Hillcrest Academy senior Leah Bontrager and Columbus senior Freddy Vergara will take the course one more time for their respective schools at Saturday’s Iowa Association of Track Coaches Senior All-Star Cross Country meet in Pella. Both athletes just competed at last weekend’s state cross country meet at the Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge where Bontrager, a four-time qualifier in her career for the Ravens, came away with her best finish, taking 39th place in the girls 1A race with a time of 21:23. Vergara was the leader for a Columbus Wildcat team that qualified for the 1A meet as a squad for the second straight year. The ‘Cats had a 16th place finish in the team standings, led by Vergara in 24th with his time of 17:25.

To be considered to compete in the All-Star showcase, a female athlete must have posted a time of 21:50 or better during the 2021 racing season, with the male standard at 17:50. They must have completed their season and be in good standing with their high school.

Introductions will be at 11a.m. with the girls race at 11:45, the boys race at 12:15p.m. and awards at 1p.m. at the Pella Sports Park on Saturday.