BRECKENRIDGE, Minn (KWAD) – A cool, rainy, fast evening at the Heart O’ Lakes Conference Championships turned into a Perham showcase—and a measuring stick night for Park Rapids Area and Staples-Motley—across boys and girls varsity races.

Perham’s boys produced one of the most lopsided HOL wins in recent memory, scoring 19 points with a 1–6 sweep of the front pack before anyone else could punch a number on the scoreboard. Senior Matt Jorgenson controlled the tempo from the first mile and crossed in 15:47.3, followed in a steady, unrelenting wave by freshman Brody Freeland (3rd, 16:01.1, PR), seniors Reid Wokasch (4th, 16:09.6) and Henry Mathiason (6th, 16:20.7, PR), and freshman Ethan Johnson (5th, 16:17.9, PR). Perham’s displacement was just as punishing: Dylan Guck (8th, 16:23.6) and Ben Mathiason (9th, 16:32.8) landed inside the top 10, with junior Ethan Haataja (10th, 16:45.5, PR) and sophomore Parker Hendrickx (15th, 17:11.9) still tightening the vise.

The numbers tell the same story: the Yellowjackets’ top-five averaged 16:07 averaged, and came in with a microscopic :33 spread; the top seven clocked 1:53:33 (16:13 avg.) with :45 from first to seventh. In other words, Perham didn’t just win—its entire scoring block arrived in under 34 seconds.

Park Rapids Area claimed third with 80 points, anchored by sophomore Jack Mitteness who cracked the Perham pack to finish 7th in 16:21.0. Junior Tyler Huot (PR) backed him in 12th, 17:08.5, and seniors Christian Thorson (16th, 17:38.1) and Cesar Quixan Gutierrez (19th, 17:52.2) kept the Panthers inside the top-20 mix. Parker Larson (26th, 18:37.6) closed the scoring. The Panthers’ top-five total of 1:27:37 (17:31 avg.) and 2:16 spread reflect a sturdy front half and a still-developing fifth-runner gap that should tighten with championship reps.

For Staples-Motley, the grind paid off with sixth place (180) and a clear blueprint for the Section 6A meet in Minnewaska next Thursday. Andrew Dobson led the Cardinals in 18:18.0 (23rd), with Garrett Bjerga (24th, 18:22.6), Gabriel Kroll (40th, 19:22.4), Reed Leach (44th, 19:46.2), and Jackson Odden (49th, 20:14.2) completing the scoring five; Alex Leach (50th, 20:15.4) and Jacob Faulkner (51st, 20:32.4) followed close behind. Their 1:36:03 top-five total (19:12 avg.) and 1:56 spread underscore a compact group that can shave points by nudging its third-through-fifth trio ahead of rival packs.

Owen Winter of Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (15:55.8 PR) finished runner-up in the race to Jorgenson, the only non-Yellowjacket inside the top six.

On the girls’ side, Perham put on a clinic in pack running, winning with 24 points by sweeping 2–9 behind individual champion Audrey Brownell of Staples-Motley. Senior Gracie Morris set the pace for the Yellowjackets in 2nd (18:42.0, PR), with freshman Julianna Scraper (4th, 18:55.5, PR), eighth-grader Tilly Mathies (5th, 18:56.9, PR), senior Caidyn Breid (6th, 18:57.2, SB) and senior Chayla Sweere (7th, 18:59.5) all under 19:00. Perham’s depth bordered on absurd: freshman Rory Kaldor (8th, 19:04.2, PR) and seventh-grader Adeline Werner (9th, 19:21.8, PR) were the first two displacers—both still top-10 overall. The math? 1:34:31 for the top five (18:54 avg.) with a :17 spread, and 2:12:57 for the top seven (18:59 avg.) with just :39 from No. 1 to No. 7.

Staples-Motley celebrated the individual headline of the night: senior Audrey Brownell powered away to win her third-straight conference title (MidState in ’23, HOL ’24-’25) in 18:31.1, stamping a clear lead before the Perham pack flooded the chute. The Cardinals finished fifth (134) with Aleea Holst (25th, 20:57.1), Elise Trif (29th, 21:09.7), Suhaila Mikhaeil (38th, 21:56.4) and Elizabeth Kroll (41st, 22:23.9) rounding out the scoring, and Maddie Kist (49th, 23:44.3) and Aubrey Vogle (60th, 25:34.2) in support. Their top-five total of 1:44:58 (20:59 avg.) with a 3:52 spread shows a clear front-running ace, and a middle pack that, if pulled 20–30 seconds faster through two miles, can knock double-digits off the team total at sections.

Park Rapids Area placed sixth (135) on the strength of freshman Greta Galzki’s breakout 10th-place PR (19:32.6) and a five-across that kept moving forward late: Katelynn Henderson (18th, 20:31.9), Madeline Brandt (22nd, 20:43.6), Grace Etter (35th, 21:46.2), and Breanna Deblieck (50th, 23:57.7) completed scoring; Noelle Bradt (53rd, 24:09.5) and Alessia Harmon (58th, 25:03.2) added depth. The Panthers’ 1:46:32 (21:18 avg.) with a 4:25 spread suggests a top-three that can already trade with most conference front packs; compressing runners four and five toward 21-low would immediately drop them into the top-four conversation.

Up next: Section races. Perham will head to Cold Spring for the Section 8AA meet Thursday, October 23rd; Staples-Motley will run in the Section 6A race in Minnewaska on Thursday, October 23rd; Park Rapids will head to Bagley for the Section 8A meet on Friday, October 24th.