by Joe Howell
Lisbon’s boys and girls track teams put a cap on a stellar year in Bronco athletics. The Broncos won seven regional titles during the year with two in track, boys’ cross country, volleyball, football, wrestling, and boys’ basketball. This matches the record total put up by the 1999 school year by Bronco squads. In ‘99, LHS crowned regional champs in boys’ cross country, football, girls’ and boys’ basketball, boys’ and girls’ track, and boys’ golf.
The Bronco boys rolled to their 14th straight Region 1 title and 28th in 31 years by scoring in all 19 events, and posted a score of 187 points, with Fargo Oak Grove finishing in second with 109 points.
The girls’ squads from Lisbon and Milnor-Wyndmere-Lidgerwood have waged a battle in each and every meet that they have competed in for the first place trophy. It was no different on the windy fields of Concordia on Saturday, May 17. The Broncos edged MWL by a half of point, 140.5 to 140. A half-point scoring dual over 19 events there were plenty of places to win or lose a team title. However with two events remaining, Lisbon led MWL 136.5 to 123. MWL scored seven points in the 3200 run by placing fourth and seventh, while the Bronco’s Whitney Toyne held off a third MWL runner for 8th place and one very important point.
MWL now trailed 137.5 to 130 but had the fastest 1600 relay team in the field, and if they won and the Broncos did not finish higher than sixth. (If Toyne had been beaten by her competitor from MWL, the Broncos would have needed to place fourth or higher.)
MWL dominated the 1600 relay, winning by more than six seconds, but the Bronco’s squad of Kammy Larson, Taryn Wagner, Paige Elijah, and Shelby Waliser finished in sixth for three points, and Lisbon had their winning total of 140.5 points.
MWL was led by the Region 1 senior athlete of the year in Cheri Boyer. Boyer won the 100, 200, 400, and ran on the second-place 800 relay team to help account for 38 of her team’s points.
The Broncos, however, countered with their own ace, in junior Ashley Berg. Berg, who holds regional records in the 100 and 300 hurdles, and 400, guided her team by helping score 38 points. Berg won the long jump, 100 and 300 hurdles, and placed second in the 400 relay. This may seem like old hat for Berg, as Ashley has now won 10 regional individual titles. Berg also is the region record holder in the 400 and 100 and 300 hurdles. You can bet your last dollar that Ashley has been on the mailing list of many college track coaches in the area.
Lisbon also received a first place effort from Kali Olson in the high jump.
Two Bronco girls that finished in second place broke school records. Freshman Karlene Lorenz finished second in the 100 with her time of 12.63. This broke the oldest school girl’s record first set in 1982 by Lori Nims and tied by Andrea Welton in 1997 of 12.7.
Lorenz, a freshman, thought that breaking the school record was “pretty sweet.” “My time has improved a lot during the course of the year and I am looking forward to running at the state meet.”
Kammy Larson’s 9’ vault broke a three-way tie of 8’ 6” held by Lori Fry, Dana Faber, and Lindsay Will. “I think it was cool to be the first Lisbon girl to qualify for state in the pole vault by the 9’ height requirement.”
The Bronco girls have won their last three straight titles under Coach Cori Thielges. This was Thielges’ last Region 1 meet as the Bronco’s head mentor. Thielges has accepted a teaching position at Kennedy Elementary in Fargo. Cori and her husband, Jason and son Owen live in Davenport.
Thielges commented on her reign as the Bronco girl’s coach, “This is my fourth year as the head coach and we have won the last four titles. I am going to miss my girls, they are truly special to me.”
The boy’s captured four first places. Logan Carlblom won the discus; Blake Mallett the 400; 800 relay team of Ricky Roman, Elliott Olerud, Blake Mallett, Derek Hiam; and the 1600 relay team of Mallett, Anthony Finstad, Elliott Olerud, Derek Jones.
Mallett, a freshman, led Lisbon in scoring with 25 points. Mallett’s time of 51.9 in the 400 was state qualifying as was his time in the 200 (22.67) where he placed second.
Carlblom won with a power throw. In the discus, athletes usually spin 360 degrees before unleashing the disc. Carlblom pulled a hamstring muscle which limited both his participation at the region and will also limit his involvement at the state meet.
Any athlete that placed first or second or met or exceeded the state minimum qualifying standard also qualified for the state meet. The following were Broncos that placed second or met the state qualifying standard: Ricky Roman and Karlene Lorenz in the 100; Mallett in the 200; Adam Coykendall in the 110 hurdles; Tyler Wolf in the pole vault; Kammy Larson in the pole vault; Veronica Munkeby in the high jump; and the 400 relay team of Ricky Roman, Elliott Olerud, Brandon Schell, and Derek Hiam.
Larson ended a long and hard-fought berth in the state pole vault field. Kammy, a junior, cleared 9’ and whooped and hollered after three years of being one of the hardest workers on the two Bronco track squads.
Former Bronco pole vault great, Pat Rostock, has been Larson’s coach for the last two years. Rostock not only guided Larson and Wolf to the state meet but had four place winners in both the boy’s and girl’s vault with seven of the eight establishing personal records in the vault at the regional meet.
Damien Girodat, Kindred, was named the Senior boy athlete of the year.
Coaches of the Year went to Fargo Oak Grove boy’s coach, Terri Krueger and MWL’s Sandy Popp and Shelly Orth in the girl’s division.
Team scores
Boys 1. Lisbon 187 2. Oak Grove 109
3. Richland 75 4. Kindred 74.5
5. MWL 69
6. Sargent County 56 7. Central Cass 54 Oakes 54 9. Hankinson 53 10. Northern Cass 5.5 Girls
1. Lisbon 140.5 2. MWL 140
3. Northern Cass 78
4. Kindred 67
Oakes 67
6. Sargent County 62
7. Oak Grove 50 1/2
8. Richland 44 1/2
9. Hankinson 43
10. Central Cass 42 ½
Bronco placewinners – new school record *
100 3 – Ricky Roman 11.11
7 – Brandon Schell 11.51
2 – Karlene Lorenz 12.63*
200 2 – Blake Mallett 22.67
7 – Karli Freeberg 28.1
400 2 – Blake Mallett 51.9
7 – Derek Rotenberger 59.23
8 – Zach Peterson 59.79
8 – Natalie Jones 66.37
800 3 – Anthony Finstad 2:13.48
7 – Shelby Waliser 2:40.02
8 – Paige Elijah 2:42.8
1600 3 – Jayce Seelig 4:50.36
4 – Anthony Finstad 4:58.71
7 – Donovan Williams
5:15.03
8 – Keanan Kopp 5:17.29
3200 3 – Jayce Seelig 11:14.79
4 – Donovan Williams
11:32.51
5 – Keanan Kopp 11:36.47
6 – Connor Stotts 11:45.4
8 – Whitney Toyne 14:14.31
110 hurdles 1 – Nathan Dykema
15.7
2 – Adam Coykendall 16.15
100 hurdles 1 – Ashley Berg
15.91
4 – Karlene Lorenz 17.27
6 – Hillary Birchem 17.84
7 – Tracie Heacox 17.96
300 hurdles 3 – Elliott Olerud
45.06
6 – Zach Peterson 47.09
1 – Ashley Berg 46.75
8 – Natalie Jones 50.13
Pole vault 2 – Tyler Wolf 11’
4 – Brian Anderson 10’
5 – Zach Peterson 10’
8 – Jace Berg 8’ 6”
2 – Kammy Larson 9’*
4 – Karli Freeberg 8’ 6”
5 – Bryanna Rostock 8’
7 – Morgan Olson 8’
Shot put 3 – Brendon Smith
42’ 11”
Discus 1 – Logan Carlblom
138’ 5”
5– Hillary Birchem 99’ 2”
Javelin 5 – Derek Jones 141’ 6”
6 – Ricky Roman 141’
8 – Derek Hiam 137’ 7”
4 – Tracie Heacox 97’ 1”
High jump 3 – Erik Heitkamp
5’ 8”
1 – Kali Olson 5’2”
2 – Veronica Munkeby 4’ 11”
5 - Jess Rotenberger 4’ 7”
Long jump 7 – Adam Coykendall
19’ 3 ½”
8 – Erik Heitkamp 19’ 3 ½”
1 – Ashley Berg 17’ 4”
5– Veronica Munkeby
15’9 ½”
Triple jump 3 – Derek Hiam
40’ 8”
4 – Erik Heitkamp 39’ 6 ½”
3 – Taylor Wagner 32’ 11”
400 relay 2 – Ricky Roman, Elliott Olerud, Brandon Schell, Derek Hiam 45.74
2 – Kali Olson, Karli Freeberg, Karlene Lorenz, Ashley Berg 52.71
800 relay 1 – Ricky Roman, Elliott Olerud, Blake Mallett, Derek Hiam 1:34.59
4 – Hillary Birchem, Karlene Lorenz, Natalie Jones, Karli Freeberg 1:54.12
1600 relay 1 – Blake Mallett, Anthony Finstad, Elliott Olerud, Derek Jones 3:40.06
6 – Kammy Larson, Taryn Wagner, Paige Elijah, Shelby Waliser 4:38.2
3200 relay 6 – Keanan Kopp, Donovan Williams, Connor Stotts, Brandon Qual 9:38.29
4 – Shelby Waliser, Kammy Larson, Paige Elijah, Taryn Wagner 10:56.31
Filed under: Sports
