Area teams punch tickets to State Cross Country Meet

(Above) Clear Lake’s Sam Pedelty leads a pack of runners at the qualifying meet held in Spencer.  Close behind him is Eric Faught.  Pedelty finished third and Faught was 13th.  -Submitted photo

CL boys team finishes third

It’s back to State for the Clear Lake boys cross country team.  The Lions qualified for Saturday’s State Meet at Fort Dodge by virtue of a third place finish at their qualifying meet held at Spencer.

Gilbert earned the team title with an impressive 28-points.  All seven of the Gilbert runners placed in the top 15, led by winner Tyler Rees. Sergeant Blue-Luton was second with 86-points and Clear Lake was third with 96.  The Lions topped North Central Conference foes Humboldt and Webster City, who were fourth and seventh respectively.  Another NCC team, Algona, was 11th in the 13-team field.

The Lions were led by Sam Pedelty, who placed third in a time of 16:33.60, and Eric Faught, 13th in 17:15.03.

“Sam Pedelty and Eric Faught were well out of the top 15 at the mile and worked their way to All-District honors,” said Clear Lake Coach Nick DiMarco.  “Sam saved his best race and his strongest finish for the race that mattered most.”

The coach was also impressed by his third runner, Ike Branstad.

“Ike got forced toward the back of the pack at the start and didn’t panic. He used the entire race to move up to 21st,” said DiMarco.  His time was 17:48.87.

Pedelty, Faught and Branstad will each be competing at the State Meet for the third time in their high school careers.

Justin Wright and Dylan Schuchard were next for Clear Lake, placing 25th and 34th respectively.

“Justin and Dylan both knew exactly who our major competitors were and kept them within sight the whole race, eventually passing them the final 800 meters,” said the coach.

Karter Anderson and Lewis Callaway were also very strategic in their races.  According to DiMarco, they each pushed past the Lions’ immediate competition runners to ensure a team accomplishment.  Anderson placed 40th in 18:27.21 and Callaway was 53rd in 18:48.23.

Clear Lake runners will be at the start line for the Class 3A State competition at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28.  The race will be run at the Lakeside Municipal Golf Course at Fort Dodge.

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The Clear Lake girls ended their season at the Class 3A qualifying meet at Spencer.  Two-time State qualifier and All-Conference harrier Gretchen Jones missed a return trip to State, finishing 25th in 21:39.93.

“Gretchen totaled more top 10 finishes than any runner that I have coached,” noted Coach Nick DiMarco.  In addition, the leadership she and senior Tali Tesar provided over the past four years is going to be extremely difficult to replace, he added.  Tesar finished 78th in 26.22.62.

Ready to carry on the growth which has occurred in the girls program are Alena Gabrielson, who was 34th in 22:12.30; Bailey Larsen, 52nd in 23:01.89; sophomore Riley Cooney, 66th, 24:21.05; Jillian Enke, 71st, 24:58.46; and Mallory Leasure, 72nd, 25:03.72.

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