HMS repeats as boys XC champs, four Hawks earn medals

Strong performances by Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn’s cross country runners have resulted in the Hawks garnering both team and individual honors. The boys earned back-to-back conference championships by finishing first at the War Eagle cross country meet held October 17 at Marcus Golf Club. Individually, Kamryn Ebel placed third in the girls race while Aiden Bush, Easton Teal and Damian Dodge were among the top 15 finishers for the boys. All four received medals and all-conference recognition.
“I’m very proud of how our athletes competed,” stated HMS coach Naet Hoaglund. “We had nine personal best times out of the 12 runners we had competing in JV and varsity races and that’s attributed to their hard work, preparation and trust in their training and race plan.”

The boys scored 57 team points to easily outdistance second-place MMCRU which finished with a score of 74. “Winning a conference championship had always been one of our goals for this season, so to see the hard work and sacrifices pay off and for it all to come to fruition was awesome,” said Hoaglund. “I couldn’t be more proud of that group and how they competed. I thought as a whole, we were locked in and focused. I thought we understood and executed the race plan effectively and that the trust in the training set us up to be successful. Ultimately, they ran great races and earned every little bit of the result that they deserved, so I’m happy and excited for them.”
Ebel’s third-place finish in the girls race was accomplished with a personal best time of 23:17.27. “She was locked in and ran a really strong race,” her coach commented. “She had a tremendous start and first mile and was able to stay connected with the eventual second place finisher through most of mile two and three. She ran very confident and intelligently and it paid off for her. I’m proud of her growth this season and how she continues to work.”
HMS came close to collecting a second girls medal. “Brooklyn Erickson ran a really nice race as well,” said Hoaglund. “She just missed out on medalling, finishing in 16th with a time of 26:48.27 which is a personal best for her. From where she was in August to where she’s at now is pretty incredible and that’s due to her hard work and willingness to get out of her comfort zone and compete with herself daily. I’m really proud of the work she does.”
In reviewing the boys’ performance at the meet, Hoaglund started at the top. “We were fortunate to have three War Eagle Conference medalists in Aiden Bush, Easton Teal and Damian Dodge,” said the coach. “Aiden had been our number one for most of the races this year. I was really proud of his leadership and mindset going into the race. He set the tone mentally and then followed it up with a nice race, finishing sixth. Easton ran a really strong race, finishing seventh. He continues to get stronger and I love the way he competes in practice to set himself up for success in races. I was thrilled for Damian Dodge who finished 12th for us. I thought he got stronger as the race went on.”

The coach knows it takes a team effort to win a championship. “We had a solid group of kids who didn’t medal but surely contibuted to the overall team score allowing us to finish where we were,” noted Hoaglund. “James Carlin and Ryan Grotluschen ran excellent races. James was able to PR at 19:59 and finish 17th. He continues to get better and it’s been fun to see his growth this year. I was proud of the race that Blaine Finster ran finishing with a personal best 20:26. And I’m pleased with the time Carter Dolphin came in with. To have the improvement in numbers that we have with the consistency in performances has been awesome to see.”
Boys Varsity Team Results: HMS 57, MMCRU 74, George-Little Rock/Central Lyon 82, South O’Brien 100, Akron-Westfield 107, Hinton 140, Trinity Christian 150, Gehlen Catholic 152.
HMS Varsity Individual Results: Aiden Bush, 6th, 18:53.22; Easton Teal, 7th, 19:16.77; Damian Dodge, 12th, 19:35.38; James Carlin, 17th, 19:59.80; Ryan Grotluschen, 18th, 20:10.56; Blaine Finster, 20th, 20:26.50; Carter Dolphin, 43rd, 22:29.56.
HMS JV Individual Results: Karter Zimmer, 4th, 23:10.01; Moises Gonzalez, 12th, 27:51.80; Hayden Dolphin, 15th, 37:13.76.
Girls Varsity Team Results: Hinton 33, George-Little Rock/Central Lyon 35, Gehlen Catholic 56.
HMS Varsity Individual Results: Kamryn Ebel, 3rd, 23:17.27; Brooklyn Erickson, 16th, 26:48.27.
Girls All-Conference (top 15 finishers)

Ava Lang (Hinton), 2. Elsa Kurrle (GLR/CL), 3. Kamryn Ebel (HMS), 4. Reese Regier (Hinton), 5. Payton Kerns (Gehlen Catholic), 6. Alisa Pajazetovic (MMCRU), 7. Amber Langholt (GLR/CL), 8. Isabella Utesch (Akron-Westfield), 9. Jessa Vande Weerd (GLR/CL), 10. Ruby Harper (Hinton), 11. Paisley Tesch (Gehlen), 12. Audrey Etter (MMCRU), 13. Lexi Davis (GLR/CL), 14. Haylee Jarvis (Hinton), 15. Danielle Tesch (Gehlen).
Boys All-Conference (top 15 finishers)

Lucas Braun (MMCRU), 2. Landon Meinerts (GLR/CL), 3. Landen Davenport (South O’Brien), 4. Clint Staab (MMCRU), 5. David Nebelsick (GLR/CL), 6. Aiden Bush (HMS), 7. Easton Teal (HMS), 8. Caleb Bower (Hinton), 9. Bradan Weber (Gehlen Catholic), 10. Troy Dekkers (West Sioux), 11. Carter Westra (Trinity Christian), 12. Damian Dodge (HMS), 13. Connor Galles (MMCRU), 14. Noah Boie (Akron-Westfield), 15. Trayton Cobb (South O’Brien).