(Guthrie Center) ACGC sends their full girls team to Fort Dodge on Saturday for the state cross country meet.
The Chargers won their home state qualifying meet on Friday. Their first finisher was Rylee Sloss who was happy to place 2nd and even happier to see how well the rest of the team performed. Sloss points out the team has just recently hit full strength after several instances where quarantine kept them having their entire lineup available. She outlines the goals at state. “Individually I’m shooting for a top five finish and as a team I think top three.”
Jorja Hoover placed 9th for ACGC at their state qualifier. She says a lot of hard workouts coach Colin Shawgo puts the team through have paid off. “The workouts he puts us through prepare us for this. They make the races seem easier than they should be. They are not fun. You dread them all day during school, but you know he is doing it to make you better. He wants you to succeed.”
Additional scoring runners for the Chargers at their state qualifying meet were Hayden Coffman in 13th, EmmaKay McClain in 14th, and Kiersten Knobbe 16th. McClain is a newcomer to the sport and also played volleyball this year. “I wanted to compete and get in shape for basketball so I decided to come out and give it a shot. I really enjoy it because it’s a mental sport. It’s you against yourself for most of it. It’s good to compete.”
ACGC finished 5th in Class 2A at last year’s state meet. They are in 1A this season and are ranked 8th.
