City High Secures Spot at State Cross Country Meet With Runner-up Finish at 4A State Qualifier
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
IOWA CITY – City High senior Linus McRoberts got off to the type of start he wanted this season.
The strong start was slowed slightly when McRoberts dealt with an illness for several weeks during the middle of the season.
Feeling strong and healthy again McRoberts is focused on getting the end of the season he envisioned.
McRoberts continued his late-season surge on Wednesday placing fourth to help City High earn a spot at the state meet with a runner-up team finish at the Class 4A state qualifier at Kickers Soccer Complex in Iowa City.
“I had a really good start to the season and I got sick a little bit in the mid season but I’m back from that and I feel good now,” McRoberts said. “I am looking at next week the way I was at the beginning of the year trying to get a medal.”
Sickness sidelined McRoberts during the middle of the season as he missed the team’s home meet October 2.
Even after returning to the City High lineup it took McRoberts time to get back up to speed.
“Even the races he was off it was not a mental problem or a running problem it was purely a health problem,” City High coach Jayme Skay said. “He had some tired legs coming off an illness.”
McRoberts has steadily worked his way back to his early season form.
He was ninth at the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet and sixth a week later at the MVC Valley Division meet.
In the biggest meet of the season McRoberts was back to his usual self on Wednesday.
McRoberts finished fourth in a time of 16:12.9 to lead three City High runners in the top 15.
“I think the word I would use to describe it today is just strong,” McRoberts said. “I felt like I was able to keep pushing when things got hard and things did get hard but that’s kind of the point of it.”
The fourth-place finish by McRoberts helped fifth-ranked City High finish runner-up with 60 points, 10 points behind Dubuque Senior.
Liberty High was third with 73 points, followed by Cedar Rapids Kennedy with 70 and Ames with 108.
“I think I am most proud of his leadership,” Skay said of McRoberts. “We’ve worked a lot over the past year of being a team leader and he’s no longer a member of the team he’s leading the team.”
David Randall finished eighth in a time of 16:26.1 for City High and Emmett Palmberg placed 14th in 16:37.4.
Leif Eastlund finished 16th in 16:41.3 and Jack Leman was 18th in 16:50.2 for the Little Hawks.
“The only concern is just you have to make it to state and we went out probably a little conservative at the beginning and we moved up but Dubuque Senior won the state qualifying meet because they wanted it and they got it out more at the beginning,” Skay said. “We ran very well just didn’t have it there.”
Class 4A State Qualifying Meet
At Kickers Soccer Complex
Team scores – 1. Dubuque Senior 50; 2. City High 60; 3. Liberty High 73; 4. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 80; 5. Ames 108; 6. West High 113; 7. Cedar Rapids Washington 234; 8. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 236; 9. Ottumwa 277
Individual leaders – 1. Keegan Decker (ICL) 15:27.7; 2. Adam Gray (CRK) 15:53.7; 3. Slader Buckheister (CRK) 16:00.8; 4. Linus McRoberts (ICH) 16:12.9; 5. Michael Hanna (ICW) 16:20; 6. Owen Anderson (DS) 16:20.3; 7. Liam Kroger (DS) 16:20.9; 8. David Randall (ICH) 16:26.1; 9. Jack Kirman (DS) 16:30.4; 10. Tayson Cho (ICL) 16:30.4; 11. Grady Kroger (DS) 16:32.5; 12. Lars Hildebrand (ICL) 16:34.4; 13. Jake Weiler (ICW) 16:35.3; 14. Emmett Palmberg (ICH) 16:37.4; 15. Caleb Bolles (AME) 16:41
City High (60) – 4. Linus McRoberts 16:12.9; 8. David Randall 16:26.1; 14. Emmett Palmberg 16:37.4; 16. Leif Eastlund 16:41.3; 18. Jack Leman 16:50.2; 19. Jarris Prottsman 16:50.8; 27. Max McDowell 17:07.7
Liberty High (73) – 1. Keegan Decker 15:27.7; 10. Tayson Cho 16:30.4; 12. Lars Hildebrand 16:34.4; 21. Colin Finch 16:55.1; 29. Jens Strand 17:23; 31. Julius Vidal 17:29.9; 38. Yuma Squiers 17:48
West High (113) – 5. Michael Hanna 16:20; 13. Jake Weiler 16:35.3; 30. Eli Dunham 17:24.3; 32. Evan Merrill 17:30; 33. Jack Eastvold 17:34; 40. Thomas Tong 17:56; 41. Oluwadara Olaleye 17:57.1
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