State cross country: A look at all 8 races

Capsules for the state cross country meet Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course, Fort Dodge:

CLASS 4A GIRLS

Time -- 11 a.m.

Individual race -- After finishing second to the now-departed Shelby Houlihan last year, Allison Gregg of Cedar Falls might be the heir apparent to the throne. Gregg was the champion of the Cedar Falls regional in 15:13. Mahnee Watts of Bettendorf holds the No. 1 ranking and ran to victory at the Pleasant Valley regional by 15 seconds. Watts was seventh last year. West Des Moines Dowling has multiple title threats, including regional champion Grace Gibbons. 

Team race -- West Des Moines Dowling is chasing its fifth consecutive crown, and smart money is on the Maroons to get it. Each of Dowling's seven runners placed in the top 10 at the Council Bluffs regional, and the spread between 1 and 7 was only 38 seconds. The race for second is a wide-open fray between at least five teams. Linn-Mar didn't have a spectacular regional meet, but is a team with a nice range of experience and youth. West Des Moines Valley ran a respectable second to Dowling at regionals while Cedar Falls defended its home course successfully. 

How they'll finish -- 1. West Des Moines Dowling, 2. Linn-Mar, 3. West Des Moines Valley, 4. Cedar Falls, 5. Pleasant Valley.

CLASS 4A BOYS

Time -- 11:30 a.m.

Individual race -- It has every bit the makings of a duel between Linn-Mar's

Josh Evans and West Des Moines Valley's

Ben Anderson. Evans, a sophomore, is unbeaten against Iowa competition all season and owns an 8-second win over Anderson at the Heartland Classic in September. Evans won the Marshalltown district by 20 seconds; Anderson, a junior, built a 21-second cushion at Council Bluffs over West Des Moines Dowling's

Cole Decker, the highest returning placewinner from last year (fifth).

Team race -- Decker has a lot of help, and West Des Moines Dowling is the favorite after placing second a year ago. The Maroons had four of the top five runners at the Council Bluffs district and scored only 22 points. Cedar Falls could be the primary challenger; the Tigers claimed a district title on their home course and had four runners in the top seven. CF could lead a charge of Mississippi Valley Conference schools that also should consist of Cedar Rapids Washington, Iowa City West and Linn-Mar.

How they'll finish -- 1. West Des Moines Dowling, 2. Cedar Falls, 3. Cedar Rapids Washington, 4. Ames, 5. Iowa City West.

CLASS 3A GIRLS

Time -- Noon

Individual race -- Two defending state champions will square off, and this might be the best individual race of the day. Anna Holdiman of Waverly-Shell Rock claimed the 3A championship while Lauren Benzing of Solon won the 2A crown. Both of excelled all season, and both won convincingly at their regional meets. Add Madison Waymire into the mix. The sophomore from Dallas Center-Grimes was the 3A runner-up last year and won at the Atlantic regional by 58 seconds.

Team race -- Based on its regional performance, Solon has slid into the favorite's role. The Lady Spartans have a strong cast to follow Benzing (Alex Smith was third), and they outran then-No. 1 Davenport Assumption by 21 points in the Anamosa regional. Decorah also appears to be peaking. The Vikings had three of the top five runners at the Manchester regional and dusted defending champion Dubuque Wahlert by 26 points.

How they'll finish -- 1. Solon, 2. Decorah, 3. Davenport Assumption, 4. Dubuque Wahlert, 5. Mount Vernon-Lisbon.

CLASS 3A BOYS

Time -- 12:30 p.m.

Individual race -- Pella senior Zach Buchheit is the highest returning finisher from 2010; he was third last year. His stock rose with an impressive district performance, running in 15:35 and winning the Knoxville title by 21 seconds. Conner Smock of Mount Vernon-Lisbon is a state-meet veteran. He placed fourth last year and claimed the Anamosa district crown by 19 seconds. Other contenders in a potential lead pack include Chandler Austin of Boone and Daniel Huff of Waverly-Shell Rock. 

Team race -- With all seven runners returning from last year's sixth-place team, Pella looked like the favorite on paper at the beginning of the season, and the Dutch have lived up to the billing. Pella won the Knoxville district by 42 points. Boone had three of the top four runners at the Atlantic district, while Decorah edged defending champion Dubuque Wahlert by a 43-55 margin at Manchester. 

How they'll finish -- 1. Pella, 2. Boone, 3. Decorah, 4. Dubuque Wahlert, 5. Sioux City Heelan.

CLASS 2A GIRLS

Time -- 1 p.m.

Individual race -- Two of the favorites went head-to-head at the West Union regional, with Union's Brittany Frush edging Kelsey Kirchoff of Denver by 5 seconds. Frush was seventh in the 2A race last year while Kirchoff was the fourth-place finisher in 3A. Sadie Timms of Gilbert also figures into the mix. The sophomore was fifth last year and ran a dominating race at the Gilbert regional, winning by 40 seconds. Emily Franks of Northeast was the 1A champion last year, but ran fifth last week at the Letts regional.

Team race -- A year ago, the top four teams were separated by only 16 points. This could be a tightly bunched affair again. Unity Christian was the 2010 runner-up and returns four runners from that team. The Knights had four in the top 10 in a competitive regional at Orange City and edged Sioux Center, another likely contender, by 11 points. Northeast was a surprise winner at Letts, knocking off 2010 third-place team Iowa City Regina by eight. The Rebels had three in the top six.

How they'll finish -- 1. Unity Chrisitan, 2. Northeast, 3. Sioux Center, 4. Iowa City Regina, 5. Denver.

CLASS 2A BOYS

Time -- 1:30 p.m.

Individual race -- Spirit Lake had three runners in the top four last year, and two of those frontrunners return. Will Norris and Keith Byers finished 1-2 at the Orange City district. Last year at state, Byers was second, Norris fourth. Mason Powers of Gilbert built a 43-second cushion at a district on his home course. Powers was sixth at state last year. Monticello ought to have two runners (at least) in contention in Ben Ahlrichs and Michael Melchert.

Team race -- After finishing fifth each of the last three seasons, Monticello is primed to move up -- perhaps all the way to the top. The Panthers have loads of state experience; they are making their 15th consecutive state-meet appearance. Defending champion Iowa City Regina always peaks at state, and a convincing win at the Letts district proved the Regals will be in the mix again. Spirit Lake will have two runners at the very front. North Polk put all five of its scorers in the top seven in a 19-point performance at the Atlantic district and could be a sleeper.

How they'll finish -- 1. Monticello, 2. Iowa City Regina, 3. Spirit Lake, 4. Unity Christian, 5. North Polk.

CLASS 1A GIRLS

Time -- 2 p.m.

Individual race -- Look out for the youngster. Griswold's Rebekah Topham has been tearing up the junior running circuit for years, and enters Saturday's meet as the small-school favorite. She won the Panora region by nearly a minute. She will have challengers, most notably Leah Seivert of Sibley-Ocheyedan. Seivert was the 2A runner-up last year and ran 14:42 at the Holstein region, claiming the title by a whopping 80 seconds. Celsey Conger of Pekin was the 1A runner-up last year and ran away with the regional title at Knoxville.

Team race -- Pekin was the 1A champion in 2008 and 2010, and there's no reason to think the Panthers won't win their third title in four years. Pekin has four runners in the top 10 and won the Knoxville regional by 10 points, and the team that pushed the Panthers -- Earlham -- might be their top challengers again at Fort Dodge. Earlham was the state runner-up last year. Griswold was the sixth-place finisher and added an ace in Topham, and North Linn should improve drastically on last year's 12th-place finisher.

How they'll finish -- 1. Pekin, 2. Earlham, 3. Griswold, 4. North Linn, 5. Eagle Grove.

CLASS 1A BOYS

Time -- 2:30 p.m.

Individual race -- Top-ranked Nate Kolacia of Fort Dodge St. Edmond is coming off a 36-second district win (at Dike) and will be running essentially on his home turf. The top returner from last year is Levi Storjohann of Conrad BCLUW, but he was outrun at districts by North Mahaska's Tanner Wanders by 34 seconds. Bennett Moser of Wapello was sixth last year and ran away from the field at his home district, winning by 47 seconds. 

Team race -- This should be the year for Conrad BCLUW. The Comets return six runners from last year's third-place squad, led by Storjohann. The top two teams from the Dike and Panora districts should be the primary challengers. Fort Dodge St. Edmond edged Dike-New Hartford by 11 points while Council Bluffs St. Albert beat Oakland Riverside by 25.

How they'll finish -- 1. Conrad BCLUW, 2. Council Bluffs St. Albert, 3. Fort Dodge St. Edmond, 4. Dike-New Hartford, 5. Oakland Riverside.