Sophomore Bailey Wolf finished 55th and the Oconto Falls High School boys ran strong despite missing their top runner Saturday at the WIAA State Cross-Country Championships at The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.
Michael Friedman, who led the team all season, broke his foot while placing fourth in last week’s Division 2 sectional and could not run at state.
Even without him, the team finished 11th at state. Wisconsin Lutheran took first, followed by Monroe.
“Obviously when you have a guy out who is your No. 1 guy and probably one of the top runners in the state, it’s going to affect it (the team),” Oconto Falls coach Lon Ludemann said. “But I thought our kids ran awesome.”
The team was led by Liam Spillane, who finished 65th overall with a time of 17:37.38.
Spillane, a junior, improved on his performance as a freshman on the 2011 state-qualifying team. That year he finished 104th with a time of 17:58.18.
Oconto Falls’ second finisher, freshman Evan Konitzer, put together his best race of the season to finish in 17:43.16, good for 72nd.
“He had been our seventh guy most of the year and he ended up being our second guy,” Ludemann said. “He ran a great race. He was the third freshman in. It’s saying a lot for him, being on a state course, under that pressure.”
Konitzer and Spillane ran close together for most of the race, but Spillane’s stronger kick put him ahead in the last portion of the race.
James Malcheski finished 89th, Alex Young 109th and Michael Fifield 110th to round out the Panthers’ scoring.
“I was proud,” Ludemann said. “They could have tanked it, with not having Friedman there, but they certainly didn’t. They all stepped up and ran tough.”
In the girls race, sophomore Bailey Wolf finished 55th with a time of 16:08.63. She finished 38th last year, but had trouble finding her stride Saturday.
“She said she just got boxed in and couldn’t get into a rhythm,” Ludemann said. “She would speed up and have to slow down. It just wasn’t a very smooth race for her.”
Shorewood’s Morgan Florsheim paced the girls race, finishing in 14:29.10. The boys top finisher was Monroe’s Ethan Moehn, who crossed the finish line in 15:58.93.
Results
Boys
Teams: 1. Wisconsin Lutheran (63), 2. Monroe (95), 3. Shorewood (103), 4. Freedom (109), 5. Little Chute (120), 6. Platteville (168), 7. Notre Dame (205), 8. Catholic Memorial (221), 9. Appleton Xavier (247), 10. West Salem (256), 11. Oconto Falls (269), OVERSET FOLLOWS:12. Sparta (271), 13. Pewaukee (290), 14. Northwestern (315), 15. Portage (333), 16. Unity/Luck (438)
Oconto Falls: 65. Liam Spillane, 17:37.38; 72. Evan Konitzer, 17:43.16; 89. James Malcheski, 17:56.95; 109. Alex Young, 18:11.69; 110. Michael Fifield, 18:14.14; 121. Evan Sigmond, 18:27.37; 140. Hunter Reed, 19:06.30
Girls
Teams: 1. Edgewood (84), 2. Notre Dame (96), 3. Two Rivers (100), 4. Shorewood (126), 5. Wisconsin Lutheran (130), 6. Dodgeville/Mineral Point (149), 7. Berlin (193), 8. Plymouth (206), 9. Pewaukee (214), 10. Mauston (264), 11. Deerfield/Cambridge (280), 12. Rice Lake (293), 13. Freedom (316), 14. Clintonville (337), 15. Viroqua (345), 16. Northwestern (371)
Oconto Falls: 55. Bailey Wolf, 16:08.63
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