Senior takes four firsts as NRHEG boys’ track team hosts invitational
By JIM LUTGENS
Editor/Publisher
T.J. Schiltz made the most of the final appearance on his home track.
The NRHEG High School senior won two events and ran in two first-place relays last Thursday as the boys’ track and field team took second in its own invitational.
Schiltz, looking to cap a stellar career as as the most prolific distance runner ever at NRHEG, won one of his specialties, the 1600 meters, in 4:43, and cleared 5-4 for first in the high jump. He anchored the first-place 4x800 relay team that included Tyler Schlaak, John Cole and Spencer Tollefson, and joined Adam Anderson, Raece Johnson and Schlaak to win the 4x400.
Cordell Peterson captured the Panthers’ other first, clearing 9-6 in the pole vault.
Kevin Kalis was second in the throwing events, tossing the discus 120-4 and the shot 43-5. Cole was second in the 3200.Other NRHEG places: Johnson, third, 400; Todd Erickson, third, discus and fifth, shot put; 4x100, third (Ross Chester, Aaron Seath, Ethan Borwege, Tollefson); 4x200, third (Seath, Zach Mely, Borwege, Tollefson); Nick Goette, fourth, shot put; Keith Maxon, fourth, discus; Tollefson, fourth, high jump; Chester, fifth, long jump; E.J. Peden, sixth, pole vault; Mely, sixth, 200.
“The boys had a great meet,” said NRHEG coach Duey Ferber. “Several seniors ran their last meet on NRHEG’s track.”
Maple River scored 159 points for first, followed by the Panthers with 121, MSAD, 91, JWP 89 and Blooming Prairie 88.
Schiltz won the 1600 in 4:40.6 in last Tuesday’s season opener at the USC/AC Invitational. It was the Panthers’ only first as they finished fourth among four schools. The host team won.
Other Panther places: Cole, second, 3200; Tollefson, second, high jump; Maxon, second, discus; Goette, second, shot put; 4x800, second (Schlaak, Cole, Schiltz, Tollefson); Schlaak, third, 800; Schiltz, third, high jump; 4x200, third (Seath, Mely, Borwege, Tollefson); Johnson, fourth, 400; Kalis, fourth, shot put; 4x100, fourth (Chester, Johnson, Borwege, Tollefson); 4x400, fourth (Schiltz, Anderson, Johnson, Schlaak).
“The boys had a great meet to start with,” said Ferber. “We have some catching up to do, but I was very pleased with what I saw.”