Success leads to silver

Relays help ‘Cat boys finish as state runners-up

When the Edgar Wildcats track and field teams returned from the WIAA D-3 state tournament in La Crosse on Thursday, you’d think they were coming back from a mining expedition, they were so weighed down with silver and gold.

The gold came from victories in three relays. The silver was from the boys state runner up trophy.

It was a magnificent haul, and a fitting way to cap this year’s group of seniors, who have built a stunning legacy that will be remembered for years to come.

From the gridiron, to the basketball court and now the track at Veterans Memorial Stadium, this group of Wildcats has put their stamp on history after the boys team finished second only to Aquinas, by a mere nine points, 45 to their 54.

Though for much of the day, it was the entire field chasing Edgar as the boys won the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 relays. That last relay was certainly the most impressive, and took a Herculean effort from senior Austin Dahlke.

Dahlke took the baton on the last leg of the 4x400 relay on Thursday. He started in second place, trailing the leader by roughly 40 meters, but he quickly closed the gap, setting out at a blistering pace as he made up ground, running the final leg in 49.6, crossing the line in first place.

“It’s hard enough to win one, and then to win three, and to do it in the fashion we did, by winning that 4x200, and then holding off the fastest sprinter in the state in the 4x100,” head coach Greg Streight said in near disbelief. “And then coming back in that 4x400, Austin Dahlke ran a sub 50 split when we were down 40-meters. It just proves the heart of these seniors.”

The team of Konnor Wolf, Ayden Weisenberger, Drew Guden and Kyle Brewster began the day with a victory in the 4x200 in 1:31.06. This was followed by the gold in the 4x100 as the team of Dahlke, Wolf, Guden and Brewster won it in 43.44 seconds, holding off a late charge from Aquinas, who finished second in 43.48 seconds.

Then came that last relay, the 4x400, as Dahlke, Guden, Ayden and Kohlbe Weisenberger edged Benton-Scales- Mound-Shullsburg 3:28.89 to 3:29.39.

“We came down here a couple years ago and we were pretty good, but we didn’t get what we wanted,” Brewster said, sharing his motivations. “Knowing that this was our last year we wanted to put it all on the line and strive for greatness. We ran our hardest, knowing it was our last time wearing a Wildcat uniform.”

Those results extended beyond the relays, as Dahlke made it to podium twice in individual events. The future Colordao Buffalo secured more silver with a second place in the 200-meter

BOYS SECOND AT STATE dash in 23.23 seconds. A fifth place in the long jump in 21 feet, five inches immediately after the 4x400 victory only cemented Dahlke’s place in Edgar lore.

“I wouldn’t trade it for anything else these last four years, playing with my teammates and brothers beside me,” Dahlke said, reflecting on his athletic career with Edgar. “It was an experience of a lifetime, to say the least.”

Konnor Wolf also scored points and found his way to the podium on Thursday after his prelim time in the 110-meter hurdles earlier in the day qualified him for the finals. Wolf’s time of 16.29 seconds earned him sixth place and another Edgar medal.

“I was thinking if I could make it on the podium that would be a huge accomplishment,” Wolf said after his trip to the podium. “Running against this kind of competition honestly just pushed me so much harder. It was just a blast. Those are probably two of the most fun races of my career right there.”

Wolf had a top ten finish in the triple jump as well, placing ninth overall in a new personal best distance of 42-04.25.

Girls finish 33rd overall

The Edgar boys weren’t the only Wildcats returning home with hardware. The girls team had itself a day as well at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Twice the ladies had representatives make the podium at the state tournament as they finished 33rd as a team with eight points.

The best result came from the 4x100 relay team of Rachel Brewster, Ella Morse, Amber Skrzypcak and Morgan Schelle, who placed fourth in 50.73 seconds.

“It feels amazing,” Edgar sophomore Morgan Schnelle said. “I could not have done it without my amazing teammates. We put a lot of trust in each other and I know that when one of us gets down, they’re always there for us and they bring us back up.”

Schnelle was unable to compete in last year’s state meet, and the speedy sophomore showed Wisconsin what it as missing by helping the girls win its second medal of the day after the 4x400 team of Brewster, Morse, Schnelle and Makenna Guden took sixth in 4:14.63.

As a sign of solidarity, that relay squad arrived to state with a corn-row hairstyle. Schnelle said that had little do with their speed, but senior Rachel Brewster said it had everything to do with showing solidarity.

“The braids are a sign that we’re a team,” Brewster said. “We just wanted to show the bond that we have with each other and that it takes a team to do well in a relay.”

Brewster was also competing in the 300-meter hurdles, and she took 12th in 49.57. Schnelle also had a 12th place finish, running the 100-meters in 13.48. Schnelle was 14th in the long jump, with a distance of 15-05.25.

With Thursday’s meet over, the strangest spring season in recent years came to an end for the Wildcats, but as Streit said, the memories and legacies will live on for many more years, with another trophy to adorn the case.

“To be in these situations where you can hold a trophy is a proud moment,” Streit said. “We’re taking it from a town like La Crosse, which has over 70,000 people, and we’re going back to 1,400 people that are going to be happier than heck to see us and these home grown kids.”

GOING THE DISTANCE- Edgar’s Amber Skrzypcak uses long strides to close the gap in the 4x100 relay on Thursday. The ‘Cats made podium after taking fourth.STAFF PHOTO/ROSS PATTERMANN