Four top-12 finishes lead PCM boys to first state cross country berth since 2008

PELLA — The PCM boys cross country team doesn’t have an elite runner at the top of its lineup. The Mustangs may not even have a runner who finishes in the top 15 at the state meet.

But the first four finishers in the boys’ 5K race at the Class 2A state qualifying meet on Thursday were separated by only 4 seconds.

That allowed the 2A No. 11 Mustangs to close the gap on a Red Oak squad which went 1-2 in the individual race at Central College, and the bottom part of PCM’s lineup did the rest as the squad qualified for the state cross country meet for the first time since advancing four straight seasons from 2005 to 2008.

“It’s what makes us able to compete really,” senior Coby DeRaad said. “We don’t have a high-end stud. Having a group of guys who are always running together and working together has been important. We talk a lot about how a group of seven is way stronger than a strong No. 1. We adopted that mindset. We move as one. We’re all in it together.”

DeRaad was part of the Mustangs’ four-person pile up at the top of the lineup. PCM scored 60 points in second to advance to state. The Mustangs were eight points back of 2A No. 6 Pella Christian, which won the district championship with 52 points. PCM edged 2A No. 7 Red Oak by a single point, too.

The top three finishing teams and the top 15 individuals qualified for this week’s state cross country meet in Fort Dodge. The site did take one runner outside the top 15 though because five individuals from non-qualifying teams is required.

“It’s what we’ve been looking for the whole season,” PCM junior Kash Fischer said. “We didn’t just want to qualify a few individuals. This has always been about our team making it.”

PCM’s first four finishers all were fast enough to qualify as individuals. Fischer rallied past teammate Owen Osterhaus with a big kick late in the race. He finished seventh in 17 minutes, 23.18 seconds and Osterhaus was ninth in 17:24.46.

The usually mild-mannered Fischer let out a big yell as he crossed the finish line on Thursday.

“I got excited. I had a mental check out at about the two-mile mark, but I got it back at the end, and I was happy about that,” Fischer said. “I was able to pass a few kids and that’s where the emotions came from. It felt good.”

Fischer and Osterhaus both qualified for the state meet individually for the first time in their careers. Brenden Lahart also is a first-time qualifier after he placed 11th in 17:27.09.

DeRaad (17:26.98) finished .11 seconds in front of Lahart in 10th. He’s an individual qualifier for the third time in his career.

“It’s amazing to get in as an individual, too,” Osterhaus said. “I didn’t want to end this season with disappointment like last year. So it feels good to make it.

“I was hurting on the second mile, but that’s how you’re supposed to feel.”

PCM’s final scoring runner was Rylan Edgington, who finished 23rd in 18:08.73. Camden Lahart (18:22.05) and Henry Omondi (21:21.04) were non-scoring runners in 25th and 65th, respectively.

Both Brenden and Camden Lahart were racing against their former teammates from Albia on Central College’s 5K course.

Both Mustangs made sure to chat with some of their friends from the Blue Demons before and after the race, and members of Albia’s squad cheered for Brenden Lahart during the awards ceremony, too.

“I talked to some of them a little bit, but I mostly wanted to stay focused on what our team needed to do,” Brenden Lahart said. “My former teammate pushed me and I pushed him the entire race. It made us both better.”

Pella Christian won the district meet after placing its five scoring runners in the first 16 positions. Sawyer Meinders (16:57.04) was third and Griffin Stoltz (17:01.58) finished fourth.

Red Oak was third despite its top two runners going 1-2. Class 2A No. 3 Emmanuel Grass won the boys’ race in 16:34.5 and 2A No. 17 Hayden Heitbrink was the runner-up in 16:47.84.

Class 2A No. 19 Shenandoah was well back in fourth with 102 points. Class 2A No. 22 Mason Sells finished fifth in the race with a time of 17:04.32.

Albia (150) completed the top five, and the rest of the 14-team field included Grand View Christian (152), Davis County (173), Clarinda (213), Underwood (277), Cardinal (287), Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont (312), Interstate 35 (314), West Central Valley (363) and Centerville (424).

The final state qualifying individual was Clarinda’s Isaiah Stogdill in 17th. He posted a time of 17:43.02.

PCM head cross country coach Eric Osterhaus knows his four pack at the front of his lineup is valuable, but he also has a group of four battling for the fifth and final scoring spot, too.

“We have four guys who can interchange to be our No. 1. Any of them can run No. 1 on any day,” Coach Osterhaus said. “I have four guys who can interchange for that No. 5 spot, too. To have that ability has been huge for the boys’ team. When we get to the start line, I’m never concerned about someone having a bad race because there’s depth. I’m lucky enough to have four No. 5 runners.”

It will be the first time at the state meet for everyone on PCM’s roster except for DeRaad.

“We started off the season thinking it was a possibility,” Camden Lahart said. “We put in the work. Today was just about going and doing it and trusting our training.”

Coach Osterhaus thinks his team should be ranked in the top 10. He believes the Mustangs can get into the top five at state with a bunch of career-best efforts at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course.

“We have to move up because 17:30 is not going to be good enough in the front end,” Coach Osterhaus said. “We have to put four close to 17 flat or faster. And then if our No. 5 can get close to 18 flat, we’ll have a really good day.”

When DeRaad first joined the Mustangs as a freshman, there wasn’t a lot of hope the team could qualify for state. It was more about getting himself into a position to advance to state individually, but the goals have changed the past two seasons.

And for the first time in school history, both PCM cross country teams will compete in the state meet in the same season.

“To be able to see where we are now from where we started, and to play part in that, is the coolest thing I could ever ask for,” DeRaad said. “It went from focusing on me and seeing how good I can get to a totally different feeling the past two seasons.

“(Fischer) and I talk the entire race and give each other encouragement. Those are the things no one sees, but I’ve never had that before. That’s kind of what’s helped take us to the next level.”

Notes: Omondi is a foreign exchange student from Kenya. He was the Mustangs’ fifth runner for a big chunk of the race but faded at the tail end of the course. … The 2A boys’ state race is scheduled to begin at 11:15 a.m. on Friday in Fort Dodge. No. 1 Forest City, No. 2 Chariton, No. 3 Denver, No. Oelwein and No. 5 Unity Christian all qualified. The field also includes No. 6 Pella Christian, No. 7 Red Oak, No. 8 Waukon, No. 10 Tipton, No. 13 Mediapolis, No. 15 Monticello and No. 16 Okoboji. No. 9 Spirit Lake, No. 12 Garner-Hayfield-Ventura and No. 14 Jesup did not qualify. … The Mustangs will start in Box 14. That’s next to or near Waukon, Tipton and Unity Christian. Pella Christian starts in Box 9. … PCM, Pella Christian, Waukon, Forest City and Unity Christian all qualified both boys and girls teams.