Comets Nick Williams and Xander Graeser qualify for XC State Meet 3rd year in a row

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

CLEAR LAKE — Will a third time be a charm?

That remains to be seen, but Nick Williams says he’s never felt better in his life.

“I’m running the best I have ever ran,” the Charles City junior said after qualifying for state for the third straight time — this time by way of his fifth-place performance in the Boys Varsity 5K at Wednesday’s Class 3A Cross Country State Qualifying held at Veterans Memorial Park.

“I thank Coach (Ryan) Rahmiller … I thank my teammates … I thank my family for pushing me and helping me improve as a runner and a person throughout the season.”

Williams’s time of 16 minutes, 49.2 seconds was about 5 seconds shy of his personal record he set earlier this season, and the XC state qualifier was the fifth-straight meet in which Williams has gotten under 17 minutes in the latter half of the season.

Williams will, once again, be accompanied by junior teammate Xander Graeser, who also qualified for state for the third straight time after placing 11th with a time of 17:13.5.

Williams and Graeser are currently in rare company as they are among the only  Comet male runners to have qualified for state as individuals three times— the other is Iowa Association of Track Coaches Hall of Fame member Isaac Wendland, who qualified four straight times and went on to win three straight XC state titles (2005-07) after placing third as a freshman.

Graeser’s standing amidst the exclusive club was threatened throughout the latter part of the race, and he felt it.

“Number 14 and 15 were nipping at my heels,” Graeser said of trying to remain in the Top 15 for state qualification, “but when it came to the last 800 yards, I knew it was now my race and I was able to hold them off and pass two runners ahead of me.

“I found out during last track season that 800 might be my best distance, so it’s nice to know I have that final kick to pick up places when I need to.”

The Comet boys placed fifth among a field of 13, outside the Top 3 which advanced to state at teams. Charles City almost got a third individual qualifier in senior Isaac Thompson, who placed 16th with a time of 17:29.5.

A recently installed individual-qualification rule could have allowed Thompson to accompany Williams and Graeser downstate had the 15th individual qualifier been the fifth runner in from any of the three qualified teams. But with 15th-place finisher Jase Turnis being a member of seventh-place West Delaware, the rule didn’t go into effect.

Thompson had run at state in 2021 when the Comet boys qualified as a team.

“He’s a great kid and we would have loved to get him down there,” Charles City boys head coach Ryan Rahmiller said of Thompson. “It’s too bad, but we’re looking forward to Isaac having an outstanding track season next spring.”

Rounding out Charles City boys scoring (125 team points) were Lukas Vance (39th, 18:23.1) and Carter Haberkorn (54th, 18:54.1).

The Top 3 qualifying boys team included meet champion Carlisle (57); South Tama (70), paced by respective winner and runner-up Tommy Tyynismaa (16:17.5) and James Brant (16:34.8) and ADM Adel (76).

The Class 3A state boys race will take place at 2:45 p.m. Oct. 28 (a Saturday) at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge.

At last year’s state meet, Williams and Graeser moved up in standings from their freshman year with respective 71st- and 72nd-place finishes about a half-second apart from one another.

Charles City’s girls team was unable to qualify anybody to state, ending the season and XC careers of its two top senior runners — Lauren Staudt (32nd, 22:04.8) and Maggie Boss (23.42.1). Both runners were able to continually shave seconds — even minutes — off their personal-record times during the latter half of the season.

With freshmen Megan Babcock (67th, 24:12.8) and Mayzie Bruening (73rd, 25:08.4); and Mackenzie Zweibohmer (74th, 25:18.9), the Comet girls placed 11th out of 12 teams.

“We had two freshmen achieve personal-bests, and we’re going to lose three seniors who are going to be greatly missed,” Charles City girls head coach Amanda Rahmiller said.

The three state-qualified girls teams, which will race at 2 p.m. Oct. 28 ahead of the Class 3A boys race, included hosts and champion Clear Lake (63), which was paced by race winner Addison Doughan (19:07.2); Decorah (75), which was paced by race runner-up Amelia Roe (19:32.1); and ADM Adel (89).

Clear Lake Class 3A Cross Country State Qualifier

AT VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK

Girls Varsity 5K

TEAM SCORES (Top 3 advance to State) — 1. Clear Lake 63, 2. Decorah 75, 3. ADM Adel 89, 4. Waverly-Shell Rock 95, 5. Carlisle 128, 6. Nevada 159, 7. West Delaware 190, 9. Iowa Falls-Alden 202, 9. Bondurant-Farrar 231, 10. Hampton-Dumont-CAL 249, 11. Charles City 305, 12. South Tama 332.

TOP 15 STATE QUALIFIERS — 1. Addison Doughan (CL) 19:07.2, 2. Amelia Roe (D) 19:32.1, 3. Marie Daggett (C) 19:53.5, 4. Anna Feuerback (CL) 19:55.2, 5. Brynn Kartman (WD) 19:58.4, 6. Maya Bergstrom (C) 20:01.8, 7. Allie Eggleston (ADM) 20:19.8, 8. Sydney Bochmann (WSR) 20:33.8, 9. Lauren Watson (BF) 20:36.6, 10. Addie Bjork (ADM) 20:36.6, 11. Kate Nelson (WSR) 20:40.6, 12. Lydia Maas (HDC) 20:44.7, 13. Rebekah Steinbron (CL) 20:48.1, 14. Dani Rieks (Iowa Falls-Alden) 20:53.7, 15. Brinlee Courtney (D) 21:09.1.

CHARLES CITY — 32. Lauren Staudt 22:04.8, 59. Maggie Boss 23:42.1, 67. Megan Babcock 24:12.8 (Personal Record), 73. Mayzie Bruening 25:08.4 (PR), 74. Mackenzie Zweibohmer 25:18.9.

Boys Varsity 5K

TEAM SCORES (Top 3 advance to State) — 1. Carlisle 57, 2. South Tama 70, 3. ADM Adel 76, 4. Decorah 111, 5. Charles City 125, 6. Nevada 164, 7. West Delaware 172, 8. Clear Lake 213, 9. Bondurant-Farrar 234, 10. Waverly-Shell Rock 236, 11. Belmond-Klemme 361, 12. Hampton-Dumont-CAL 362, 13. Iowa Falls-Alden 376.

TOP 15 STATE QUALIFIERS — 1. Tommy Tyynismaa (ST) 16:17.5, 2. James Brant (ST) 16:34.8, 3. Kael Streeter (C) 16:41.2, 4. Torin Timmerman (ADM) 16:48.3, 5. Nick Williams (CC) 16:49.6, 6. Ezra DeCleene (C) 16:52.9, 7. Austin Soldwisch (WSR) 16:56.7, 8. Kamden Brown (C) 17:00.3, 9. Shay Holdmeyer (ADM) 17:10.0, 10. Zach Wenger (WD) 17:11.5, 11. Xander Graeser (CC) 17:13.5, 12. Grant Zilka (D) 17:14.4, 13. Brody Roth (C) 17:16.3, 14. Brian Rohde (N) 17:24.1, 15. Jase Turnis (WD) 17:26.4.

CHARLES CITY — 5. Williams, 11. Graeser, 16. Isaac Thompson 17:29.5, 39. Lukas Vance 18:23.1, 54. Carter Haberkorn 18:54.1, 60. Jackson Kowalski 19:19.5, 68. Noah Morris 19:44.5.