HUMBOLDT — With cool, overcast skies, and some of the top cross country runners in the area, Marv Smith was expecting some intense racing Tuesday.
And that’s exactly what happened at the inaugural Humboldt High School Cross Country meet. Humboldt officials organized the meet after Iola was forced prior to the season to scrub its annual Doc Stiles Invitational because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Smith, head coach of Iola High School’s cross country team, lavished praise on the Humboldt hosts.
“You could not ask for better conditions,” he said, noting the weather was ideal for just an event. “We had excellent conditions on a golf course and a continuous painted line to mark the course, measured with a wheel to ensure correct distance.”
With the infrastructure in place, it was up to the athletes to put their proverbial pedals to the metal.
The girls varsity race featured such standouts as Crest High’s Ursula Billings, Montana Ohmart of Columbus, Lulu Melendez of Humboldt and an assortment of Iola High runners — all of whom qualified at the state meet last fall.
On the boys side, state medalists Jack Adams, Iola, and Drew Wilhite (Humboldt) headlined a swift fleet of runners.
“This was by far our best race of the season,” Smith said. “Both varsity races had some state-capable runners and it pushed us to our best races.”
The girls varsity pitted Billings with Columbus standout Montana Ohmart of Columbus, one of the state’s top Class 3A runners.
Ohmart took the early lead and stretched it out from there, finishing the 5K in 20 minutes, 59 seconds. Billings was second at 21:50, followed by Iola’s Josie Plumlee at 22:51.
“Josie really had her hands full with two of the state’s best runners on the course,” Smith said, “which caused her to run isolated, but she still had a good time.”
Iola’s Elanie Sturgeon and Averie Sharon finished fifth and sixth at 24:05 and 24:16, respectively. Melendez followed in seventh for Humboldt, with Iola’s Audrey Coltrane eighth. Humboldt’s Madi White, Zoey Wilson and Taylor Korte were right behind in ninth, 10th and 11th.
WITH ADAMS and Wilhite getting the early jump in the boys race, it left the rest of the Iola’s varsity boys to focus on competing with each other, Smith said.
Adams wond up the victor, finishing in 17:30. Wilhite took second at 18:09, and Iola’s Riley Jay placed third at 18:31. Others in the top 10 were Iola’s Jesse Taylor in fifth, Austin Moffet of Yates Center in sixth, and Kaster Trabuc, Nathan Louk and Eli Adams in seventh, eighth and 10th, respectively.
Iola’s Japheth Rutah ran the junior varsity race in 21:42, a full 90 seconds faster than his nearest puruer. Iola’s runners brought hom the top six places in the boys race.
On the girls JV race, Sophie Lloyd of Columbus was the winner at 26:47, followed by Courtney Spoon of Yates Center in second at 30:16. Morgan hunter of Humboldt was fourth and Kailyn Klubek of Iola took fifth.
