Numerous high school athletic teams and student-athletes are opening the fall sports season ranked among the tops in their sport within the state of Iowa. Spirit Lake’s two-time defending state champion boys cross country team is ranked No. 1 in Class 2A by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches. That’s due in large part to the return of senior Alec Baldwin, who is the top-rated individual boy’s runner in 2A. Two spots back is sophomore Will Norris at No. 3, and junior Keith Byers is ranked 19th. The Spirit Lake girls open the year as the ninth-ranked cross country team in Class 2A. Estherville-Lincoln Central/Armstrong-Ringsted’s girls team is 15th in Class 3A, while Spencer senior Sara Edwardson is rated 19th in 3A and Emmetsburg junior Rachel Moore is 25th in 1A.
On the gridiron, the highest-ranked team in the area, according to the Associated Press, is defending champion Armstrong-Ringsted, who opens up No. 2 in 8-man. North Sentral Kossuth occupies the tenth spot, while Graettinger-Terril sits 12th. The Emmetsburg EHawks begin the fall as the fourth-rated team in Class 1A and Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn is just six back in the ten spot. And Clay Central-Everly has garnered a tie for 8th in the Class A rankings.
And in volleyball, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has North Sentral Kossuth as the fifth best team in Class 1A to start the season.
