Eidahl reflects on 20-year state run

FORT DODGE — The state cross-country meet has a way of collecting teams and runners old and new. Every year, it’s somebody’s time to make their debut in Fort Dodge, and every year sees many blue bloods make their return.

There aren’t many teams, however, like the Pekin Panther girls.

Pekin comes into Fort Dodge this weekend for its unprecedented 20th-straight appearance, all coached by now 60-year head coach Davis Eidahl.

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“Each year it just keeps going,” says Eidahl. “It gets harder each year.”

Eidahl will lead both the boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams to the state meet this season. The boys won the state qualifier by 40 points in South Hardin last week, and the girls finished second, just one point behind first place.

The longtime Panther coach says camaraderie is key. Every year, his team goes to camp together at the beginning of the year, and every year his team comes back a stronger unit.

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“It basically is a family affair,” Eidahl says. “If we emphasize that, everybody kind of takes their role and kind of goes from there.”

That camaraderie has led to eight total state championships between the Pekin boys and girls since Eidahl has been at the school. Two of those are individual champions on the boys’ side, with Don Greiner winning in 1964, and Steve Greiner winning in 1978.

On the girls’ side, Pekin has been to the state meet an astounding 56 times. Eidahl says, the spirit and attitude of his program keeps the team going back for more every fall.

“The older girls are always good with helping the younger ones,” Eidahl says. “There is no animosity about a freshman beating a junior or senior.”

And although Eidahl coaches both the boys’ squad and the girls’ squad, he says both groups just two parts of one team.

“We always workout together,” Eidahl says. “It’s one team.”

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And that team isn’t just coached by one man. Eidahl says a big chunk of credit goes to assistant coach Sara Wright, who has coached the team for over 20 years.

“That has really helped me,” Eidahl said. “You need a female in the program, and that makes a big difference.”

Both the girls and the boys enter Friday’s Class 1A meet ranked. The Pekin girls are ranked No. 6, and the boys come in at No. 11.

Pekin junior Brady McWhirter will be a name to watch on Friday, as he enters the state meet ranked No. 10 in Class 1A. Sophomore Chloe Glosser is ranked No. 11 on the girls’ side.

The Class 1A girls will take off at 2 p.m., on Friday afternoon. The boys will follow, at 2:45 p.m. Both races will be another opportunity for Eidahl and the Panthers to increase their legacy.

“We work hard, have fun and never look back,” Eidahl says. “That’s been the philosophy for year. We have that sign up and it works.”