Living up to their ranking, both the Loyola/Cleveland/St. Clair girls and boys cross country teams repeated as Tomahawk-Valley Conference champions yesterday (Thursday).
The meet was held on Madelia golf course, the same location the Crusaders competed in a week prior.
“Tonight was a great result,” said head coach Casey Olson. “Winning both the girls and boys conference titles for the second year in a row is a really special feeling.”
Both teams worked together with their teammates better than in any race yet this year, Olson said.
“They pushed each other when they were feeling strong and leaned on each other when they were struggling. While the times weren't quite there today - largely heat-related - the efforts definitely were. I'm really excited about the potential of these groups at Sections next week.”
With a 19:28.4 finish, Charlotte Meyer was over 50 seconds ahead of the silver finisher. Teammate Riley Quigley’s 20:32.1 was good for third. After the fourth-place finisher, the Crusaders took the next four spots: Lila Quast (20:44.8), Gisele McCabe (20:51.1), Kaitlyn Anderson (20:55.9) and Brooks Wagner (21:12.9).
With 22 points, the Crusader girls ran away with the varsity race. Next, Springfield/Cedar Mountain had 59 points, Wabasso had 62, and Martin County West/Butterfield-Odin had 8. The Crusaders only fielded six of the seven allowed as Maddy Seiwert was dealing with a foot injury, and subs were not allowed after the entries were finalized. There were 33 competing, but not all were attached to a complete team.
With a 18:12.2 fourth-place finish, Griffin Rutz paced the Crusader boys. Rollie Matejcek was seventh (18.42.2), Luke Kortuem was 12th (19:28.2), Jack Green was 14th (19:42.9) and Jackson Bilitz was 17th (20:15.5). Pushing at the top five were teammates Luke Phillips in 18th place (20:20.8) and Ethan Beenken in 29th place (21:44.4). There were 47 runners. Reece Nelson was away and couldn’t make the race.
The Crusaders totaled 49 points, 10 better than second-place Madelia. Sleepy Eye United was third (68), MCW/BO was fourth (69), Lester Prairie was fifth (111), Springfield/Cedar Mountain was sixth (151), and Wabasso was seventh (179).
“It was especially great to see the boys get the win while missing Reece, who has been such a big part of our team's success this year,” Olson said.
The fastest 25 percent of the runners received All-Conference Honors while the next 15 percent were All-Conference Honorable Mentions. For the boys, that meant a dozen All-Conference and seven honorable mentions. For the girls, it was eight All-Conference and five honorable mentions.
For the Crusaders, that translated to six All-Conference members for the girls (the entire varsity team).
“It's certainly no surprise to see Charlotte winning conference, but that doesn't lessen the accomplishment,” Olson said. “She's really a special athlete and it's incredibly fun to watch her run every week.”
Three Crusader boys made All-Conference (Rutz, Matejcek and Kortuem) plus three more earned an All-Conference Honorable Mention (Green, Bilitz and Phillips).
“It's pretty rare to see an eighth-grade boy competing for a conference title, but that's just how far Griffin has come this year,” Olson said. “It's been a really fun journey to witness, and each of these races teaches him something more. Fourth is a great result and I'm really excited to see how he continues to grow as a racer at sections.
Olson said Kortuem would have been as surprised as anyone if he knew at the start of the season he would go on to earn an All-Conference award.
“He's had a really strong second half to the season. We've challenged him to step up and be a big part of this team's success and our coaching staff has always known he's had this capability, so to see him figure that out for himself and just work for it has been a great experience.”
Overall, the placements show the depth of both squads and should build their confidence heading into sections next week, Olson said.
To top off the Crusader accolades, Meyer was named the conference girl Runner of the Year while Olson was named both the boys and girls Coach of the Year. Academic All-Conference awards were also presented. Meyer and Harper Rutz, who didn’t make the meet, qualified for the honor although, due to a mix-up, weren’t recognized during the awards ceremony.
All the runners not among the top seven competed in the JV/C 2500-meter race.
With a 10:38.9, c won the JV girls race. Charlotte Kirschner was second with an 11:34.7, Reese Mueller was third with an 11:37.4, Lea Taylor was sixth with a 13:03.8, and Aubryn Siebert was ninth with a 14:40.8.
Quinn Vidden’s 11:59.3 was good for second place among the C girls.
Andrew Bales’ 10:33.8, 11 seconds behind the winner, was good for a silver in the boys JV race. Anthony McCabe was fifth with an 11:16.0, and Bryce Monson was sixth with a 12:32.4.
Jase Blaschko’s 10:33.8 was good for second place among the C boys. The winning time was 9:49.7. Reid Johnson’s PR 10:36.1 put him in third place. Jennings Hatanpa was close behind with a 10:40.6 for fourth place.
“Jase and Reid have both grown a lot over the season,” Olson said. “Both have been consistently in the top five, especially over the second half of the year, and that's a big step up for Jase from where he was last year. It's great to see the year end on a high note for them, and I'm excited to see what the future holds.”
Parker Stoffel’s PR 12:29.8, a whopping 49 seconds faster than his run on the same course a week ago, put him in ninth place.
“Despite joining halfway through the season, Parker acts like he's done this for a long time,” Olson said. “He just decided that he was going to run fast today, and he did that for the entire race. It was awesome to see him make that decision and stick with it and it was a great way to end the year for him.”
The top seven and two alternate boys and girls Crusaders return to action next Thursday (October 29) when they compete at sections in the familiar Norwood-Young America’s Baylor Park.
Reid Johnson was third in the C boys 2500.
Jase Blaschko pushed his way to second place in the C boys 2500.
Anthony McCabe was fifth in the JV boys 2500.
Seventh grader Parker Stoffel lopped 49 seconds off his time on the same course a week prior for PR finish for ninth place in the boys C race.
Behind Charlotte Meyer, the rest of the Crusader girls ran in a tight pack for most of the varsity race.
Griffin Rutz finished in fourth place.
Luke Kortuem was third among the Crusaders and 12th overall.
The C boys winner circle with Reid Johnson (second from left) and Jase Blaschko on his left.
The Crusader girls filled six of the eight All-Conference slots. They are, Brooks Waagner, Kaitlyn Anderson, Gisele McCabe, Lila Quast on the left and Riley Quigley (second from right) and Charlotte Meyer (far right).
The conference champion Crusader girls, from L-R: Charlotte Meyer, Lila Quast, Brooks Waagner, Kaitlyn Anderson. Riley Quigley and Gisele McCabe. On the right is JV winner Lily Phillips.
The boys All-Conference award winners. Luke Kortuem is on the left. Griffin Rutz is fourth from right. Rollie Matejcek is sixth from left.
The conference champion Crusader boys: Luke Phillips, Jackson Bilitz, Jack Green, Griffin Rutz, Luke Kortuem, Rollie Matejcek and Ethan Beenken.
Casey Olson was named both boys and girls Conference Coach of the Year.
Charlotte Meyer was named the girl Conference Runner of the Year.
Crusaders who made the meet pose with coach Casey Olson.