Hatchet harriers earn pair of second-place finishes in Medford

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.”

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.”

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