Class 4A Boys Cross Country State Meet Preview and Contenders

The Championship Hunt at Lakeside Golf Course

The cross country season reaches its final test this weekend at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge, where Classes 3A and 4A will settle their title races on Saturday. Ahead of the opening gun, Your Prep Sports outlined the shifting landscape of the Class 4A boys meet, which features a wide-open battle for the team crown and a tightly packed individual chase.

Saturday’s Class 4A race kicks off at 2:45 p.m. with a guaranteed shift at the top of the podium. Last year’s team champion, Indianola, failed to qualify for Fort Dodge, leaving the field open for a new titleholder to emerge.

Contenders for the Team Crown

Stepping into the vacancy are perennial power West Des Moines Dowling, last year’s runner-up Cedar Falls, and fast-rising Liberty High. West Des Moines Dowling enters the meet ranked number one as the program seeks its first state title since the Maroons won their final of three consecutive 4A crowns in 2023. Cedar Falls finished two points back of Indianola for the team title last season and figures to factor heavily into Saturday’s race.

Liberty High approaches the meet hunting for the first state title and highest finish in program history. The Lightning arrive in Fort Dodge after capturing the team title at the Marshalltown state qualifying meet by a 50-point margin. Behind the top tier, Johnston—which placed fifth a year ago—and Waukee look to chase the leaders and secure a spot on the balcony at Lakeside Golf Course.

Chasing the Individual Title

The individual race promises a similarly fierce battle after a season where the top four finishers in the 4A race were separated by less than five seconds. With last year’s champion, Jaden Merrick of Cedar Falls, having graduated, a new individual champion will take the crown.

Class 4A Boys Cross Country State Meet Preview and Contenders

Three runners who cracked the 15-minute mark last season return to lead the field: Marshalltown senior Preston Johnson, Liberty High senior Keegan Decker, and Sioux City North junior Kuma Gutema. Decker has finished third at the state meet in each of the past two seasons and aims to become the first individual state champion in Liberty High history. At the qualifying meet last week, Decker finished less than a second behind Johnson with a time of 15:03.6.

Area Teams Eyeing History

Liberty High is making its seventh state appearance in the program’s ninth season, marking the team’s fourth consecutive trip to Fort Dodge. The Lightning have twice finished sixth at the state meet, most recently in 2023. Sophomore Maxwell Kinzer joins Decker as ranked individuals for Liberty High, anchoring the front of a deep roster that includes multi-year state qualifiers Tayson Cho, Lars Hildebrand, and Colin Finch, alongside junior Jens Strand.

City High returns to the state meet for the third consecutive season and its sixth appearance in the past seven years. The Little Hawks finished as runners-up to West Des Moines Dowling at the Iowa City qualifier and look to crack the top five for the first time since taking third in 2021. Junior Andrew Hamilton leads City High alongside senior David Randall, a three-time state qualifier who placed 38th last season.

West High sends a pair of individual qualifiers to Fort Dodge in senior Lars Pressler and junior Jake Weiler. Weiler returns for his second state appearance after placing 67th as a sophomore last season.