Cedar Rapids Prairie boys sweat it out, advance to state cross country for 14th straight year

CEDAR RAPIDS — With success came a streak.

With a streak comes pressure. And for the Cedar Rapids Prairie boys, it produced some very anxious postrace moments.

“It was a little nerve-racking,” Anthony Lee said. “We knew it was close. We didn’t know what was going to happen.”

What happened? Well, what has happened for the Hawks for more than a decade. They’re going back to state.

Prairie edged Cedar Rapids Kennedy for third place at Wednesday’s Class 4A cross country state-qualifying meet at Seminole Valley Park.

That marks a 14th consecutive year the Hawks will be making the voyage to Fort Dodge. The 4A race is Oct. 29 at Lakeside Golf Course.

“There was a lot of pressure to make it back,” Lee said. “There were some nerves coming in. We came to compete.”

Dubuque Hempstead swept the team titles Wednesday. The boys had three of the top four finishers and scored 36 points. Cedar Falls (45) and Prairie (83) got the other two bids; Kennedy (85) was a hard-luck fourth-place team.

Hempstead’s Derek Leicht was the individual champion; his 15:27 effort led the pack by 15 seconds.

Kennedy’s Miles Wilson was the Metro leader in fifth place (16:00). Lee was seventh in 16:19.

“I think our best race is yet to come,” Lee said.

Led by a 1-2-3 finish from Julia Gehl, Keelee Leitzen and Brooke O’Brien, the Hempstead girls posted a 28-point tally. Prairie (49) and Dubuque Senior (62) also qualified comfortably.

Gehl and Leitzen ran together the whole way and finished together in 18:17.

Lourdes Mason (18:37), Gabby Cortez (18:40) and Keirra Hess (18:51) were fourth, sixth and eighth for Prairie.

“We had a lot of confidence after (Mississippi Valley Conference) divisionals,” Cortez said. “We had some girls out with COVID at the beginning of the season, but we got everybody back to get where we are.”

Mason was a JV runner for the Hawks last year. She competed for Lisbon in track (she was a 1A state placewinner), then moved back to Prairie, where she has moved to the front of the pack.

“I wasn’t that great last year,” Mason said. “After last season, I knew I had to get stronger. I didn’t want to be wishing I’d done more.”

She has been a difference-maker.

“Oh gosh, yes,” Cortez said. “She helps us so much. She has improved so much.”

CLASS 4A STATE-QUALIFYING CROSS COUNTRY MEET

At Seminole Valley Park

GIRLS RESULTS

Teams (top 3 to state) — 1. Dubuque Hempstead 28, 2. C.R. Prairie 49, 3. Dubuque Senior 62, 4. Cedar Falls 100, 5. C.R. Kennedy 122, 6. Muscatine 175, 7. C.R. Washington 224, 8. C.R. Jefferson 237, 9. Waterloo United 239.

Individual state qualifiers — 1. Julia Gehl (DH), 18:17; 2. Keelee Leitzen (DH), 18:17; 3. Brooke O’Brien (DH), 18:35; 4. Lourdes Mason (CRP), 18:37; 5. Evie Henneberry (DH), 18:37; 6. Gabby Cortez (CRP), 18:40; 7. Leah Klapatauskas (DS), 18:48; 8. Keirra Hess (CRP), 18:51; 9. Kaitlyn Miller (DS), 19:21; 10. Bethany Smeed (CRK), 19:29; 11. Claire Hoyer (DS), 19:32; 12. Zoe Zylstra (CF), 19:32; 13. Rachel Mandt (CF), 19:34; 14. Emily Gorton (DS), 19:37; 15. Lily Johannes (CRP), 19:38.

BOYS RESULTS

Teams (top 3 to state) — 1. Dubuque Hempstead 36, 2. Cedar Falls 45, 3. C.R. Prairie 83, 4. C.R. Kennedy 85, 5. Dubuque Senior 155, 6. C.R. Jefferson 167, 7. Waterloo United 191, 8. C.R. Washington 232, 9. Muscatine 233, 10. Burlington 270.

Individual state qualifiers — 1. Derek Leicht (DH), 15:27; 2. Brayden Burnett (CF), 15:42; 3. John Maloney (DH), 15:51; 4. Brady Blean (DH), 15:57; 5. Miles Wilson (CRK), 16:00; 6. Alex Horstman (CF), 16:00; 7. Anthony Lee (CRP), 16:19; 8. Luke Hartman (CF), 16:29; 9. Henry McMahan (CRK), 16:34; 10. Caleb Kass (DH), 16:38; 11. Gavin Hall (CRJ), 16:42; 12. Colin Johnson (CF), 16:44; 13. Brady Cortez (CRP), 16:48; 14. Robert Howes (DS), 16:54; 15. Samuel Moreheard (Burl), 16:55.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com