Top stars, best performances in Iowa high school boys cross country

By Barry Poe

Earlier last week, Boyer Valley’s Patrick Heffernan was clocked in 17:01.89 while winning the Woodbine Invitational, defeating the home team’s leader, Landon Bendgen, who finished second (17:27.80). 

Two days later during the Rolling Valley Conference cross country meet, Bendgen ran a blazing 15:42.54 to win the conference title for a team that scored a perfect 15 points. Heffernan took second (15:53.9. 6).

Yes, conference meets began last week, but the remainder of those league meets will be held this week. Ford Washburn of Iowa City City High ran at a sizzling 4:46 mile pace while winning the Mississippi Valley Conference title and led City High to a first-place 51 points. Solomon Zaugg of Mediapolis finished first (16:56.2) at the Southeast Iowa Super Conference meet and Danville-New London won the team title with 35 points.

Here are looks at some of last week’s boys cross country highlights and tidbits of how these individuals performed at last year’s statewide conference meets.

Zach Sporaa, Sr., North Polk

Sporra, who is ranked third in Class 3A by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches, posted his eighth victory of the season at North Polk, his 15:36 time topping the runner-up by 62 seconds. The second-ranked Comets tallied a perfect 15 points. Sporra is the defending Raccoon River Conference champ.

Jedidiah Osgood, Sr., Marion

Class 3A’s No. 1-ranked runner, Osgood was running at a 4:59 mile pace in his fourth victory of the year, a dandy 15:29, at the West Delaware Invitational, where 25 teams participated. Osgood has a chance to win to win the WaMac Conference title, with last year’s champion and runner-up having graduated.

Jackson Heidesch, Sr., West Des Moines Dowling

The No. 1-ranked (4A) Heidesch posted one of his best times of the season (15:10.7) while winning the Fort Dodge Invitational, a 4A-dominated meet where the top 12 finishing teams were in the 4A rankings. It was the third win of the season for Heidesch, last year CIML Central Conference champion.

Ethan Eichhorn, Jr., Lewis Central

Class 3A’s second-ranked harrier, Eichhorn was among several Western Iowa runners competing in the CIML (Central Iowa Metropolitan) Conference-dominated Fort Dodge Invitational. It was a great test for Eichhorn, a fifth-place finisher (15:31.8) and the defending Hawkeye 10 Conference champion.

Patrick Heffernan, Sr., Boyer Valley

Eighth-ranked in Class 1A, Heffernan avenged a loss to No. 3 (1A) Landon Bendgen of Woodbine at IKM Manning, winning in 17:01.89 at the Woodbine Invite, where Bendgen was second (17:27.80). Heffernan claimed his third victory of the season.

Micah Rees, Jr., Washington

Rees has three wins this season, but settled for runner-up finishes to state-ranked competition at Hillcrest Academy (16:35.39) and North Linn (16:00) during the week. The eighth-ranked (Class 3A) Rees was last year’s runner-up at the Southeast Conference meet.

Mason Back, Sr., Winterset

Class 3A’s 10^th-ranked distance runner, Back claimed his second victory of the season, timed in 16:43.55 while winning the Atlantic Invitational. Back was a 14^th-place finisher a year ago at the Raccoon River Conference, a league which will feature five 3A state-ranked teams later this week.

Jacob Shellhorn, So., MFL MarMac

Shellhorn posted his third win of the season, clocked in 16:52.6 at the South Winneshiek Invitational. Currently ranked 10^th in Class 1A, Shellhorn’s memorable freshman season included a runner-up finish in the Upper Iowa Conference meet.

Nathan VanderWaal, Jr., Pella

Class 3A No. 1-ranked Pella had three Top 4 runners, including the 12^th-ranked VanderWaal, who took fourth (16:54.93) for a team which won with a first-place 25 points. Pella looks to unseat Norwalk as the Little Hawkeye Conference champion later this week.

William Wadsley, Sr., Gilbert

Wadsley, Class 3A’s 14^th-ranked runner, won his second meet of the season, timed in 16:37.40 during the Class A division of the Eagle Grove Invitational. This week, Wadsley hopes to improve last year’s fifth-place finish at the Raccoon River Conference meet.

Doug Berg, Sr., Nodaway Valley

The 11^th-ranked (Class 1A) Berg won a meet for the first time in two weeks with an 18:06.31 clocking at the Nodaway Valley Invitational. A three-time 1A state qualifier, Berg, last year’s Pride of Iowa Conference runnerup, has also won at West Central Valley (17:39.71) and Westwood (17:53.8).

Marcus Blount, Sr., Prince of Peace

Ranked 12^th in Class 1A, Blount claimed his first victory of the season, running away for the title (16:48) at the Bellevue Marquette Invitational. Blount now has his sights set on improving last year’s fifth-place showing at the Tri-Rivers Conference meet.

Justin Rygh, Jr., Lake Mills

Rygh, who’s 13^th-ranked in Class 1A, posted his fourth victory of the season, timed in 16:47.07 at the Lake Mills Invitational. A winner at Osage (17:19.34), Central Springs (16:22.05) and Garner-Hayfield (17:02.88) Rygh will aim to improve last year’s 11^th-place Top of Iowa Conference showing.

Kaden Van Wyngarden, Sr., Pella Christian

Ranked 14^th in Class 1A, Van Wyngarden collected his fourth victory of the season, clocked in 16:10 while winning the Centerville Invitational as the 10^th-ranked Eagles scored a first-place 47 points. Van Wyngarden’s squad will be among four state-ranked teams at the Little Hawkeye Conference meet.

Justin Reinhart, Sr., Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center

Reinhart, Class 1A’s 17^th-ranked runner, claimed his second victory of the season, timed in 16:36.65 while leading A-C/GC to a first-place 31 points at the South Hamilton Invitational. Reinhart will face state-ranked runners from three different schools during the West Central Activities Conference meet.

Brennan Sager, Sr., Grundy Center/Gladbrook-Reinbeck

Sager, 22^nd-ranked in Class 2A, was among three Top 4 finishers for the Spartans, who were outscored 67-69 for the title at the Dike-New Hartford Invitational. A year ago, Sager finished sixth and GC/G-R won the North Iowa Cedar League championship.

Carson Van Sickle, Jr., Ogden

Ranked 23rd in Class 1A, Van Sickle posted his first win of the season, clocked in 17:25.78 during the South Central Calhoun Invitational while leading the No. 5 Bulldogs to a first-place 63 points. Van Sickle looks to improve a ninth-place finish during the upcoming West Central Activities Conference meet.

Cooper Cook, Jr., Marion

Cook turned in one of his fastest times of the season (16:10) while helping the No. 3 (Class 3A) Indians to a first-place 73 points while winning the North Linn Invitational. The No. 23 Cook was part of last year’s team which won the WaMac Conference title.

Austin Stierman, Sr., North Polk 

Stierman, Class 3A’s 26-ranked runner, placed fifth (16:51), securing North Polk’s second perfect 15-point score of the season at North Polk. Preceding Stierman, a three-time state qualifier, were Zach Sporaa (1^st, 15:36), Max Sporaa (2^nd, 16:38), Alik McIlravy (3^rd, 16:40) and Ethan Stierman (4^th, 16:46).

Brock Hilsman, So., Clear Creek-Amana

The 28^th-ranked (Class 3A) Hilsman had a solid showing, taking third (17:02.34) as the 12^th-ranked Clippers were outscored 61-64 by Bettendorf in the battle for first place in the Class 3A/4A Division at Central DeWitt. A year ago, Hilsman was the WaMac Conference’s highest scoring freshman (14^th).

Owen Alemelien, Sr., North Butler

Alemelien has faced challenging competition throughout the season and the trend continued during the the Lake Mills Invite, where he was second (17:28.94), defeated by the home team’s No. 13 (Class 1A) Justin Rygh. Ranked 29^thin 1A, Alemelien was ninth at last year’s Top of Iowa Conference meet.

Gavin Grunhovd, So., North Iowa

Grunhovd scored his first victory of the season, timed in 18:17.23 while winning the Class B division of the Eagle Grove Invitational by 34 seconds over the runner-up. As a freshman, Grunhovd finished eighth during the Top of Iowa Conference meet.

Luis Martinez, Jr., Storm Lake

Martinez recorded his best time of the season, clocked in 16:22.79 while winning the Cherokee Invitational. It was the first win of the fall for the unranked (Class 3A) Martinez, who will contend for a victory at the Lakes Conference meet, as he took third a year ago.

Austin Vander Werf, Jr., Interstate 35

Interstate 35 High School, located in Truro, scored 61 points while winning the Nodaway Valley Invitational, paced by the unranked Vander Werf, who was second in 18:32.84. Vander Werf will face four state-ranked opponents at the upcoming West Central Activities Conference meet.

Nik Davis, Sr., North Scott

Unranked in Class 4A, Davis collected his third victory of the season, timed in 16:56.75 while winning the Central DeWitt Invitational. Davis, whose team scored a third-place 67 points, will compete in the Mississippi Athletic Conference meet, where No. 9 (4A) Pleasant Valley is the defending champion.