Ozaukee girls edge rival for title

The Ozaukee High School girls’ cross country team had been chasing Oostburg all season at invites and the last couple of years in the Big East Conference.

On Oct. 14, the Warriors finally caught the Lady Dutch, 40 to 43, in the Big East South meet on Oct. 14 at Sheboygan Lutheran. The conference was split into two divisions to limit the number of people at the meet due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cedar Grove-Belgium was third with 62 points. Random Lake scored 98 and Sheboygan Lutheran had 114.

“Oostburg is very talented and well coached as they have been beating us for the last two or three years. So to finally beat them was a huge accomplishment for our team,” Ozaukee coach Andrew Pfeuffer said.

“We knew we had to get all our seven varsity athletes in front of their No. 4 and No. 5 runners to combat their tough No. 1 and No. 2 combo that placed second and third overall.”

The Warriors did just that, taking fifth, sixth, eighth, 10th, 11th, 12th and 14th. Oostburg’s fourth and fifth runners were 15th and 16th.

Warrior freshman Becky Hoffmann took fifth place of 33 runners in 21 minutes, 20 seconds on the 5,000-meter course, a personal record by 11 seconds and fast enough to make the Big East first team.

“This was the first time Becky has led our team in a meet and she really stepped up when it counted,” Pfeuffer said.

Freshman Clara McKee was sixth in 21:26.4. Senior Kelley Large was eighth in 21:36.55, a season best by 36 seconds. Junior Sophie Uhlenberg was 10th in 21:39.06, a season best by 17 seconds. All three made the Big East second team.

Senior Allison Clark was 11th in 21:39.78.

The Warriors’ sixth and seventh runners, whose place didn’t count toward the team total but could push competitors down notches by finishing ahead of them, were freshman Meredith Clark, who was 12th in 21:42.21, and senior Grace Tinder, who was 14th in 21:45.41. Both times were personal records.

“I could not be more proud of how our girls came to compete. They followed their race plans perfectly, they left everything on the course, and they competed for each other,” Pfeuffer said.

“It was really fun to watch as we had our seniors and juniors step up and make up huge ground from the previous week and our freshmen performed exceptionally well in their first conference meet.”

The win stops Oostburg from three-peating in the Big East. Last year, Oostburg won the conference meet over Ozaukee, 39 to 47. In 2018, the Lady Dutch edged the Warriors, 40 to 45.

For Cedar Grove-Belgium, coach Brandon Langer was impressed with his girls coming off a break.

“I thought the girls ran well considering they hadn’t raced in two weeks,” he said.

Freshman Hadley Heimerman, who has been in front for the Rockets most of the season, again led the team. She took fourth in 21:15.36 and made the Big East first team.

“She ran most of the race by herself, as she was back of the top-three runners,” Langer said.

Senior Cheyenne Simonet  “had a heck of a kick” to finish ninth in 21:37.63, making the Big East second team.

Sophomore Faith Konzak was 13th in 21:43.18 and would have made the second team in a normal year, but the two divisions changed the standard. Langer said the North Division would have only had four runners in the more-talented South Division’s top 20, and Konzak “was on the short end of the stick.”

Freshman Elise Brill was 17th in 22:46.63. Freshman Ella Carian was 20th in 24:04.96, and freshman Mallory Arroyo was 23rd in 25:11.07.

The Rockets were missing their fourth runner, Langer said.

Sheboygan Lutheran takes boys’ race

With every runner’s place counting toward the team total, the Ozaukee boys finished third with 80 points, behind Sheboygan Lutheran’s 36 and Kohler’s 57. Oostburg scored 101, Cedar Grove-Belgium had 109 and Random Lake had 141.
Warrior junior Calvin McKee took third of 37 racers in 17:21.62, a personal record by 17 seconds, and made the Big East first team.

“Our boys competed well against a very talented field in the Big East South. We knew we had a challenge in front of us with our competition and only running five guys but they did a great job pushing their limits,” Pfeuffer said.
Sophomore Owen Klaus was 13th in a personal-record 18:18.38. Senior Matt Baldwin was 15th in a season-best 18:35.91. Sophomore Chase Miller was 22nd in a personal-record 19:40.74, and junior Tyler Mueller was 27th in 20:27.74.

The Rocket boys, Langer said, didn’t come off the two-week break as well and were missing two of their top-five runners.

Sophomore Mason Hoopman again led the Rockets, finishing seventh in 17:35.77 and making the Big East second team.

Junior Alex Nett was 19th in 18:58.95. Junior Logan Depies was 26th in 20:03.92, a personal record “which is what is needed at this point of the season,” Langer said.

Junior Cole Ketterhagen was 28th in 20:43.67, and freshman Michael Kuerschner was 29th in 20”47.24.

In the North Division boys’ race, it was St. Mary Central, 35; Manitowoc Lutheran, 43, Reedsville, 85; Hilbert, 100; and Howards Grove, 114.

In the girls’ meet, it was Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah, 45, St. Mary Central, 52; Manitowoc Lutheran, 60, Reedsville, 77; Howards Grove, 101.