Williamsburg faces a split-squad dilemma

Imagine your team, 105 miles away, biggest competition of the season. You're unable to watch, powerless to help.

That will be the life of Nick Nordheim on Thursday.

'It's going to be tough,” said Nordheim, cross country coach at Williamsburg High School. 'I think the coaches will be more nervous about it than the kids will. The kids will roll with it and be fine.”

State-qualifying meets (regionals for girls, districts for boys) will be contested throughout the state Thursday afternoon. The top three teams and the top 10 individuals from each site qualify for the state meet Nov. 1 at Lakeside Golf Course, Fort Dodge.

Both of Nordheim's teams are state-meet hopefuls. But they're in two different classes, two different sites on Thursday.

Because the girls have a sharing agreement with Iowa Valley (Belle Hartman is the team's No. 4 runner), Williamsburg is classified as 3A in girls, 2A in boys. Nordheim and Regan Glandorf will accompany the girls to Solon; Kim Ritchie and Nichole Winegarden go with the boys to Pella.

The boys run at 4 p.m., the girls at 4:30.

'I'm going to enlist some of the JV girls and boys to be talking back and forth so we know what's going on,” Nordheim said.

The girls won the Wamac Conference title last week and are ranked No. 9 in 3A. Junior Julie Hollensbe is rated eighth individually. The boys are No. 5 in 2A.

'Both teams had the best summer I can remember,” Nordheim said. 'They were consistent with their training. Both teams did football conditioning on top of their running, and that has added to their mental toughness.”

In other storylines for Thursday:

* Metro boys' superpowers Cedar Rapids Prairie (the defending state champion) and Linn-Mar are part of a 4A meet at Marshalltown. The Hawks have moved up to No. 2 in the 4A ratings; Linn-Mar is No. 4.

* Some very good 4A boys teams will be left out of the state-qualfying list from Cedar Falls. The host Tigers, Dubuque Hempstead and Iowa City West all are ranked in the top 10, with No. 15 Iowa City High and Cedar Rapids Washington hoping to wedge their way in. West's third-ranked girls are heavy favorites.

* The 3A field at Solon is a who's-who of Wamac boys' titans. Mount Vernon-Lisbon, Marion and Center Point-Urbana are rated second, fourth and fifth. CPU's Josh Yeager is one of the top boys in any class. Solon hosts a 1A/3A double-header, starting at 3:30.

* Decorah's girls are defending 3A state champions and ranked No. 1 again. The Vikings will run at Manchester.

* Monticello headlines the 2A field at Columbus Junction. The Monti boys are three-time defending state champions and rated No. 2. The girls are No. 3 with a cast made largely of talented freshmen.

THURSDAY'S STATE-QUALIFYING CROSS COUNTRY MEETS

Top 3 teams, top 10 individuals advance to state meet Nov. 1 at Fort Dodge

(Ranked teams in parentheses)

CLASS 4A

At Cedar Falls (4 p.m.) - Cedar Falls (B-5), Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Cedar Rapids Washington, Dubuque Hempstead (G-12, B-7), Iowa City High (G-15, B-15), Iowa City West (G-3, B-10), Waterloo East, Waterloo West, Western Dubuque.

At Marshalltown (4 p.m.) - Cedar Rapids Prairie (B-2), Indianola, Linn-Mar (G-10, B-4), Marshalltown, Mason City, Newton, Ottumwa, Southeast Polk (G-13), Waukee (G-6, B-8).

CLASS 3A

At Manchester (4 p.m.) - Benton Community, Cedar Rapids Xavier, Charles City (B-6), Crestwood, Decorah (G-1, B-10), Dubuque Wahlert (B-13), Independence, Iowa Falls-Alden, Maquoketa, Vinton-Shellsburg (G-13, B-11), Waverly-Shell Rock, West Delaware.

At Solon (3:30 p.m.) - Center Point-Urbana (B-5), Clear Creek Amana, Davenport Assumption (G-5), DeWitt Central, Fairfield, Fort Madison (G-7), Keokuk, Marion (B-4), Mount Vernon-Lisbon (G-15, B-2), Solon, South Tama, Solon, Williamsburg (girls only, G-9).

CLASS 2A

At Columbus Junction (4 p.m.) - Anamosa, Camanche, Central Lee, Danville, Louisa-Muscatine, Mediapolis (G-12), Mid-Prairie (G-8, B-10), Monticello (G-3, B-2), North Cedar, Northeast, Notre Dame-West Burlington, Springville-Central City, Tipton (B-13), West Liberty.

At New Hampton (4 p.m.) - Aplington-Parkersburg, Cascade (G-4), Central Springs, Clear Lake, Dyersville Beckman, Forest City, Garner-Hayfield/Ventura (boys only, B-7), Hampton-Dumont, New Hampton, North Fayette Valley, Oelwein, Osage (G-2, B-8), Sumner-Fredericksburg, Waterloo Columbus, Waukon.

At Pella (3:30 p.m.) - Albia (B-11), Baxter CMB, Centerville, Central Decatur, Davis County (B-14), Des Moines Christian (G-11, B-15), Dike-New Hartford, East Marshall (B-3), Eddyville EBF, Grundy Center, Monroe PCM, Pella Christian, South Hardin (G-6), Union, Williamsburg (boys only, B-5).

CLASS 1A

At Nashua (4 p.m.) - Algona Garrigan, Belmond-Klemme, Conrad BCLUW, Denver (B-2), Don Bosco, Dunkerton (B-13), Hudson (G-14, B-15), Janesville, Jesup, Lake Mills, Lansing Kee, Latimer CAL (girls only), Mason City Newman, MFL MarMac, Nashua-Plainfield, North Butler, North Iowa, North Tama, Postville, Rockford, Saint Ansgar, South Winneshiek (G-8), Starmont, Tripoli, Turkey Valley, Valley Lutheran, Wapsie Valley, West Fork (G-15, B-1).

At Ottumwa (4 p.m.) - Cardinal, Colfax-Mingo, Colo-Nesco, Columbus Junction, Fairfield Maharishi (boys only), Fort Madison Holy Trinity, Grand View Christian (boys only), Harmony, Keota, Lynnville-Sully, Moravia, Mormon Trail (boys only), North Mahaska, Pekin (B-7, G-1), Pleasantville, Seymour, Sigourney, Southeast Warren, Tri-County, Twin Cedars, Van Buren, WACO, Wapello, Wayne, West Marshall (G-5), Winfield-Mount Union.

At Solon (3:30 p.m.) - Alburnett (boys only), Belle Plaine, Bellevue (B-4), Bellevue Marquette, BGM, Calamus-Wheatland, Clayton Ridge, Clinton Prince of Peace, Durant, East Buchanan, Easton Valley, Edgewood-Colesburg. Elkader Central (G-4), English Valleys, Garwin GMG, Highland, HLV, Iowa City Regina (G-3, B-14), Iowa Mennonite, Lone Tree, Maquoketa Valley, Meskwaki Settlement (boys only), Midland, Montezuma, North Linn (G-9), Rivermont Collegiate, Scattergood Friends, Wilton.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com