The Marshalltown boys’ cross country team ended a 14-year state meet drought last season, and the Bobcats are off and running already this year.

Behind a trio of top-10 finishers, Marshalltown won the 11-team Bobcat Early Bird meet on Thursday night at Marshalltown Community College.

The Bobcats finished with just 43 total team points, less than half of the nearest competitor, led by individual champion Preston Johnson. The MHS junior, who dealt with an illness during last year’s state meet, made a triumphant return with a winning time of 15 minutes, 25.7 seconds. He was nearly 30 seconds ahead of reigning Class 2A state champion Emerson Vokes of Grundy Center, who was the runner-up at 15:54.6.

Marshalltown’s Carter Nunn came away with third place in 16:43, while fellow senior Myles Goldman scored eighth place in 18:14.3.

Senior Kade Randall rattled off an 11th-place performance in his varsity debut, timing in at 18:22.1, and freshman Costin Piscitelli placed 20th in 19:31 to complete the team scoring.

Sophomores Thomas Stanley (21st, 19:35.2) and Michael Downs (31st, 20:02.6) completed the Bobcats’ varsity lineup in the first meet of the year. Juniors Elliot Kodis (20:29.8) and Cooper McLeod (20:45.3) also made the circuit for MHS.

The Bobcats made the program’s 30th state meet appearance by getting to Fort Dodge last fall, where they finished 13th out of 15 teams. It was the team’s first trip to Lakeside Municipal Golf Course since 2010, and it appears to have been just the tip of the iceberg.

North Polk and Pella Christian both posted team totals of 94, but North Polk took the runner-up spot in the final standings due to their sixth runner finishing ahead of Pella Christian’s. Newton was fourth with 98, and Grundy Center took fifth at 126.

South Tama scored seventh at 194 and Gladbrook-Reinbeck was last out of 11 teams with a 268, just one point back of Waterloo East (267).

Behind Vokes, Grundy Center got a seventh-place finish from Jayce Fryslie (18:13.8), while Leo Block debuted in 19th (19:28.4).

South Tama’s Barrett Jesina finished fourth overall with a time of 17:05.5. The Trojan senior made his state meet debut last fall in Class 3A, where he finished 24th.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s Caleb Plifkin clocked in at 19:14 for 16th place in Thursday’s season opener.

MHS girls place sixth

The Marshalltown girls’ cross country team took sixth place out of eight scoring teams at the Bobcat Early Bird on Thursday night at Marshalltown Community College, putting its youth on display in the first meet of the season.

The Bobcats totaled 142 points to finish ahead of Ottumwa (156) and Webster City (189) in the 14th annual meet. North Polk won with 52 points, followed by Newton (74) and Pella Christian (77). Grundy Center came in fourth with 93.

Marshalltown was led by senior Anessa Morrison, who narrowly missed out on a top-10 finish. She took 11th in a time of 23 minutes, 1.8 seconds, just six seconds back of the 10th-place finisher.

A pair of freshmen were next to cross the finish line for the Bobcats. Grace Whitmore was 27th in 24:03.2 and Lily Johnson took 30th in 24:30.7.

Sophomore Mallory Meyeraan was 31st in 24:39.4 and junior Sophia Valdez Chavez was 53rd in 29:46.1. The Bobcats sent only five runners to the starting line while putting five more in the junior varsity race as well.

Grundy Center’s fourth-place finish was paced by Grace Storjohann, who was fourth overall, and Evelyn Geerdes. Both finished in a time of 21:42.6.

Maddy Hendershot was 23rd (23:47.8), Addy Hendershot took 25th (24:00.4), and Avery Miller rounded out the team scoring in 42nd (26:56.8).

South Tama sent three runners to the varsity race with Livia Smith crossing the finish line in 55th (30:54.7), Jayva Gomez going for 59th place (34:55.7), and Cahysia Kapayou clocking in 60th (34:58.0).

Marshalltown returns to action next Thursday, Sept. 4, with the Kirk Schmaltz Invite at Iowa State University in Ames.

Marshalltown Early Bird

GIRLS

Team Standings — 1. North Polk 52, 2. Newton 74, 3. Pella Christian 77, 4. Grundy Center 93, 5. North Mahaska 123, 6. Marshalltown 142, 7. Ottumwa 156, 8. Webster City 189.

Individual (top 10) — 1. Alexis Hergenreter, NP, 20:02.1; 2. Audrey Muckler, NWT, 20:27.4; 3. Alexis Sorensen, NWT, 20:53.4; 4. Grace Storjohann, GC, 21:42.6; 5. Evelyn Geerdes, GC, 22:24.5; 6. Emmerson Jedlicka, NM, 22:34.2; 7. Bailey Vos, PC, 22:34.2; 8. Talia Friedman, NWT, 22:46.7; 9. Izzy Grossoehme, WC, 22:49.1; 10. Ellie Bunnell, NP, 22:55.6.

GRUNDY CENTER (93) — 4. Storjohann 21:42.6, 5. Geerdes 22:24.5, 23. Maddy Hendershot 23:47.8, 25. Addy Hendershot 24:00.4, 42. Avery Miller 26:56.8, 44. Keria Day 27:19.0.

MARSHALLTOWN (142) — 11. Anessa Morrison 23:01.8, 27. Grace Whitmore 24:03.2, 30. Lily Johnson 24:30.7, 31. Mallory Meyeraan 24:39.4, 53. Sophia Valdez Chavez 29:46.1.

SOUTH TAMA — 55. Livia Smith 30:54.7, 59. Jayva Gomez 34:55.7, 60. Cahysia Kapayou 34:58.0.

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BOYS

Team Standings — 1. Marshalltown 43, 2. North Polk 94, 3. Pella Christian 94, 4. Newton 98, 5. Grundy Center 126, 6. Webster City 140, 7. South Tama 194, 8. Ottumwa 224, 9. North Mahaska 242, 10. Waterloo East 267, 11. Gladbrook-Reinbeck 268.

Individual (top 10) — 1. Preston Johnson, MHS, 15:25.7; 2. Emerson Vokes, GC, 15:54.6; 3. Carter Nunn, MHS, 16:43.0; 4. Barrett Jesina, STC, 17:05.5; 5. Lance Zaabel, NWT, 17:41.8; 6. Cooper Lenz, NWT, 17:57.2; 7. Jayce Fryslie, GC, 18:13.8; 8. Myles Goldman, MHS, 18:14.3; 9. Griffin Stoltz, PC, 18:15.5; 10. Will VandenBosch, PC, 18:20.3.

MARSHALLTOWN (43) — 1. Johnson 15:25.7, 3. Nunn 16:43.0, 8. Goldman 18:14.3, 11. Kade Randall 18:22.1, 20. Costin Piscitelli 19:31.0, 21. Thomas Stanley 19:35.2, 31. Michael Downs 20:02.6.

GRUNDY CENTER (126) — 2. Vokes 15:54.6, 7. Fryslie 18:31.8, 19. Leo Block 19:28.4, 45. Oliver Del Castillo 20:41.6, 62. Daniel Barkley 22:39.4, 63. Daniel Hommel 22:57.8, 66. Kael Edwards 24:51.9.

SOUTH TAMA (194) — 4. Jesina 17:05.5, 25. Max Schirmer 19:51.2, 34. Brady Jesina 20:08.1, 73. Riley Stubbs 28:22.3, 74. Nolan Arp 28:36.5.

GLADBROOK-REINBECK (268) — 16. Caleb Plifkin 19:14.0, 61. Caleb Bowser 22:35.5, 71. Campbell Gramer 26:03.0, 75. Braiden Sager 31:14.7, 76. Levi Coughenour 39:35.0.