The weather finally cooperated this fall as the Southeast Valley cross country teams traveled to Pocahontas on Saturday, October 3rd for the PAC Cross Country Invite. The fall-like temperatures and early morning sunshine led to fast times for the Jaguars as the boys were crowned meet champions and saw five meet medalists as well as the girls team having their best average time of the year as all six girls’ PR.

The Southeast Valley boys found their first meet win of the season scoring 66 points to out-distance 2nd place Sioux Central’s 83 points. Newell Fonda was 3rd with 87 points and class 1A #12 ranked Manson NW Webster was fourth with 93 points.

Five Jaguars found the medal podium as only 11 seconds separated the Southeast Valley top five runners. Kasen Loeffler led the Jaguars with a tenth place, 18:30 career best time to edge teammate Owen Nuss at the finish. Owen was 11th in 18:31. August Akins ran 18:38 for 13th place and Landon Vote edged brother Griffin Vote at the finish line to finish 18th and 19th respectively. Both Vote brothers ran career best times as both finished the 5k course in 18:41.

Wyatt Blair finished 28th overall in a career best 19:50 and Grant Peterson was 30th overall in 19:54 to finish out the scoring runners for the boys.

In the girls’ race, Emily WIlson ran the 8th fastest time in school history for a girls’ 5k race in 22:44 for 26th overall and leading the Southeast Valley girls’ team to a 10th place finish overall. Humboldt was the meet champion with 34 points followed by Manson NW Webster with 62 points.

Freshmen Aleeyah Hoefers and Adelle Fors ran career PRs on Saturday morning to finish 58th (25:14) and 59th (25:18) respectively while teammates Charlie Dorsey (56th, 25:08), Ruby Stimpson (60th, 25:18) and Meia Hefley (95th, 27:57) all finished with season best times.

Competing on Saturday as well and running career times in the boys’ race for the Jaguars were Henry Sandstrom (35th, 20:05), Jackson Bintz (36th, 20:07), Eli Rude (64th, 22:06), Carter Lloyd (74th, 22:32), Turner Ahlers (85th, 24:00) and Mason Newell (87th, 24:06).

Jacob Wicklein (104th, 27:23) and Max Judson (108th, 28:23) ran season best times while Moses Cunigan finished in 103rd in 27:12 and Jace Skoglund finished in 35:49 for 111th.

The Jaguars will compete again on Tuesday, October 6th at Lake City before heading back to Pocahontas on Thursday, October 15th for the Twin Lakes Conference meet.