Jose Ramirez (right) has led the WCHS boys’ cross country team in every meet this season. He was 12th at the 2020 NCC meet. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

WEBSTER CITY — The 50th running of the North Central Conference cross country meet will take place today at Oak Ridge Golf Course in Goldfield, and the Webster City boys’ squad will attempt to keep a streak intact.

But it won’t be easy.

The Lynx have finished in the top three in each of the past seven league meets — they settled into the bronze medal slot in 2020 — with their last team title coming back in 2011. With a balanced field this season, it will take a strong performance to stay in that position.

Clear Lake, ranked 11th (Class 2A) in the state, enters the race as the favorite, as the Lions will attempt to unseat three-time defending champion Humboldt. The Wildcats have dominated the conference in recent years, but lost the 2020 individual gold (Quinton Orr) and silver (Eric Wittrock) medalists to graduation.

St. Edmond, the No. 15-ranked team (1A), should also factor into the team race.

The WCHS girls’ team will attempt to improve upon its fifth place finish in 2020 and it’s a program that last won the crown in 2007.

Iowa Falls-Alden (2019) and St. Edmond (2020) have won the last two girls’ team titles, which was preceded by a six-year championship run by Humboldt. The Gaels victory last fall was their first since 2008 and they will step onto the course today as the favorite.

St. Edmond is ranked No. 4 (1A).

Individually, St. Edmond’s Aaron Lursen (No. 24 in 1A) is the only ranked boy. On the girls’ side, Algona’s Moriah Knapp (No. 10 in 3A), Iowa Falls-Alden’s Abby Harding (No. 27 in 3A) and Clear Lake’s Addison Daughan (No. 21 in 2A) are all ranked.

Knapp was fourth a season ago. Hampton-Dumont/CAL’s Lydia Mass is the highest returning runner; she was second.

For WCHS, Jose Ramirez was attempt to jump into the boys’ top 10 after a 12th-place finish in 2020. Cole Reiling was 18th a season ago.

Emma Peck was 11th in the girls’ race last fall.

The middle school races will kick off the event at 3:45 p.m. The junior varsity girls’ race is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m., and will be followed by the varsity girls, varsity boys and JV boys in that order.