Tomahawk runners host annual Hatchet Invitational at Inshalla Country Club

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JV girls, boys take first place

For the Tomahawk Leader

TOMAHAWK – On Saturday, Oct. 8, the Tomahawk Hatchet cross country team hosted nine schools at Inshalla Country Club for the annual Hatchet Invitational.

“It was a beautiful day to run, and the community came out in droves support the team,” noted coach Steph Ahrens. “For that, the team and coaching staff are extremely grateful.”  

 After running the game ball into the Hatchet football team the night before, the Hatchet harriers competed in their home invitational with the following finishes: Varsity girls, 3rd; varsity boys, 4th; JV girls, 1st; JV boys, 1st.

Four of the five senior Hatchet harriers (Serena, Ty, Taje and Morgan) ran the ball in for the Homecoming game at Hatchet Field on Friday, Oct. 7.

“Though some of our athletes were exhausted from the homecoming week, there were still valiant performances,” said coach Connor Ahrens. “There were 14 seasonal best times on the new course.”

The Lady Hatchets were led by medalist Alli Palmer in a time of 21:17 with a 6th-place finish. A pack of Hatchet varsity teammates trailed her, including medalist Rachael Reilly (21:45), Halle Derleth (21:55), Morgan Hansmann (22:08), Serena Reinke (22:34), Marie Gorell (22:51) and Robin Schmidt (22:57). A mixed bag of good and bad races resulted in an overall 3rd-place finish behind GNC conference competition Lakeland and Division III State-ranked Phillips.

Girls team scores: Phillips-60, Lakeland-60, Tomahawk-66, Rhinelander-89, Crandon-94, Antigo-147, Hurley-204, Mosinee-Inc., Laona/Wabeno-Inc.

The boys positioned two in the top 15 for medalist honors, led by Presley Gutbrod, as he placed 12th in a time of 18:11, and medalist Sam Zastrow, who placed 13th in a time of 18:27.

Varsity teammates included Ty Anthes (18:59), Owen Dickrell (19:32), Taje Casey (19:49), Jacob Riemer (19:50) and Brett Borchardt (19:52).

Similar to the girls, some boys excelled while others were stalled in the cool breeze, landing the boys in 4th place behind Division III powerhouse Phillips, Lakeland and Rhinelander.

Boys team results: Phillips-36, Lakeland-59, Rhinelander-69, Tomahawk-78, Crandon-121, Mosinee-156, Hurley-Inc., Antigo-Inc., Laeona/Wabeno-Inc.

Never to disappoint, both the junior varsity squads took first place. Most noticeable was that the entire scoring five of the girls JV team were top 10 medalists. They were led by junior Kambyl Mattke, who placed 2nd with a time of 23:07. Her scoring teammates were Faith Derleth (23:21), Abi Micke (23:22), Izzy Lee (23:25), and Lydia Shaney (25:05).

Other girls who helped contribute point differentials in favor of Tomahawk were Summer Gaedtke (27:47) and Jennie Frederickson (36:02).

The Tomahawk JV girls emerged as the champions of the annual Hatchet Invitational. Photos by Bridgette Reilly.

The boys were led by 2nd-place finisher Jeremiah Johnson, who ran the course in 20:39. His medalist teammates included Nathan Rosenmeier (20:50), Elliot O’Connor (21:39) and Masen Towle (22:03).

Other JV boys who helped in the victory were Bruce Peetz (22:44), Gerard Gorell (22:57), Eli Albrent (23:27) and Cayden Shepler (24:23).

Tomahawk’s JV boys also finished in first place.

“A new course is always hard to run on, but the majority of our kids accepted the challenge,” coach Bill Turgeon stated. “A few small hills and rollers proved to be the deciding aspects of the race, and our junior varsity runners came out to prove something, sweeping the field handily.”

After the awards ceremony, Hatchet cross country parents and seniors were recognized for their service and commitment to the program.

“Without their help the Tomahawk cross country program would not be what it is today,” said coach Connor Ahrens. “Once again, the coaching staff thanks all past and present cross country parents and alumni who have made their mark on Hatchet cross country.”

On Saturday, Oct. 15, the Hatchet runners will travel to Medford High School for the Great Northern Conference (GNC) meet. The first race will be the varsity girls at 11 a.m.

Athletes of the Week

Alli Palmer – “Racing within five seconds of her personal best time, Alli finished in the lead for the Lady Hatchets at this past weekend’s home invitational. Leading her teammates from the start with a 6:27 first mile was a great sight to see, ultimately finishing with a time of 21:17 on the new course at Inshalla Country Club. Some of her best races last year were later in the season, and this year is proving to be no different. A vital ingredient in the push into the postseason is being able to know when you’re ready to take the next step. The last two races, Alli has done just that, and the coaching staff looks forward to her helping the girls team make that transition in the final weeks of the season.”
Gerard Gorell – “A fighter was born at the home invite; you could see it in the freshman’s eyes as he raced. Nothing was going to slow down Gerard as he clipped at an ever faster pace on the new home course. Dropping places throughout the race and earning four varsity points, he ran a new personal-best time of 22:57, an astonishing improvement of one minute and seven seconds from his previous mark. Another daunting fact about Gerard is that he has dropped time in every single race he has run. Gerard has yet to find his wall, and in fact, may go straight through the season running faster and faster.”
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