Ford Washburn: ‘Can’t be too mad about second place’ at state cross country

Iowa City High ace pushes Dowling’s Jackson Heidesch for more than 2 miles, but the defending champ finds another gear and repeats in a record time of 14:56

Jeff Linder

Oct. 29, 2022 4:50 pm, Updated: Oct. 29, 2022 5:14 pm

FORT DODGE — For more than 2 miles, Ford Washburn ran alongside Jackson Heidesch, running faster than anyone had ever run here before.

And then, Heidesch hit overdrive.

“He had a gear that I wasn’t able to respond to,” Washburn said. “I wanted to come here and win it. That last half-mile to mile, I just didn’t have it.”

Heidesch had it, and now he has a state cross-country meet record.

The senior from West Des Moines Dowling repeated as the Class 4A boys’ champion at the state cross country meet Saturday afternoon at Lakeside Golf Course. At 14:56, he became the first Iowan to break the 15-minute barrier in championship competition.

Washburn was second, in 15:15.

“I guess I can’t get too mad about second place,” he said.

Dowling’s boys and Dubuque Hempstead’s girls successfully defended their team championships.

The Maroons made it six titles in eight years, and did it in a 73-point landslide. With four runners in the top 15, they compiled 51 points. Johnston (124) and Ankeny (158) also made it to the clubhouse deck.

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City High placed seventh, Cedar Rapids Kennedy eighth.

Kennedy’s Miles Wilson capped an excellent senior season with a seventh-place effort of 15:41.

“You can look at everybody’s times all you want, but the courses make such a difference,” Wilson said. “Maybe I came in a little overconfident because I’ve run really fast at Seminole, and that’s a really fast course.”

The first mile was extremely crowded, with the top 37 runners between 4:53 and 4:59.

“I had to put my arms in and move guys around a little,” Wilson said.

Hempstead’s girls rode a 3-8-10-18 effort by Julia Gehl, Keelee Leitzen, Brooke O’Brien and Evie Henneberry to a 60-point tally.

Johnston was second with 105 points, followed by Dubuque Senior (135).

“We had to do what we’ve done all year,” Gehl said. “I knew we could, but nothing is guaranteed.

“Keelee really showed as a freshman (when she won an individual title) that if you put in the work, then special, special things can happen.”

Adrienne Buettner-Cable of Des Moines Roosevelt was the individual champion, in 17:41. That’s the third-fastest girls’ state-meet effort, second among 4A runners.

Linn-Mar’s Rachel Adamson was the top area girls’ finisher, placing 19th.

Class 4A Girls Results

Teams — 1. Dubuque Hempstead 60, 2. Johnston 105, 3. Dubuque Senior 135, 4. Ankeny Centennial 151, 5. West Des Moines Valley 192, 6. Pleasant Valley 196, 7. Ankeny 200, 8. Waukee 210, 9. Ames 211, 10. West Des Moines Dowling 216, 11. Des Moines Roosevelt 222, 12. Linn-Mar 273, 13. Cedar Falls 283, 14. Southeast Polk 306, 15. Iowa City High 328.

Individuals — 1. Adrienne Buettner-Cable (D.M. Roosevelt), 17:41; 2. Olivia Verde (Johnston), 18:01; 3. Julia Gehl (Hempstead), 18:03; 4. Addison Dorenkamp (Valley), 18:07; 5. Rondi Quass (Centennial), 17:18; 6. Abi Hahn (Roosevelt), 18:21; 7. Claire Helmers (Ames), 18:22; 8. Keelee Leitzen (Hempstead), 18:30; 9. Marley Turk (Ames), 18:32; 10. Brooke O'Brien (Hempstead), 18:34; 11. Dylan Moeller (Davenport Central), 18:40; 12. Alyx Woodley (Johnston), 18:41; 13. Leah Klapatauskas (Dbq Senior), 18:42; 14. Grace Boleyn (Pleasant Valley), 18:44; 15. Drew Beason (Ankeny), 18:48; 16. Anika Mohrhauser (Centennial), 18:52; 17. Lydia Sommer (Pleasant Valley), 19:01; 18. Evie Henneberry (Hempstead), 19:03; 19. Rachel Adamson (Linn-Mar), 19:14; 20. Liv Hall (Dowling), 19:15.

Class 4A Boys Results

Teams — 1. West Des Moines Dowling 51, 2. Johnston 124, 3. Ankeny 158, 4. Norwalk 178, 5. Cedar Falls 179, 6. West Des Moines Valley 189, 7. Iowa City High 195, 8. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 201, 9. Pleasant Valley 207, 10. Southeast Polk 216, 11. Waukee Northwest 228, 12. Dubuque Hempstead 245, 13. Sioux City North 251, 14. Cedar Rapids Prairie 285, 15. Urbandale 307.

Individuals — 1. Jackson Heidesch (Dowling), 14:56 (state-meet record); 2. Ford Washburn (City High), 15:15; 3. Jaxson Plumb (Johnston), 15:30; 4. Jacob Mumey (Pleasant Valley),15:31; 5. Flynn Milligan (Dowling), 15:35; 6. Carson Owens (SE Polk), 15:39; 7. Miles Wilson (Kennedy), 15:41; 8. Gabe Nash (SC North), 15:43; 9. Jack Flori (Dowling), 15:47; 10. John Maloney (Hempstead), 15:55; 11. Ethan Zuber (Ankeny), 15:58; 12. A.J. Schermerhorn (Centennial), 15:59; 13. Luke Knepp (Pleasant Valley), 16:00; 14. Max DeRocher (Dowling), 16:01; 15. Donovan Card (Norwalk), 16:07; 16. Luke Hartman (Cedar Falls), 16:12; 17. Natneal Kifle (SC North), 16:13; 18. Jaden Merrick (Cedar Falls), 16:14; 19. Levi Hill (Ankeny), 16:18; 20. Carson Lane (Johnston), 16:20.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com

Iowa City High’s Ford Washburn crosses the finish line in second place during the Class 4A state cross country championships on Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course, Fort Dodge. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Miles Wilson was seventh in the Class 4A boys’ race at the state cross country championships Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course, Fort Dodge. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

Dubuque Hempstead repeated as the Class 4A girls’ champion at the state cross country meet Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course, Fort Dodge. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)