MHS boys second in Alliance cross country
The Bobcat boys scored 48 points overall, 12 points behind Ames.
MHS had four runners earn All-North Division distinction with top 12 finishes among the five teams in the North; Preston Johnson was the North Division champion in 15:45, John Moellers was second in 15:53, Carter Nunn fourth in 16:05 and Parker Gooding was 12th in 16:48.
All five of Ames’ scoring runners crossed the finish line ahead of Gooding, who still put up a lifetime best, as did non-counting runners Myles Goldman and Carson Wright.
“Parker ran with those Ames guys before they pulled away from him with 600 meters to go, but he did everything he could, that’s all I can ask,” MHS head coach Chad Pietig said. “We hoped we could break that group up, but their depth got us.”
Johnson was the overall runner-up behind champion Owen Marett of Des Moines Roosevelt, who won the race in 15:27. Johnson, Moellers, and Nunn finished 2-3-4 overall.
In their several meetings this season, Johnson and Marett have been evenly matched.
“I knew I could stick with him,” Johnson said. “We all went out pretty similar and then around mile two we’re all going fast and he just switched a gear on me and caught me off guard. But it was a really fun race.”
Caleb Rasmussen was the final Bobcat scorer in 26th in 18:00. Goldman was 33rd in 18:18 and Wright was 45th in 19:03.
“Caleb was our number five today, and it’s always nice to have that No. 6 guy that can fill in when the five might not be having a good day,” Johnson said.
The finish showed the Bobcats what was possible as they now prepare for next week’s district meet back on the MCC course, where Norwalk, Dallas Center-Grimes and Ankeny Centennial will be the three favorites to advance, a group that Marshalltown will look to disrupt. The top three teams and top 15 individuals will move on to state.
“This shows that we can do it,” Moellers said. “We can put in the work and do it, … we just need to stay consistent, and we hope we can all really kick it in gear so we can get to state as a team.”
The Marshalltown girls were seventh overall with a 176 team score and fourth among North Division teams.
Anessa Morrison led the Bobcats in 20th overall with a 22:07 clocking, just missing the All-North Division honors in 13th among North runners.
Miller Heitmann was 35th in 23:31, Mattea Wright 36th in 23:33, Sophia Valdez Chavez was 40th in 24:28 and Kaitlyn Yepez Ramirez was 45th in 24:53 as the final counting score. Emerson Eastman contributed a 25:04 in 46th.
Morrison, Valdez Chavez, Yepez Ramirez and Wright all had personal bests on Wednesday.
“After Anessa won last week, she knew she needed to go out hard,” MHS girls head coach Kim Hurley said. “That’s one thing we’ve been working on in practice — in the past, the girls have been saving themselves so they don’t die at the end, but then you have to pass all those people, so we just need to go out hard, and so far it’s paying off.”
As long as the times continue to drop, Hurley believes the Bobcats have a shot at some girls competing for individual spots at next week’s state-qualifying meet.
All Class 4A state-qualifying meets are scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 4 p.m.
Iowa Alliance Conference Meet
At Marshalltown Community College
(*denotes North Division All-Conference)
GIRLS
Team Standings (overall) — 1. Ames 41, 2. Des Moines Roosevelt 41, 3. Mason City 44, 4. Ottumwa 144, 5. Fort Dodge 150, 6. Des Moines Hoover 161, 7. Marshalltown 176, 8. Des Moines East 239.
Top 10 individuals (overall) — 1. Claire Helmers, AMES, 18:50; 2. Meredith Gentry, DMR, 19:38; 3. Janae Hansen, MC, 19:39; 4. Charlotte McCoy, DMR, 19:56.3; 5. Isabel Spradling, DMR, 19:56.6; 6. Savannah Davis, MC, 20:07; 7. Emma Stanley, AMES, 20:08; 8. Leah Dykstra, MC, 20:31; 9. Paizlee Carter, MC, 20:36; 10. Ophelia Harrelson, AMES, 20:39.
MARSHALLTOWN (176) — 20. Anessa Morrison, 22:07; 35. Miller Heitmann, 23:31; 36. Mattea Wright, 23:33; 40. Sophia Valdez Chavez, 24:28; 45. Kaitlyn Yepez Ramirez, 24:53; 46. Emerson Eastman, 25:04.
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BOYS
Team Standings (overall) — 1. Ames 36, 2. Marshalltown 48, 3. Des Moines Roosevelt 78, 4. Mason City 118, 5. Des Moines Lincoln 153, 6. Fort Dodge 154, 7. Des Moines North 189, 8. Ottumwa 219, 9. Des Moines East, 10. Waterloo East 291, 11. Des Moines Hoover 303.
Top 10 Individuals (overall) — 1. Owen Marett, DMR, 15:27; 2. Preston Johnson, MHS, 15:45; 3. John Moellers, MHS, 15:53; 4. Carter Nunn, 16:05; 5. Brennen Bhave, AMES, 16:08; 6. Zach Lenkaitis, AMES, 16:24; 7. Isaiah Knight, AMES, 16:34; 8. Jonah Mittman, AMES, 16:35; 9. Henry Hansen, MC, 16:37.4; 10. Damion Winkler, AMES, 16:37.4.
MARSHALLTOWN (48) — 2. Johnson 15:45; 3. Moellers 15:53; 4. Nunn 16:05; 13. Parker Gooding 16:48; 26. Caleb Rasmussen 18:00; 33. Myles Goldman 18:18; 45. Carson Wright 19:03.