PELLA — The Panorama cross country teams ran in a talent-laden field Saturday at the Little Dutch Invitational. Four of the seven girls teams recording scores in the small school section are currently ranked, as are three of the six boys teams that produced team scores.
Class 2A top-ranked Mid-Prairie won the girls side with 29 points, with 2A No. 8 Panorama second at 55 while Des Moines Christian was third at 77. Class 1A No. 8 AC/GC was fourth at 100, Lynnville-Sully fifth at 122, 1A 12th-ranked Collins-Maxwell sixth at 152 and Pella Christian sixth at 175. Baxter did not have a team score.
Mid-Prairie (26), DMC (44) and AC/GC (64) held the top three boys spots, and are ranked, respectively, seventh and ninth in 2A and 12th in 1A. Pella Christian (106), Collins-Maxwell (115) and Baxter (182) completed the field, with L-S and Panorama not having a team total.
M-P freshman Danielle Hostetler won the girls race in 18 minutes, 26 seconds, with teammates and junior sisters Sydney and Jaden Yoder 2-3, in 20:24 and 20:27, respectively, while L-S sophomore Greenlee Smock crossed fourth in 20:34.
Panorama senior Ella Waddle led the Panthers by placing fifth in 20:46, with senior sisters Gwen and Olivia Steffen 8th, and 12th, in 21:58 and 22:28. Payton Beckman was 13th in 22:31 and Mia Waddle 20th in 24:04.
Leah Fett (30th, 26:01) and Deana Solorzano (41st, 28:03) ran as well, as did Avery Bahrenfuss (52nd, 29:57).
“The girls felt they could have raced better if they had run on the Pella course before,” Panorama head coach Greg Thompson said. “I thought they ran very well. We chose to go to this meet to give them a challenge and to see Mid-Prairie head-to-head.”
“This experience will help them as the season moves forward,” Thompson said. “It is always encouraging as a coach when your athletes feel they can improve because they will come to practice willing to listen, learn and work.”
DMC’s Carson Hoeg won the boys race in 16:59, with M-P runners placing 2-3-4.
Avery Norman (43rd, 22:52) led the Panorama boys, with Ryan McCarthy (54th, 24:32), and Paul Hansen (61st, 27:10) also in action.
“The boys are working hard and are showing improvement,” Thompson said. “We should be able to have a team score next week; we expect that Conor (McCarthy) will have enough rest by Thursday to be able to race. Braedon Draper joined the team late, so we didn’t let him run in the first two races.”
“I fully expect to see some big drops in times and performances now that the boys can score as a team,” he added. “If they boys come with a good, mental attitude they will do well.”
Panorama will return to action Thursday with a visit to the Greene County Invite.
“Overall, I was very happy with the performance of the team (Saturday),” Thompson concluded. “Deana and Avery both had great races for the girls. They had goals to run under 30 minutes which they both did on a tough course.”
