PRENTICE-RIB LAKE CROSS COUNTRY - ALL IN ON CHASING THE GOAL

PRENTICE-RIB LAKE CROSS COUNTRY

Those who know cross country in the state of Wisconsin have noticed what the Prentice-Rib Lake boys have done early in the season, placing them third in the state’s most recent Division 3 rankings.

But it’s the unseen work done in the offseason that has put the Hawks in this position four meets into 2024 season.

The Hawks earned their third team title of the season Tuesday, dominating Stratford’s Bear Invitational by placing six runners in the top 10 of out of 59 runners who finished the race. The Hawks’ 23 points was well ahead of host Stratford (39), ranked 13th in the latest Division 3 rankings. Another Marawood Conference rival, Chequamegon, was third with 79 points.

The unseasonably hot weather, with temperatures in the low 80s, took its toll on some runners, but the Hawks, for the most part, strode through it.

“It was tough, but I think the team really did what we needed to do, what we came here to do,” sophomore Henry Regier said after his third-place finish. “We put six guys again in the top 10. That’s big. This wasn’t a big meet, but it’s not a small meet. That’s impressive.”

“I knew I was going to be a little off today,” senior Jack Regier said after taking sixth. “We just told the guys if I’m going to do bad they need to step up and that’s what they did. They were right behind me.”

Stratford’s Cree DeFoe won the race handily in 17:16.5, but Hawk junior Kaleb Scott held the second spot basically the entire way and finished in 17:56.7. Henry Regier’s time of 18:06.2 put him 7.6 seconds ahead of Stratford’s Ethan Heeg. Ben Hartwig of Athens was a distant fifth at 18:32.3 and Jack Regier, who needed some ice treatment after crossing the finish line, came in at 18:57.2.

While those three have been the Hawks’ go-to guys, arguably the most impressive asset to the team –– its depth –– showed up after that. Four Hawks filled the next five spots.

Sophomores Jeremy Wiitala and Truman Smith pulled each other through the race and came in one second apart at 19:03.3 and 19:04.3. Another sophomore, Hagan Isaacson, placed ninth at 19:20, while senior Connor Highfill was 11th at 19:23.4, just missing a top-10 medal by 1.5 seconds.

Heston Hueckman added a 16th-place time of 19:44.7 and Eliah Harding was 20th at 20:02.6.

Prentice-Rib Lake has started out by winning its Timm’s Hill Invitational and the Chequamegon Invitational with a perfect team score of 15 and taking second at the Marathon Invitational behind Division 1 team D.C. Everest. Second-year coach Josh Isaacson said Tuesday the team definitely developed a chip on its shoulder after placing fourth at a competitive WIAA Division 3 Solon Springs sectional, 28 points away from the second-place finish needed to qualify for state, and has put in an impressive amount of work to reach that goal this fall.

“In the off-season, if you’re a longdistance runner, you know,” Scott said. “We put on the miles. Over 450. Nice and slow but always together. We got the miles up. I think a major thing other than just getting physically stronger was getting mentally stronger. Being able to just handle it every day, back-to-back, eight- to 10-mile days. That also just taught us discipline and that’s got us to where we are right now.”

“I like to say that cross country races are won in the summer,” Henry Regier said. “You can be good by training in the fall but they’re really won in the summer.”

The team roster grew to 20-plus last year and remains high for a Division 3 team at 16 this year. But, the chemistry remains high as the Hawks push each other this year in a positive manner.

“90% of the summer was together,” Scott said. “It shows.”

The neat thing about the first four meets is the Hawks themselves have no idea of the order they’ll finish. It seemingly changes with every meet, even at the top where both Regiers and Scott have flip-flopped positions. On Tuesday, Wiitala got into the top five for the first time. Isaacson was the fifth man at Chequamegon. Smith, it could be argued is the team’s most improved runner, at the start of the year, earning a top-five scoring spot in each of the first four meets Senior Elijah Scott was the fourth man in the first two.

“There were a lot of conference teams here today and we showed the depth that we have,” Kaleb Scott said. “But we still have work to do. We still have a lot of the season left. The next time we see them they’ll be stronger. That’s the same thing we have to do. I don’t know any team that will settle for third and I don’t know any team that will settle for 13th. All of us are going to continue moving on. The conference meet will be interesting.”

“I think every one of the top 10 on our team is ready to train their butts off to get up there to work as a team and kind of compete against ourselves but ultimately compete against our competition out there,” Henry Regier said.

Jackson Schutt, another much-improved sophomore, was 22nd in Tuesday’s race at 20:09.1, just ahead of Seamus Highfill (20:22.3). Elijah Scott was 28th at 20:44.3, and freshmen Mason Hause and Dene Zuleger were 31st and 34th at 20:57.2 and 21:15.9. Kevin Head was 51st in 25:00.2 and Riley Johnson was 55th at 27:05.7.

Mosinee was fourth in the team standings with 125 points, Port Edwards totaled 135 and Athens and Pittsville were incomplete.

The Hawks are looking forward to some stiffer competition on Saturday at Wausau East’s 68th annual Smiley Invitational.

“We have Smiley next,” Jack Regier said. “We’re hoping to do well there on Saturday.”

“That’s our mini state,” Kaleb Scott said. From there, Prentice-Rib Lake has entered Tuesday’s Cadott Invitational, which will be held on this fall’s sectional course at Whispering Pines Golf Course.

The Hawks are also looking forward to hosting the Marawood Conference meet at Forest Springs on Oct. 17.

“We also would love to get that conference title back,” Scott said. “I don’t think Rib Lake-Prentice has ever done it together.”

That is indeed the case. Prentice last won Marawood titles in 1998 and 1999. Rib Lake won seven straight titles from 1991 through 1996 but hasn’t won a boys title since.

“We’re ready to really push,” Henry Regier said.

On the girls’ side of Tuesday’s meet, Prentice-Rib Lake’s three-runner squad took a hit when Kylie Orysen, who was in third place for much of the race, was a victim of the heat and was unable to finish. Kloey Paul was 25th out of 32 finishers in 29:50.4 and Avie Schutt was 28th in 31:40.2. Chequamegon edged Stratford 27-30 to win the team trophy and Mosinee was third with 74 points. Athens and Pittsville were incomplete.

Prentice-Rib Lake was third in the middle school girls meet with 63 points, one behind Stevens Point Pacelli and 24 behind Stratford. The boys were fifth.

Saturday’s meet at Wausau East starts with the Divisions 2 and 3 boys JV race at 8:30 a.m., followed by the boys varsity race at 9 a.m. The girls Divisions 2 and 3 race is set for 9:25 a.m.

Above: Prentice-Rib Lake’s Connor Highfill has the finish line in sight as he tries to stay ahead of Stratford’s Derek Wiese during Tuesday’s Stratford Bear Invitational. Right: Kaleb Scott is in cruising mode midway through the race as he has a firm hold on second place.

MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS