acgcThe ACGC cross country teams will put their hard work to the test tomorrow as they look to earn the precious qualifying spots to the state tournament in Fort Dodge at the end of the month. The Chargers will have a slight advantage over the rest of the field, as they will be competing on their home course.

Senior Noah Nelsen, the 9th ranked individual in Class 1A, is poised to return to Fort Dodge. He describes the hardest and most unique parts of the course. “Definitely the middle part. We call it ‘Tiger Mountain’ or ‘Charger Peak’. It’s tough when you’re a mile and a quarter through the race and you look up and you just see a 200-foot incline. It just kind of mentally breaks you down. Then two hills, once at the beginning and once right before the two-mile, we call them ‘the drainers’. It’s a short, steep hill that if you don’t attack it right away, it drains a lot out of you.”

Joining Nelsen in the individual ranks is junior Kate Crawford. The former individual state champion is currently ranked at #5. As a team, the boys come in at #13 and the girls enter as one of the five teams to watch.

The ranked teams competing on the girls side at ACGC include #1 Logan-Magnolia, #11 AHSTW, and #12 Tri Center. The boys field includes #2 Nodaway Valley and #9 Earlham, as well as teams to watch, Tri Center and Woodward Academy. While the girls side drew the top team in the state, top-ranked Madrid on the boys side will head to Marshalltown. The field also includes West Central Valley.

The top three teams and fifteen individuals for both the boys and girls will qualify for the state meet at Harlan Rogers Park, north of Fort Dodge, a week from Saturday. The girls race begins at 4pm, followed by the boys at ACGC High School in Guthrie Center.