XC: Boys 16th at state cross country

FORT DODGE — Sophomore Gabe Winkelmann was 34 seconds faster and placed 50 spots higher than he did last year on the same Lakeside Golf Course race course for state cross country Saturday. In doing so, he led his entire Nodaway Valley team there during the 2025 edition of that event.

The Wolverines brought everyone back from last season and accomplished much, but they will do the same next year. This season, they won the Pride of Iowa Conference again and were ranked in the top 20 for much of the season. All in all, qualifying for state was the group’s primary goal.

“Starting out, that was all we wanted — to make it to state — and the boys did that,” Nodaway Valley head coach Brooke Wilson told photographer Dan Dickinson at state. “We had no injuries this year and everybody was healthy, so it was good.”

Winkelmann, the two-time POI individual champ who was 36th at state with a time of 17:17, said his race mostly went according to plan. He was the first runner from the POI to finish, two spots ahead of Isaiah Wheeldon of Martensdale-St. Marys.

“It was a really good race. I tried not to get out too strong — I wanted to stay top-20 at the start — and I did feel I got out [how I wanted]. I felt I could have kicked a little bit sooner, but that’s the best I’ve felt in a race. I felt amazing,” Winkelmann said.

Other top-100 Wolverines were juniors Luke Kading (76th, 17:55) and Paul Kading (96th, 18:18.70).

Luke felt he could have ran 20 seconds faster but was very happy to be able to run at state.

“It was nice to have a team back at state. Everett [Ehler] got a PR by 10 seconds, which was cool to see. Gabe was up there like he usually is,” Luke said. “The whole team’s back next year, so we’ve got that going for us.”

Paul said while his time wasn’t quite what he wanted, “I gave it my all, and that’s all I can ask for.”

Haden Colton was the team’s other junior, and he finished 112th in 18:35.80. A long, clustered start came across as intimidating to him at first, but he was able to settle in and was very pleased with his race in the end.

“I was just trying to keep a good pace throughout the whole flat course. It was a pretty nice course to run on, in general,” Colton said.

Other NV finishers were freshman Josh Nelson (127th, 18:58), sophomore Cherubim Mercado (132nd, 19:17.30) and Ehler (135th, 19:22.20), a freshman.

South Winneshiek sophomore Hugh Conway was the 1A boys individual state champ in 15:50.70 and was the only runner in the race who finished in under 16 minutes. Lake Mills’ senior duo of Hayden Thompson and Knute Rogne were second and third, respectively.

A Western Iowa Conference duo of Haven Weers of Tri-Center (4th, 16:11.20) and Dawson Henderson of Oakland Riverside (5th, 16:25) as well as Earlham junior David Nichols (8th, 16:37.10) were area top-10 finishers.

St. Albert senior Lili Denton won the state championship with a time of 17:56.60 in the girls’ 1A race. Karson Oberender of Martensdale-St. Marys finished fourth (18:50.90) while Madrid tandem Katelyn Brandhorst and Madelyn Grothus were ninth (19:21.40) and 10th (19:24.20), respectively.