Area teams fair well at Tri-Center cross country invitational

NEOLA – The area teams of HCHS, IKM-Manning, AHSTW, and Exira-EHK all competed Tuesday afternoon at the Tri-Center Invitational held at Quail Run Golf Course in Neola.The boys’ race kicked off first, with HCHS junior Jeffrey Gross leading the area finishers in third place overall with a time of 16:43.03.IKM-Manning senior Camden Morris followed in 11th (17:40.45), just ahead of sophomore teammate Akeo Maynard, who placed 14th (17:53.85). HCHS freshman Brogan Schechinger set a personal record, finishing 17th in 18:08.75, and junior Erik Heslink added a 20th-place finish (18:24.40).Cyclone head coach Zach Klaassen praised the boys’ effort:“We had some pretty good performances. We just have to tighten up the top five. Jeffrey almost PR’d on a really hard course, Brogan did PR, and Erik’s starting to get healthy. If we can get Nathan down in the 18s and close that gap, we’ll score a lot better.”The lone AHSTW runner, senior Ty Nelson, came in 26th (18:54.40). For Exira-EHK, senior Carter Wiemann was the first Spartan across the line in 77th (21:56.28).As teams, IKM-Manning placed fifth with 105 points—just two behind host Tri-Center—while HCHS finished seventh with 127.AHSTW and Exira-EHK didn’t field enough runners for a team score.On the girls’ side, HCHS turned in the top local performance, finishing second overall—just behind Treynor—and celebrating sophomore Ashlyn Rau’s first career individual victory.Rau won in 18:38.09 after a strong closing kick to edge Treynor’s Lily Miller, who had beaten her earlier in the season.HCHS freshman Julia Heslink placed third (19:15.47), while junior Ava Freund (12th, 21:16.14) and sophomore Josie Sonderman (15th, 21:30.84) also cracked the top 15.Coach Klaassen noted the team’s depth despite missing key runner Aspen:“Ashlyn had a fantastic race. She hung in second for most of it and finished strong to get her first varsity win. Overall, about 90% of our kids ran faster than last year at this course—some by nearly two minutes—so that shows we’re training and racing the right way.”AHSTW’s top finisher was senior Ava Paulsen in 19th (21:48.29), while junior Michelle Wilson led Exira-EHK in 32nd (22:48.55). IKM-Manning sophomore Alexis Olson was the Wolves’ top girl in 44th (23:28.76).Team-wise, HCHS finished second with 45 points, AHSTW took seventh (166), and IKM-Manning and Exira-EHK did not field team scores.Looking ahead, the Cyclones host their lone home meet Saturday at Harlan Golf Course. Klaassen said the team looks forward to competing at home:“The kids enjoy the home meet—it brings out classmates, family, and the community. It’s a great atmosphere, and our course looks really good right now.”IKM-Manning and AHSTW are next in action Thursday at the Manning & Manilla Golf Course.