If your team runs together, it will score much better.
In cross country, running together means “packing” – trying to stay together as a group.
The closer together a team stays, with the leader of the pack finishing as close to the front as possible, determines in large part how well the team scores.
Team scoring is pretty simple. If you finish first overall, you score one point for your team. If you place second, your team gets two points . . and so it goes.
While packing with teammates, you want to come in ahead of opponents. It doesn’t always matter which opponents; if you finish ahead of them, you drive up their score.
As Coach Kevin Gartman has developed Montezuma’s cross country program, it has developed from the basics: To having a few kids out, to having enough for a team score, to now, where it’s competitive in-house.
In a multi-school meet, like state, a team sends out seven runners, with the first five into the chute scoring team points.
The girls qualified for state by placing second as a team in the regional qualifier last week in Guthrie Center. They’ll be running in the state meet on Saturday, Oct. 31, in Fort Dodge.
Here are the times Montezuma’s boys and girls teams ran at the state qualifier, and you’ll see evidence of packing on both teams. Their overall finish is listed first, then their name and time:
Girls
6) Elise Boulton 6:53.2. 10) Mia Boulton 7:14.5. 23) Madison Johannes 7:33.4. 27) Beka Teumer 7:38.5. 37) Haley Van Der Hart 7:51.7. 47) Carmen Klos 8:06.4. 50) Makenna Johannes 8:11.6.
Boys
16) Brydon Henning 6:05.5. 35) Carter McKee 6:25.4. 36) Cam Johnson 6:28.0. 42) Gavin Strong 6:34.8. 52) Jack Erselius 6:45.1. Colton Benson 7:06.0. 70) Jaydon Ross 7:09.8.
If you’re going . . .
The state meet will be held at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course, which is about two miles north of Fort Dodge, on County P-56, which is an extension of 15th Street.
It’s about two miles north of the Fort Dodge Municipal Airport and Harlan Rogers Park, which is where the state softball tournament is held.
There is parking in adjacent Kennedy Park. However, a shuttle system that was used the last two years will NOT be operating.
Masks are required for all non-participants.
TICKETS: Cost $10 per person. If you are a kindergartner or older, you will need a ticket.
The Class 1A girls run at 3:30 p.m. The awards ceremony starts at approximately 4:50 p.m.
MORE DETAILS: You can go to the Montezuma Blue and White Athletic Boosters page on Facebook, and they have links to this and more state meet information.
