Effort leads to silver

Athens boys finish second at D-3 state

By Casey Krautkramer

Only four Athens boys competed in the WIAA Division 3 state tournament on Friday and Saturday, yet the Bluejays still managed to win the state runners-up trophy. Athens competitors performed their best at state, which made it possible for the team to bring home some hardware.

On Friday, Athens senior Caden Decker won back-to-back Division 3 state championships in the pole vault when he achieved his personal record of 14 feet, nine inches. Bluejays sophomore Ryan Peel took second place in the pole vault with 13 feet.

Athens junior Aiden Janke placed fourth in the discuss, which is his most difficult event, with a personal record of 153 feet, eight inches. The top six place winners in each track and field event make it onto the state podium. Also on Friday, Athens junior Connor Sheahan took seventh place in the one mile run in four minutes, 31.35 seconds, finishing only one second shy of breaking the school record.

The Bluejays kept their momentum going on Saturday at the state tournament. Janke won the Division 3 state shot put championship with 54 feet, 8-1/2 inches which breaks his own school record. Sheahan placed 10th in the two-mile run in nine minutes, 47.69 seconds while breaking Johnathon Nowacki’s school record.

Athens was actually in first place as a Division 3 team for most of the day on Saturday, until Chetek-Weyerhaeuser took the lead at the end. Athens finished the state tournament meet with 35 points, behind Chetek-Weyerhaeuser with 44.

The Bluejays received a welcome home celebration parade on Saturday night that began on STH 97 by Peter Trucking. Brian Lavicka, Athens fire chief, drove a fire truck in leading the state runners-up Athens varsity boys track and field athletes through the village of Athens and ending at the high school.

Nathan Brost and Trevor Felzkowski lit off fireworks on the outskirts of the village limits, as the parade consisting of the fire truck, school bus and parents’ vehicles drove on STH 97 past the intersection of Mount View Lane and down the hill into the village. Tom Peter drove one of his Peter Trucking semi trucks without the trailer in the parade. Vehicles kept honking their horns to celebrate the varsity boys track and field squad’s state tournament accomplishments.

At the conclusion of the parade, Athens state track and field athletes walked down steps off the fire truck in front of the main entrance to the high school. They were greeted with a rousing applause from their parents and area residents who support everything that has to do with Athens.

The foursome of Athens track and field athletes were proud to be the first boys team in 17 years to bring home some hardware from the state tournament. The 2005 Athens boys track and field squad won the Division 3 state championship.

“The four of us just accomplished something special at the state tournament,” said Caden Decker, who although didn’t break Daniel Drewek’s school record in the pole vault, he tied him as the only boys track and field athletes in Athens to ever win back-toback state pole vault championships.

Athens alum Cade Ellenbecker and Ken Kraft coach the Bluejays pole vaulters; Kraft was Ellenbecker’s Athens pole vault coach before he graduated and competed in the pole vault at UW-Oshkosh. Now Ellenbecker is back home helping Kraft coach the Athens pole vaulters. He couldn’t have asked for a better performance from his two state pole vaulters, Caden Decker and Ryan Peel.

“I am super proud of them,” Ellenbecker said. “We came into the state meet with the same mentality we had in all of our meets this season, which was to just do our best and not worry about the competition, and then we’ll see the results. This type of mindset helped our pole vaulters finish in the top two at state.”

Savannah Janke and Dakota Zillmer coached the Athens throwers this spring. Savannah had the unique opportunity to coach her youngest sibling and only brother, Aiden Janke. She’s proud of the amount of improvement her brother has made in throwing both the discus and shot put this season.

“It’s been awesome just watching him from little on, because he grew up watching my sisters and I also throw and compete in track,” Savannah said. “Now watching Aiden get to experience throwing at state was just awesome. He’s just worked incredibly hard and he is so receptive to feedback and is always pushing himself to throw better.

He told me his goal for state was to make the podium in the discuss and it would be nice if he also achieved a personal record, which he ended up doing. He told me in the shot put he was going to get 55 feet and take first place; he ended up just four inches shy of 55 feet but he still won the state shot put championship and broke his own school record. It’s just been phenomenal watching him at state and I could not ask for more.”

Cheryl Strunk, Athens varsity boys and girls track and field coach, summed up the state tournament for the Athens varsity boys track and field team this past weekend.

“Friday was a good day. Saturday was a great day but when we won a second-place trophy at state, it was a perfect day,” Strunk said.

HARD WORK PAYS OFF AT STATE- Athens junior Aiden Janke, to the far left, wins the WIAA Division 3 shot put championship while breaking the school record. He also took fourth place in the discuss at state. Senior Caden Decker, left center, won back-to-back WIAA Division 3 state pole vault championships. Junior Connor Sheahan, right center, is shown competing in the 3,200-meter run, in which he placed 10th while breaking the school record. He also took seventh place in the 1,600-meter run. Sophomore Ryan Peel, to the far right, placed second in the pole vault.