(Area) It’s part three of the “History Books” feature and today we look back at the performances of area teams at the boy’s state cross country meet. Nodaway Valley’s tradition shines among local squads with four state titles in their sixteen trips. Atlantic and Griswold have both been really strong as well. Griswold, Elk Horn-Kimballton, and Nodaway Valley are among the schools that have had an individual champion. Griswold also has a pair of team runner-up finishes in their trophy case. Riverside, Audubon, and Nodaway Valley have all had an individual runner-up.
Team qualifiers, individual champs, and individual runners-up for ACGC, AHSTW, Atlantic, Audubon, CAM, Exira-EHK, Griswold, Harlan, Nodaway Valley, Riverside and any previous formation of those listed schools are available below.
Please note that complete results from state meets are only available through the IHSAA dating back to 2004. Baseball and Softball were previously highlighted this week. Girls cross country gets their turn tomorrow. Football will be the topic on Friday.
Boys Cross Country State Qualifying Teams
ACGC: 2 (2016 and 2017)
*Guthrie Center: 1 (2011)
The Chargers made a splash in the very first season of the Adair-Casey and Guthrie Center merger. Their 2016 team made the deck by placing 3rd. Landon Foster led the team with his 15th place finish. Noah Nelsen, Logan Scheuermann, and Cale Billheimer all ran in the top forty with Clay Billheimer, Garrett Young, and Quenton Spack rounding out the lineup. In 2017 the team was 8th. Noah Nelsen had the best individual finish at #12. The rest of the varsity featured Clay Billheimer, Garrett Young, Carter Schildberg, Quenton Spack, Ben Young, and Easton Benson.
Guthrie Center was 9th in 2011. Team members were Eddy Halbur, Jordan Christensen, Adam Courtney, Christian Morales, Caleb Courtney, Ethan Tromp, and Austin Blass.
AHSTW: None
Atlantic: 16 (77, 79, 70, 84, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 02, 03, 05, 06, 07, 18, 19)
The Trojans were 12th in 2005, 11th in 2006, 15th in 2007, 15th in 2018, and 14th in 2019. Dennis Lengishon has one of the best ever individual performances for an Atlantic boys runner at state. He came in 9th in 2009. Phoenix Shadden ran 10th in 2016. Atlantic’s best team finish was 7th which came in the late 1990’sand again in 2003. Members of the most recent qualifying team, coached by Dan Vargason, were Craig Alan Becker, Brad Dennis, Evan Brummer, Zane Berg, Drew Engler, Ethan Williams, and Cooper Jipsen.
Audubon: 1 (1988)
*Audubon/Exira: 1 (1989)
CAM: None
Exira-EHK: None
*Audubon/Exira: 1 (1989)
*Elk Horn-Kimballton: 1 (1968)
Led by individual state champion Curt Hoegh, Elk Horn-Kimballton was the Class C state runner-up in ’68.
Griswold: 9 (85, 90, 91, 92, 93, 05, 06, 07, 08)
The Tigers took runner-up honors as a team in 1956 (Class B) and 2006 (Class 1A). They had Bill Blay win idnvidual state titles in 1991 and 1992 while Jamie Meek was a runner-up in 2008. Coach Tim Larsen oversaw four straight team appearances in the 90’s while Jane Chaillie was the coach of some extremely successful teams in the 2000’s. The 2006 runner-up squad had Nathan Gaunt, Jamie Meek, Jared Hoffman, Austan Haynes, Alec Denne, Daniel Wyman, and Anthony Drogo. Griswold finished 3rd in 2007 with Gaunt, Hoffman, Meek, Haynes, Drogo, Wyman, and Dylan Newell.
Harlan: 5 (80, 83, 13, 14, 15)
Harlan placed 9th in 2013 with Chris Brace, Philip Sciranco, Preston Burris, Michael Sciranco, Caleb Brace, Brad Jones, and Austin Mumm. In 2014 Jacob Feldman and Drew Voge joined the varsity ranks on a 13th place team that had several returners. The 13th place team in 2015 had Regan Hansen, Michael Sciranko, Drew Voge, Caleb Brace, Jacob Henry, Ben Heileson, and Logan Klaassen.
Nodaway Valley: 16 (97, 98, 99, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 06, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
The Wolverines earned the Class 1A team crown in 2002 and then took three straight titles from 2015-2017. Their 2016 championship group scored 36 points at the state meet, the lowest total ever for a 1A team. Mark Holan, Micah Holan, Heath Brown, Lance Queck, and Alan Miller were the members of the 2002 team. In 2015 they had varsity runners Shane Breheny, Brayten Funke, Brycen Wallace, Nathan Venteicher, and Skyler Rawlings. All but Venteicher returned the next year and Tyler Breheny filled his spot. The 2017 state champs featured Wallace, Rawlings, Josh Baudler, Tyler Breheny, Ben Breheny, Joel Blazek, and Austin Lundy. Baudler later went on to become the program’s only individual champion when he won Class 1A in 2019. He was the individual runner-up in 2018. The Wolverines were a state runner-up as a team in 2003 and 2019. Brycen Wallace and Skyler Rawlings are two of just 18 runners in state history to compete on three state championship teams. Only sixteen coaches in state history have more boys cross country titles than Darrell Burmeister. The Wolverines own the longest consecutive team qualification streak of any boys program in KSOM/KS95.7’s immediate coverage area with eight appearances in a row form 1997-2004.
Riverside: 4 ( 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
The Bulldogs finished 12th in 2010, 7th in 2011, 3rd in 2012, and 4th in 2013. In 2011 Cade Cleaveland was the Class 1A individual runner-up and Gunderson was 7th. Varsity rosters for each year are as follows:
2013-Brady Ryan, Tim Brink, Brandon Sipherd, Adam Hartman, Jacob Vogel, Brandon Hering, and Dean Hansen.
2012-Brandon Sipherd, Ean Patrick, Tim Brink, Brady Ryun, Adam Hartman, Dillon Carrier, and Jacob Voegel.
2011-Cade Cleaveland, John Gunderson, Ean Patrick, Brady Ryun, Carle Rowe, Dallas Dietz, and Ean Johnson.
2010-John Gunderson, Cade Cleaveland, Ean Patrick, Brady Ryun, Dallas Dietz, Brandon Sipherd, Carl Rowe
Individual Champions
Elk Horn-Kimballton
Curt Hoegh, 1969, Class D
Griswold
Bill Blay 1991, Class 1A
Bill Blay, 1992, Class 1A
Nodaway Valley
Josh Baudler, 2019, Class 1A
Individual Runner-up
Audubon
Dan Hostager, 1984, Class 2A
Griswold
Jamie Meek, 2008, Class 1A
Nodaway Valley
Josh Baudler, 2018, Class 1A
Riverside
Cade Cleaveland, 2011, Class 1A
