FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (KWAD) — Central Minnesota’s high school cross country powers took on some of the nation’s best Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Roy Griak Invitational at the Les Bolstad Golf Course at the University of Minnesota this afternoon. Wadena-Deer Creek, Perham, Hawley, Staples-Motley, Ottertail Central, Minnewaska Area, Bemidji, Brainerd, and Fergus Falls all competed with 125 other schools across the eight high school races, which featured teams from across the Midwest.

Bemidji:

The Bemidji boys answered Brainerd’s challenge with an equally inspiring race, finishing second with 124 points in the Larry Zirgibel race. William Ames (17:56.5) led the Beavers with a strong 10th-place finish (17:56), followed in quick succession by Blake DeWitt (12, 18:01) and Tanner Johnson (15, 18:07.3). Deven Bentler (34, 18:45.6, 34th) and Daniel Scherling (53, 19:05.2, 53rd) rounded out the scoring.

The Bemidji girls finished in 10th place with 296, edging out Brainerd’s 300 in the Gary Wilson Girls Race. Chloe Derby delivered a statement run up front, 6th in 20:55.0 after a crisp 6:18 opening mile and steady tempo through two. Claire Story backed her in 16th (21:14.4), with Abigail Olson made it three Lumberjacks inside the top 30, finishing 30th (21:50.5). Scorers Adeline Runnigen (112, 24:09.8) and Ivy Blumensheim (148, 24:52.0) secured the top-ten team result.

Brainerd:

The Brainerd Warriors boys team left no doubt about its team strength, winning the Larry Zirgibel Boy’s meet with just 115 points and a razor-thin 45-second spread from first to fifth scorer. Jonathan Cowell set the tone up front with 7th place in 17:52.5, following a swift 5:19 opening mile and staying in the lead pack throughout. Close behind were Beckett Miller (18, 18:09), Nolan Kalthoff (27, 18:29), Nolan Jendro (30, 18:34) and Eli Kofsmith (33, 18:37.8). Kaiden Raske (39, 18:54.3), Mullen Bratney (76, 19:26.5), Mullen Bratney (76, 19:26), Austin Nichols (110, 19:54), Taiden Meier (124, 20:06), and Rhett Lemmerhirt (125, 20:06) providing depth as displacers.

The Brainerd Girls team finished just four points back of Bemidji for 11th place in the Gary Wilson Girls Race. Briana Blasing was superb in 12th (21:08.3), hanging with the leaders through two miles and holding form up the final rise. Annelise Baird gave the Warriors a second stick under 22 minutes, 37th in 21:59.1. The scoring five stayed tight: Audreanna Hines (82, 23:24.2), Danika Ramler (86, 23:28.7, 86th), and Eva Traut (94, 23:41.3).

Fergus Falls:

The Fergus Falls Otters girls team finished 12th (300 pts) in the Girls Gopher 5K with a sharp top two and a no-quit pack behind them. Cassie Wellman was electric from the gun, surging to 6th in 20:06.7, one of the meet’s best front-running efforts. Carsyn Lill backed it up with 23rd (21:19.3), and the scoring five closed with Lydia Ugeruud (67th, 23:01.0), Natalie Gerner (123rd, 24:48.0), and Violet McConn (140th, 25:16.8).

The Fergus Falls secured a strong 10th-place finish (290 points) in the Larry Zirgibel Boys Race. Samuel Rasmussen (29, 18:33.2) and Brody Nelson (32, 18:36.7) provided a potent 1-2 punch, with Micah Mouser (46, 19:00) and Dexter Felstul (63, 19:18) kept the scoring low, while Louis Leonard (122, 20:05) sealed the top five.

Hawley:

The Hawley boys placed 15th overall (427 points) in the Gopher 5K, showcasing a pack-running style that coaches love to see in September. Drew Knecht set the tone, charging through the opening mile in 5:22 and holding strong for 29th place in 18:25.5. Coleman Hoff was next at 18:47.4 (51st), followed by Carson Bakke in 19:21.1 (94th). Rounding out the scoring five were Bennett Johnson (19:38.9, 115th) and Braeden Lessard (20:29.4, 159th).

The Hawley girls matched their counterparts with a strong 16th-place team finish (389 points) and a remarkably tight 1:44 pack spread over 5,000 meters. Dezi Aldinger led the way in 23:00.6 (59th), setting a patient but confident early pace. Close behind were Madi Hoff (23:33.5, 84th), Rylee Anderson (23:34.3, 85th), Kinzey Ellingson (23:50.6, 96th), and Rachel Swan (24:45.1, 120th).

Minnewaska Area:

The Minnewaska Area girls put together a consistent team day that ended in a 21st place finish in the Gary Wilson Girls race. Nori Song fronted the Lakers in 39th (22:08.9) after a brisk 6:11 opening mile and steady pacing. Jillian Deutsch was next in 68th (23:00.9), followed by Piper Citrowske-Lee (98, 23:48.8, 98th). Lauryn Ankeny (131, 24:27.2, 131st) and Sophia Wallin (140, 24:37.3, 140th) completed the scoring five.

Ottertail Central:

OTC senior Peter Newark delivered a statement race, powering to 21st in 18:10.2 after a bold 5:14.5 opening mile and a gritty final push up the finishing climb. His run set the tone for OTC’s 28th-place team finish (704 points) against a deep Gopher 5K field. Behind him, the Bulldogs stacked essential scorers: Drew Robinson (151, 20:15.4), Phoenix Allison (197, 21:41.6), Oren Brackin (225, 22:48.4), Jack Robinson (228, 23:00), and Benjamin Sanmoogan (238, 23:45).

The OTC girls matched that grit in the championship atmosphere, placing 24th (657 points). Tegan Brandon finished 125th and paced the group with a poised, even effort—24:53.2 off a 7:18.6 first mile—while Kailie Robinson (149, 25:30.7), Quinn Hagemeister (155, 25:48.6) and Mae Hagemeister (191, 27:33.6) battled together through the toughest stretch of the course, and Jasmine Sanmoogan (214, 32:08.8) capped the scoring to lock in the finish.

Perham:

Perham displayed its trademark depth with a pair of top-15 finishes. The Yellowjacket boys team finished in eighth-place (357 points) in the Boys Championship 5K. Senior Matt Jorgenson led the way in 17:00.8 for a 51st place finish, with Bryce Brown (61, 17:12.3) and Brody Freeland (65, 17:13.7) hot on his heels. The trio’s 44-54-58 scoring punch kept the Yellowjackets ahead of Minnesota powerhouse Wayzata and within striking distance of nationally ranked Summit (Utah) and Sioux Falls Lincoln (S.D.), which won the meet with 161 points. Reid Wokasch finished 105th (17:34), followed by Ethan Johnson (111, 17:36), and Dylan Guck (126, 17:42). Displacers Ben Mathiason (174, 18:01), Henry Mathiason (183, 18:07), Parker Hendrickx (210, 18:19), and Ethan Haataja (317, 19:11) also competed in the 450-runner field.

On the girls side, Gracie Morris (20:43.9), Julianna Scraper (20:44.4) and Caidyn Breid (20:50.5) packed tightly to finish 69th, 72nd and 80th. Behind them, steady performances from Rory Kaldor (108, 21:09) and Chayla Sweere (150, 21:36) pushed Perham to a 14th-place team finish (435 points) in a 43-team field highlighted by national powers Wayzata (1st) and Pella (2nd). Displaces were Addison Toedter (158, 21:40), Quinn Hanson (216, 22:19), Leelou Novotny (268, 22:58), and Nahla Grismer (286, 23:07).

Staples-Motley:

Senior Audrey Brownell turned heads in the Girls Championship 5K, clocking 19:26.5 to place 16th overall against a stacked, multi-state field of more than 400 runners. Elise Trif was the second Cardinal to cross the tape in 316th place (23:30), followed by Aleea Holst (339, 24:06), Suhaila Mikhaeil (349, 24:13), Lizzie Kroll (378, 25:28), Maddie Kist (385, 27:16), and Aubrey Vogle (395, 32:31). The Cardinals finished 43rd as a team with a score of 1,124.

Staples-Motley’s boys’ squad laced up later in the Gopher 5K, facing a loaded field won by Harrisburg (S.D.). The Cardinals placed 29th (727 points) and were paced by a balanced scoring pack starting with Andrew Dobson in 110th place (19:34). Gage Bjerga was the second Cardinal in (125, 19:53), followed by Garrett Bjerga (165, 20:37), Jackson Odden (206, 21:58), Gabriel Kroll (210, 22:18), Reed Leach (229, 23:08) and Alex Leach (236, 23:35).

Wadena-Deer Creek:

The Wadena-Deer Creek boys team impressed with a 13th-place finish (360 points) in the Larry Zirgibel Boys Race, anchored by a breakout run from Grant Nelson, who stormed to 8th place in 17:53.5. Owen Anderson finished 54th, (19:05) followed by Evan Schmidt (82, 19:31), Noah Stroeing (105, 19:48), and James Seelhammer (112, 19:55.9). With conference and section meets looming, WDC is shaping up as a dangerous squad in Section 6A.

The Wadena-Deer Creek girls beat its mid-race projections with a strong last mile from its scoring group, finishing 18th in the Gary Wilson Girls Race. Karly Haverkamp charged to 29th (21:50.0), splitting 13:25 at two miles. Brielle Kern (66, 23:00.7) and Cambrie Geiger (95, 23:43.8) held position in the crowded midfield. Danya Spicer (123, 24:19.5) and Annika Spicer (128, 24:25.7) closed out the scoring.

VIEW COMPLETE INDIVIDUAL RESULTS HERE

TEAM RESULTS

High School Boys Championship 5k (Sat 10:30 AM)

High School Girls Championship 5k (Sat 11:15 AM)

High School Boys Gopher 5k (Sat 12:00 PM)

High School Girls Gopher 5k (Sat 12:45 PM)

Larry Zirgibel Boys Gold 5k (Sat 1:30 PM)

Gary Wilson Girls Gold 5k (Sat 2:15 PM)