The Ankeny boys’ cross country team showed on Wednesday that it’s a threat to win the Class 4A state championship.
On Oct. 27 at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge, the Hawks will have a chance to prove that they’re the state’s best team.Fourth-ranked Ankeny easily captured a district title at the Iowa State cross country course in Ames. While scoring 26 points and qualifying for the state meet, the Hawks still left some gas in the tank.
“It was a really fun night for the boys,” said Ankeny coach Jon Lindaman. “It was a really solid effort across the board, but still not quite everything we have to offer. They did what they needed to do to advance to the next meet, and did so in a pretty convincing fashion. It is really exciting because we are peaking at the right time. They are having fun, their training is in a really good place, the team chemistry is clicking, and they are racing with a great deal of confidence right now. As long as they race like they have been doing all season, and remember that the state meet is just another meet, we will have a lot of fun and really like the outcome of the state meet. The boys they are running against are all mortal high school kids, and we just have to be tougher.”
No. 11 Iowa City Liberty placed second in the 10-team field with 52 points, while No. 8 Dallas Center-Grimes took third with 65. Those teams also advanced to state.
This will be the third straight state-meet appearance for Ankeny, which placed third a year ago to equal the school’s highest finish in the modern era.
“We’re feeling really good about where we are,” said Ankeny sophomore Ike Smith.
Wednesday’s 5k race featured a fierce battle between the top two runners in Class 4A–No. 1 Ethan Zuber of Ankeny and No. 2 Natnael Kifle of Sioux City North. Zuber had edged Kifle by .2 seconds to win the Fort Dodge Invitational on Oct. 5, but Kifle won the rematch by a similar margin.
The two standouts ran side-by-side for the last 300 meters before Kifle crossed the finish line in a time of 15 minutes 20.5 seconds. Zuber was clocked in 15:20.8.
“I went out slow,” said Zuber. “It was just coming down to how we were going to finish the race. (Kifle) had a lot left, and he executed his race plan well. You know, that’s how it goes. Sometimes you have to lose one, and that’s the recipe for success.”
Zuber lost for only the second time in eight races this season.
“I definitely give him credit,” Zuber said. “He did great, and he’s a competitor. If I could do it again, maybe I wouldn’t run into the wind as much. And just find more (of a kick) when I needed it and close that race out hard.”
Lindaman took the blame for the outcome.
“Ethan was really upset with his finish, but I think this race will motivate him and add a little gas to the fire,” he said. “You don’t see the top two ranked kids square off at districts too often, so it was a little unique. Ethan took it out almost 30 seconds slower over the first 2k than they did last time they raced, which really isn’t his style of racing. The way this one unfolded is on me for not having a better race plan in place for him. Kifle showed us the kind of race he wants to run; now Ethan needs to make adjustments to make sure he doesn’t allow that to happen next time they compete.”
The 14th-ranked Smith ran with Zuber and Kifle for much of the race. He held on to place third in a time of 15:41.
“Ike just ran the fastest time ever by an Ankeny sophomore, and the third-fastest 5k time in Ankeny history,” Lindaman said. “This didn’t happen by accident. He is reaping the rewards of all the hard work he has put in over the offseason. I can’t wait to see him showcase his talents at the highest level next Friday.”
Smith credited his teammates for pushing him.
“I was really happy with the race,” he said. “I went out a little slow, but I just kept going with Zuber and it turned out well. I really want to save (my best) for state. But I couldn’t do it without my teammates. Jake Bosch has pushed me the whole way.”
Bosch, who is ranked 26th, placed sixth for the Hawks in 15:44. Nick Robie was seventh in 15:52, and Tate Brownsberger finished eighth in 15:53.
“Jake continues to do what he has done his entire career–compete. He has been such an inspiration for our team and continues to motivate us every day,” Lindaman said. “And early in the season we lost a few races because our No. 4 and 5 guys were not quite where we wanted to be. Tate and Nick have completely flipped the script and now make our 4-5 the strength of this team. These guys are so inspiring to watch each week.”
Ankeny’s Aidan Farrell placed 19th in 16:35. Abel Squires finished 22nd in 16:45.
Lindaman said he expects Farrell and Squires to play a big role at the state meet.
“In a larger field like we will see in Fort Dodge, having our guys running how they are right now will make us very dangerous,” he said. “Abel and Aidan will need to have their teammates in their sights, which they are certainly capable of doing, and try to add more places between us and our competition’s scoring runners.”
