Tommy Tyynismaa heads down the back half of the Class 3A State Cross Country Championship Race in Fort Dodge Friday afternoon. The sophomore finished 23rd with a time of 16:59.77, greatly improving on his 96th place state finish last year. -- Photo by Darvin Graham

South Tama has something to celebrate this weekend as a pair of sophomore Trojans brought home competitive, top half finishes at the Class 3A Iowa High School State Cross Country Meet.

STC’s Tommy Tyynismaa and James Brant traveled to Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge Friday afternoon to compete among some of the best runners in the state.

Tyynismaa crossed first in 23rd place with a time of 16:59.77, with Brant not far behind in 31st place with a time of 17:11.53.

“Jimmy and Tommy have been running neck and neck all season,” Head Coach Robert Tyynismaa said. “They performed well today and ran consistent with the other times they’ve had late in the season.”

Friday was the second state trip for Tommy Tyynismaa, who was South Tama’s lone qualifier last year.

In his debut at the Iowa High School State Cross Country Meet, South Tama’s James Brant made a statement finish by taking 31st place with a time of 17:11.53. With 17 senior runners graduating out of the field that finished ahead of Brant this year, the prospects for next season appear full of possibility. -- Photo by Darvin Graham

The sophomore made great strides in improving year over year, shaving nearly a minute off his 2020 finish time and jumping from 96th place all the way up to 23rd.

“I was more familiar with the course this year and knew better what I wanted to do in the race,” Tommy Tyynismaa said. “Last year I went out pretty hard and kind of paid for it. But this year I was in a lot better shape and a lot stronger both physically and mentally.”

Having the opportunity to train and compete with a partner at a similar skill level was beneficial to both runners according to Coach Tyynismaa.

“They pushed each other all year and that really spurred their success here at the state meet,” Coach Tyynismaa said.

Runners enjoyed clear skies, a slight breeze and seasonable temperatures as they ran during the midafternoon throughout the scenic golf course near Fort Dodge.

Tyynismaa said they experienced a little difficulty negotiating the first turn through a pack of runners but thankfully they were able to stay upright and continue forward.

For Brant, debuting at the state meet with a finish in the top 25 percent was a satisfying payoff to the hours and miles he’s logged over the past year.

“Having the chance to come here and run with a ton of great competition was awesome,” Brant said. “Everyone was congratulating each other at the finish and it was great to be a part of the running community here today.”

With two sophomores knocking on the door of a podium finish and a team that cracked the IATC rankings late in the year, it can be easy to start looking ahead.

“We’re young yet and, Lord willing, we’ve got two more years to try and get back here,” Brant said.

Glancing at the finisher list from Friday’s race, the future appears bright.

A total of 17 runners that finished ahead of Brant in 31st, including seven of the top 10, will graduate this year. That leaves the door open for the duo to compete toward a top 15 finish next season.

Coach Tyynismaa credited much of the success the team saw this season toward the buy-in they received on their summer workouts.

“They’re noticing that the work they’ve done in the summer is paying off,” Coach Tyynismaa said. “We had a little taste of the upper tier of 3A competition this year, and I think that will better set the table for us next year.”

The Trojans will bid farewell to seniors Jonathan Meyer, Trusten Rosenberger, Clayton Graff and Omar Castanon this year.

However, a crop of 11 sophomores including 2021 contributors Braxten Rohrs, Cade Rosenberger, Holden Schirmer and Kaden Kopsa will have an opportunity to step up and help take the Trojans to the next level in 2022.

The WaMaC Conference will remain a demanding proving ground for the Trojans as they look toward a state team run.

Five of the top 15 placewinners at this year’s championship race came out of the WaMaC Conference.

The overall 3A race winner was senior Aidan Ramsey of Dallas Center-Grimes who ran a time of 15:36.08.

The Mustangs also took the team championship with a score of 60, beating out Marion by just two points.