It is go-time for Iowa High School cross country teams today and several KCII area schools will make a trip to the Iowa City Kickers Complex for a class 1A state qualifying meet. 

Columbus Community, Hillcrest Academy, Highland, Lone Tree, Winfield-Mt. Union, WACO, and Sigourney will all be competing with the goal of cracking the top two in the team standings or top 10 individually to advance to next week’s state meet in Fort Dodge. The Columbus boys will try to make it two state trips in a row and they come in ranked No. 14th in the latest poll by the Iowa Track Coaches Association. Freddy Vergara has led the group this year and is ranked 19th individually. The top competition for the Wildcats will be the only other ranked team in the field with Regina at No. 11 and unranked North Linn. On the girls’ side, Hillcrest Academy’s Leah Bontrager will be a favorite to punch her third ticket to Fort Dodge and recently the senior had a seventh place showing in the SEISC meet. 

The 18-team competition also includes BGM, English Valleys, HLV, Holy Trinity, Iowa Valley, Lynnville-Sully, Montezuma, Tri-County, and Wapello. 

The girls race begins at 4 p.m. this evening with the boys to follow in Iowa City.