Hatchet harriers earn pair of second-place finishes in Medford

/ Sports

For the Tomahawk Leader

MEDFORD – The Tomahawk Hatchet cross country team competed in Medford on Thursday, Sept. 28.

The boys and girls both took second place, only losing to the Ashland boys and Medford girls. The Hatchets had three runners in the top 10 finishers for both races.

The boys raced first, knowing that the bar was set high to compete against the strong Ashland team. The boys rose to the occasion, only taking second by 13 points.

The top 10 finishing boys were senior Presley Gutbrod (5th-18:14), junior Sam Zastrow (9th-18:47) and junior Dominic Boos (10th-18:56). They were followed by the rest of the squad, including Owen Dickrell (15th-19:22), Nathan Rosenmeier (18th-19:41), Jeremiah Johnson (19th-19:46), Trey Morrison (26th-20:31), Drew Voermans (32nd-21:03), Elliot O’Connor (39th-22:18), Will Boneck (41st-22:36), Ryan Montag (43rd-22:36), Eli Albrent (47th-22:50) and Gerard Gorell (50th-23:56).

Boys’ team scores: Ashland-44, Tomahawk-57, Medford-69, Rhinelander-69, and Merrill-116.

For the girls, this was a Great Northern Conference showdown preview. The girls had many indicators that they’re ready for the coming conference race, but still need to make some adjustments if they hope to dethrone the previous conference champion Red Raiders.

Exactly like their co-ed counterparts, the girls placed three in the top ten, which included freshman Elise Gibeault (5th-21:10), junior Alli Palmer (6th-21:15) and senior Rachael Reilly (9th-22:05). Rounding out the Hatchet assault were Halle Derleth (12th-22:28), Robin Schmidt (13th-22:32), Lydia Shaney (16th-23:00), Faith Derleth (28th-23:52), Norah Mann (33rd-24:10), Izzy Lee (35th-24:36), Abi Micke (41st-26:00), Reese Molitor (43rd-26:39), Jennie Frederickson (48th-28:26), Summer Gaedtke (52nd-29:17) and Kailynn Hanse (DNF).

Girls’ team scores: Medford-37, Tomahawk-45, Ashland-73, Rhinelander-74, and Merrill-148.

“The Medford Invite is a relatively flat course with great views of the race for the competitors,” said coach Steph Ahrens. “It was extremely handy for our girls to get the feel of where they need to be in relation to the defending conference champions.”

“Both teams raced with tremendous effort, which was great to see,” said coach Connor Ahrens. “This is the kind of determination we need to see come postseason. We also got to have many of our previously injured runners return to the fold. If we can make some more adjustments, both teams will be ready for the Great Northern Conference Meet.”

Photos courtesy of Connor Ahrens.

The week was capped by the 26th Annual Hatchet Cross Country Homecoming Football Relay Friday. Per tradition, the game ball was presented to the cross country captains near the end of the pep assembly by the football captains and coach Reilly. The team then ran the ball relay-style (a distance of approximately a marathon, 26- miles) from the direction of Coleman (the Homecoming Hatchet opponent) traveling northwest through Gleason back to the school complex, arriving just before game time around 6:40 p.m.

When the team arrived at the football field, they took the traditional pre-game lap around the track. The cross country captains then presented the game ball to the captains of the football team in time for the coin toss.

“It was great to hear and witness the excitement of the team during the homecoming football relay,” said coach Kurt Reinke. “This is a tradition the team greatly enjoys. It was evident with how quick they ran each leg of the relay after racing the previous day.”

The THS cross country captains presented the game ball to the captains of the football team before kickoff of the Hatchets’ homecoming game on Friday, Sept. 29.

This week’s action

The next meet for Tomahawk is the 47th annual Hatchet Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 7 at Inshalla Country Club. The first race begins at 10:30 a.m. The meet will include a 50/50 raffle fundraiser for the team’s end of season awards.

Athletes of the Week

Alli Palmer – “Battling with her knee on and off throughout the season, it seems Alli Palmer has come out on top. She has consistently dropped time throughout the season and is now vying for the team’s top position. Missing her personal record by a mere three seconds at Medford, the coaching staff knows this veteran will make the most of her upcoming meets, as she has historically peaked at the right time in the season. Her offseason mileage and day in and day out consistency, along with handling her knee, honestly and effectively has resulted in Alli having a great 2023 season. The team will need her most down the stretch if a run at the WIAA State Meet is to occur.”
Norah Mann – “Norah is another girl who has been fighting the injury bug and has found a way to keep making herself better at every practice and meet. A freshman with potential who has bounced around several positions within the team seems to be finding her stride, knocking on the door to varsity once again with her 8th-place team finish in a time of 24:10 at Medford. The coaching staff knows that she is a key piece of what the Hatchets have in store for the future.”
Ryan Montag – “A hooper at heart, Ryan has found another sport which he can excel at. Starting the season as high as 26 minutes for a 5k, he has now run under the 23 minute marker three times in a row, most recently setting a personal record at the Medford Invite with a time of 22:36. As this freshman continues to develop his distance running abilities, his basketball conditioning and shooting will improve as well due to better leg strength. With a season or two under his belt, combined with some potential track and field leg speed, Ryan might prove to be one of the boys varsity scorers sooner than he may realize.”
Will Boneck – “One of our runners with the highest ceiling of potential is freshman Will Boneck. Coming out of middle school with no sporting experience and joining cross country means we still don’t know what he can truly accomplish. This is extremely exciting. His friendly demeanor has been a great fit within the boys’ team, and his effort at practices and meets have been commendable. Another freshman who started with a 26-minute 5k has found himself in the sub-23-minute group through hard work and steadfast commitment to the program. With continued training, the coaching staff looks forward to inevitable growth from Will in his distance running career. Like his Medford side by side finishing teammate, Ryan, Will may soon be a varsity scorer, especially if track and field leg speed is added to his training regimen this coming spring. This will certainly not be the last time Will Boneck’s name graces Athlete of the Week.”
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