Comet trio qualifies for XC state meet, CC girls make team cut

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

MANCHESTER — The Curse of the Billy Goat may have been slain in some parts, but at the Hart Ridge Golf Course it’s alive and well whenever the site hosts cross country meets.

Referred to by the locals as the “Billy Goat Hill”, a nearly 45-degree graded ascent brutally challenges runners — let alone motorized lead carts — just before the homestretch.

During Thursday’s Class 3A State Qualifier Meet hosted by West Delaware, the juncture was where many places were lost and gained.

Nonetheless, when Charles City senior Gavin Connell negotiated the hill and zeroed in on the finish, he was in good shape to qualify for state for the fourth time in his career.

“But that’s when I heard someone say ‘Let’s go!’” said Connell, who turned slightly to see junior teammates Mason Deeter and Nick Litterer.

“I knew Mason was close by, but Nick came out of nowhere.”

The three Comets engaged in a spirited sprint to the finish with Deeter gaining a slight advantage over the other two until Connell seized the lead among the trio in the final 15 yards with Deeter and Litterer following in order for respective seventh, eighth and ninth-place finishes.

Their 5K times were all 16 minutes and 57 seconds with each sharing fractions of the 57th second.

For Connell, who considers state qualifiers more stressful than state meets themselves, he joins a select group of Charles City runners who have made it to Fort Dodge in every year of their high school careers. Last season, he was the lone Comet boy runner competing at state.

For Deeter and Litterer, who will accompany Connell for this year’s race, the sub-17 times were personal-bests.

“Our coach said this was a good fast course, but that hill was tough,” Litterer said.

“It was great to finish the way we did,” Deeter said.

Charles City boys coach Ryan Rahmiller expected Connell and Deeter to qualify.

“But it was going to take a great effort from Nick, and he ran a great race” Rahmiller said. “This is a tough qualifier. You have four of the Top 15 teams in the state competing here.”

The teams referred to were No. 1-ranked Decorah, which won the meet with 42 points with Andrew Kephart and Gus Hayes leading the charge with respective second-place (16:13) and third-place (16:28) finishes; runner-up Marion (69 pts.), which was paced by defending Class 3A champion Jeremy Fopma, who dominated with a first-place time of 15:38; third-place Xavier (88), led by Jonathan Lansing, who placed ahead of the three qualifying Comets with a sixth-place time of 16:51; and fourth-place Waverly-Shell Rock (96), led by Sam Kepford’s fourth-place time of 16:37.

The top three placing teams make the state cut.

Though Connell’s four-straight qualifying runs may be a rarity, his younger sister — freshman Kiki Connell — is on track to do the same.

Kiki Connell placed second in the girls race with a time of 19:31, which was bested by Decorah senior Katie Nimrod (19:16).

Charles City sophomore MacKenzy Bilharz also qualified to state as an individual with a 14th-place time of 20:35. But the post-race mood among the Comet girls, as opposed to the ebullient CC boys who were celebrating the three-way fantastic finish, was more subdued.

“You can say it was somber,” Charles City girls coach Amanda Rahmiller. “Kiki came through for us, and MacKenzy ran one of her best races of the year. But as a team, we didn’t have a good race.”

While keeping an eye on the top 35 finishers, Amanda Rahmiller thought they might have a shot at getting down as a third-place qualifying team.

“But I was thinking fourth place … maybe even fifth,” she said.

The “somber” mood changed when it was announced the Comet girls placed third with 97 points behind champion Decorah (47) and Anamosa (68).

“We came down here expecting to qualify … then we thought that we didn’t … and now we found out that we did,” Amanda Rahmiller related. “I guess we got a second chance. I just hope we can stay healthy.”

The other scoring and tie-break finishers for the Comet girls were Whitney Martin (21:16 19th), Adison Olson (21:32 29th), Gillian King (21:43 33rd) and Marian McKenzie (22:04 37th).

The State Cross Country Meet will take place Oct. 28 at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course. The Class 3A girls race will begin at 12 p.m.; the Class 3A boys race will begin at 12:30 p.m.

WEST DELAWARE CLASS 3A STATE QUALIFIER MEET

Oct. 19

AT HART RIDGE GOLF COURSE, MANCHESTER

Boys 5K Race

TEAM PLACINGS (Top 3 Advance)

1. Decorah 42, 2. Marion 69, 3. Xavier 88, 4. Waverly-Shell Rock 96, 5. Charles City 100, 6. Vinton-Shellsburg 139, 7. Anamosa 203, 8. West Delaware 220, 9. Central DeWitt 248, 10. IFA-AGWSR 252, 11. Independence 326, 12. Maquoketa 339.

TOP 15 INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS

1. Jeremy Fopma (M) 15:38, 2. Andrew Kephart (D) 16:13, 3. Gus Hayes (D) 16:28, 4. Sam Kepford (WSR) 16:37, 5. Harrison Vanderlinden (M) 16:44, 6. Jonathan Lansing (X) 16:51, 7. Gavin Connell (CC) 16:57, 8. Mason Deeter (CC) 16:57, 9. Nick Litterer (CC) 16:57, 10. John Pape (X) 16:59, 11. Jarod Phillips (D) 17:00, 12. Jackson Varney (D) 17:09, 13. Cole Tharp (VS) 17:13, 14. Rye Hawley-Bourcier (D) 17:16, 15. Gaven Hiler (M) 17:18.

CHARLES CITY — 7. Connell, 8. Deeter, 9. Litterer, 25. Antwone Cooper 17:47, 51. Austin Connerley 18:37, 55. Zack Graeser 18:50, 62. John Perez 19:15.

Girls 5K Race

TEAM PLACINGS (Top 3 Advance)

1. Decorah 47, 2. Anamosa 68, 3. Charles City 97, 4. Marion 110, 5. Central DeWitt 126, 6. Xavier 152, 7. Waverly-Shell Rock 168, 8. IFA-AGWSR 177, 9. Vinton-Shellsburg 277, 10. Independence 293, 11. West Delaware 304, 12. Maquoketa 362.

TOP 15 INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS

1. Katie Nimrod (D) 19:16, 2. Kiki Connell (CC) 19:31, 3. Aubrie Fisher (IFA-A) 19:39, 4. Julia Campbell (CD) 19:56, 5. Claire Duncan (A) 19:58, 6. Emma Duncan (A) 19:58, 7. Shayla Betts (D) 19:59, 8. Hallie Kephart (M) 20:00, 9. Ellie Meyer (IFA-A) 20:15, 10. Emma Hoins (WSR) 20:21, 11. Jenna Galligan (D) 20:28, 12. Carly Small (CD) 20:31, 13. Meg Sessions (D) 20:33, 14. MacKenzy Bilharz (CC) 20:35, 15. Sarah Mikkelson (D) 20:36.

CHARLES CITY — 2. Connell, 14. Bilharz, 19. Whitney Martin 21:16, 29. Adison Olson 21:32, 33. Gillian King 21:43, 37. Mariah McKenzie 22:04.