MONROE - Southern and southwest Wisconsin remains a hot bed for track athletes when it comes to the state meet at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Veterans Memorial Stadium. There is no doubt that 2014 was the year of runners in track and cross country.
Track athletes brought home more than 20 medals from the state meet including three individual state titles and one team state championship. When the leaves started changing colors in the fall, one cross country team took advantage of training on the hills and throughout the summer to prove they are still the elite team to beat. This is the second part of a two-part story detailing the top sports stories of the year. The top remaining stories are as followed:
Monroe boys win gold in track
Behind some long-distance dominance, the Monroe boys track team rolled back into town escorted by fire trucks after winning the WIAA Division 2 state championship June 7.
The Cheesemakers medaled in eight of the nine events they competed in at state and each one scored points. It's the first state team title for Monroe since 1966.
Monroe senior Ethan Moehn, a University of Arkansas recruit, completed a triple, winning state championships in three long distance races. He captured the state title in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 9 minutes, 15.02 seconds. This came on the heels of Moehn winning state championships in the 1,600 and 800. Moehn set a state record winning the title in the 1,600 with a time of 4:09.56, which broke a 33-year-old record of John Easker of Wittenberg-Birnamwood. The Cheesemakers dominated the 1,600 with three of the top five at state. Monroe senior Jake Hirsbrunner, a University of Wisconsin-Madison track recruit, finished second (4:13.82) and fellow senior Noah Tostrud was fifth (4:15.97).
"To win the triple crown (state titles in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200) and get the team state championship is amazing," Moehn said. "It's a dream come true. I'm so proud of how everyone competed their butts off. I think it hit me when we were running around the track with the trophy. It ends as well as it could have. We went out on top."
Moehn finished his track career with seven gold medals and a Division 2 state cross country championship. Monroe long-distance track coach Dave Hirsbrunner said Moehn is the only runner in the history of the state to win every long-distance state championship.
"Now when you talk about the best runners in the history of Wisconsin like Chris Solinsky, Moehn will be right up there," Dave Hirsbrunner said.
Solinsky, a Stevens Point alumnus, won eight state championships in high school and five NCAA Division I championships at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Cheesemakers' 3,200 relay team was looking to win the school's fourth straight state title in that event. The Cheesemakers' 3,200 relay team of Trevor Blum, Noah Tostrud, Cody Faust and Jake Hirsbrunner finished as the state runner-up with a season-best time of 7:55.08. After running the 3,200 relay, Hirsbrunner went right into the high jump and cleared 6 feet, 4 inches. He cleared 6-6 and finished fourth place.
The Monroe boys 800 relay team of Blain Harpstrite, Blake Bast, Forrest Klug-Hanson and Dakota Phillips finished seventh (1:30.93) after entering state seeded 10th.
redbird boys cross country four-peats
The Darlington boys cross country team won its fourth straight WIAA Division 3 state championship at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.
The Redbirds had three of the top 10 runners at the state meet. Darlington junior Jaden Komprood finished third overall and second in the team standings (16 minutes, 28.76 seconds) and senior teammate Thomas Schultz took ninth overall and fourth in the team standings (16:46.72). Darlington junior Sean Barbee was ninth in the team standings with a lifetime best time of 17:09.15.
The Redbirds' No. 3-5 runners each finished ahead of Chequamegon's final three runners on the way to winning a state title 46-90 over Chequamegon. Both Albany and Chequamegon tied for second place. However, in a sixth runner tiebreaker, Chequamegon was awarded the silver trophy for finishing as the state runner-up.
REDBIRD football gets silver ball
The Darlington football team for the second straight year finished as the state runner-up and brought home the silver ball. Fond du Lac Saint Mary's Springs knocked off the Redbirds 37-28.
Darlington is still seeking its first state title since 1995. Darlington (12-2) rallied from a 21-point deficit.
Darlington senior fullback Myles Leahy rumbled for a 42-yard TD run. The Redbirds cashed in on two fumbles by the Ledgers on two straight kickoffs. Darlington sophomore Hunter Johnson had a 10-yard TD run and senior Jason Singer raced in for a 14-yard TD run to tie the game at 21.
Johnson rushed for 66 yards on 11 carries and scored two touchdowns. Leahy racked up 11 tackles and Singer rushed for 72 yards on 14 carries and scored one touchdown. Saint Mary's Springs kicker Zach Hintze booted three field goals including a Division 6 state record 49-yard field goal late in the second quarter. Hintze tied the all-divisions state record for the longest field goal (49 yards), which was set by Westby's Bruce Olson in 1985. St. Mary's Springs has now won three of the past four state championships.
To get back to state, the Redbirds had to hang on to win a thrilling state semifinal game 21-20 over Edgar.
Edgar stormed back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter. With the Redbirds clinging to a one-point lead, senior defensive back Dane Siegenthaler intercepted a two-point conversion pass intended for tight end Austin Borchardt to preserve the 21-20 win.
Cards make state basketball run
The Brodhead girls basketball team behind University of Iowa recruit Carly Mohns, made the school's first state tournament run.
Brodhead entered the state tournament (26-0) and ranked No. 2 for an unbeaten showdown with No. 1 ranked Neillsville. Neillsville behind University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee recruit Jenny Linder, beat Brodhead in the state semifinals 51-43 in overtime at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon.
Linder scored 33 points and had 11 rebounds. She made 10 of 10 free throws in overtime and finished 18 of 19 from the charity stripe in the game. Mohns scored 10 points in the decisive extra session. Mohns in her final prep game scored 10 points and had 13 rebounds.
Argyle baseball team's run
The Argyle baseball team made an improbable comeback from a six-run deficit to stun Shullsburg-Benton 7-6 in a WIAA Division 4 sectional semifinal June 10. With the win, the Orioles advanced to the sectional championship game but proved to be no match for the No. 1 ranked Lake Country Lutheran, losing 11-0.
Lake Country Lutheran won 32 straight games and won the state title. It was an amazing run for the Orioles, as they were just one win away from reaching state.
"We never gave up," Argyle coach Chuck Bredeson said of his team's postseason run. "We've had our struggles throughout the regular season, (but) we really put it together once the playoffs started. It felt like we could compete with any team that we played."
Argyle senior Alec Treuthardt had a two-run single to spark a three-run sixth inning.
The Orioles capped the comeback with Shullsburg-Benton electing not to use either one of their top two pitchers. Shullsburg-Benton ace Connor Crotty told his coach he wasn't sure if he could pitch.
The Miner-Zephyrs committed two errors that led to three runs with one coming off a wild pitch. With two outs, Colton Ploessl hit a towering fly ball that the Miner-Zephyrs dropped, allowing two runs to score and giving the Orioles a walk-off win.
Treuthardt pitched a complete game, allowing one earned run, seven hits, four walks and seven strikeouts. Treuthardt and junior Kyle Olson each went 2-for-4 for the Orioles.
Track athletes brought home more than 20 medals from the state meet including three individual state titles and one team state championship. When the leaves started changing colors in the fall, one cross country team took advantage of training on the hills and throughout the summer to prove they are still the elite team to beat. This is the second part of a two-part story detailing the top sports stories of the year. The top remaining stories are as followed:
Monroe boys win gold in track
Behind some long-distance dominance, the Monroe boys track team rolled back into town escorted by fire trucks after winning the WIAA Division 2 state championship June 7.
The Cheesemakers medaled in eight of the nine events they competed in at state and each one scored points. It's the first state team title for Monroe since 1966.
Monroe senior Ethan Moehn, a University of Arkansas recruit, completed a triple, winning state championships in three long distance races. He captured the state title in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 9 minutes, 15.02 seconds. This came on the heels of Moehn winning state championships in the 1,600 and 800. Moehn set a state record winning the title in the 1,600 with a time of 4:09.56, which broke a 33-year-old record of John Easker of Wittenberg-Birnamwood. The Cheesemakers dominated the 1,600 with three of the top five at state. Monroe senior Jake Hirsbrunner, a University of Wisconsin-Madison track recruit, finished second (4:13.82) and fellow senior Noah Tostrud was fifth (4:15.97).
"To win the triple crown (state titles in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200) and get the team state championship is amazing," Moehn said. "It's a dream come true. I'm so proud of how everyone competed their butts off. I think it hit me when we were running around the track with the trophy. It ends as well as it could have. We went out on top."
Moehn finished his track career with seven gold medals and a Division 2 state cross country championship. Monroe long-distance track coach Dave Hirsbrunner said Moehn is the only runner in the history of the state to win every long-distance state championship.
"Now when you talk about the best runners in the history of Wisconsin like Chris Solinsky, Moehn will be right up there," Dave Hirsbrunner said.
Solinsky, a Stevens Point alumnus, won eight state championships in high school and five NCAA Division I championships at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Cheesemakers' 3,200 relay team was looking to win the school's fourth straight state title in that event. The Cheesemakers' 3,200 relay team of Trevor Blum, Noah Tostrud, Cody Faust and Jake Hirsbrunner finished as the state runner-up with a season-best time of 7:55.08. After running the 3,200 relay, Hirsbrunner went right into the high jump and cleared 6 feet, 4 inches. He cleared 6-6 and finished fourth place.
The Monroe boys 800 relay team of Blain Harpstrite, Blake Bast, Forrest Klug-Hanson and Dakota Phillips finished seventh (1:30.93) after entering state seeded 10th.
redbird boys cross country four-peats
The Darlington boys cross country team won its fourth straight WIAA Division 3 state championship at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.
The Redbirds had three of the top 10 runners at the state meet. Darlington junior Jaden Komprood finished third overall and second in the team standings (16 minutes, 28.76 seconds) and senior teammate Thomas Schultz took ninth overall and fourth in the team standings (16:46.72). Darlington junior Sean Barbee was ninth in the team standings with a lifetime best time of 17:09.15.
The Redbirds' No. 3-5 runners each finished ahead of Chequamegon's final three runners on the way to winning a state title 46-90 over Chequamegon. Both Albany and Chequamegon tied for second place. However, in a sixth runner tiebreaker, Chequamegon was awarded the silver trophy for finishing as the state runner-up.
REDBIRD football gets silver ball
The Darlington football team for the second straight year finished as the state runner-up and brought home the silver ball. Fond du Lac Saint Mary's Springs knocked off the Redbirds 37-28.
Darlington is still seeking its first state title since 1995. Darlington (12-2) rallied from a 21-point deficit.
Darlington senior fullback Myles Leahy rumbled for a 42-yard TD run. The Redbirds cashed in on two fumbles by the Ledgers on two straight kickoffs. Darlington sophomore Hunter Johnson had a 10-yard TD run and senior Jason Singer raced in for a 14-yard TD run to tie the game at 21.
Johnson rushed for 66 yards on 11 carries and scored two touchdowns. Leahy racked up 11 tackles and Singer rushed for 72 yards on 14 carries and scored one touchdown. Saint Mary's Springs kicker Zach Hintze booted three field goals including a Division 6 state record 49-yard field goal late in the second quarter. Hintze tied the all-divisions state record for the longest field goal (49 yards), which was set by Westby's Bruce Olson in 1985. St. Mary's Springs has now won three of the past four state championships.
To get back to state, the Redbirds had to hang on to win a thrilling state semifinal game 21-20 over Edgar.
Edgar stormed back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter. With the Redbirds clinging to a one-point lead, senior defensive back Dane Siegenthaler intercepted a two-point conversion pass intended for tight end Austin Borchardt to preserve the 21-20 win.
Cards make state basketball run
The Brodhead girls basketball team behind University of Iowa recruit Carly Mohns, made the school's first state tournament run.
Brodhead entered the state tournament (26-0) and ranked No. 2 for an unbeaten showdown with No. 1 ranked Neillsville. Neillsville behind University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee recruit Jenny Linder, beat Brodhead in the state semifinals 51-43 in overtime at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon.
Linder scored 33 points and had 11 rebounds. She made 10 of 10 free throws in overtime and finished 18 of 19 from the charity stripe in the game. Mohns scored 10 points in the decisive extra session. Mohns in her final prep game scored 10 points and had 13 rebounds.
Argyle baseball team's run
The Argyle baseball team made an improbable comeback from a six-run deficit to stun Shullsburg-Benton 7-6 in a WIAA Division 4 sectional semifinal June 10. With the win, the Orioles advanced to the sectional championship game but proved to be no match for the No. 1 ranked Lake Country Lutheran, losing 11-0.
Lake Country Lutheran won 32 straight games and won the state title. It was an amazing run for the Orioles, as they were just one win away from reaching state.
"We never gave up," Argyle coach Chuck Bredeson said of his team's postseason run. "We've had our struggles throughout the regular season, (but) we really put it together once the playoffs started. It felt like we could compete with any team that we played."
Argyle senior Alec Treuthardt had a two-run single to spark a three-run sixth inning.
The Orioles capped the comeback with Shullsburg-Benton electing not to use either one of their top two pitchers. Shullsburg-Benton ace Connor Crotty told his coach he wasn't sure if he could pitch.
The Miner-Zephyrs committed two errors that led to three runs with one coming off a wild pitch. With two outs, Colton Ploessl hit a towering fly ball that the Miner-Zephyrs dropped, allowing two runs to score and giving the Orioles a walk-off win.
Treuthardt pitched a complete game, allowing one earned run, seven hits, four walks and seven strikeouts. Treuthardt and junior Kyle Olson each went 2-for-4 for the Orioles.
