DES MOINES - Saturday morning at Drake Stadium marked the end of the prep careers of a pair of Council Bluffs running standouts, as St. Albert's Brandon Fischer and Abraham Lincoln's James Robinson each garnered bronze medals in their final high school race in the first-ever coed state track and field meet.

Fischer came away with a third-place finish in the Class 1A 800 in 1:57.45 - upping his career state medal count to nine - while Robinson clocked a  1:56.18 to place third in the 4A 800, his third state medal in the last two years.

The 1A race saw Fischer play the role of pacesetter, leading the field for the first 600 meters before North Iowa Buffalo Center's Tyler Anderson and B-C-L-U-W Conrad's Beau Dielschneider caught up.

Fischer kept close the final 200 meters, but his final kick wasn't quite enough to get the lead back.

"I kept the pace I wanted to, I can't be mad at the way I ran," Fischer said. "My main goal was to come out and get the time I wanted to, and I did that. It was a good race."

The blue Jim Duncan Track at Drake Stadium has been the closest thing to a home stadium Fischer has had in his prep career, as St. Albert doesn't have track facilities. The Falcon senior has run a plethora of races at Drake Stadium since his debut as a freshman and helped his team to the 2003 1A state title, although Saturday was his first open 800.

"It's kind of sad, I've had a lot of success here," said Fischer, who will attend Iowa State University and study agriculture business. "But, the last four years have been the greatest experience of my life ... it's been awesome.

Ryan Weatherill Daily Nonpareil Staff Writer