A thumbnail sketch on the Class 4A boys’ race at the state cross country meet Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course, Fort Dodge.

Time: 11:30 a.m.

Individual race: Burlington’s duo of J.T. McCarthy and Marshall Moyer finished 1-2 at state last year, and both return. Moyer won the Burlington district in 16:07 while McCarthy was a disappointing fifth. Pleasant Valley’s Austin O’Brien was ninth as a sophomore, fifth as a junior, but like McCarthy didn’t have a great district run. He was sixth at Burlington.

Team race: Pleasant Valley pursues its third consecutive championship, but the Spartans were upset by Burlington at the Burlington district. Those two teams probably are the head of the class in what could be an extremely balanced race. Cedar Falls entered the district round as the No. 1 team, but was beaten soundly by Cedar Rapids Prairie at the Marshalltown district. Dubuque Senior upset a flu-ridden Iowa City High club at Noelridge, and both of those teams could enter the title picture as well.

Projected top five: 1. Pleasant Valley, 2. Burlington, 3. Iowa City High, 4. Cedar Falls, 5. Cedar Rapids Prairie.