Tigers are 10th at state
By Casey Krautkramer
Stratford’s varsity boys cross country team on Saturday enjoyed its highest finish in 40 years at the state championship race. The Tigers took 10th place among 16 Division 3 boys teams competing at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids. It’s the school’s best finish since the 1984 team coached by Barry Brubaker was state runners-up in Class C at Christmas Mountain in Wisconsin Dells.
Current Stratford head cross country coach Kevin “Tiny” Michalski is proud of his boys team’s accomplishment at state this season after winning its first sectional championship on Oct. 26 in Colby for the first time since the 1984 squad accomplished the feat 40 years ago.
“The boys ran great and their times were awesome, especially seeing how hard the state course is,” he said. “It really shows all the hard work they put in over the summer and throughout the season.”
The Stratford boys cross country team’s other state results in school history include taking 11th place both in 2008 and 2015 and 16th place in 2016.
Stratford senior Cree DeFoe ran a great state race on Saturday despite coming within nine seconds of tying his own school record that he’s beaten many times this season. His school record is 16 minutes, 25 seconds. DeFoe finished this year’s state race in 16:34 to take 11th place among 151 boys in Division 3.
“I’m super happy with this outcome after not going to state as a freshman to taking 72nd at state as a sophomore and then 39th at state as a junior and now 11th as a senior,” DeFoe said. “It’s amazing how much I improved each year. I’m also super happy with how our guys team did at state. I couldn’t imagine being with a better group of guys. They put in the hard work in the offseason and during the season and gave it their all while being positive the whole time.”
The top five Stratford boys cross country runners account for the team’s score of 225 points. Stratford senior Ethan Heeg took 53rd place at state in 17:42. Tigers freshman Jayden DeFoe placed 101st in 18:35, junior Cooper Bosmans was 102nd in 18:37 and sophomore Christopher Stuttgen was 110th in 16:47. Stratford freshman Joey Cable placed 120th in 19:05 and senior Derek Wiese was 141st in 19:50.
Cedar Grove-Belgium won the Division 3 boys team state championship with a low score of 98 points. Marawood Conference champion Prentice/Rib Lake was state runners-up with 126 points. Marawood Conference runners-up Phillips took eighth place at state with 204 points.
Sheahan runs great at state Athens senior Brianna Sheahan took 18th place in 20:07 in the WIAA Division 3 state championship girls race on Saturday at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids. It was her first time running at state.
Bluejays head cross country coach Korey Rottscheit is excited how Sheahan ran a strong state race to conclude her high school cross country running career.
“I am so proud of Brianna this year!” he said. “She has put in a tremendous amount of work this year and in previous years to get to this point. She ran a fantastic race at state and attacked those hills with power, speed and determination. She is an amazing runner and teammate. She brought joy and passion to the sport of cross country and all the younger athletes around her look up to her and see her as a great role model. She will be truly missed next year, but I hope that her success will continue to inspire our younger athletes to keep pushing themselves to achieve those goals like Brianna did.”
Raiders compete at state Marathon sophomore Logan Peters took 29th place in 17:08 in his inaugural trip to
See STATE CROSS COUNTRY/ page 20
BUZZ CUT HELPS DEFOE PLACE 11TH AT STATE - Stratford varsity cross country runners and their head coach, Kevin “Tiny” Michalski, got buzz cuts for team unity after winning the WIAA Division 3 sectional title on Oct. 26 in Colby. Senior Cree DeFoe is shown running to an 11th place finish at Saturday’s state cross country meet in Wisconsin Rapids. The buzz cut might’ve helped him run a quicker race because he improved his finish time compared to the two prior years he ran at state.
TP PHOTOS/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
SOLID FINISH AT STATE- Marathon sophomore Logan Peters is shown running his first WIAA Division 3 state championship race in his high school career. He took 29th place.
PERFECT ENDING TO HER CAREERAthens senior Brianna Sheahan ran to an 18thplace finish in her one and only WIAA Division 3 state championship race on Saturday. State cross country
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the WIAA Division 3 state championship on Saturday at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.
Red Raiders head cross country coach EJ Otto is proud of Peters’ solid result in the state race.
“Logan, who is only a sophomore, did not let the bright lights of state affect him,” he said. “He ran a smart race that kept him in control running against an elite field. He finished 29th and had plenty left in the tank. With the experience he gained, hopefully he will use that knowledge the next two years.”
Marathon senior Shilo Blake competed in her second consecutive state championship race on Saturday. She had trouble early in the race but then finished strong.
“Shilo developed a cramping problem midway through the first mile and it left her losing the lead group of girls,” Otto said. “She began feeling better later in the two-mile portion of the race where she began to make up ground and eventually finished in 51st place. Shilo has had a marvelous career and has meant a great deal to the Marathon cross country program. Shilo will leave as the second fastest Marathon girls cross country runner of all time. She will run in college at UW-Stevens Point.”
STRONG FINISH AT STATE - Marathon senior Shilo Blake dealt with some painful cramping at the start of Saturday’s WIAA Division 3 state championship race, but she battled back to make up some time she lost and took 51st place.
TP PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD
