Iowa high school state cross country 2022 preview: Scouting the individual and team races

FORT DODGE — It appears that the two-day format for the state cross country meet has become a permanent thing. This is the third consecutive year for the format.

Here's a primer on the meet, to be held at Friday and Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course:

Class 1A girls

Time — 10:30 a.m. Friday

Individuals to watch — Youth was the theme last year, with freshmen taking three of the top five spots. That included champion Noelle Steines of Calamus-Wheatland. Steines was hampered by injury earlier this fall, but stamped herself as a healthy favorite by running 19:17 at the Cascade regional and winning by 74 seconds over South Winneshiek’s Billie Wagner, the fourth-place state finisher last year. The top regional race was at Holstein, where Alta-Aurelia’s Nora Peterson (third in 2021) topped Sibley-Ocheyedan’s Madison Brouwer (the 2A runner-up) by 7 seconds. Sixth last year, Meghan Wheatley of North Linn rolled to a 77-second win at the Eldora regional and will be in the lead pack, as well.

The team race — Last year’s champion, South Winneshiek brings back six runners, including the veteran Wagner. The Warriors are ranked No. 2, behind 2021 runner-up Logan-Magnolia, which also has six returners, including fifth-place finisher Madison Sporrer. The Panthers also have a strong freshman in Allysen Johnsen, and went 2-3-4 at the Corning regional. Earlham is poised to make a big jump after placing 11th last year, scoring a tidy 28 points at Guthrie Center last week.

How they’ll finish — 1. Logan-Magnolia, 2. South Winneshiek, 3. Earlham, 4. Hudson, 5. Fort Dodge St. Edmond.

Class 1A boys

Time — 11:15 a.m. Friday

Individuals to watch — The top four finishers from 2021 have graduated, making Bellevue junior Payton Griebel (fifth) the top returner. He edged Iowa City Regina’s Aiden O’Neil by 4 seconds for the title at the Iowa City district, and both of those two will be in the lead pack. Another favorite is Ethan Loutzenheiser of Madrid (seventh in 2021), who won the Leon district by 24 seconds. Landon Bendgen of Woodbine captured the Corning district title handily, running 16:20. Keep an eye on IKM-Manning’s Caden Keller, Boyer Valley’s Patrick Heffernen (10th in 2021) and ACGC’s Justin Reinhart, the top three finishers at Guthrie Center.

The team race — Iowa City Regina stockpiled eight championships between 1993 and 2010, and the Regals have a very good opportunity to end a 12-year title drought. Six guys are back from their eighth-place team of 2021, led by O’Neil, a junior. The Regals’ top five ran 2-5-8-9-10 at the district meet. Defending champion Guthrie Center ACGC won’t surrender the crown easily. The Chargers return five state runners, two of whom finished in the top 21 last year. Council Bluffs St. Albert and Woodbine, who combined to place 11 of the top 15 runners at the Corning district, lead the chase pack.

How they’ll finish — 1. Iowa City Regina, 2. Guthrie Center ACGC, 3. Council Bluffs St. Albert, 4. Woodbine, 5. Ogden.

Class 2A girls

Time — 2 p.m. Friday

Individuals to watch — The Hostetler family dynasty is expected to run into a seventh consecutive year. Mid-Prairie junior Danielle Hostetler is favored to win her third title in a row, following in the fast footsteps of sisters Anna (2016) and Marie (2017-19). Danielle won the 2021 title by 22 seconds, and built a winning margin of 63 seconds at the Pella regional. Osage senior Katelyn Johnston, the third-place finisher in 2021, won by 50 seconds at Oelwein last week. Hillary Trainor of Sumner-Fredericksburg emerged victorious from a strong field at Monticello, with Clare Kelly of Van Meter and Maysun Hartley of Clarinda leading the pack at Shenandoah.

The team race — Mid-Prairie’s historic run of five consecutive championships will get a serious test Friday, and most of the top challengers are River Valley Conference rivals. No. 1 Monticello won the RVC title two weeks ago and edged league rivals Tipton and Dyersville Beckman by three points on its home course at regionals. Shenandoah regional champion Van Meter (which scored a tidy 37 points) should be in the mix, as should Oelwein regional champ Denver. It could a tale of Mid-Prairie’s frontrunners vs. the depth of the challengers, and there’s no room for error for anybody.

How they’ll finish — 1. Monticello, 2. Mid-Prairie, 3. Tipton, 4. Dyersville Beckman, 5. Van Meter.

Class 2A boys

Time — 2:45 p.m. Friday

Individuals to watch — Defending champion Aaron Fynaardt of Des Moines Christian is back, and favored to repeat. He ran through the district course at Shenandoah in 15:48, topping freshman teammate Caleb Ten Pas by 13 seconds. Charlie Sieck of Starmont-West Central is the next highest returner after Fynaardt, at sixth. He was a convincing winner at the Oelwein district, finishing 18 seconds ahead of the next closest competitor. Solomon Zaugg of Mediapolis outdueled Tipton’s Clay Bohlmann last week at Monticello. Bohlmann was ninth last year as a freshman; Okoboji’s Evan Osler — the district champion at Orange City — was 11th.

The team race — Judging by Des Moines Christian’s dominant display at the Shenandoah district, the Lions are going to be tough to catch. Fynnardt and Ten Pas triggered a 1-2-3-6-9 showing that netted 21 points and won by 74. Defending champion Tipton tipped second-ranked Waukon by a 50-58 count at the Monticello district. The Tigers are pursuing their fourth 2A title in five years. Waukon, Oelwein and 2020 champion Danville-New London will battle for a top-three spot on the podium.

How they’ll finish — 1. Des Moines Christian, 2. Tipton, 3. Waukon, 4. Oelwein, 5. Danville-New London.

Class 3A girls

Time — 10:30 a.m. Saturday

Individuals to watch — Ballard senior Paityn Noe has assembled the best cross country season by an Iowa girl, ever. She owns the state record (17:09) and ran 17:15 at the Pella regional, winning by more than a minute and a half. Can she bust the 17-minute barrier at Lakeside? The next best runners are Geneva Timmerman of Adel ADM (second last year, champion of the Glenwood regional in 17:59) and Lourdes Mason of Mount Vernon-Lisbon (winner of the Washington regional in 18:38). Kayla Young led Solon’s championship run last year, placing fifth, and won the individual title last week at Manchester in 18:32.

The team race — This one will be fun. The top two teams, Pella and Ballard, were paired at the Pella regional, with the Dutch prevailing by a 49-53 margin because of superior depth. Pella didn’t even qualify for state last year, but has ascended rapidly due to the arrival of freshmen Marissa Ferebee and Lizzie Neumann. Ballard has a “1” in the bank in Noe, and if the Bombers’ back end can stay close to the Dutch, they’ll win. Wamac Conference rivals Mount Vernon-Lisbon and Solon (the defending champion) figure to duel for the third spot on the podium, and Adel ADM could be in that mix, as well.

How they’ll finish — 1. Pella, 2. Ballard, 3. Mount Vernon-Lisbon, 4. Solon, 5. Adel ADM.

Class 3A boys

Time — 11:15 a.m. Saturday

Individuals to watch — The highest returning finisher from 2021, Jedidiah Osgood of Marion has only enhanced his role throughout the season as Saturday’s favorite. He has run as fast as 15:02 at Seminole Valley Park, and cruised through the Manchester district in 15:33, winning by more than a minute. There is no shortage of challengers, though. Ethan Eichhorn of Lewis Central and Bryant Keller of Glenwood both went sub-15:40 in a close battle at Glenwood. Pella’s duo of Chase Lauman and Canaan Dunham ran 15:36 and 15:37 at Pella. Isaiah Hammerand of Western Dubuque was the Washington district champion, in 15:43. And North Polk’s Zach Sporaa won at Humboldt last week after placing ninth at state last year.

The team race — On the girls side and the boys, we might be in for a real Dutch treat. Pella’s boys ran roughshod on their home course last week at districts, with four guys in the top five and a 21-point gem. Paced by Sporaa, North Polk returned all five runners from a third-place finish at state last year. The Comets led the field at the Humboldt district. Marion fell two points short of the 3A title last year, and Osgood leads a group of five returners. Mount Vernon-Lisbon edged Western Dubuque by three points for the Washington district title, and both will vie for a top-five finish.

How they’ll finish — 1. Pella, 2. North Polk, 3. Marion, 4. Mount Vernon-Lisbon, 5. Western Dubuque.

Class 4A girls

Time — 2 p.m. Saturday

Individuals to watch — The last two champions are on display. West Des Moines Valley junior Addison Dorenkamp won it last year, is top-ranked and favored to repeat. She won the individual title at the Council Bluffs regional by 46 seconds. Dubuque Hempstead’s Keelee Leitzen was the 2020 champion, and ran second to teammate Julia Gehl at Dubuque last week. Adrienne Buettner-Cable of Des Moines Roosevelt might be Dorenkamp’s chief threat; she ran 17:43 at the Marshalltown regional and won by 23 seconds. Another contender is Pleasant Valley sophomore Grace Boleyn, who won on a regional title on her home course.

The team race — If it runs up to par, Dubuque Hempstead is the favorite to repeat. The Mustangs went 1-2-3-4-8 at regionals, and their top four (Gehl, Leitzen, Brooke O'Brien and Evie Henneberry) are significantly better than everybody else’s. Unless one of them falters, or their No. 5 gets buried in the pack, they’ll win it again. With Boleyn and Lydia Sommer projected to place extremely high, Pleasant Valley gets the nod to duplicate its runner-up finish of 2021. Johnston ran 1-2-6-7 in winning the Indianola regional title and figures to battle Dubuque Senior and Ankeny Centennial for a top-three trophy.

How they’ll finish — 1. Dubuque Hempstead, 2. Pleasant Valley, 3. Johnston, 4. Dubuque Senior, 5. Ankeny Centennial.

Class 4A boys

Time — 2:45 p.m. Saturday

Individuals to watch — Defending champion Jackson Heidesch of West Des Moines Dowling and Iowa City High’s Ford Washburn both have broken 15 minutes this fall, and everything is setting up for an extremely fast duel. Heidesch ran 15:24 in his title tour last year and won the Council Bluffs district by 23 seconds, in 15:32. Washburn has similar success at Pleasant Valley (15:25, won by 24 seconds) and is poised to push Heidesch hard after finishing fourth in 2021. Other key figures include Jacob Mumey of Pleasant Valley, Natneal Kifle and Gabe Nash of Sioux City North, Miles Wilson of Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Jaxson Plumb of Johnston.

The team race — Defending champion Dowling is going to be difficult to unseat. The Maroons possess a strong returning foursome, led by Heidesch, tallied 31 points at Council Bluffs last week and won by 29. Iowa City High, Johnston and Norwalk represent the chase pack. The Little Hawks, third last year, have an ace in Washburn, and ran 1-3-7-9 in claiming top honors at the Pleasant Valley district. Johnston edged Norwalk by a 39-41 count at the Indianola district. Cedar Rapids Kennedy had a strong district performance, tying Cedar Falls (with the Tigers claiming the tie-breaker) at Dubuque.

How they’ll finish — 1. West Des Moines Dowling, 2. Iowa City High, 3. Johnston, 4. Norwalk, 5. Cedar Falls.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com