The Panorama Panthers boys and girls cross country teams will officially kick off their regular season with their first meet of the year this week.

The Panthers cross country teams are prepared for their first regular action this week when they head to the Gowrie Country Club in Gowrie for a junior varsity and varsity invitational beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, August 25th.

Last year at the state qualifying meet the Panthers fielded incomplete teams on both the boys and girls side but had four individual runners for the girls and two individual runners for the boys but this years team is without most of those runners and their on no seniors on this year’s team either.

The Panthers cross country teams are under the direction of Head Coach Greg Thompson who last year received the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s Golden Plaque of Distinction Award and was honored before the start of the Class 1A race of the state cross country meet in Fort Dodge.

Thompson has been a steady part of Panorama boys and girls cross country since 1999 and in that time he has helped coach the girls teams to 10 West Central Activities Conference team championships, 51 girls earning All-Conference honors and 29 girls who have qualified for the state meet. Also, Thompson has had 12 girls teams be state qualifiers and in 2017 his girls team placed second.

The Panthers girls and boys cross country teams are getting back out on the course this week as they will be looking to turn in good times this year and will get the regular season started when they head to the Gowrie Country Club on Thursday.