FORT DODGE —Â When the cross country classifications were released for 2018 powerhouse Panorama found themselves — by a count of nine students — being lifted from Class 1A to 2A. Second in the girls state meet in 2017, the question became whether the move up a class would clamp down on a lengthy resume of success.
The Panthers gave their reply in adamant fashion Saturday, finishing seventh overall as sophomore standout Ella Waddle — second last season — raced to fifth place and her second state medal and All-State honor.
Mid-Prairie was first in the team standings with 89 points, with Williamsburg second at 118 and Woodbury Central/Kingsley-Pierson third at 131. Panorama and Western Dubuque were tied for sixth at 180 points, but the Bobcats won the tiebreaker by having the higher-placing sixth finisher, 80-92. Had Panorama remained in 1A the times posted by the Panther harriers would have earned the team third place.
Superstar junior Marie Hostetler of Mid-Prairie won the 138-harrier race in 18 minutes, 2.1 second, with Springville-Central City junior Emily Staal the runner-up in 18:07.4. Crestwood senior Cassidy Ihns was third at 18:58.3 and Aplington-Parkersburg junior Sophia Jungling fourth at 19:22.9 while Waddle was a stride or two back in fifth with a clocking of 19:31.6, faster than her 19:32.7 last season.
Springville-Central City was one of numerous schools having individuals — but not their team — competing. As a result, each finisher who was part of a team had two places, the first being the team points they scored and the second their actual placing.
For Waddle, she was 5/4, being fifth across the line but, crucially, scoring only four team points.
Sophomore sisters Olivia (47/29 pts) and Gwen Steffen (52/33 pts) finished in 21:15.2 and 21:19.7, a drop of 6.3 seconds for the former and of 1.7 ticks for the latter from their state meet times as freshmen.
Freshman Payton Beckman (75/46) crossed in 21:55.2, with senior Brooklyn Behrends (102/68) running a 22:48.2. Behrends shaved 44.7 seconds off her time from 2017, an effort that was her fastest among her four appearances on the biggest stage.
Also in action for Panorama were senior Jaelyn Waddle (126/92) and junior Chloe Webster (130/96) with respective times of 23:35.5 and of 24:27.3. Webster was running at state for the third time while the elder Waddle was competing in Fort Dodge for the first time.
This was the seventh consecutive state meet appearance for the Panorama girls, with the team placing in the top 10 for the fifth straight season. The Panther girls have competed in 11 of the last 13 state meets.
“We do lose Brooklyn, Jaelyn, Emily Smith and Bryn Steffen to graduation,” Panorama head coach Greg Thompson said. “Brooklyn and Emily provided the team with entertainment by using their humor and social skills, and Jaelyn and Bryn have great work ethic.”
The Panther boys did not qualify for the state meet, but Thompson noted the team would lose three valuable seniors.
“Drew Hafner, Noah Kirtley and Levi Richey will all graduate and leave us,” he said. “Drew was a social leader for the team while Noah and Levi led by their work ethic and encouragement.”
