Cross Country Preview: State or bust for Lynx, Hawks

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WEBSTER CITY - They've got a dozen. Now they want a baker's dozen.

The Webster City boys' cross country team will go in search of its 13th straight trip to the state meet on Thursday when the Lynx take part in a Class 3A regional/district meet on the Central College cross country course, located on the southeast side of Pella. The girls' race will get underway at 4:30 p.m., with the boys' race slated for 5 p.m.

South Hamilton will be among the schools vying for those coveted state meet spots in a 2A regional/district meet at the Lake Panorama National Resort in Panora.

The top three teams and top 10 individuals will punch their tickets for the state meet at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge on Saturday, Nov. 1.

What seemed highly improbable when preseason workouts began back in August is now within striking distance for the Lynx boys' squad. But no one is simply going to hand over one of the golden tickets.

"It's a tough field, there's no doubt about it," Webster City head coach Tony Bussan said. "But we feel like we're running well and we look at it as we're in a no-lose situation because no one expected us to be in this position. We're just going to go after it."

Second-ranked Grinnell and eighth-ranked Pella are the overwhelming favorites in the boys' field. Grinnell will bring a squad deep in talent to the course, while Pella possesses several of the state's premier runners.

"Grinnell is exceptional," Bussan said. "They run a very tight-knit pack of seven near the front of the race for two miles and whoever is feeling the best takes off and it's usually a group of five. And I think Pella is a solid No. 2."

That leaves that third spot up for grabs and a slew of teams will be in the fray. Bussan expects his crew to be right there, but the Lynx will be tested by the likes of No. 13-ranked Nevada, Knoxville and Benton.

Nevada beat Webster City by 17 points at the Eldora Invitational earlier this month.

"You don't want to focus on one team, but we know we're going to have to beat Nevada to have a shot," Bussan said. "But having Nevada beat us at Eldora, it allows us to be the hunter and I think that's a good position to be in going into a district meet."

Webster City will put Ben Lambert, Alex Lamp, Mason Powers, Matt Severe, Mason Hedeen, Colin Ryan and Austin Elm on the course. Lambert will be in search of his third straight all-district honor and a fourth consecutive trip to state.

Bussan says Lambert will be involved in his own battle with Nevada and it's top runner Tom Peterson.

"Ben should have a great duel with Tom Peterson and there are some other top-notch runners from other schools as well," he said. "He needs to battle Peterson and then we need to make sure that our other guys don't allow Nevada to break up our pack like they did at Eldora."

The Webster City girls' squad is also in a no-lose situation. Written off on a statewide level a month ago, the Lynx have a renewed sense of confidence following a third-place result at last week's North Central Conference meet.

Add in a regional field that isn't considered deep and the possibility of a surprise finish is possible.

"I realize that the community may not understand, but we certainly feel like we're a contender," Bussan said. "It's not an overwhelming field by any means and we feel like we've got a legitimate shot."

Bussan tabbed No. 7 Pella and No. 8 Benton as the teams to beat, and he also sees Knoxville and Nevada in the hunt for the top three.

Mikaela Pruismann, Breanne Wagner, Alicia Long, Sarah Perin, Caitlyn Finucan, Bailey Bergman and Erin Hunt will run for the Lynx on Thursday. Pruismann was an individual state qualifier a year ago and she is again expected to lead the charge.

"Mikaela intends to lead us in our effort and we're going to try to run a tight pack, much like we did at conference," Bussan said. "We want to go out as a group and run our race.

"It's kind of fun for the girls right now. It's been a tough season, but we definitely don't have any expectations on us right now."

At Panora, the South Hamilton girls' squad will be out to qualify for its seventh state meet in eight years. The No. 11 Hawks are one of three ranked teams in the field. Heart of Iowa Conference nemesis North Polk (No. 10) is considered the favorite and Humboldt (No. 12) will also make a claim for one of the top three positions.

South Hamilton has not beaten North Polk yet this season, but the Hawks own an earlier win over Humboldt.