The Ankeny Centennial boys’ cross country team is hoping that history repeats itself.
A year ago, the Jaguars placed fourth in the CIML Conference meet before going on to earn a third-place trophy at the Class 4A state meet two weeks later. It was their highest finish ever at both meets.
On Wednesday, ninth-ranked Centennial raised the bar even higher with a runner-up finish in the conference meet at Johnston. The Jaguars scored 87 points, finishing ahead of both No. 4 Johnston (92 points) and No. 6 Waukee (106 points).
“It was a good night performance-wise at all levels for us,” said Centennial coach Chad Fickbohm. “It was really great to have cross country weather finally. The varsity guys had a great race–they executed like we had asked them to, and the result was great.”
No. 1 Dowling Catholic easily won the team title with 42 points. The battle was for second place, where Centennial finished ahead of defending champion Johnston after losing to the Dragons by 59 points at the Fort Dodge Invitational on Oct. 8.
“I’m proud of the guys for our performance,” said Centennial senior Jax Alvarez. “We know what type of shape we’re in, and we are just now starting to put all the pieces together.”
No. 17 Ankeny, meanwhile, placed seventh in the nine-team field. The Hawks finished with 188 points.
“Overall, I think our guys did a really good job of preparing for this meet and executing race plans,” said Ankeny coach Jon Lindaman. “The team left on a high note with a lot of personal bests on a really fast course with great weather. As with other sports, the competition level in the CIML is pretty relentless, and you need to be ready to compete.”
Third-ranked Jack Crossland of Johnston pulled away from the field to win the 5k race in a time of 14 minutes 41 seconds. The No. 10 Alvarez took second in 15:15.
“It was a decent race for me,” Alvarez said. “I wanted to run with Crossland the whole way, but that’s just not how it played out.”
No. 18 Gus Brown led the way for Ankeny. He placed sixth in a time of 15:31.
“I was really happy with my race,” said Brown. “I knew the (field) was a little smaller today, so I knew I had a pretty good shot at (a top-10 finish). I competed as well as I could. Instead of letting that second pack go, I kind of held onto it as best as I could.”
Brown posted the fastest time ever by an Ankeny sophomore.
“We have not celebrated too much with Gus with our message focusing on improvement each week, but is time to give him his flowers with this last race,” Lindaman said. “He jumped ahead of some pretty decorated runners that went on to have amazing careers with this performance. He is racing like a veteran with a ton of confidence, and each week he has improved and put a few more pieces together. I am really excited to see him close out this season. As long as he stays hungry, he is going to do some great things.”
Centennial’s Brecken Allen also earned a top-10 finish. He placed ninth in 15:43.
Roman Fye placed 19th for the Jaguars in 16:00, while Levi Odson took 20th in 16:01. Noah Schneden place 38th in 16:31, Bennett Welcher was 41st in 16:35, Ben Nelson took 43rd in 16:36, Ryder Nicoletto was 48th in 16:42, and Shawn Harris finished 65th in 17:47.
“It was great to see everyone get closer to their potential,” Fickbohm said. “I think this was a great confidence booster for everyone, but especially Roman and Levi.”
Cody Banks placed 44th for the Hawks in 16:36, while Benton Schuchart and Elijah Thompson both posted a time of 16:45–taking 50th and 51st, respectively. Isaiah Swanson placed 54th in 16:54, Tryce Riesberg took 61st in 17:05, and Jackson Schulz finished 63rd in 17:15.
“Benton, Isaiah and Jackson had really nice races and have worked so hard this season,” Lindaman said. “I am so proud of those guys and look forward to them showing what they can do at districts next week. Cody continues to run with a ton of heart, and Elijah and Tryce continue to improve each time they race.”
Ankeny will head to Iowa City on Wednesday for a district meet at Kickers Park. Dowling, No. 8 Iowa City High and No. 13 Davenport Central will be among the teams in the field.
Centennial will compete in a district meet at Southeast Polk. The Jaguars will likely battle Waukee and No. 12 Valley for the team title.
“We are looking forward to building on this for the next couple of weeks and hopefully getting everyone at full strength,” Fickbohm said.
