A half dozen local cross country teams travel west for today’s Class 1A State Qualifier in Pleasantville.

The Hillcrest Academy Ravens will try to qualify for Fort Dodge today. The Ravens were last in action at the Southeast Iowa Superconference Championships last week in Columbus Junction where the Raven girls finished as team runners-up and the boys were eighth of 12 schools. Marie Yoder and Siena Stanerson led the Hillcrest girls finishing second and fourth respectively. Top boys performer was Micah Gerber 36th. The Ravens have one ranked runner in their lineup entering competition today with Marie Yoder standing No. 20 in the latest Iowa Association of Track Coaches individual girls 1A poll. She qualified for state as an individual in 2023, finishing in 13th place.

The Highland Huskies will also attend. Highland also ran last at the Superconference Championships in CJ last week. The Huskies didn’t have team scores and were led on the girls side by Olivia Edwards 63rd and Jack Krotz for the boys 74th.

The WACO Warriors will also take the course tonight. WACO was seventh in the boys team standings and ninth as a girls team at last week’s Superconference meet. The Warrior boys were led by Jude Dykstra third individually, while Josie Dykstra was sixth overall to lead the girls. In the latest boys poll from the IATC, Jude Dykstra enters the day ranked No. 15 in 1A.

Winfield-Mt. Union will run tonight in Pleasantville. Their last meet was also the Superconference Championships where the boys placed 12th, led by Kohlby Newsom seventh individually.

Sigourney also tries for state tonight at Pleasantville. They were last in action at the South Iowa Cedar League Championship meet a week ago. The Savages didn’t have team scores but individual leaders included Brynn Clarahan fifth for the girls and Troy Klett seventh to lead the boys.

Keota also ran last at Montezuma in the SICL Championships. Hunter Grandstaff was 51st in the boys race.

These teams will be joined tonight by the No. 2 Earlham girls and their No. 5 boys, Lamoni, the No. 6 Lynnville-Sully girls and their No. 15 boys, Melcher-Dallas, Moulton-Udell, Moravia, Mount Ayr, North Mahaska, Pekin, Southeast Warren, Twin Cedars, Wayne and the home Trojans. Action starts tonight at 4p.m. and continues into the evening in Pleasantville.