Raider boys third at Smiley
By Casey Krautkramer
It’s obvious why Marathon veteran cross country coach EJ Otto is so excited about his young boys team this season. The Red Raider boys took third place in the combined Divisions 2/3 race during Saturday’s 68th annual Bill Smiley Invitational cross country meet in Wausau.
“The boys cross country runners gave a total team effort,” he said. “They ran as one and it showed in the score. Each boy ran personal best times and it came down to the sixth place runner on our team, freshman Brevyn Johnson, and Little Chute’s runner. Johnson finished ahead of him giving our team third place overall in Divisions 2/3 combined. The kids had a great week. They practice to get better and it is starting to show.”
Marathon sophomore Logan Peters took ninth place in 17 minutes, 16 seconds out of 178 competitors in the combined Divisions 2/3 race. Sophomore Brady Annis placed ninth in 17:24.9.
Athens freshman Ben Hartwig took 25th place in 17:48.5 during the combined Divisions 2/3 race. Edgar junior Cade Koch placed 31st in 18:03.
A trio of Marathon runners stuck together during the race. Sophomore Matthew Kindlarski took 51st place followed by junior John Kahn in 52nd place and junior Gavin Matthiae in 55th place.
Edgar junior Dillan Sondelski took 57th place while Johnson of Marathon finished in 63rd place. Wildcats freshman Fynn Olmsted was the next closest local runner in 109th place and Bluejays junior Eli Paul finished in 132nd place.
Two Rivers, which is ranked ninth in Division 2, won the Division 2/3 boys race. Rib Lake/Prentice, which is ranked third in Division 3, was runners-up. The Marathon boys are currently ranked 11th in Division 3.
Sheahan impresses
Athens senior Brianna Sheahan was the highest place winner among girls in The Record Review’s coverage area competing in the combined Divisions 2/3 race at Saturday’s Smiley Invitational in Wausau. She ran the tough race in 20 minutes, 48.2 seconds for 14th place among 163 runners.
Sheahan finished the race ahead of two local runners, Marathon senior Shilo Blake and Abbotsford senior Azul Diaz, who finished higher than her at the WIAA Division 3 sectional last season. Blake qualified as an individual runner for the state championship race last season while Diaz and Sheahan just missed qualifying for state.
Athens head coach Korey Rottscheit said it’s impressive what Sheahan is accomplishing thus far this season.
“It is good to see her getting better and better,” he said. “She has goals to keep getting her times faster as the season progresses. She’s been putting in the work and it’s good to see her take 14th place in the combined Divisions 2/3 race and second among Division 3 girls at the Smiley Invitational.”
See CROSS COUNTRY/ page 13
HELPING MARATHON TO A TOP THREE FINISH - Marathon junior John Kahon runs slightly ahead of his junior teammates, Matthew Kindlarski (to his left) and Gavin Matthiae (to his right) during Saturday’s Smiley Invite in Wausau.
TP PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
LOCAL GIRLS FINISH HIGH - Athens sophomore Ellis Baer and Edgar junior Sam Schmidt compete at Saturday’s Smiley Invite in Wausau. Baer took 28th place and Schmidt finished 53rd among 163 girls competing in Divisions 2/3. Cross country
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Blake of Marathon took 16h place in the combined Divisions 2/3 race in 20:53.6. Sheahan’s Athens teammate, sophomore Ellis Baer, placed 28th in 21:31.3. Edgar junior Sam Schmidt took 53rd place in 22:55.3.
Tiger boys win meet
Stratford’s cross country team won Saturday’s Wisconsin Rapids Assumption meet with a low score of 18 points. Assumption was runners-up with 61 points. Stratford had six runners place in the top eight finishers. Tigers senior Cree DeFoe won the individual meet championship in 16 minutes, 58.20 seconds. Senior Ethan Heeg finished as runner-up in 18:07.90.
Stratford senior Garrett Zuelke took fourth place in 18:27.70 while freshman Jayden DeFoe was fifth in 18:54.40, senior Derek Wiese sixth in 18:56.50 and sophomore Christopher Stuttgen eighth in 19:05.30.
Tigers senior girl Kayla Casperson took second place in 20.21.10 behind individual champion Lucy Dolan, a junior at Asssumption who finished the race in 19:37.30.
Dolan was one of four Royals who placed in the top six competitors. Assumption won the girls team championship with a low score of 24 points, followed by Westfield Area/Montello in second with 51 and Stratford in third with 53. The Assumption girls are ranked No. 1 in Division 3.
Stratford senior Breleigh Skaya took eighth place in 21:34.70 while junior Kaylie McHugh was 14th in 23:53.50, junior Lily Dabbert 17th in 24:22.80 and senior Samantha Mielke 19th in 25:02.60.
