MONROE - Two points made the difference for the Monroe High School boys cross country team Friday in its quest to advance to the WIAA state meet as a team.
Rain poured down onto Twining Park as cross country competitors ran along the winding path with mud splashing up their legs. While spectators moved along the course with umbrellas and warm coats, 14 Division 2 teams competed for a shot at the state competition. Monroe was one of them, hoping to place second just behind McFarland. While the Spartans pulled off their top finish in the sectional meet as expected, the Cheesemakers were knocked out by a hard-fighting Madison Edgewood team.
McFarland scored 51 points, Edgewood 75 and Monroe 77. The top two teams and top five individuals not on a qualifying team advance to state.
Monroe coach David Hirsbrunner said he was proud of the team performance, despite a disappointing ending. He
said only 100 meters made the difference between going to state and not qualifying, but that the Cheesemakers runners pushed as much as possible along the wet ground.
"I thought they did a fine job," Hirsbrunner said. "It's not that we ran that poorly, it's that Edgewood really came and got us."
Even though they didn't meet their goal of a team trip to state, the Cheesemakers' top two runners, junior Nick Baumann and sophomore Dylan Scace, qualified as individuals. Baumann led the team with a fifth-place finish in 16 minutes, 33.9 seconds over the 5,000-meter course, while Scace placed seventh in 16:45.2. Scace gave credit to one of his teammates, who fell on the muddy track, but got right back up and kept pushing toward the finish line.
"Every team showed up, and we just did as best as we could," Scace said.
After the Cheesemakers won the Badger South Conference meet, Baumann said Monroe was looking to make a statement by taking second at the sectional. The disappointment was a setback, the junior said, but both he and Scace are happy to take the competition to the next level and proudly display their team name.
"It would have been nice to make it as a team, for sure, it was kind of a disappointment, but at least we've got another race," Baumann said. "We can make a statement at state."
The rest of the top five for Monroe were Drake Ingold (20th in 17:25.2), Thang Lu (22nd in 17:33.5) and Jonah Tostrud (23rd in 17:34.2).
The boys overall winner was McFarland junior Chris Pahnke in 16:15.1.
Brodhead-Juda placed ninth with 256 points, and New Glarus-Monticello was 10th place with 261 points.
New Glarus-Monticello's first finisher was junior Kyle Frederickson, who was 30th in 17:49.5. Following him was senior Max Cruse (39th in 18:09.1), junior Christian Arnett (52nd in 18:35.1), senior Ben Jackson (59th in 18:59.1) and Cade Beutler (81st in 20:02.6).
Brodhead-Juda's top runner was junior Blake Burns, who placed 40th in 18:10.4, followed by sophomore Michael Hatter (42nd in 18:10.6), junior Reuben Larson (55th in 18:43.9), Peter Speckman (57th in 18:53.1) and junior Tyler Urness (62nd in 19:06.4).
The WIAA Division 2 state meet will take place Oct. 31 at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.
Rain poured down onto Twining Park as cross country competitors ran along the winding path with mud splashing up their legs. While spectators moved along the course with umbrellas and warm coats, 14 Division 2 teams competed for a shot at the state competition. Monroe was one of them, hoping to place second just behind McFarland. While the Spartans pulled off their top finish in the sectional meet as expected, the Cheesemakers were knocked out by a hard-fighting Madison Edgewood team.
McFarland scored 51 points, Edgewood 75 and Monroe 77. The top two teams and top five individuals not on a qualifying team advance to state.
Monroe coach David Hirsbrunner said he was proud of the team performance, despite a disappointing ending. He
said only 100 meters made the difference between going to state and not qualifying, but that the Cheesemakers runners pushed as much as possible along the wet ground.
"I thought they did a fine job," Hirsbrunner said. "It's not that we ran that poorly, it's that Edgewood really came and got us."
Even though they didn't meet their goal of a team trip to state, the Cheesemakers' top two runners, junior Nick Baumann and sophomore Dylan Scace, qualified as individuals. Baumann led the team with a fifth-place finish in 16 minutes, 33.9 seconds over the 5,000-meter course, while Scace placed seventh in 16:45.2. Scace gave credit to one of his teammates, who fell on the muddy track, but got right back up and kept pushing toward the finish line.
"Every team showed up, and we just did as best as we could," Scace said.
After the Cheesemakers won the Badger South Conference meet, Baumann said Monroe was looking to make a statement by taking second at the sectional. The disappointment was a setback, the junior said, but both he and Scace are happy to take the competition to the next level and proudly display their team name.
"It would have been nice to make it as a team, for sure, it was kind of a disappointment, but at least we've got another race," Baumann said. "We can make a statement at state."
The rest of the top five for Monroe were Drake Ingold (20th in 17:25.2), Thang Lu (22nd in 17:33.5) and Jonah Tostrud (23rd in 17:34.2).
The boys overall winner was McFarland junior Chris Pahnke in 16:15.1.
Brodhead-Juda placed ninth with 256 points, and New Glarus-Monticello was 10th place with 261 points.
New Glarus-Monticello's first finisher was junior Kyle Frederickson, who was 30th in 17:49.5. Following him was senior Max Cruse (39th in 18:09.1), junior Christian Arnett (52nd in 18:35.1), senior Ben Jackson (59th in 18:59.1) and Cade Beutler (81st in 20:02.6).
Brodhead-Juda's top runner was junior Blake Burns, who placed 40th in 18:10.4, followed by sophomore Michael Hatter (42nd in 18:10.6), junior Reuben Larson (55th in 18:43.9), Peter Speckman (57th in 18:53.1) and junior Tyler Urness (62nd in 19:06.4).
The WIAA Division 2 state meet will take place Oct. 31 at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.
