Title replaces tears for Mount Vernon-Lisbon

FORT DODGE - They were close last year. Agonizingly close, enough to shed some tears.

'We wanted it so bad,” Chase McLaughlin said. 'Everybody cried last year. We weren't satisfied. There was definitely some unfinished business.”

Consider it finished now.

Mount Vernon-Lisbon left absolutely nothing to chance Saturday, dominating the Class 3A boys' field at the state cross country meet at Lakeside Golf Course.

Each of the top five runners finished in the top 21, and the Mustangs scored 50 points, the least of any of the eight champions Saturday.

'After the disappointment from last year, it's great to come back here and win it,” said Reid Smock, one of only two seniors on the state roster (Peyton Wilch was the other) and the third-place finisher. 'It's amazing to pull through this year. I'm very proud.”

Grinnell was a distant second, with 81 points.

The margin last year was five points, with Mount Vernon-Lisbon finishing behind Gilbert.

Logan Murray of Mount Pleasant (16:17) edged Carlisle's J.J. Orput (16:18) for the individual crown. Smock was out with the leaders from the start, and finished third in 16:28.

Marion's Myles Bach and Jeremy Fopma were fifth and sixth in matching times of 16:33, moving their way up throughout the race after a controlled start.

'We wanted to go out slow,” Fopma said. 'We felt other people were going to go out too fast. We wanted to go out slow and catch people at the end.

Bach and Fopma both are sophomores.

'We're not going to be happy until we're first,” Fopma said. 'We'll come back for more next year.”

McLaughlin and Jack Young were 12th and 13th for Mount Vernon-Lisbon.

Davenport Assumption earned its first girls' title, scoring 131 points. Pella edged Dubuque Wahlert, 145-146, for second.

Assumption's Julia Schumacher was the girls' individual champ in 19:01, three seconds ahead of Spirit Lake's Kourtney Delperding.

Vinton-Shellsburg senior Lily Horst was the area's top girl, placing sixth in 19:24.

'I've never been so tired in my life,” said an obviously spent Horst. 'The pace was just so fast. But it was my last race, so I really wanted to push myself.”

The three-time defending girls' champion, Decorah was fifth this year. Marion was sixth, Vinton-Shellsburg ninth. Cedar Rapids Xavier's Jenny Dickes placed 12th, Marion's Maddie Bach was 13th after contending for the first two miles.

Decorah's boys were fifth. Vinton-Shellsburg was ninth, Marion 10th, Xavier 14th.

STATE CROSS COUNTRY MEET

Saturday, at Fort Dodge (Lakeside Golf Course)

CLASS 3A GIRLS

Teams - 1. Davenport Assumption 131, 2. Pella 145, 3. Dubuque Wahlert 146, 4. Dallas Center-Grimes 158, 5. Decorah 164, 6. Marion 171, 7. Gilbert 182, 8. Humboldt 200, 9. Vinton-Shellsburg 202, 10. Fort Madison 216, 11. Sioux City Heelan 218, 12. Denison-Schleswig 223, 13. Spencer 231, 14. Ballard 286, 15. Harlan 305.

Individuals - 1. Julia Schumacher (Assumption), 19:01; 2. Kourtney Delperdang (Spirit Lake), 19:04; 3. McKayla Cole (Charles City), 19:11; 4. Lexi Smith (Dallas Center-Grimes), 19:19; 5. Abby Kohut-Jackson (Ballard), 19:20; 6. Lily Horst (Vinton-Shellsburg), 19:24; 7. Emily Branson (Gilbert), 19:26; 8. Ellie Mendlik (Denison-Schleswig), 19:28; 9. Josephine Berlage (Decorah), 19:29; 10. Joy Ripslinger (Assumption), 19:29; 11. Sarah Steffensmeier (Fort Madison), 19:29; 12. Jenny Dickes (C.R. Xavier), 19:30; 13. Maddie Bach (Marion), 19:31; 14. Megan Sievers (Carlisle), 19:34; 15. Madeline Hurt (LeMars), 19:40.

CLASS 3A BOYS

Teams - 1. Mount Vernon-Lisbon 50, 2. Grinnell 81, 3. Pella 94, 4. Dallas Center-Grimes 138, 5. Decorah 150, 6. Winterset 185, 7. Gilbert 203, 8. Mount Pleasant 206, 9. Vinton-Shellsburg 235, 10. Marion 259, 11. MOC-Floyd Valley 260, 12. Humboldt 279, 13. Harlan 280, 14. Cedar Rapids Xavier 312, 15. Spirit Lake 337.

Individuals - 1. Logan Murray (Mount Pleasant), 16:17; 2. J.J. Orput (Carlisle), 16:18; 3. Reid Smock (Mount Vernon-Lisbon), 16:28; 4. Nic Peters (Estherville ELC), 16:33; 5. Myles Bach (Marion), 16:33; 6. Jeremy Fopma (Marion), 16:33; 7. Thomas Clower (Grinnell), 16:42; 8. Adam Sievers (Pella), 16:42; 9. Dylan Cavanaugh (Storm Lake), 16:47; 10. Trenton O'Halloran (Grinnell), 16:47; 11. Andrew Kephart (Decorah), 16:49; 12. Chase McLaughlin (Mount Vernon-Lisbon), 16:50; 13. Jack Young (Mount Vernon-Lisbon), 16:50; 14. Alex Thompson (Dallas Center-Grimes), 16:52; 15. Luke Sinclair (Carlisle), 16:54.

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