Rocket runners overcome illness, new plan and wrong-way vehicle

Despite illness and a new race strategy, the Cedar Grove-Belgium High School cross country teams fared well in the small-school meets of the Jim Bremser Memorial meet in Mishicot last Thursday.

The boys scored 120 points and took fourth. The Northeast Wisconsin Christian Homeschool Athletic Association won the 18-team meet with 52 points. Sheboygan Lutheran was second with 53, followed by Manitowoc Lutheran’s 64.

The boys’ times were off.

Cable De Troye finished seventh in the 5,000-meter course in 18 minutes, 24.8 seconds. Then came Nolan Brill, 10th, 18:47.3; Carsten Huenink, 29th, 19:45.5; Grady Ketterhagen, 34th, 20:03.6; Ben Duwel, 54th, 20:41.5; David Tarter, 55th, 2:042.2; and Jack Krause, 61st, 20:51.2. Austin Hopeman missed the meet due to illness.

“The lead vehicle took a wrong turn and boys ended up running an additional .16 of mile, which is about one minute more,” coach Brandon Langer said.

When he adjusted the times, De Troye, Ketterhagen and Tarter ran personal records.

Brynlee Schmidt won the small-school meet and led the Rocket girls to 146 points and fifth place of 13 teams. Brillion won with 61, followed by Southern Door, 94; Sheboygan Lutheran, 114; and Kewaunkee, 144.

Schmidt, the school’s record-holder, finished in 20:07.09.

“She has really taken a big step in her development in terms of focus and belief in her abilities,” Langer said.

Lydia Schmidt was 11th in a personal-record 21:41.7. Then came Ava Gregory, 35th, 23:28.8; Hannah Langer, 53rd, 24:35.4; Aubrey Nett, 68th, 25:36.5; Anja Kaas, 70th, 25:43.2 and Braelyn Meinen, 87th, a personal-record 26:54.3.

“I wanted the athletes to get out of their comfort zone and go out stronger that first mile — 10 to 15 seconds quicker than what they typically have gone out at — and see how they deal with the quicker pace.  Mishicot is a flat course and is ideal for this type of strategy,” Langer said.

“I thought the runners executed this well for the most part, considering the challenges they faced.”

The Rockets run Friday, Oct. 2, at the Nightfall Classic in Green Lake.