WIAA State XC: Logan impresses … again

By RICK SOLEM
rick@580wkty.com

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. – Another year, another outstanding finish, it’s almost become expected the Logan High School boys put on a show at the WIAA state cross country championships.

Saturday, the Rangers showed just what it means to compete as a team. Nobody finished in the Top 10 at The Ridges Golf Course. Nobody was in the Top 20 or the Top 30, either.

Forty, it wasn’t until No. 40 that a Logan runner crossed the finish line Saturday, but when it was all said and done, the team that’s been to state every year starting in 2008, came away with a fourth-place overall finish at the Division 1 meet.

Senior Chris Ganrude was No. 40.  He finished the 5,000-meter course in 16 minutes, 41.08 seconds. Ten spots later, junior Andrew Olson finished in 16:49.74. Two spots behind him, in 52^nd, was junior Henry Meger (16:49.95).

The team packed up as well as it could in the field of 190 finishers.

Last year, Logan finished sixth overall led by Ganrrude in 74^th (16:50.17).

In 2011, Logan finished third as a team. In 2010, it was fourth. The Rangers were 12^th in 2009 and 10^th in 2008.

The top finisher from the area was Onalaska senior Matt Hibshman. He didn’t qualify last year, but made the most of his final trip to state, taking 28^th (16:37.73). As a sophomore, he qualified and finished 118^th (17:27.5).

On the girls side, Holmen junior Sierra Rabe was 71^st (15:34.7). She finished 12^th last year (14:45.68) and 31^st as a freshman (15:15.92).

Logan juniors Lizzy Schmida and Kendal Miller finished 92^nd (15:54.83) and 96^th (15:56.48), respectively.

Onalaska senior Monica Delgado was 76^th (15:47.52).

DIVISION 2

As a junior, Isaiah Abt finished 44^th overall in 17:01.21. As a sophomore, he was 70^th in 17:29.26.

Senior year was much improved. Abt jumped 34 spots from last year and cut nearly 30 seconds off his team to finish 10^th overall in 16:33.75 for Viroqua.

As a team, West Salem finished 10^th overall and its neighbor’s up the road, Sparta, finished 12^th.

Sparta’s John Roddick was the top finisher between the two schools. The junior finished 59^th (17:33.85), while West Salem senior Machael Sauter was 66^th (17:37.46) and teammate Cameron Robaczewski was 67^th (17:38.14).

On the girls side, Viroqua finished 15^th as a team led by senior Mackenzie Schneider, who took 46^th (16:02.4). Teammate Andrea Weston, a freshman, finished 63^rd (16:16.34).

Schneider placed 54^th last year (15:58.95) and 90^th the year before (16:28.21).

In her return trip to state, West Salem junior Hannah Thorn placed 89^th (16:39.11).

DIVISION 3

Becca Maxwell nearly cracked the Top 10, finishing 11^th in 15:34.86 to lead Westby, which took 11^th as a team. This was the junior’s second consecutive trip to state.

She finished 49^th last season (16:32.56) for Westby, which then took sixth as a team. Teammate Sammi Hansen finished 62^nd (16:41.64). She was 78^th last year (17:00.26).

Melrose-Mindoro finished 16^th out of a field of 16.

On the boys side, Dylan Smith finished 31^st overall (17:18.55) and teammate Walker Rynes was 43^rd (17:30.39) to lead Brookwood, which placed ninth overall out of the field of 16.

Brookwood finished 12^th last year, led by Rynes in 19th (17:09.85), while Smith was 58^th (17:43.81).

Austin Pasch was 27^th overall (17:10.57) for Westby, which finished sixth as a team. Sophomore Spener Offedahl was 52^nd (17:47.55) for Westby.

Cochrane-Fountain City senior Dray Schreiber was 61^st (17:58.96). He was 21^st last year (17:14.75).