Schmidt runs alone

Mid-Prairie High School's Quinn Schmidt was a veteran at the state Class 2A boys cross-country meet Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge.

Yet the Golden Hawks senior was also facing a new and different hurdle to overcome.

'Quinn faced a big challenge in that he had run at state three times before, but always on a team,” Mid-Prairie assistant coach Aaron Fleming said.

The Mid-Prairie boys team had just missed qualifying for the state meet, so Schmidt was left on his own.

The Golden Hawks had won a Class 2A team title in 2016.

'Quinn is also a very team-oriented runner, and sometimes it can be tough to get excited about running as an individual when you're such a team guy, but Quinn definitely rose to that challenge,” Fleming said.

Schmidt placed 32nd with a time of 17 minutes, 36.2 seconds.

'He lost about 10 places over the course of the second mile and at that point I was concerned that he was getting discouraged, but he rallied and got all those places back over the last mile and finished with a lot of heart and determination,” Fleming said. 'We're really proud of him for that.”