Breaking Down the Class 2A Boys State Cross Country Meet
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The state cross country meet has arrived.
The two-day state meet begins on Friday with Classes 1A and 2A starting the action.
Class 3A and 4A will wrap up the action on Saturday to conclude the season.
Before the action gets rolling at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge Your Prep Sports takes a quick look at all the races featuring area teams.
Here is a quick breakdown of the Class 2A boys race.
Where: Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge
When: Friday, 2:45 p.m.
Qualifying teams: *Spirit Lake; Okoboji; Van Meter; *Anamosa; Denver; Dike-New Hartford; *Chariton; West Burlington/Notre Dame; Regina; *Pella Christian; Shenandoah; Carroll Kuemper; *Unity Christian; Forest City; Western Christian
*-state qualifying meet champions
Individual state qualifying meet champions: Jace Hungerford, Sr., Spirit Lake; Jesse Gomez, Jr., Denver; Lucas Anderson, Sr., Chariton; Emmanuel Grass, Sr., Red Oak; Ian Ten Napel, Jr., Western Christian
2025 top five: 1. Chariton 42; 2. Forest City 110; 3. Oelwein 130; 4. Denver 134; 5. Unity Christian 167
Last five team champions: 2025 – Chariton; 2024 – Oelwein; 2023 – Des Moines Christian; 2022 – Des Moines Christian; 2021 – Tipton
Returning state placewinners: 2. Jesse Gomez, Jr., Denver; 3. Lucas Anderson, Sr., Chariton; 5. Cy Stuart, Jr., Chariton; 6. Emmanuel Grass, Sr., Red Oak; 9. Jace Hungerford, Sr., Spirit Lake; 10. Malakai Vermeer, Sr., Sheldon; 12. Cody Dixson, Sr., Chariton; 13. Corben Lucchesi, Sr., Roland-Story
Top ranked teams: 1. Unity Christian; 2. Pella Christian; 3. Spirit Lake; 4. Anamosa; 5. Denver
Ranked area teams: 14. Regina
Top ranked individuals: 1. Lucas Anderson, Sr., Chariton; 2. Cy Stuart, Jr., Chariton; 3. Jace Hungerford, Sr., Spirit Lake; 4. Jesse Gomez, Jr., Denver; 5. Emmanuel Grass, Sr., Red Oak
Ranked area individuals: None.
Area individual qualifiers: None.
Team title race: One of the most intriguing team races this season is in Class 2A where Chariton is back to defend its title from a season ago but faces a long list of possible title contenders.
Chariton rolled to the team title last season winning by 68 points and returns its top two runners in state title hopefuls Lucas Anderson and Cy Stuart.
The Chargers cruised to the team title at the Iowa City state qualifier last week.
Unity Christian was fifth last season but enters top ranked and is capable of making the jump all the way to number one.
Second-ranked Pella Christian, third-ranked Spirit Lake and fourth-ranked Anamosa all won state qualifying meet titles last week and should be in the title mix.
Individual title tracker: Two-time state champ Emerson Vokes of Grundy Center graduated but three of the top five finishers from last season return.
Denver junior Jesse Gomez was runner-up last season and will look to move into the top spot this after winning the title at the Monticello state qualifier.
Anderson of Chariton was third last season and Stuart was fifth and the Charger duo will push Gomez for the top spot.
Spirit Lake senior Jace Hungerford was ninth last season and Red Oak senior Emmanuel Grass was ninth a year ago and will both be in the thick of the title race.
Area breakdown: Regina returns to the state meet for the 25th time in program history and first time since finishing sixth in Class 1A in 2023 after finishing third at the Iowa City state qualifying meet.
The Regals are led by junior Connor Hoffman who finished eighth at the state qualifying meet in a time of 17:49.9.
The key for the Regals is balance as Regina had three runners in the top 17 in its third-place state qualifying meet finish.
Junior Huck Zahasky was 15th and senior Corbin Daniel was 17th at the state qualifier.
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