XC: RAMS RUN WILD AT HOIC MEET
By BRANDON HURLEY
Sports Editor
Saydel – A pair of top 25 runners, including a medalist distinction, propelled the Greene County girl’s cross country team to a seventh place finish at the Heart of Iowa Conference meet Monday, Oct. 10 in Saydel.
Senior Olivia Hansen paced the Rams with a time of 21.24.3, securing her 11th overall, medalist and HOIC all-conference honors.
Freshman Bailey Cunningham, true to recent form, ran a strong race and finished 21st with a time of 22:06.1 to spell Hansen’s top 15 performance.
The Rams compiled a team score of 170 points, narrowly missing top six placement.
Fifteenth-Ranked North Polk took home the team title, outpacing fourth-ranked Gilbert (45 points) and Class 2A No. 5 Collins-Maxwell-Baxter (46 points) in a neck-and-neck sprint for the top spot. Prairie City-Monroe (123 points), Roland-Story (161) and Nevada (164) rounded out the top six.
“The girls have been slowly trying to close the gap on Roland Story and Nevada all season,” Greene County head coach Kelly Simpson said. “We got closer, but needed nine more spots.”
Simpson was pleased that Hansen, running in her final conference meet, was able to capture a spot in the top 12.
“One of our goals at the beginning of the season was to see Olivia make HOIC Conference honors,” the coach said.
Running on a renovated Saydel course, Simpson was worried his runners would have trouble with the terrain. But once they arrived and got a feel for the layout, the issues went to the wayside for the most part. The only concerns were down the back stretch, which was a different surface then the rest of the route.
“Most of the course remained the same from past years with the exception of the last 600 meters which was run on a new limestone rock trail,” Simpson said. “The trail wasn’t as packed down as much as it probably needed to be, but I don’t think it was a deterrent at that point of the race.”
Freshman Ashlee Harmeyer was the next fastest Ram runner, coming in 53rd with a time of 24:18.17 while freshmen duo Izzy Bravard (25:50.8) and Kassie Lamoureux (26:02.7) came in 73rd and 77th, respectively. Emily Bettey set a new personal best running to a time of 27:26.2, good for 89th overall. Regan Lamoureux rounded out the Greene County top 100 performances with a 95th place finish at a time of 28:03.8.
Gilbert senior Carly Rahn (ranked 14th in Class 3A) captured the individual conference crown with a time of 19:58.61, followed by No. 25 Amelia Leaher of North Polk (20:12.8) and CMB’s Brenna Thomson (20:27.42).
The Comets placed four runners in the top 10 to secure the team victory while Gilbert and CMB placed three athletes in the top 10. No other HOIC runner cracked the top 10 while Hansen and PCM’s Payton Schut were the only non-North Polk, Gilbert or CMB runners inside the top 15.
Only three Greene County boys competed at Monday’s conference meet, led by Nick Killion, who came in 80th overall with a time of 20:51.28. Freshman Brian Hardaway ran a 21:00.6, good for 87th while junior Jacob Hueser ran a time of 31:33.92.
Several of Greene County’s usual runners have been sidelined over the last few weeks, preventing the Rams from qualifying for a team score.
“Injury has plagued our boy’s squad,” Simpson said. “So the three that ran we hoping for improvement on their average times.”
Fifth-ranked Gilbert took home the team title behind six top 10 runners, totaling a score of 31 points, well ahead of South Hamilton (89) and Nevada (97).
PCM’s Chris Ellens (No. 10 in Class 2A) captured the individual conference crown with a time of 16:40, besting Nevada’s Malachi Hornbuckle (13th in 3A) by 11 seconds. Gilbert’s Jason Taylor (25th in 3A), came in third with a time of 17:06.30.
As the end of the regular season approaches, both Ram squads ready themselves for the 3A state qualifying meet set for Thursday, Oct. 20 in Spencer.
The Greene County girls will square off against ninth-ranked Bishop Heelan, No. 11 Humboldt, and 14th-ranked and host, Spencer as well as Storm Lake, Spirit Lake, Algona, Kuemper, LeMars, MOC-Floyd Valley, Webster City and Sergeant Bluff-Luton. Spirit Lake’s Kourtney Delperdang (No. 1 overall), leads the pack of female runners that also includes Humboldt’s Bryce Gidel (No. 6), Bishop Heelan’s Amber Aesoph (eighth) as well as Denison-Schleswig’s Raegan Anderson (No. 13).
Storm Lake’s Dylan Cavanaugh spearheads the boy’s side, coming in at fourth overall. Sergeant Bluff-Luton’s Miles Scott (ninth) gives the group two top 10 runners.
In order for the Rams to find success next week, coach Simpson said his runners must stay healthy and give their legs a chance to rejuvenate.
ROCKETS HEAD TO PANORA FOR STATE QUALIFYING
Paton-Churdan will be in Panora for the 1A state qualifying meet Thursday, Oct. 20. Treynor’s Jerry Jorgenson (third individually) leads a pack of runners that also features West Central Valley’s Rylan Heffernan (19th) and A-C/G-C’s Foster Landon (21st). Adair-Casey/Guthrie-Center is the top boy’s squad, ranked fourth followed by Panorama (fifth) and Tri-Center (seventh).
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