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WILTON, Iowa – On the back of Wilton cross country runner Paige Wheeler’s T-shirt, in block letters, it reads her nickname: ‘Wheels.’

How appropriate.

Wheeler started down the running path when her mom, Krista, asked if she wanted to run with her when Paige was in second or third grade.

The top female cross country runner for the Beavers went along, and the rest is history.

“I wasn’t very fast,” Wheeler said of running with her mother. “It was hard to keep up at first. And then I ran in the Eager Beaver (Wilton race) ever since I was in kindergarten, and I had some success in that race and that’s what started it.

“My mom suggested I start running on my own when I was in fourth grade and that was the year I was the first girl to cross the finish line.”

Wheeler said she ran that winning mile in 6 minutes, 34 seconds — a time she said wasn’t very good.

The junior has had plenty of good running times since. She helped lead Wilton to the state cross country meet in her first two seasons. Last week, she crossed the finish line first at the Maquoketa Invitational, clocking in at 16:21. She and Becca Bartell finished 1-2 to lead the Beavers to the team title.

That led to an impromptu party once her team arrived home.

“One tradition we have is if we do well, we come home to the school parking lot, dance around and have a lot of fun,” Wheeler said. “People don’t view it (cross country) as fun, but my teammates make it fun because we get along really well.”

Wilton coach Cory Garvin said that her leadership has been beneficial for the Beavers.

“Paige leads by example,” Garvin said. “She doesn’t complain, is always ready to go and works extremely hard. Not only is she trying to improve herself, she is very supportive of the team.”

Wheeler’s personal goal for this season is to break her personal record (which is 15:17) for a 4K and to finish in the top 10 in the state. She already achieved a top 10 finish, placing ninth as a freshman, but fell back to 16th as a sophomore.

“My main goal, first of all, is to make it to Fort Dodge (the state cross country meet),” Wheeler said. “We want to make it to the porch (top three teams) again. Last year, we finished third, made it to the porch, but didn’t get a trophy. We want a trophy which will take a lot of hard work, but hopefully … (we will).”

Garvin added, “Her goal is for the team and herself to get back to the state meet and for the team to place in the top five in the state. Her personal goal is to be in the top 10 (all-state) individuals at the state meet.”

Tuesday, the Beavers took a hit in that senior leader Kim Maxwell received news that she will be out for two weeks with tendonitis. That, Wheeler said, should not stop Wilton from achieving its goals.

“With her being out, I have no doubt, not only myself but everyone will step up,” Wheeler said. “If someone is out, we’ll rise to the challenge.”

It all comes down to  hard work for Wheeler and the Beavers.

“I expect her to work hard and have fun,” Garvin said. “I don’t put any pressure on her through my expectations. I know she is capable of meeting and/or exceeding her goals, but I let that happen on its own.”

Wheeler added, “I enjoy it a lot because it is really rewarding. During workouts, it is hard to think about as fun, but when I’m done, I feel good about myself. When I finish a race, it feels good to accomplish something.

“We had a couple of girls who weren’t sure if they wanted to come out and we convinced them, and they say they don’t regret the decision at all.”

Preps to watch

Here are some of the other noteworthy high school performers this past week in the Muscatine Journal circulation area:

— Kyle Holmes, Wilton, football: The senior caught six passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns, including a long of 53 yards as time expired in the opening half of the Beavers’

35-12 win over Camanche last Friday.

He also averaged 37 yards on two punts, recorded eight solo tackles and two assisted tackles.

— Derick Minch, Muscatine, football: The Muscatine senior broke a school record held by numerous Muskies with three fumble recoveries in a 21-13 heartbreaking loss at Burlington last week. Minch has recovered five fumbles this season.

— Haylie Franklin, Muscatine, volleyball: The senior had 19 kills, 23 digs and was 16-for-19 serving with five aces in the Muskies’ 3-1 victory over Burlington. She also tallied 21 kills, 30 digs, five blocks and was 15-for-15 serving in a win over Davenport Assumption.

— Kyle Paulsen, Wilton, cross country: The Beavers’ senior crossed the finish line first in the Beavers’ win at Maquoketa last week. He covered the course in 17 minutes, 8 seconds. He also finished second at West Liberty in 17:42.