In their final state-qualifying race, Sydney Yoder, Jaden Yoder, and Mitzi Evans followed defending state champion Danielle Hostetler across the finish line in second, third, and fourth place to send the Golden Hawk girls to the 2A state cross country meet for the eighth straight year. 

“They did a great job,” Mid-Prairie coach Mark Hostetler said. “At conference, they were strung out quite a bit. And Danielle was ahead a little ways, but Sydney and Jaden and Mitzi bunched it up together more. It was probably one of Sydney’s best races. And she really did well preparing to know how to run for state, because she has not pushed it as hard as she did today in the last half.”

Sydney Yoder finished exactly a minute behind Hostetler with a time of 19:49. Jaden Yoder battled Evans down the final stretch and took third place by less than a second with a finish of 20:11. 

“I knew she was going to give her best, and not give up so that just made me not want to give up,” Evans said. 

“And you made me faster too,” Yoder said to Evans. “For the last 4-to-800 (meters) we were kind of going back and forth. I passed you for a little bit and then you came and passed me, so going down the chute, I was like uh-oh, I’d better go faster.”

Both Evans and Yoder have had to overcome some adversity this season. Their presence in the Mid-Prairie lineup has resulted in some of the most dominant 2A team performances of all time. 

Evans missed a lot of time in September with an illness. 

“It means a lot to me that earlier in the season when I got COVID I knew I had them at my back,” she said. “I knew they were still going to try without me and I feel like it gave me motivation to run hard during the next couple of weeks after I started again. 

“They gave me something to look forward to. I was just really thankful to have them because I knew that they were going to try their hardest no matter what.”

Jaden Yoder has been dealing with soreness from a stress fracture back in March. Hostetler said that Yoder’s training through her senior season has been “unbelievable.” 

“Half of her practices are in a pool, running on a treadmill,” he said. “She's been diligent. She comes and runs in the pool on days that are easier. And you know, it's tiring for her because she has to drive a long ways and drive back, and she can't be with the rest of the kids. It's amazing.”

Sophomores Phoebe Shetler and Abby Fleming finished eighth and tenth to give the district champion Golden Hawks six of the top ten finishers. Sophomore Annika Poll finished 24th. 

The last time that the Mid-Prairie girls didn't qualify for the state cross country meet, the  race was still only 3,000 meters long.

Mid-Prairie will be looking for its fifth straight state championship on Saturday, October 30. 

“It's crazy, I feel like this season has gone so fast,” Jaden Yoder said. “And it's crazy that we only have one more race. “It's kind of bittersweet, honestly, because it’s exciting and then once state is over you can kind of relax, but it’s also sad too. It’s definitely a fun time to be able to celebrate something special with your teammates.”

Mid-Prairie had a score of 18 at Thursday’s state qualifying meet, well ahead of second-place Williamsburg with 56. The Raiders finished third at the state meet last year and graduated one senior from that squad. 

“Phoebe (Shetler) had a good race,” Hostetler said after the race. “I'm hoping that she can run closer to these four, and then Abby (Fleming) can run closer to her. That'll make the team even stronger.”

Shetler was the final scorer for Mid-Prairie with a time of 20:31. 

“Phoebe ran 19:44 up at Wartburg, and that was a more difficult course than this one, so I know that Phoebe can do it," Hostetler said. "And I hope that if she can get up there at state then we're going to be hard to beat. Abby ran a really good race too, and Annika (Poll) finished well.”

The Golden Hawks have had the last five 2A individual champs. Anna Hostetler won the state championship in 2016, followed by three straight first place finishes from Marie Hostetler. 

Danielle Hostetler is looking for her second 2A state cross country title. 

The girls 2A championship race is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 30 at Kennedy Park near Fort Dodge.