Prep report: Bombers deliver points in first day of state track (2024)

Barnum threw more than just a hat into contention during the first day of MSHSL state track and field competition on Thursday, June 6.

Though most of the events on Thursday were preliminaries in classes A and AAA, some field events were completed, with two Bombers athletes scoring points.

The top Northland finisher for the day was Bombers senior Annaka Bogenholm, who flung the discus 128 feet, 6 inches. Though Bogenholm lost a tiebreaker (on her second-best throw), she still earned third-place honors with the effort and achieved a personal best.

In boys competition, shot putter Jacob Liimatainen put three points in the Bombers’ column by finishing seventh with a toss of 50 feet, 1 ½ inches.

Jason Wachter / Forum Communications

The other Northland athlete to score on Thursday was Two Harbors junior Trinity Giddings, who marked 16 feet, 11 ¾ inches and finished seventh in the long jump.

Jason Wachter / Forum Communications

Giddings’ work is far from over, however, as she comfortably booked a place for herself in Friday’s final of the Class A 400-meter dash in a time of 59.47. The top two in each of three heats qualified automatically, followed by the next three best times.

Agates teammate Delaney Nelson will also run in a final on Friday after she nabbed the last spot in the 100, running a 12.49 in her heat.

Moose Lake/Willow River had an excellent relay day on Thursday, easily qualifying for the finals in both the 4x100 and 4x200. The Rebels ran a 44.45 to take fourth overall in the shorter event, and won their heat in the 4x200 in a 1:32.12.

Esko athlete and top seed Koi Perich was unable to race in the 100 due to injury, but Mesabi East junior Evan James, who was second behind Perich at the Section 7A meet last week, will try and make it three straight Section 7 winners after he ran an 11.09 in the prelims. Tate Nelson of Two Harbors, the 2023 champ, missed the section meet with an injury.

Jason Wachter / Forum Communications

Esko did make the final field in the 4x100 relay, by a nearly infinitesimal margin.

Running in different heats, Esko and Mesabi East both ran 44.83, which was a problem because they were tied for the ninth and last place in Friday’s final. An examination of the automatic timer put Esko down for 44.823 and Mesabi East for 44.827.

Jason Wachter / Forum Communications

In Class AAA, Duluth East’s Rowan Bixler ran in the first event of the day, the 3,200-meter run, and finished 12th in a field of 19 (11:08.92). She was matched by Lydia Eaton in the 800, who set a personal record of 2:17.72, for the Greyhounds’ best individual finish for Thursday.

Competition continues Friday with Class AA preliminaries in the morning and Class A finals in the afternoon.

Faced with their backs against the wall after only their third loss of the season, Cherry’s Mason Heitzman steered the Tigers into the state tournament for the third time in school history on Thursday.

Heitzman threw a one-hitter as the Tigers won the second championship game of the day at Rock Ridge High School in Eveleth 4-1 over South Ridge after the Panthers, who have won the last five 7A tournaments contested, forced a re-run by winning game one 9-3.

Noah Asuma and Noah Sundquist delivered RBI hits in the first inning to get Cherry out in front early, but the Panthers scored what proved to be their only run of the day on a two-out passed ball as Gavin Willeck made the most of a leadoff walk.

Cherry added single runs in the third and fourth inning, while all Heitzman gave up was a leadoff double to Daniel Hakes in the bottom of the third.

Carson Brown was 3-for-4 for the Tigers, while Asuma had two hits. Blake Olson took the loss for South Ridge, allowing four runs (two earned) on nine hits and striking out four without a walk.

South Ridge, which handed Cherry one of its two regular-season losses, jumped out to a 3-0 lead in its first at-bat and kept building to win the first championship game. Eli Coon had three hits and two RBI, while Willeck, Austin Olson and Christian Pretasky posted two apiece for the Panthers, who were eliminated in the section tournament for the first time since Ely did it in 2017.

Three players had two hits apiece for Cherry.

The Tigers (20-3), who last played at state in 2008 and won the Class A title in 1997, will find out their state tournament assignment over the weekend.

No local boys tennis players made it to the semifinals of the state individual tournament on Friday, but several grabbed at least one victory in Thursday's first round.

Cloquet-Esko-Carlton's Ethan Lavan cruised past Jowell Gamez of New London-Spicer 6-1, 6-2 in the first round in Class A, but got caught from behind in a 6-7, 6-2, 6-1 defeat to Evan Ritter of Rochester Lourdes.

In Class A doubles, Jack Gabardi and Cooper Hendrickson of Hibbing made up for getting swept 6-0 in the middle set by taking the other two in tiebreakers, but another 6-0 set loss to Allan Wang and Isaak Senaratna of St. Paul Academy and Summit School portended a straight-set defeat.

Karl Kimber and Thomas Gunderson of Duluth East won their opener 6-2, 6-3 over Owen Gilbertson and Cole Haabala of Alexandria Area, but went down to defeat, 6-0, 6-2 to Tanay Panguluri and Jacob Salisbury of Wayzata.

Moose Lake/Willow River briefly evened out its ledger in the Class A state softball tournament in North Mankato on Thursday, routing Kelliher/Northome 12-2 in six innings in a consolation semifinal. The Rebels were defeated 2-0 by Red Lake Falls in the ensuing consolation championship game.

Lily Kahara had a big game in the opener, going 4-for-4, while Mackenzie Hoffman hit a two-run homer as part of an explosive 10-run fourth inning.

Elsie Leino pitched and allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits in the six-inning contest.

MLWR (14-12) outhit Red Lake Falls 4-2 in the consolation championship but the Eagles scratched out single runs in the second and third innings, while the Rebels stranded seven runners on base.

Four Rebels had one hit apiece, with Kahara and Sandra Ribich contributing doubles. Mackenzie Hoffman threw a two-hitter but took the loss.

Proctor was unable to finish off 2024 with a victory, as Glencoe-Silver Lake pulled away in the late innings for a 7-4 win in a Class AA consolation semifinal on Thursday at Caswell Park in North Mankato.

Brooklynne Patterson’s bases-clearing double dug Proctor (20-6) out of a 4-1 hole in the fourth inning but the Panthers scored twice in the fifth inning and once more in the sixth to regain the edge.

Patterson, who was 2-for-4 and scored Proctor’s other run on an Anika Burke RBI single, was the only Rail with multiple hits. Emma Shelton allowed seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits in the defeat.