Lions claim second title in as many weeks

(Above) Clear Lake’s Sam Pedelty led the Lions with a runner-up finish at the Newman Invitational.  Right behind him was GHV’s Ray Cataldo, who placed fourth.  -Reporter photos by Chris Barragy

The Clear Lake Lions varsity boys continue to be impressive in the early part of the 2017 cross country season.  Clear Lake topped the field of 11 teams at the Newman Invitational Tuesday, Aug. 29, scoring 38 points, 27 points ahead of runner-up Newman Catholic.

It was the second win for the Lions in as many outings.  They also captured the title at the Iowa Falls-Alden Invitational a week earlier.

Sam Pedelty led the Lions at the Newman event, which was held at the Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa east campus.  Pedelty posted an incredibly fast time of 16:36, which was good for a second place finish.

“Sam ran smooth and controlled the entire race and gradually put distance between himself and the third place finisher,” explained Coach Nick DiMarco.

The Lions had five runners finish in the top 15.

Crossing the finish line after Pedelty was Eric Faught, who placed fifth in a time of 17:20.  Justin Wright placed seventh in 17:46.  Ike Branstad was 10th in a time of 18:00.  Dylan Schuchard placed 14th in a time of 18:17 and Jacob Petersen was 26th in a time of 19:01.  Lewis Callaway placed 27th in a time of 19:02.

Coach DiMarco shared, “This was one of the best ‘team races’ in my tenure as the cross country coach.  This team truly understands that cross country is more than just an individual sport.  These boys really battled down the stretch to secure the best finish possible.”

Varsity girls 

The varsity lady Lions finished eighth with a total of 188 points.  Gretchen Jones was Clear Lake’s top finisher, placing seventh in a time of 22:04.

“Gretchen ran in a group during the race and was able to pull away to have an impressive finish,” explained Coach DiMarco.

Bailey Larsen also medaled for the

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Lions, finishing 18th in a time of 23:03.

“Bailey’s times continue to drop and she looking very confident on the course,” added the coach.

Riley Cooney finished 39th in a time of 24:03.  Tali Tesar was 70th in a time of 26:33, followed closely by Jillian Enke, 71st in a time of 26:36.  Delaney Markwardt finished 78th in a time of 27:50.  Coach DiMarco noted freshmen Jillian and Delaney did a great job in their first varsity race, filling in for ill teammates Alena Gabrialson and Mallory Leisure.

Junior varsity girls

The girls junior varsity was led by Jessica Theobald, who finished 27th in a time of 27:23.

“Jessica is a first year runner who will be a valued contributor,” said Coach DiMarco.

Nikki Tesar was next for the Lions, placing 36th in 28:21.  She ran with Kara Reineke, who was 37th in 28:23.  The remainder of the Lions included Sharrell Lee, 46th, 29:51; Jordan Barragy, 47th, 29:56; Riley Schuchard, 52nd, 30:08; Ali Lincicum, 64th, 31:11; Ana Starbeck, 65th, 31:26; Taylor Krull, 67th, 31:52; and Gretchen Guetzlaff, 68th, 32:10.

Junior varsity boys

The Clear Lake junior varsity boys cross country team ran away from the competition at the Newman Invitational.  The JV finished with a very impressive 20 points, 44 points clear of second place Forest City.  The team placed eight runners in the top 20, including four of the first five competitors to cross the finish line.

Crossing the finish line first was Karter Anderson.

“Karter ran a phenomenal race.  He led from start to finish,” said Coach DiMarco.  The gap between Anderson and the second place finisher was :36 seconds.

Ben Stroup placed third in his second cross country race with a time of 19:55.  “Ben has a bright racing future,” said the coach.

Jackson Hamlin was fourth in a time of 20:02 and Jacob Pedelty placed fifth in a time of 20:03.  Noan Colby finished in eighth place in a time of 20:21, while Carter Backhaus placed 11th in 20:43 and David Lincicum was 12th in 20:44.  Rounding out Clear Lake’s top 20 finishers was Joel Groeneweg, who placed 19th in a time of 21:03.

Other Lion finishers included:  Carter Olk, 24th, 21:44; Austin Young, 26th, 21:47; Noah Petersen, 35th, 22:31; Theo Swanson, 37th, 22:44; Elijah Mock, 38th, 22:45; Carson Meyer, 63rd, 24:14; David Guetzlaff, 68th, 24:34; Ty Piper, 70th, 24:36; Nick Currier, 76th, 24:56; Alex Starbeck, 83rd, 25:53; Brayden Byrnes, 84th, 26:00; and Cody Piper, 91st, 29:25.

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