Last fall was the first time in 13 years with Head Coach Doug Cutler the Pella boys cross country team did not qualify as a team for the state meet.
A young core of Little Dutch runners hopes to start a new streak this season. Culter tells KNIA/KRLS Sports the upstart boys team will bring a lot of energy and lower times in 2018, and hopes they can progress back to a state qualifying level, which starts with their senior leader on varsity.
“Drew Van Hauen is sort of the most experienced of our seniors this year, and his enthusiasm since the first day he arrived as a freshman has been very apparent,” he says. “So he sets a lot of high goals and he’s very team oriented, and we have a lot of other seniors that have adopted that same thing.”
Pella opens the season as a “team to watch,” as voted on by the Iowa High School Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches association, falling just outside of the top 15 ranked teams to start the fall in 3A. They open the season Tuesday at Ankeny Centennial.