IOWA CITY

The world of cross country running changed for Emmett Swartzentruber nearly a year ago in Fort Dodge.

It was historic.

It was magical.

It was powerful.

Swartzentruber, who was then a junior at Mid-Prairie, powered to a front of a state championship race he really wasn’t supposed to win. Then, he powered ahead even more. And more.

The rest of the field in the boys 5,000-meter race was just a blur in the rear-view mirror by the time he blasted across the finish line on a freezing day and somehow found coach Jeremy Meyers in a crowd of people for a victorious hug.

People assembled around the finish line looked on, almost puzzled, as if to say: Who in the world is that?

“Last year, I was kind of an underdog,” Swartzentruber said, smiling. “Under the radar. I liked that.”

Oh, he is on the radar now. No question. When the River Valley Conference championship meet was held October 15 at Kickers Soccer Park in Iowa City, Clay Bohlmann of Tipton powered on for a victory with a time of 16 minutes, 25.4 seconds.

When Swartzentruber followed him 12 seconds later, the two slapped hands in appreciation.

Last year in Fort Dodge, Bohlmann finished 12th, more than 40 seconds behind Swartzentruber.

More than a week later, Swartzentruber’s second-place finish in a state qualifier advanced him to the 2A championship race November 2 at Fort Dodge, and helped the Golden Hawks win a district team title.

Blip on the radar? Swartzentruber is now the target. Every race. And he knows it.

“For sure,” he said. “I’ve got a target on my back now. It’s totally different.”

So, as tough physically as running 5,000 meters is, never mind running those 5,000 meters on a cross country trail that changes with every race, welcome to the mental game of running. It’s a quick glance at each other in the huge army of runners assembled for a shotgun start. It’s the stare-down during warmups. It’s maybe an elbow in the gut during a crowded start.

“The big thing is just not letting that get into your head,” Swartzentruber said. “Don’t let that affect your performance. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing.”

“Emmett’s taken it well,” Mid-Prairie coach Mark Hostetler said. “It’s really hard. The other state champions that we’ve had, when you win, then all of a sudden there’s this pressure on you. I think that sometimes can make you run heavy, kind of not with that light spirit, I guess.”

For Swartzentruber and the rest of his Golden Hawk teammates, the race toward Fort Dodge really began Thursday at the state qualifier in Pella. Both Mid-Prairie’s boys and girls teams won titles so that the entire team will compete in Fort Dodge.

It is the time of year that Swartzentruber loves. Every race means something.

“It’s crazy,” he said. “Starting to get hyped and getting ready for state. This is a great time of year. I love this time of year. It’s real cross country season. Starts here. The energy in the team and everything, it changes. It’s great.”

There is a huge difference between Opening Day in Major League Baseball and Opening Night in the World Series.

This is the World Series, and Mid-Prairie is always right there.

Swartzentruber’s win in the 2023 boys championship race extended a Mid-Prairie streak of state titles that went through three Hostetler girls, the last one, Danielle, in 2022. Danielle won three state titles. Her sister, Marie, won three. Another sister, Anna, won it once.

Last year, when Danielle finished fifth in the championship race as a senior, Swartzentruber answered in the boys race with a personal-best time of 15 minutes, 51 seconds.

And just like Danielle, his former teammate, and many current Golden Hawks, Swartzentruber leans on his faith. It is truly a remarkable thing about these Golden Hawks. It’s the running, yes. They’re out there on Wellman roads at 7 on a summer morning. Pretty much, every summer morning. But it’s the faith.

“The thing I do, when I start getting stressed, letting that stuff get to me, I just kind of give it all I’ve got,” Swartzentruber said. “Really, that’s why I’m here. That’s why I do what I do. These are the abilities God selected in me. Something that I have to constantly do is just hold myself before the Lord and make sure I’m giving Him the glory, Him the credit, running for Him.”

The road is headed toward Fort Dodge. Again.

News columnist Paul Bowker can be reached at bowkerpaul1@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @bowkerpaul