The Van Buren County cross country teams delivered dominant performances Thursday at the Iowa State 1A Qualifier at Leon Golf & Country Club, with both the girls and boys squads securing second-place finishes to qualify for the state meet.
Girls Finish Strong Behind Earlham
The seventh-ranked Van Buren County girls scored 48 points to claim the runner-up spot behind sixth-ranked Earlham, which won the team title with 43 points. Pleasantville placed third with 76 points, followed by Wayne (81), Mount Ayr (118), and host Central Decatur (123).
Kayley Snowgren led the Warriors with a sixth-place individual finish. Rylee Philips followed in 10th, with both runners posting top-10 finishes that would have qualified them individually for state. Rory Philips placed 11th and Gabby Titus finished 15th. Adalyn Snowgren added a 16th-place finish, while Emma Coffin completed the Warriors’ lineup in 28th place.
Boys Dominate Field
The 12th-ranked Van Buren County boys posted 42 points to finish second behind fourth-ranked Earlham’s 26 in the eight-team field. Central Decatur placed third with 95 points, while Wayne (121), Bedford (150), Southwest Valley (165), Pleasantville (180), and Lamoni (181) rounded out the team standings.
Lincoln Bainbridge paced the Warriors with a runner-up finish, taking second overall. Landry Loeffler placed fifth and Gavin Noll finished sixth, giving Van Buren three runners in the top 10. All three would have earned individual state berths with their top-10 finishes.
Leo Jirak contributed a 16th-place finish, followed by Reid Kite in 19th. Jaren Troxel and Sawyer Spiker completed the Warriors’ scoring in 24th and 25th, respectively.
State Meet Awaits in Fort Dodge
Both Van Buren County teams will compete at the state meet in Fort Dodge at the Lakeside Municipal Golf Course on Saturday, November 1st. The Class 1A girls race is scheduled for 2:00 p.m., followed by the Class 1A boys race at 2:45 p.m. The awards ceremony will take place at 3:30 p.m.
The Warriors enter the state meet with momentum after their strong qualifier performances, with both squads seeking to build on their second-place finishes against the best Class 1A competition in Iowa. Van Buren County will face Earlham again, along with other top-ranked teams from across the state, as they compete for team and individual honors.
