Esko Boys And Girls Sweep Section 7A True Team Meet

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May 9, 2012

Wes Vork-NSO

It was a complete sweep for the Esko boys and girls track and field teams at the Section 7A True Team meet, which was held in Pierz on Tuesday. The boys scored 347 pints to second place Pillager’s 303 while the girls completely dominated the competition.

True team is sponsored by the Minnesota Coaches association and is just the, a true team competition where points are awarded all the way from first to 16th place, thus giving the team with the most depth the best chance. This type of meet is usually decided by the middle of the pack runners rather than just the elite athletes.

In a display of utter dominance, the Esko girls swept all of the running events and took first place in 15 of the 18 overall events. They finished up the meet with 492.5 total points. The closest finisher in second place was Pierz with 345 points.

Esko girls Head Track Coach Tim Lindquist did not single out any one performance in Tuesday’s meet, telling Northland Sports Online. “We saw many personal and team best efforts yesterday. No one athlete can be highlighted as it is a TRUE TEAM event.” Adding, “We’ll put our best efforts again next Saturday (May 19) as we try to defend our state title.”

While the boys side was a little closer, depth still prevailed for the Eskomos with the 44 point win. Boys Head Track Coach Gary Beaudot also talked about the solid team effort in Tuesday’s win. “Our boys had lots of solid performances, including several PR’s (personal records) on the day.”

Those personal bests included the 4×100 meter team of Peterson, Reinertsen, Crow, and Leon with a time of 46.19. Reinertsen also hit a personal best in the long jump with 20’10.25″ and broke his own school record by a foot and a half in the triple jump with a 45’3.25 leap.

Other personal bests on the day included Ben Hanson (1600m 4:40.62), Riley Mudek (400m 51.19 and 200m 23.03) and eighth grader Ben Mattinen who took 1st Place in the 300 meter run with a time of 8th10:58.33.

Other boys team finishes on the day included Hinckley-Finlayson in third with 286, Pierz fourth (283), Moose Lake-Willow River fifth (268), Two Harbors sixth (183), and East Central seventh with 111.

Girls team finishers were Pillager in third with 298, Mille Lacs fourth (281.5), Two Harbors fifth (260), Hinckley-Finlayson sixth (254) Moose Lake-Willow River seventh (210.5) and East Central eighth with 167.5

Although they finished fifth as a team, the Rebels saw some strong individual performances. Ben Moonen won the 800 meter run (2:06.39) and the 1600 meter run (4:39.00). Josh Cissar turned in a solid performance on the day with second place finishes in the triple jump and 400 meter dash while Michael pender recorded a second in the 110 meter high hurdles.

The Eskomos will compete at the state meet in Stillwater on May 19.

Wes Vork can be reached at wes@northlandsportsonline.com