Cross country is on the road again in battle of rated teams next week before returning home for their home invitational.
Class 3A’s top ranked girls and the 15th ranked boys head toward midseason with strong showings September 6, at the 49th Annual Tipton Invitational. Actually, every cross country meet is a battle among ratings leaders this season. The Spartans were third in a tight boys’ finish at Tipton while the Lady Spartans claimed four of the top seven individual spots on the way to their team title. Though never easy, it was the fifth consecutive title Solon has carted home.
Boys challenge ranked opponents
The individual 5K boys’ win went to Regina’s Aiden O’Neil in 17:04 on a sunny, but not blistering hot, afternoon tour of Tipton’s City Park. Solon junior Brick Kabela was runner-up at 17:17 with Tipton runners in the next three slots on their way to the team title.
“Brick was really disappointed in his race (last meet) at Regina. He came back today getting second place. He had a better start going out with those ‘front guys’ right away, and that was really helpful for him,” said Coach Emy Williams.
For Solon, Mike Yeomans was fifth (17:57) with four teammates in the next wave: Lawsin Sinwell (18:53, 15th), Grant Bumstead (19:32, 27th), Collin Bumstead (19:46, 31st) for the five team scoring slots with Ben Duckett (20:36, 48th) supporting them as the sixth runner.
“I feel like I did all right,” said Sinwell. “I always think I could do better, but for the most part, yeah. I rolled my ankle on the long sloping hill (down to the finish line) on the first (of two) lap. It scared me a little bit, but I kept running.”
Tipton captured the boys’ championship with a low score of 42 points. Regina was runner-up (73), Solon was third (80), followed by Central DeWitt (87), Anamosa (108), Cascade (138), Northeast (173), Calamus-Wheatland (247), Wilton (269), Louisa-Muscatine (291), Camanche (300), Durant (343) and Wapello (381). Several other runners were ‘unattached’ among the 93 runners in the varsity field.
In the Junior Varsity race another 87 boys surged across the winding hillside course. Solon finished second to Central DeWitt (40-56) in that nine team JV race.
Senior Nathan Schadler was fourth (20:02) with junior Mason Pauley seventh (20:28), and senior Nate Shafer eighth (20:36).
Top ranked girls hold off the field
Solon’s girls, #1 in the latest Iowa Association of Track Coaches (IATC) Class 3A weekly ratings, defended that distinction by nearly ‘halving’ runner-up Tipton’s score 30-56. Solon senior Kayla Young made it three for three, winning this meet in 20:13 on the winding, hilly course. Teammate Mary Fiala was next across for Solon taking fourth in 21:26.
“We talked with the girls after last meet and decided we need to have a better start,” explained coach Williams. “We were starting too far back in the pack and then had to work pretty hard. So, today? They got out strong, and then placed themselves right at the beginning. So, it was easier to move. As a team they had a really strong race. I felt really good about what we did today.”
Junior Gracie Federspiel caught the coach’s eye at Tipton by crossing fifth overall at 21:45 (among 72 varsity girls on the course). “Gracie just had a really great race,” emphasized Williams. “She’s been struggling with the middle part of her race, but she just ran really strong today!”
Anna Quillin was the next Lady Spartan to hit the finish mat, placing seventh (21:55), with Mara Düster 13th (21:55), Lydia Hogan (14th, 22:31), and Sydney Dee (19th, 23:07) squeezing all seven Solon runners into the top 20.
Later, in the junior varsity race, Solon ran away again with the title filling the 2-3-4-5-6-7 spots to cap the team win with a nod to Tipton’s Addie Nerem, whose 22:28 JV win would have been good for the top 15 if run in the varsity frame.
For Solon, Ashlyn Williams was second (22:58), followed by Ella Sheeley (third, 23:53), Kerrigan Lyons (fourth, 23:56), Mia Duckett (fifth, 24:19), Delaney DeWild (sixth, 24:19), Grace Fiala (seventh, 12:24), Kate Richards 12th (25:46), and Addison Burden 13th (25:49) pushing toward the top ten.
Next up for Solon was The Ballard Invitational, almost a midseason ‘state’ competition among Class 3A, 2A and 1A powers. That was September 12 in Huxley, with Ballard High School ranked third to Solon’s ‘first’ place ranking in the Iowa Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches 3A rankings.
Home meet Monday, Sept. 19
Bettendorf, Central DeWitt, Clear Creek Amana, Clinton, Davenport North, Liberty High School (North Liberty), Mid-Prairie (Wellman), Mount Vernon, Tipton, West Liberty, Williamsburg, and Xavier Catholic (Cedar Rapids) are slated to run with the Spartans at the Solon Recreation and Nature Area starting at 4:00 p.m.
Anamosa will host their second meet of the season Saturday, Sept. 24 at the Anamosa Middle School (410 Old Dubuque Road) starting at 9:00 a.m.