DES MOINES – North Mahaska teams will head to Pleasantville for the Class 1A cross country state qualifier next week. Runners from 19 schools including four ranked teams will traverse the fairways of the Pleasantville Country Club on Thursday, Oct. 24 beginning at 4 p.m.
Teams competing are Earlham, Highland Riverside, Hillcrest Academy, Keota, Lamoni, Lynnville-Sully, Melcher-Dallas, Moulton-Udell, Moravia, Mount Ayr, North Mahaska, Pekin, Pleasantville, Sigourney, Southeast Warren, Twin Cedars, WACO, Wayne and Winfield-Mount Union.
In the girls’ field, No. 2 Earlham and No. 15 Lynnville-Sully are the leaders along with five ranked individuals, all state qualifiers from 2023. Fourth ranked Chloe Glosser (Pekin), 17th ranked Marie Yoder (Hillcrest), and No. 27 Mandeesa Vos of Lynnville-Sully have run against the Warhawks this season. Vos won the South Iowa Cedar League meet this week. Two Earlham girls, McKenzie Harger (14) and Hannah Frank (28), both state qualifiers from a year ago.
North Mahaska’s Emmerson Jedlicka, a sophomore, will be seeking a return trip to the state meet. She placed 88th last year in 21 minutes 31.2 seconds. She placed third at the SICL meet in 20:13.10 about 35 seconds behind Vos. Jedlicka has run against Pekin’s Glosser several times this season.
Jedlicka’s teammate Ava Huffman has had a solid season but is nursing a toe injury. She has finished within the top 20 in most of her races this season. If the volleyball girls that have been competing (Alivia Schock, Abby Van Weelden and Breckyn Schilling) are able to join Jedlica, Huffman and Amber Knockel, the girls can compete as a team.
Earlham at No. 5 and Lynnville-Sully at 15 are the leaders on the boy’s side too. WACO’s Jude Dykstra and Earlham’s David Nichols are the lone individual ranked runners. Dykstra is 28th and Nichols is 30th.
North Mahaska will take to the course with Kincaid Mitchell, Jeb Goemaat, Cain Grandia and William Cox. Axl Patterson has competed off and on due to injury.
State meet will be held in Fort Dodge on Saturday, Nov. 2. To qualify the top two teams and 10 individuals. At least five individuals will come from the non-qualifying teams. Individually, it is important to place in the top 10-15 to have a chance to run at state.
