It was another banner season for Norwalk boys cross country in 2024. The Warriors claimed their fourth Little Hawkeye Conference title in five years, won a district championship at their State Qualifying Meet and placed fifth in Class 4A competing in their sixth consecutive State Meet at Fort Dodge.

Through the rigors of a demanding season, Norwalk was somehow able to run the same seven individuals in each varsity meet. The group includes four seniors that must now say farewell to the program. Tony Anania, Grant Wallace, Henry Groos and Corbin Oswald all played a vital role in extending the Warriors’ state meet streak, running at state a combined nine times. 

When talking about the seniors, Norwalk coach Chad Larson refers to them as great people, teammates and role models, and extremely hard workers. Larson tells KNIA Sports that most of this year’s seniors have been part of the program since seventh grade.

“They’re so close together. They’re so good about including the younger guys,” Larson said. “Our younger guys have some big shoes to fill. We’ve got other seniors that have also been part of the program for six years, and those guys are leaving a really nice mark on the program. You look at our performances, three out of (their) four years we were in the top six at State. It’s hard to beat that, really.”

The Warriors will return varsity runners Teegan Kralik, Sam Parker and Aksel Beedon next season, and will look to quickly reload with help from Sam Buhrow, Lane Osterloh, Jeremiah Brown and others. Kralik placed second at both the conference meet and state qualifier before earning 4A All-State status with a 14th-place medalist performance at State. He now holds many of the team’s course meet records.

Coach Larson adds that he is already excited for the 2025 season and says the expectation remains for another season-ending trip to Fort Dodge.