Class B state track preview: Parker boys see chance for title

The Parker boys were uncertain where they fit in the Class B boys track and field shuffle at the beginning of the season, especially after graduating two of their strongest runners from last year's third-place team.

However, the Pheasants might have a better shot of claiming the top spot this weekend at the state meet with Viborg/Hurley (runner-up last year) and defending champion Herreid/Selby slightly down from last spring.

For now, being in the chase again is exciting enough.

"(Senior) Ryan Olson said the other night, 'After losing Duane (Jongeling) and Jake (Vollmer), did you think we'd be back in the hunt again?'" said Parker coach Phil Bjorneberg. "I'm not predicting a win, but it's certainly neat to be up in the hunt again."

If the Pheasants are going to make a charge, it will start with seniors Michael Olson and Tristen Erickson, who both qualified for six events. The duo will key the team's 800, 3,200 and medley relays – the latter two hold the best Class B times this season – while Olson comes in with the second-fastest 800 time and Erickson the second-fastest 400 time.

Erickson is also a contender in the 200, while sophomore Zack Anderson has the top 'B' high jump mark at 6-6.

Herreid/Selby returned a solid crop from its championship team, led by defending high jump and triple jump champion Dakota Thorstenson, who holds the second-best mark in each event this season. Cooper Schaefbauer also is tied for the best pole vault performance this season, while Austin Iverson, the defending 110 hurdles champ, is a favorite in the event again and a contender in the 300 hurdles.

Freeman should also be in the mix behind Brennan Schmidt, who owns the top time in the 400.

Meanwhile, Wessington Springs senior Jase Kraft will be closing out a standout prep career attempting to win the 1,600 for the third straight year and collect his second 3,200 title in three seasons. He holds the best time in both events as well as the best 800 time.

"Jace is one of those who everything he gets, he's earned," said Bjorneberg. "We were really happy to see him win the cross country (title) last fall because, as good as he is, he would have won four in a row had Duane not been there. He's had a heck of a career."

The Class B girls team race carries considerably less drama because of Ipswich, a clear-cut favorite for a three-peat. The Tigers might not pass the meet-record 116 points they put up a year ago, but a solid two-day stretch could give them the top three performances in Class B history after they set the meet record two years ago with 89 points.

"To have the three best scores in the history of the Class B state track meet would be nice," said Ipswich coach Todd Thorson. "But we haven't discussed that at all. We haven't even discussed the three-peat. The speech before we got on the bus was, 'All you can do is control your attitude and your effort.'"

The Tigers hold the top 'B' times in nearly track event, courtesy of freshman Macy Heinz running in everything from the 100 to the 1,600 this spring and staying fresh while working back from an iron deficiency and low hemoglobin count. The standout underclassman will run in the 100, 400, 800 and 1,600 this weekend. She's the two-time defending champion in the 400 and three-time defending champ in the 800 and 1,600.

Ipswich junior Tori Moore also will look to extend her dominance by locking down her fourth consecutive 3,200. While rain has been known to affect state meet performances, Thorson said heat could be a factor for moving runners around in distance and relays this weekend.

"When you move people around, it can look like you're going to score a lot of points and then it's a whole other thing scoring them," he said. "Plus we have pole vault in there, and you never know with pole vault. We could go 1-2, which is what we're ranked, or we could get nothing. You can't count on certain points, and with the heat, it's hard to do a lot of distance events, which typically tends to be our strength."

Arlington, Freeman, Gayville-Volin and Elkton-Lake Benton are likely to make a move in the battle for second.

Gayville-Volin has a strong distance runner in freshman Laura Nelson (top 3,200 time), while Irene-Wakonda junior Lauren Sokolowski could sweep both hurdles.