early Monday afternoon.

But I’ll take the 80 percent eclipse. It was magnificent and cosmic just the same.

I had purchased my special eclipse glasses at a Casey’s store weeks ago on a trip through Williamsburg.

When bright sunlight turned into twilight Monday at about 2 p.m., I put them on and was treated to a show that I remember experiencing as a child.

The beauty of the eclipse, the enormity of this cosmic event, just slipped everything into place. Somehow, a high school soccer game or a 3-point shot or a home run just seems so small after that.

My TV highlight from the day came via The Weather Channel from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Weather Channel icon Jim Cantore grabbed a jug of milk and poured it over his head once the eclipse is over, repeating the tradition of countless Indy 500 winners.

So funny.

Where were you?

And how did you celebrate?

The Blue Oval

High school events will be held over three days at the upcoming Drake Relays in Des Moines, April 27 through 29, mixing in with the elite and college races.

The races on Saturday, April 29, will include the girls 1500-meter run and the boys 1600, plus the 4x400 races.

Danielle Hostetler of Mid-Prairie finished third in the 1500 at last year’s Relays on Drake’s Blue Oval.

High school athletes are now in the qualifying period for the Relays. One of the big qualifiers was Saturday’s meet at Iowa City West that featured more than 30 high schools.

Emma Lueck of Mid-Prairie ranks second in Iowa 2A in the long jump with a leap of 17 feet, 2 inches, and Jovi Evans ranks No. 3 in the 100 and No. 4 in the 200.

Still Perfect

Hillcrest’s golf team, which won its first state championship last year with an unbeaten record, began the 2024 season the same way it finished 2023.

Rowan Miller, a sophomore, shot 36 to win medalist honors April 8 in a dual match against Lone Tree. The Ravens won their season-opening match by more than 40 strokes, 182-243 against Lone Tree at Blue Top Ridge in Riverside.

And on the girls side, Ava Miller won medalist honors with a 74. Hillcrest has put together a girls golf team for the first time in five years.

Bobcat Speedster

Dani Laughlin of Riverside, who is a freshman softball player at Texas State, is 2-for-2 in stolen bases for the Bobcats in her first season. She has played in 23 games for the Bobcats, who have won 32 of 41 games and are ranked 13^th in the country.

Laughlin is a former high school softball star at Highland and Regina Catholic in Iowa City.

Back to 1A

Mid-Prairie’s boys soccer team, which bumped up to Class 2A last year when Iowa moved to a four-class system in boys soccer, is back down to Class 1A this spring. River Valley Conference rival West Liberty is the top team in 1A enrollment with Mid-Prairie just two spots behind.

West Liberty topped the Golden Hawks 1-0 on April 1, but Mid-Prairie won four of its first six games.

The Golden Hawks (4-3) take on unbeaten West Branch on Monday.

News columnist Paul Bowker can be reached at bowkerpaul1@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @bowkerpaul