Last year’s Class 1A boys cross country team champions will get a chance to defend their title this weekend. The Nodaway Valley Wolverines won last Thursday’s Class 1A state qualifying meet at the Mount Ayr Golf and Country Club with a low score of 29. Four Wolverine runners qualified for the state meet as individuals by finishing in the top 15 in last week’s state qualifying race. They include Brycen Wallace (first; 16:37), Skyler Rawlings (second; 17:01), Tyler Breheny (fourth; 17:31), and Joshua Baudler (fifth; 17:35).

The Wolverines won the 2016 Class 1A State Cross Country Meet with 36 points, besting the field by 56 points. The 2017 Class 1A Boys State Cross Country Meet starts at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge.