PELICAN RAPIDS, Minn. (KWAD) — The Birchwood Golf Course turned into a festival of fall running on Thursday, Sept. 25, as the Glenn Moerke Invitational brought together varsity squads from across the region. In perfect cool-and-crisp conditions, Barnesville’s girls dominated wire-to-wire, while Lake Park-Audubon’s boys packed a decisive win. Host Pelican Rapids thrilled home fans with podium finishes on both sides.
The Barnesville girls delivered a rare and emphatic perfect 15-point team score, capturing the top seven places and stamping their name on the meet’s history. Eighth-grader Cassidy Rotz ran away from the field with a winning time of 20:54.7, setting the tone early. Teammates Sienna Marshall (22:05.2) and Jovie Marshall (22:18.2) locked up second and third. Rory Guderjahn (4th, 22:33.4) and Carly Orvik (5th, 22:35.9) rounded out the official scoring five, while Liv Schmitz (6th, 22:38.7) and Braelyn Bomstad (7th, 23:03.4) gave the Trojans unmatched depth.
Behind Barnesville, Nevis (56 points) used a late surge to edge Pelican Rapids (69) for runner-up honors. Nevis was led by Taylor Monroe (13th, 25:18.1), Miranda Kowalke (14th, 25:20.2) and Kristen Sandmeyer (15th, 26:20), while the host Vikings were paced by Megan Guler’s 23:22.6 ninth-place finish and steady efforts from Aleeya Stringer Ferris (18th, 26:41.5) and Jordan Batson (20th, 29:24.7).
The Lake Park-Audubon boys made every place count, scoring 26 points to earn team gold with a tight scoring pack and a team average of 20:22.1. Hunter Harman, a senior, was brilliant up front, winning the race in 19:00.5 with a decisive move in the final mile. Sophomore Caleb Houle (4th, 20:09.6), Samuel Strom (6th, 20:16.1) and Tydan Eiter (8th, 20:29.8) formed a near-simultaneous wall at the finish. Haven Howrey (11th, 21:53.9) sealed the scoring five, giving the Raiders a 1-4-6-8-11 scoring split that no other team could match.
Pelican Rapids grabbed second place with 46 points. Senior Andrew Checco de Souza led the way in 19:37.1 for third, with Teo Thompson (8th, 20:40.5) and Jadon Peterson (9th, 20:41.3) adding key single-digit finishes. Barnesville (53) and Nevis (92) placed third and fourth.
Girls Varsity Top Ten Finishers
| Pl | Team | Score | Team Time | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barnesville | 15 | 1:50:27.4 | 22:05.5 |
| 2 | Nevis | 56 | 2:10:22.9 | 26:04.6 |
| 3 | Pelican Rapids | 69 | 2:32:19.4 | 30:27.9 |
Boys Varsity Team Results
| Pl | Team | Score | Team Time | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Park-Audubon | 26 | 1:41:49.9 | 20:22.1 |
| 2 | Pelican Rapids | 46 | 1:46:14.1 | 21:14.8 |
| 3 | Barnesville | 53 | 1:48:40.2 | 21:44.1 |
| 4 | Nevis | 92 | 2:04:02.7 | 24:48.5 |
Girls Varsity Top Ten Finishers
| Pl | Athlete | Gr | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cassidy Rotz | 8 | Barnesville | 20:54.7 |
| 2 | Sienna Marshall | 7 | Barnesville | 22:05.2 |
| 3 | Jovie Marshall | 8 | Barnesville | 22:18.2 |
| 4 | Rory Guderjahn | 8 | Barnesville | 22:33.4 |
| 5 | Carly Orvik | 8 | Barnesville | 22:35.9 |
| 6 | Liv Schmitz | 7 | Barnesville | 22:38.7 |
| 7 | Braelyn Bomstad | 9 | Barnesville | 23:03.4 |
| 8 | Molly Milleto | 10 | Lake Park-Audubon | 23:16.6 |
| 9 | Megan Guler | 11 | Pelican Rapids | 23:22.6 |
| 10 | Keyli Kinzel | 8 | Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton | 23:54.2 |
Boys Varsity Top Ten Finishers
| Pl | Athlete | Gr | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hunter Harman | 12 | Lake Park-Audubon | 19:00.5 |
| 2 | Levi Cossette | 10 | Barnesville | 19:32.5 |
| 3 | Andrew Checco de Souza | 12 | Pelican Rapids | 19:37.1 |
| 4 | Caleb Houle | 10 | Lake Park-Audubon | 20:09.6 |
| 5 | Eli Dicks | 10 | Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton | 20:10.4 |
| 6 | Samuel Strom | 10 | Lake Park-Audubon | 20:16.1 |
| 7 | Tydan Eiter | 10 | Lake Park-Audubon | 20:29.8 |
| 8 | Teo Thompson | 10 | Pelican Rapids | 20:40.5 |
| 9 | Jadon Peterson | 12 | Pelican Rapids | 20:41.3 |
| 10 | Kamryn Thompson | 9 | Barnesville | 20:47.8 |