Falcon boys pack up for team title in Eldora

   A-P sophomore Jungling wins girls race

   ELDORA – The Aplington-Parkersburg boys cross country team wanted to set the tone from the opening gun.

   The Falcons were successful in their endeavor, putting together a strong enough start to stave off talented competition as team champions of the Pine Lake Invitational in Eldora on Thursday evening.

   A-P obtained a team score of 68, seven points clear of East Marshall in second with 75. Hudson was 3rd with 86 points, boosted by overall individual winner Wyatt Kelly who finished the course in 17 minutes, 44 seconds.

   The Falcons had three runners in the top 11 finishers on Thursday, led by Mason Tyler's third-place finish in 18:08. Hunter Brouwer was close behind in fifth in 18:29 and Grant Truax just missed a top-10 medalist spot, crossing the finish line in 18:44 in 11th place.

   "Coach (Jason Berkey) wanted us to run together for the first two miles and then in the last mile give it all we got, and see what comes out of that," Brouwer said. "It turned out really good."

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   The course's punishing hills tested all competitors on Thursday, including A-P girls' frontrunner Sophia Jungling.

   Even as a sophomore, Jungling has had plenty of experience as the defending individual champion in Eldora and she was victorious once again in a time of 20:23, 25 seconds faster than her winning time as a freshman.

   "It's a mental challenge as well as a physical challenge to tell yourself to get up that next hill and push through it," Jungling said. "I went out fast, that was my plan, to see if anyone would stick with me or if I was going to have to set the pace."

   Read more in the Sept. 6 Eclipse.