Cyclone Girls’ Team, Boys’ Gross Reach State XC Meet

Cyclone Girls’ Team, Boys’ Gross Reach State XC Meet –

(10-23-25) – You gotta love it when a plan comes together.

That’s how the Harlan Community cross-country teams feel after successfully qualifying for the Class 3A State Meet on Wednesday. The Cyclone girls’ team reached by finishing 2nd overall with 102 pts while Jeffery Gross finished 7th individually to reach state for the Cyclone boys.

“It kind of ended exactly how we put it on paper, and that doesn't always happen,” Harlan Community Cross-Country Coach Zach Klaassen told KNOD Sports. “So, it's always a good day when you can kind of predict something and see it come to fruition.”

Ashlyn Rau finished 2nd overall with at time of 18:38.60 while Julia Heslink was 6th with a time of 19:23.12. Aspen Bieker was 21st, Ava Freund 35th, and Allie Anderson was 38th. Klaassen was pleased that his runners followed their plan and knew what competitors they needed to reach to be successful.

“As soon as they cross the line and they know who they should have got and if they got them or not, it means that they actually read the scouting report and kind of pay attention to when I'm talking so, that's always helpful. You know, they're a pretty gritty group and when they have a job to do and they set their mind to it, there's not much they can’t accomplish.”

The Cyclone boys got Jeffery Gross to state as an individual qualifier after he finished 7th with a time of 16:42.65. It was the first time in five years a Harlan Community boys’ runner reached the state meet, since Trey Gross made it in 2020.

“I don't know if it just had a little adrenaline rush or what it was, but he shot out there with it for a while and he had enough in the tank to hold on to 7th place. So, it was good.”

The Harlan Community boys finished 8th overall with Brogan Schechinger 24th, Erik Helsink 34th, Nathan Sanquist 58th, and Kobe Kimmen 69th. Klaassen knows it’s bittersweet for those athletes.

“It's one of those deals where you're happy for Jeffrey and you're kind of sad for the rest of them that their racing season is over.”

With three of those runners getting personal records in the meet, the future is bright for Cyclone cross-country.

View past scores by visiting the Iowa High School Athletic Association's website, Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union website,
or Iowa Quik Stats