Leaving True Team with a victory lap

Streeters boys track and field wins Section 5A meet

Before the recommence of the Section 5A True Team Meet May 10, Sauk Centre boys track and field head coach Jim Metcalf pulled aside his 12 seniors and thanked them for their leadership throughout their athletic careers and relayed that they were the hardest workers he has ever coached, regardless of the meet’s result.

As it turns out, the upperclassmen’s undeniable impact showed itself once more at the section competition, as for the first time ever, the Streeters won true team with a team score of 590.5 at Sauk Centre High School in Sauk Centre.

“It’s never been done before, and to have it done on your home turf it’s a cool thing that will be with these kids forever,” Metcalf said.

Sauk Centre’s core leadership group excelled in the 10-team outing, led by Brandon Kampsen sweeping the 800- and 1,600-meter runs at 1 minute and 55.83 seconds and 4:38.33, respectively.

“He’s one of the top athletes in the state and he’s taken some kids with him, just with the way he trains with the other distance and mid-distance runners,” Metcalf said. “They feed off each other and they’re good friends.”

This comradery was evident in freshman Jacob Drevlow’s performance in the 3,200, as the cross-country state qualifier posted a first-place time of 10:34.41, over 28 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Eighth grader Logan Wiehoff added on to this distance domination with a third-place mark of 11:08.31.

“It’s just amazing what they did today in that 3,200-meter run,” Metcalf said. “I’m just really happy with those kids.”

Winning the true team meet by 67 points requires depth with two competitors in each event. Sauk Centre was a point-earning machine on this day, with a pair of Streeters landing in the top five in nine of 14 individual events.

“All of these events, we can count on whoever we have in there,” Metcalf said. “It’s been fun seeing what these kids have done this year.”

Several Streeters doubled up with top finishes. Nathan Lahr took fourth in the 800 and second in the triple jump; Ben Anderson positioned himself in third place in both the long jump and triple jump; Alex Helgeson set personal records with a second-place 11:84 race in the 100 and a fifth-place 24.18 showing in the 200; the powerful duo of Aaron Kerfeld and Spencer Marthaler breached the top-five spots in both hurdling events; Corey McCoy and Carter Schuster each broke into the top six in the shot put and discus; and Jacob Robischon displayed his versatility with fourth-place performances in the pole vault and high jump.

“He’s always steady and is always getting the team some points,” Metcalf said of Robischon, a junior. “He’ll try whatever event we throw at him. I know if we said, ‘We need someone in the 2-mile,’ he’ll do it.”

Sauk Centre also showed cohesiveness and strength with its relay groupings, especially in the 4x100 relay, where the team of Jeric Schloegl, Austin Helgeson, David Gilmore and Alex Helgeson narrowly outhustled Montevideo by .21 of a second for first place, setting a new school record in the process at 45.74. The previous mark was set in 2012 at 46.06. 

Also, the ever-reliable combination of seniors Reese Blondin, Derrick Sorenson, Lahr and Kampsen wrapped up the exciting athletic showcase by winning the 4x400 relay at 3:31.82.

And it only felt right that the team representatives sent to retrieve the trophy was the seniors, who brought the long-awaited award back to the Streeters to kickstart a victory-lap celebration around their home track.

“They just want to keep winning,” Metcalf said. “They’ve tasted it and they’re willing to put in the work to continue to have that success.”

The Streeters will take part in the Class A Minnesota True Team State Track and Field Championships, beginning at 10 a.m. May 20 at Stillwater High School in Stillwater.

Team scores: 1. Sauk Centre 590.5, 2. Montevideo 523.5, 3. Holdingford 522.5, 4. Minnewaska Area 443.5, 5. Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 386.5, 6. Royalton 295, 7. Paynesville 196.5, 8. St. Cloud Christian 145, 9. St. John’s Prep 141 and 10. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 19.

Individual results: 100: 2. Alex Helgeson 11.84 seconds and 5. Schloegl 11.98. 200: 4. Gilmore 23.92 and 5. Alex Helgeson 24.18. 400: 4. Blondin 53.95 and 5. Sorenson 54.10. 800: 1. Kampsen 1:55.83 and 4. Lahr 2:05.58. 1600: 1. Kampsen 4:38.33 and 7. Jackson Kerfeld 5:09.67. 3200: 1. Jacob Drevlow 10:34.41 and 3. Wiehoff 11:08.31. 110 hurdles: 2. Aaron Kerfeld 16.25 and 4. Marthaler 17.12. 300 hurdles: 1. Aaron Kerfeld 42.50 and 3. Marthaler 43.58. 4x100: 3. Schloegl, Austin Helgeson, Gilmore and Alex Helgeson 45.74. 4x200: 2. Schloegl, Austin Helgeson, Blondin and Gilmore 1:36.20. 4x400: 2. Blondin, Sorenson, Lahr and Kampsen 3:31.82. 4x800: 3. Zander Olmschenk, Wiehoff, Jacob Drevlow and Devin Crawford-Klinnert 8:25.81. High jump: 4. Robischon 5 feet, 4 inches and 6. Andrew Drevlow 5-4. Pole vault: 4. Robischon 9-6 and 11. Owen Christians 7-0. Long jump: 3. Anderson 19-1 and 5. McCoy 18-3 1/4. Triple jump: 2. Lahr 39-3 1/2 and 3. Anderson 38-1 1/2. Shot put: 3. Schuster 40-0 and 6. McCoy 37-3. Discus: 2. McCoy 119-4 1/2 and 6. Schuster 107-5 1/2.

Girls Track and Field

In an ideal world, track and field athletes are picking new personal records late in the season, when postseason intensity and a shot at state competition calls. 

The Streeters girls track and field program are making this idealistic prospect a reality, as 21 of the team’s 32 entrees PR’ed at the Section 5A True Team Meet May 10 at Sauk Centre High School in Sauk Centre. This clutch factor paid dividends, as Sauk Centre registered a fourth-place finish out of 10 teams with a score of 460.

“We’re finally getting to the point where the kids are seeing the results,” said Kellie Wehrman, head coach. “They’re just hungry to have that competition and see what they can do against other teams.”

Noticeable hunger and a desire to perform well translated into spectacular showings in the relay events. The 4x800 lineup of Alivia Nathe, Maizie Jennissen, Julia Wehrman and Olivia Marsh earned Sauk Centre’s highest finish of the day: second place at 11:13.61. Maizie Jennissen filled in for Francesca Rivers, creating an all-freshman foursome. 

“The girls (as a team) have exceeded my expectations from the beginning of the year,” Coach Wehrman said. “I think they’ve worked hard and seen some success. When you have success, it’s easier to come back the next day and work hard.”

Speaking of coming back, Sauk Centre embraced the return of freshman point-grabber Maddy Schuster, who scored a personal best in the 400 at 1:03.08 to snag third place and represented the program well as a member of two third-place relays.

“She was out sick last week and did not compete in either meet last week,” Coach Wehrman said. “It was fun to see her come back today.”

A slew of multi-sport athletes cemented their influence on the trajectory of the meet for Sauk Centre. Stella Schirmers and Mackenzie Ritter took fifth in the 400 and 300 hurdles, respectively; Marsh and Raya Sebek finished in sixth place in the 800 and 3,200, respectively; and Carmen Loxtercamp was the Streeters’ top discus thrower at 85-05 in seventh place.

“I feel like we’re balanced,” Coach Wehrman said. “I feel like our field events have come on a bit more and we’re even across the board when it comes to all 18 events.”

And with more positive outings like eighth graders Kenna Crider and Brianna Hansen making their 100 hurdles debuts, Alicia Jennissen hurling a third-place shot put try; Brooke Rieland leaping to sixth place in the high jump and Nina and Nya Thieschafer ending their days back-to-back at No. 5 and No. 6 in the long jump, Sauk Centre’s home appearance at the section level could not have concluded on a higher note, even with a one-day delay.

“It turned out to be an awesome day for them to compete,” Coach Wehrman said. 

Minnewaska Area continued its strong stretch of play and advanced to the Class A Minnesota True Team State Track and Field Championships with a first-place score of 563.

Team scores: 1. Minnewaska Area 563, 2. Paynesville 535.5, 3. Holdingford 520.5, 4. Sauk Centre 460, 5. Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 418.5, 6. Royalton 243.5, 7. Montevideo 208, 8. St. Cloud Christian 155, 9. St. John’s Prep 91. 5 and 10. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 27.5. 

Individual results: 100: 7. Nya Thieschafer 13.58 and 11. Nine Thieschafer 13.98. 200: 7. Nya Thieschafer and 11. Nina Thieschafer 29.00. 400: 3. Schuster 1:03.08 and 5. Schirmers 1:06.42. 800: 6. Marsh 2:39.72 and 8. Julia Wehrman 2:43.57. 1600: 10. Rivers 6:09.55. 3200: 6. Sebek 13:50.68 and 8. Alyssa Tegals 14:07.31. 100 hurdles: 7. Crider 18.72 and 12. Hansen 20.24. 300 hurdles: 5. Ritter 50.67 and 11. Victoria Marthaler 59.53. 4x100: 7. Pyper Vogt, Lindyn Anderson, Rieland and Brianna Middendorf 58.30. 4x200: 3. Schuster, Ritter, Nina Thieschafer and Nya Thieschafer 1:53.34. 4x400: 3. Ritter, Marsh, Schirmers and Schuster 4:23.20. 4x800: 2. Nathe, Maizie Jennissen, Julia Wehrman and Marsh 11:13.62. High jump: 6. Rieland 4-6 and 9. Schirmers 4-6. Pole vault: 6. Rivers 6-6 and 9. Ava Friedrichs 5-0. Long jump: 5. Nina Thieschafer 15-8 1/4 and 6. Nya Thieschafer 15-2. Triple jump: 8. Middendorf 29-11 and 11. Friedrichs 27-6 1/2. Shot put: 3. Alicia Jennissen 34-3 and 10. Loxtercamp 28-4.  Discus: 7. Loxtercamp 85-05 and 8. Alicia Jennissen 83-08.