and bronze medalists, and three in the top 11. It was undoubtedly the top 3A showdown since the state moved to four classes earlier this century. And when all of the calculations were made, the Tigers prevailed by only six points, 57-63. Third-place Council Bluffs Lewis Central was well back with 100 points. More than nine months later, Thomas is still somewhat speechless when he’s asked about that memorable chilly day at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Doge. For Pella to compile only 63 points and not win? That’s a stunner. But that’s how good the Tigers were. “The craziness is we had four kids in the top 15 and still only won by six points,” Thomas said. “It was definitely a special day of the kids putting it to- gether. I’m not sure I have the words for it, honestly.” And the two teams are poised to potentially put on a similar show in 2024, although now the roles are reversed. Pella is undoubtedly the hunter. And it’s Gilbert who will be at the top of every team’s scouting report. Thomas says it’s similar to the 2018 season when the Tigers were looking to defend the title they won the previous season. They accom-
plished their goal, but it wasn’t easy and it wasn’t always fun. He looks to learn from that as he navigates his student-ath- letes through the next few months. “In 2018, we knew we won it in 2017 and returned a lot of kids, but I think we almost fix- ated on that,” he said. “We won it (in 2018), but it wasn’t as much of a celebration as it was an exhale. So this year, we haven’t really discussed it. In- stead, as we get into the official start of the season, we’re really putting the focus on how can we get better and what can we do, and less about what other teams are doing.” Enough with the preamble. Let’s get into exactly what Gil- bert has because — oh, baby — it’s a lot. Look no further than the triple threat the Tigers have at the top of the lineup — arguably the best in 3A. After magical freshman sea- sons in which they both placed in the top 10 at the state meet, sophomores Logan Bleich and Jacob Tallman are focused on taking that next step to contend with the best individuals the state has to offer. And right on their heels is junior Carson Squiers, who Thomas says con- tinues to close that gap be- tween his teammates. Bleich, who entered his high
school career a season ago with great expectations from the outside and yet somehow lived up to every single one of them, will again be the catalyst. The 2023 Raccoon River Confer- ence and 3A State Qualifying Meet individual champion will look to continue his quest to- ward the top of the statewide leaderboard. His 15:55.60 was good enough for eighth at state a season ago and it’s the sixth- fastest 5K time ever run by a Gilbert boy. Bleich carries many goals in his back pocket. He wants to be an individual state champion. He’d like to someday chase down Thomas Pollard’s school record time of 15:04. But in the present, he’s focused on simply being a leader for a team that has visions of repeating. “He’s excited and he likes to be challenged,” Thomas said of Bleich. “He has a lot better feel this year for what the goal is each day.” Bleich will get his chance to chase down the state’s best early in the season too. Gilbert will go head-to-head with Pella twice in a nine-day span in Sep- tember, which means he’ll see defending 3A champion Canaan Dunham twice as well. “Logan is someone who will be excited knowing he gets to race Dunham twice in the first three meets,” Thomas said. “He likes that, he doesn’t shy away
THE RECORDS Gilbert Boys Cross Country
State Qualifying Teams (29) Years and Place •1981: 13th •2005: 14th •1982: 2nd •2007: 12th •1983: 16th •2010: 8th •1986: 16th •2011: 2nd •1987: 9th •2012: 3rd •1989: 12th •2013: 2nd •1990: 15th • 2014: 1st •1991: 8th •2015: 7th •1992: 5th •2016: 4th •1993: 2nd • 2017: 1st •1994: 8th • 2018: 1st •1995: 14th •2019: 6th •1996: 14th •2022: 7th •1999: 15th • 2023: 1st •2003: 13th State Champions (Individual) •2014: Thomas Pollard Individual All-Time Best Times 5K
Name
Year
Time 15:04 15:20 15:26 15:36 15:37 15:43 15:46 15:50 15:52 15:52
Thomas Pollard 2014 Thomas Pollard 2013 Thomas Pollard 2012 Thomas Pollard 2012 Thomas Pollard 2014 Thomas Pollard 2014
Wesley Greder Logan Bleich
2012 2023
William Wadsley 2022
Mason Powers
2011
from it.” Besides, Bleich gets chal- lenged plenty every day in prac- tice by Tallman, who also broke 16 minutes en route to a ninth- place finish at state in 2023. Quiet by nature, Tallman pos- Other Numbers •Conference Titles (Team): 15 •Conference Titles (Individual): 12 •District/SQM Titles (Team): 14 •District/SQM Titles (Individual): 8 •All-State (Individual): 21 •State Qualifiers (Individual): 74 •4-Time State Participants (Indiv): 11
FALL 2024 | GAME ON 9
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online