Although the forty degree temperature yesterday may have seemed chilly to the spectators, it was just right for the ACGC girls' cross country team as the Chargers turned in an excellent performance to claim a tie for fourth place at the state meet held in Fort Dodge. Senior Kate Crawford once again showed why she is one of the premier runners in the state as she finished third in the class 2A run, turning in a time of 19:05.9. Crawford was the individual state champion as a freshman, placed third as a soph, was ninth last year, and completed her stellar career yesterday with another third place finish.

Junior Rylee Sloss, who was ranked twenty third in class 2A, also turned in an outstanding performance with her fourteenth place finish in a time of 19:44.3. She was followed by freshman Kiersten Knobbe who finished with a time of 20:26.3. Others Chargers who figured in the scoring were junior Jorja Hoover who finished with a time of 22:00.2 and junior Alyson Embleton who ran the 5K course in 22:19.8. Seniors Jenna Stringer (23:52.2) and Taylor Lemke (24:00.4) also ran for the Chargers.

The team's fourth place finish was the best in state competition in the four years of ACGC cross country. Charger mentor Colin Shawgo seemed elated about his team's performance. "I'm super proud of how much this team grew from the beginning of the season to now. Each girl ran a personal best, and that is exactly what we need to get into the top five. It was an exiting season, capped off by an excellent race at state by the Charger team."

Crawford, Stringer, and Lemke are all seniors, while Sloss, Knobbe, Hoover, and Embleton all return for another go around next fall. We do not bid farewell to the seniors yet, as it is expected they will compete on the track team in the spring. Still, hats off to the Charger CC team for representing the black and gold in commendable fashion.

The state CC meet completed what was a very successful fall season for Charger sports. The football team finished with a 6-3 record--the first winning season for ACGC football; the volleyball team finished second in the WCAC and reached the regional semifinals, while compiling a season record of 28-8--the most wins in ACGC history; and the cross country team topped it off with a second place in the WCAC meet, a district championship, and their fourth place finish at the state meet. A great fall season for ACGC! Go Chargers!

Team scores:

Mid-Prairie, Wellman 61

Williamsburg 62

Monticello 130

ACGC 169

Jesup 169

Starmont 179

WC-KP 179

Unity Christian 191

Davis County 196

Cherokee 242

Dike-New Hartford 261

Waukon 262

Tipton 320

Emmetsburg 373

Chariton 391