If a football team loses by a touchdown, it’s a close game. If a track and field squad wins a meet by seven points, it’s like winning in football by an extra point. The 2018 1A True Team girls t/f meet saw the four squads associated with Fillmore County, finish one through four. Newcomer GMLOKS (coach Aaron Thauwald), a double-A competitor last year, battled defending champion LFCMC (coach Lori Anderson) to a near stalemate. In the end, team Lanesboro clinched its second straight 1A title, by a mere 751 to 744 tally. RPH (683) and Chatfield (671) came in third and fourth (of 15 teams). Grouping events together, going head to head (each team having two girls per), it broke down like this. LFCMC beat GMLOKS 358 to 356 in the individual “running” events. Bailey Ruen (2nd 400), Aubrey Norby (6th 400), Kaylee Arndt (2nd 800, 4th 1,600), and Katie Prinsen (4th 800, 6th 1,600) did work in the “distance” runs, LFCMC’s strength. Anika Reiland (1st 100 & 200), Emily Hovden (2nd 100), and Riley Queensland (3rd 200 & 400) did work in the sprints, GMLOKS’ strength. GMLOKS had two good hurdlers in Hailey Hindt (2nd 100-H & 300-H) and Madison Hindt (3rd 100-H, 7th 300-H). LFCMC had the top hurdler in Emma Breitsprecher (1st 100-H & 300-H). Three relays were essentially a wash. GMLOKS took 1st at the 4×100 (Kassidy Kirtz, Reiland, Hovden, Isabelle Olson) and 4×200 (Hovden, Jordyn Glynn, Lauren Buchholtz, Queensland), second at the 4×400 (Ellie Buchholtz, L. Buchholtz, Glynn, H. Hindt). LFCMC’s 4×400 (Kelly Ristau, Arndt, Breitsprecher, Bai. Ruen) took first, the 4×100 (Alida Berg, Macayla Brogle, Brielle Ruen, Ashley Miner) second, the 4×200 (Berg, Brogle, Bri. Ruen, Norby) third. FCLMC’s second place 4×800 team (Madison Simon, Malia Tessum, Ruens) was key. GMLOKS took ninth (a 21-point margin). GMLOKS won field events 235 to 225. Glynn (3rd L-Jump, 6th T-Jump), Hovden (4th P-Vault), Queensland (5th-tie H-Jump), and L-Buchholtz (6th L-Jump) helped the Bulldogs win the “jumps” and “vault” 181.5 to 135. Miner (1st P-Vault) and Breitsprecher (5th-tie H-Jump) had top fives for LFCMC. Team Burro narrowed the “field” gap by winning the “throws” 90 to 53.5, Sydney Taylor (5th Shot, 7th Disc) a key asset. GMLOKS actually tallied more points than FCLMC in 10 of 18 events. Breitsprecher, a sophomore, was LFCMC’s “MVP” with three firsts and a fifth. Reiland was notable for GMLOKS, as the 7th grader had three firsts. Top girls athletes from RPH were Kjersta Hinz (2nd H-Jump, 3rd T-Jump, 4th 100), Olivia Hoff (3rd P-Vault, 4th 100-H, 5th 300-H), Nicole Blagsvedt (2nd Shot & Discus), Kaitlyn Bieberdorf (2nd T-Jump), and Kaleah Davis (3rd Shot, 6th Disc). Silja Erickson (4th Discus, 6th Shot) led Chatfield. The Gophers had 21 finishes between 5th and 15th (all events 23-plus girls per). The Gopher girls 4×100 (Rylee Burnett, Megan Hopp, Alyssa Baum, Macy Pederson) took third, the 4×400 (Joanna Salerno, Karla Gomez, Paige Erickson, Stephanie Bradt) and 4×800 (Bradt, Sydney Allen, Tessa McMahon, Abi Gillespie) each fourth. LFCMC’s boys finished third (770.5) to St. Charles (824.5) and L-A (773.5). Chatfield took fourth, RPH seventh, and GMLOKS eighth. Burro relays were strong, as the 4×800 (Ben Eversole, Tyler Raaen, Ben Snyder, Carson Kiehne) took first, the 4×400 (J.T. Rein, Sebastian Kuehn, Matt Lutes, Josh Peters) second, the 4×200 (Eric Kunz, Kuehn, Carter Clarke, Drew Wyffels) third. Kiehne, just a frosh, added three top fours (2nd 200 & 400, 4th L-Jump). Lutes (4th 800) and Peters (5th 400) added top fives. Top Gophers were led by Nathan Meeker (1st P-Vault), Manny Perez (1st T-Jump, 7th L-Jump), Ben Muller (4th 200, 6th 400), Nolan Salerno (4th 110-H), the 4×200 (1st > Austin Swancutt, Isaiah Froese, Jared Baker, Jack Tuohy) and 4×100 (3rd > Baker, Tuohy, Carson Larrabee, Perez). RPH’s Triton Meldahl, a sophomore, was a four-event stand-out (2nd 110-H, 3rd L-Jump, 3rd T-Jump, 5th 300-H). Cullan Olson (1st Shot, 2nd Disc), Ben Wieser (3rd Shot, 5th Disc), Mitchell Ledebuhr (5th 3,200), and Alex Van Gundy (6th H-Jump) also did work RPH. Drew Lewison (1st 110-H & 300-H, 5th 200) led GMLOKS.
About Paul Trende
Sports Reporter
sports@fillmorecountyjournal.com