FORT DODGE – Effort and execution don’t always mesh together the way coaches and athletes hope.

Case in point: the Webster City girls’ cross country team at Tuesday’s North Central Conference meet. No one in the Lynx lineup phoned it in – quite the opposite, actually – and yet when the pre-race strategy of packing together didn’t come to fruition, the team’s chances of a top-tier finish evaporated at Lakeside Golf Course.

“It wasn’t the team race we wanted to have by any means and we were disappointed with that,” WCHS head coach Tony Bussan said after his group posted 127 points and placed sixth. “We knew that for us to achieve our goal of being in the top four, we couldn’t gap. But we gapped pretty significantly … when you gap like that, you tack on a lot of points.

“The girls were extremely committed, but we weren’t able to put together the race we needed.”

Ninth-ranked (Class 3A) Humboldt had no trouble in its attack of the five-kilometer course, which will also host the state meet in a little more than two weeks. The Wildcats placed three runners in the top 10, four in the top 12 and all seven in the top 21 on their way to their third consecutive conference crown and sixth in the last seven years.

Humboldt posted 40 points, well in front of runner-up and seventh-ranked (1A) Fort Dodge St. Edmond, which finished with 83. Algona (84) settled for third.

Iowa Falls-Alden/AGWSR’s Aubrie Fisher finished strong to claim the individual gold in 19:55.00. Teammate Bethany Lippert (20:18.60) was third, right behind silver medalist Isabella Luu (20:02.50) of Humboldt.

Haley Johnson and Allie Flaws led the WCHS contingent, just as they have all season. They raced shoulder to shoulder for nearly 2 1/2 miles before Johnson took off and passed several runners as she made her way down the finishing hill.

Johnson became the first WCHS female to complete the 5K in under 22 minutes. Her clocking of 21:52.20 earned her 14th place in the field of 54 runners.

Flaws didn’t have the kick that Johnson had over the final 400 meters, but she hung on to earn a spot in the top 20. She was 19th in 22:08.00, also a personal best.

“Our top two individuals ran really strong races,” Bussan said. “Haley, once again, her strength showed late in the race where she pushed forward, and I thought Allie ran well also.”

Ashley Flaws stuck as close to the front two as she could, but fell back over the final mile and finished 25th in 22:45.10.

Larae Ebrecht ran a methodical race for the Lynx in the No. 4 position. She actually spent the first mile near the back of the field, but pushed forward from there to take 30th in 23:08.80.

Courtney Biere (23:59.20) and Haley Flaws (24:10.80) were further back in 39th and 40th, respectively. Cassidy Bultena (24:40.30) rounded out the squad in 44th.

Tuesday’s meet marked the 27th and final conference get together for Bussan, who announced back in August that he will retire after this season. He was recognized for his contributions to the league and the sport during the post-meet awards program.

“It was nice of (St. Edmond coach) Mike Szalat to call me forward,” Bussan, who will exit with 22 conference titles and 11 runner-up results, said. “It’s been a lot of great years. It’s a matter of pride for me to have coached as long as I have at Webster City.”