Dodger boys optimistic under new coach Read
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Entering his first season as Fort Dodge cross country coach, Austin Read will have some familiar faces to work with on the boys side.
The Dodgers return five letterwinners, which Read hopes will lead to some competitive team performances.
"It's pretty exciting," Read said. "We have a mix of top guys, along with some athletes who have been here and some newcomers that hope to continue to get better."
Senior Cael Hansen was one of the top runners for the Dodgers as a sophomore, before injuries sidelined him during his junior year. Hansen now looks to find a second wind for his final prep season.
"Cael is one of our leaders, and had some success during the track season after having to sit out (last fall)," Read said. "He is expecting fast times and leads by experience. He showed how valuable that is during our (offseason and preseason) workouts.
"He knows what he's doing and has a lot of drive."
Also back is senior Jayce Point and sophomore Jones Hensley, who had a strong freshman season. Junior Corban McHone was a varsity runner last fall, and junior Myles Summers was a letterwinner.
"Jones had a solid freshman year and I'm encouraged to see what he can do," Read said. "Jayce and Corban were strong runners, and Myles keeps getting better.
"They have proven themselves. Grant Maxon, along with a few new kids, will also be in the mix. Our five through seven will be an interesting battle and should be very competitive."
After being an assistant under Joe Jackson, Read takes over the reins for both the boys and girls programs.
"I'm fortunate that I've had some good coaches to learn from," Read said. "I learned a lot from Dee Brown (Iowa Central coach), Joe (Jackson), Dean Clasen (former Humboldt coach), and Mike (Szalat, St. Edmond’s head coach).
"I'm going to try to keep some things simple, but also, experiment a little."
Read, a 2015 Fort Dodge Senior High graduate, competed as a Dodger for three years at varsity and was on the last state boys qualifying squad. He also ran for Brown at Iowa Central.
After school, Read has been a consistent marathon runner, competing all the way through ultra marathons. He competed in the Boston Marathon in both 2022 and 2023.
Read ie excited to see gradual growth each and every day.
"I want the kids, first and foremost, to improve," Read said. "I want them to get faster. That’s process oriented. We need to warm up well and carry our philosophy with each rep in our workouts.
"We want to be competitive. I love winning, so that will come if we improve and execute."
The Dodgers don't have their seven varsity runners selected yet, as they will run their time trials at the Southeast Valley meet in Gowrie on Thursday.
2026 FORT DDOGE BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
Roster
Seniors -- Cael Hansen, Elijah Lawrence, Jayce Point, Kyran McCrady, Eli Johnson (manager).
Juniors -- Corban McHone, Grant Maxson, Isaiah Grim, Myles Summers, Carter Swanson.
Sophomores -- Austin Carmody, Jonathan Casciato, Jones Hensley, Elias Powers, Deven Tyre, Latrell Clark (manager).
Freshmen -- Wesley Anderson, Landon Waynar, Korbin Jones, Jaden Walker, Carsen Morris, Muhammad Mudsar, Cameron Norris.
Schedule
Aug. 27 -- at Southeast Valley Invite (Gowrie).
Sept. 1 -- at Webster City Invite; 17 -- at Clear Lake Invitational; 29 -- at Cherokee Cross Country meet; 22 -- at Mason City Invitational; 28 -- at Algona Invitational.
Oct. 8 -- Fort Dodge Invitational; 14 -- at Iowa Alliance Conference Meet.