State dreams hang on the line Thursday

ATLANTIC — The Creston cross country team received encouraging words from the current Drake relays director and one of only four Iowans to ever run a sub-4:00 mile Wednesday when Blake Boldon addressed the runners before Thursday’s state qualifying meet at Atlantic’s Golf & Country Club.

Boldon offered the Panthers a positive message about what they were capable, noting his humble beginnings of not-so-spectacular running in middle school, and how hard work made him a champion at Clarke High School.

Two main themes Boldon put an emphasis on included:

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

and

“Hard work goes farther than people with talent that don’t work hard.”

Panthers assistant coach Gary O’Daniels, who has worked the Drake Relays as an official, had a connection with Boldon, and organized to have Boldon come and speak.

Boldon is the brother of Margo Fuller, a seventh grade science teacher at Creston Middle School. He is also the aunt of senior runner Danielle Castillo, daughter of Fuller.

“We’re really thankful for Blake coming to talk to us,” Creston coach Pat Schlapia said. “I think as coaches and kids, we appreciated it.”

The Panthers are hopeful for a number of runners to qualify for state in a strong field at Atlantic.

Brielle and Braelyn Baker, as well as Clayton Stafford stand the best chance at qualifying given their times this season.

The elder Baker was the lone Panther to qualify for state a year ago, where she finished 62nd.

Schlapia has been more than happy with the practices the Panthers have gotten in this week for preparation. He has challenged his boys team to step up and knock off several of their opposition today (Thursday).

He also feels his girls squad has an outside shot at the third and last qualifying spot, but could finish anywhere between third and sixth as a team.

State-ranked teams at today’s meet includes, on just the boys side, ADM (13th), Bondurant-Farrar (11th) and Carlisle (8th). On the girls side, Ballard (5th), Glenwood (11th), Denison-Schleswig (14th).

Individual ranked boys runners at the meet are Nate Mueller (12th, ADM), Drake VanBaale (19th, Bondurant-Farrar) and Kolby Fritz (24th, Carlisle).

On the girls side, ranked runners are Megan Sievers (5th, Carlisle), Ellie Twedt (11th, Ballard), Raegan Anderson (12th, Denison-Schleswig), Taylor McCreedy (23rd, Atlantic) and Sadie Juergens (24th, ADM).

Atlantic’s course also offers the Panthers an advantage in Schlapia’s mind.

“I think we do well on the hills, we may not enjoy it, but we do our best on the hills,” Schlapia said.

And when the meet is over, all the Panthers can expect of themselves is to have expended all of their effort on the course.