Lady Hatchet runners earn 18th Sectional title

COLBY – On Friday, Oct. 25, the Tomahawk High School cross country team headed southwest to Colby High School to compete at the WIAA Division II Sectional Cross Country Meet.

It was a chilly, but sunny, fall evening that saw a total of 15 teams face the Hatchets for the right to advance to Wisconsin Rapids next weekend for the WIAA State Championships.

The first division II race of the day was the girls at 4:15 p.m. Coming off of the heart-crushing finish of last year, the Tomahawk girls were determined to advance.

Despite never once appearing in the state rankings of the top Division II teams in Wisconsin, the Hatchets proceeded to climb their way to the top throughout the race. The end result was a Sectional Championship by one point, defeating last year’s winning team, Shawano.

“This group of girls has been putting in the work all year long,” said coach Connor Ahrens. “Not many teams can say that. They’re a motivated group inspired from within, which makes the difference. When the going got tough, the Tomahawk girls put the pedal to the medal and made moves. If you look at the race splits, nearly every girl on the team moved up their place throughout the race. What a special team.”

The Lady Hatchets scored 67 points and were led by senior Alli Palmer, who finished the race taking 3rd place with a new career best of 20:03. Junior Lydia Shaney followed, nearly cracking the top ten with an 11^th-place finish in 21:06. The ever improving sophomore Abbie Rosenmeier finished next in 15th place with, yet again, a new personal record of 21:22. Directly behind her was the impressive freshman Ellie Micke taking 16th with a new personal record of 21:23. Rounding out the scoring five was sophomore Elise Gibeault, continuing her return after her six-month-long injury, with a 22nd place finish in a season-best time of 21:54.

Rounding out the girls’ impressive race were sophomore Norah Mann and junior Faith Derleth. Mann finished the race in 35th place in a time of 22:34, with Faith finishing in 43rd in 23:26.

There were 79 runners in the girls’ race, with finishing team results as follows: Tomahawk-67, Shawano-68, Oconto Falls-104, Medford-116, Lakeland-141, Rhinelander-143, Clintonville-160, New London-183, Antigo-253, Seymour-256, Northland Pines-267, Mosinee-293, Merrill-DNS, Menominee Nation-DNS.

The boys’ Division II race began at 5 p.m. The boys continue to make progress, and despite finishing in a lower place than last year, they were much closer to the other top teams, points-wise.

New London claimed the Championship title, with Rhinelander stunning Lakeland to advance. The Hatchets scored 136 points to tie Seymour and were led by senior Dominic Boos, taking 9th place in a new personal record of 17:47. Closely finishing behind him was the dependable senior Sam Zastrow taking 13th in a time of 17:53. Though neither boy advanced individually to the state meet, they were both close and finished their cross country careers in the upper echelon of the boys Sectional.

Eclipsing yet another personal record, taking 21st with a time of 18:18, was freshman Joe Zastrow. Having a repeat time from the Great Northern Conference (GNC) Meet was junior Jeremiah Johnson with a 43rd place finish in 18:59. The determined junior Beau Stromberg rounded out the scoring five with a 50th place finish in 19:06. Tomahawk’s six and seven runners, sophomore Drew Voermans and freshman Jordyn Carew, took 56th in 19:20 and 71st in 19:52.

There were 95 runners in the boys race, with finishing team results as follows: New London-76, Rhinelander-86, Lakeland-101, Menominee Nation-129, Seymour-132, Oconto Falls-136, Tomahawk-136, Shawano-150, Northland Pines-247, Medford-249, Colby/Abbotsford-275, Merrill-316, Mosinee-344, Clintonville-DNS, Antigo-DNS.

“Our teams had good race plans and they stuck to them,’ said coach Steph Ahrens. “Our boys put themselves in great spots, and though we didn’t receive any accolades for their efforts, they did well and learned a great deal. Our girls did the same, putting themselves in contention for a state trip. Our four and five runners made the difference between a 2^nd-place finish and Sectional Champions. With the girls returning to the State Meet, it marks a new chapter for our team.”

“It was truly a special day to be a Hatchet,” said coach Jerett Flynn. “We’re so proud of the girls’ cross country team for becoming sectional champions. The boys team as well for a great season. The future is bright for both teams.”

“Though our boys felt defeated, this was again another improvement in the right direction,” coach Connor Ahrens stated. “Despite losing three great seniors, our boys must look to the future. They have the talent and the right group. They hammered out a lot of excellent workouts this season, and with patience and commitment will continue to rise. If our boys want it bad enough, they will certainly surprise a lot of teams next season.”

State meet

The GNC will be well-represented in Wisconsin Rapids this weekend. The Tomahawk girls qualified for the WIAA State Meet for the 25th time in school history while earning their 18th Sectional Title. The Rhinelander boys also qualified as a team. Teams that qualified individuals for the state meet were from Lakeland, Medford and Antigo.

The WIAA State Cross Country Championships will be held Saturday, Nov. 2, at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids. The Division II girls race begins at 12:40 p.m. Spectators should be aware that there will be a $5.00 parking fee per vehicle for parking at Wisconsin Rapids High School and the Grand Rapids Lions Club, the two shuttle sites. There will be no charge to board the buses and shuttle to and from The Ridges. All spectators will be shuttled by bus to The Ridges, entering off Griffith Ave. Spectators must purchase their ticket online using the GoFan app (www.gofan.co/app/school/WIAA2). Ticketing is required prior to admittance to the meet. Admission is $9.00 per person (child/student/adult), plus processing fees. There will be no entry without prior ticketing. It is also a no cash entry.

“Armed with this information we hope to see many Tomahawk fans and supporters at the State Cross Country Meet,” said coach Connor Ahrens.

Athletes of the Week

Elise Gibeault – “Sophomore Elise Gibeault came into the season on the injured list. A nagging spring injury prevented her from attaining any kind of mileage this summer. Midway through the season, she was finally able to begin biking, but throughout this ordeal, she had to face many inner doubts, and to her credit stayed positive and trusted the process. Putting in a good amount of work on the bike and prioritizing her health, she was able to return to competition at the home invitational. Elise did not disappoint and instantly gained her spot back on the varsity team. She then proceeded to drop a minute in one week for the GNC Meet and then played a crucial part in the girls’ Sectional victory by going from 34th place at the mile to 22nd in a time of 21:54. With Elise now healthy and returning to action for the state meet, it’s fair to say teams should look out for the mighty Hatchets when Elise is in the mix.”

Jeremiah Johnson – “A junior who has put in the work and has an incredible amount of patience is Jeremiah Johnson. This season, he is beginning to see the benefits of all his mileage and ran a seasonal best time of 18:36 at the Marshfield Invitational. As he is known by his teammates, Jerry is a great friend to many on the team, and when he sets the tone in a race or workout, his teammates follow suit. This past Friday, Jeremiah made a determined effort to break out in the Sectional Meet. Coming across the first mile in 45th place, he proceeded to push in the second mile to put himself in 39th place. This was fantastic to see, as he led two other teammates in this advance. Though he would be passed by a few boys, he finished in 43rd place tying his GNC mark of 18:59, running sub-19-minute 5k for the third time this season. The coaching staff knows that if the boys are to see continued growth next season, Jeremiah will be a key piece of the puzzle.”