-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Quinton Orr of Humboldt compete in the boys 5k run during Humboldt Invitational on Monday at Sheldon Park

Quinton Orr’s dash to the finish line at state cross country last year positioned him for what turned into an incredible junior season this fall.

Now, Orr has even bigger goals as he returns to Lakeside Golf Course for the Class 3A meet this year with his Humboldt teammates.

The 3A race will hit the course inside Kennedy Park at 12:30 p.m.

As a sophomore, Orr finished behind only Mount Pleasant’s Cody Mertens, who has graduated. He led a group of underclassmen including returning third place finisher Nate Mueller of Adel-ADM and fourth place state medalist Luke Post from Center Point-Urbana.

Mueller and Orr have exchanged the top spot in the rankings this season, with Mueller entering state at No. 1 Post is ranked seventh overall.

“Being in the mix last year helped me a lot,” Orr said. “I know what to expect coming into the race. My freshman year, I was just running to have the best race I could.

“It’s a different type of race depending on how you’re trying to place. The course is fast and I know where I need to make moves and where I am distance-wise on it, so that experience will benefit me a lot. It’s just always a great blessing to be able to run at a state meet.”

Orr claimed the North Central Conference title earlier this fall and also won a district title.

“Individually, I’m racing to win, but the team has a bigger hold on my goals,” Orr said. “We are hoping to place Top-10 as a team and for us to do that, every spot is going to count. You feel indebted to the team to run your hardest and place as best as you can every race.

“The whole team has worked really hard to be able to run in November. Now that we have accomplished that goal, there isn’t much pressure going into the race. We’ve done all the training to run fast and compete, now it’s just time to do it.”

As a team last year, Humboldt placed ninth overall. Eric Wittrock, Devon Coon and Nolan Jergens are returning runners alongside Orr.

Coon is the lone senior running for the Wildcats, as Orr, Jergens, Wittrock and Carter Theesfeld are juniors. Trevor Jacobson and Jackson Chambers are both sophomores.

“Everyone has worked incredibly hard all season to be able to represent our community and school,” Orr said. “We will certainly do our part to represent it well.”

Eagle Grove’s Jon Koester will be competing in the 2A race at 1:30 p.m.