Rocket boys return to shining in the dark

Pack running near the top led the Cedar Grove-Belgium High School boys’ cross country team to its fifth title in the last six years at the Nightfall Classic in Neenah last Friday.

The Rockets landed three runners in the top 10 in scoring 76 points to win the 19-team Division 3 meet. Weyauwega-Fremont was second with 91 points.

Rockets’ freshman Carsten Huenink continued the family tradition of running excellence ­— his older brothers Will and Weston were the fastest on the 2024 state championship team — taking sixth in the 5,000-meter course in 17 minutes, 30.1 seconds.

Freshman Cable De Troye was right behind Huenink, finishing seventh in 17:32.8, and senior Nolan Brill was next in eighth in 17:37.1

“My strategy for the race was to get out fast but controlled for the first mile and go from there,” Huenink said. “Running as a pack helped a lot. We were all able to push each other throughout the race.”

Coach Brandon Langer said his team has taken to traveling together.

“Pack running has been key early for them, and they have really embraced this mentality both during practice and in races,” he said. “That lead group of Carsten, Cable and Nolan work well together and continue to push each other.”

Senior Jack Krause was 27th in 18:45.1 and junior Noah Hopeman was 30th in 18:55.4.

Senior Ben Duwell was 40th in 19:24.3 and senior Grady Ketterhagen was 49th in 19:38.2. Junior David Tarter was 60th in 19:53.6.

The unique meet is a favorite because it’s held under the lights at night.

“Running in the dark gives you a lot of adrenaline so it’s hard to stay controlled for the first mile,” Huenink said. “It’s also cool out, and that helps a lot when you’re racing.”

Girls crack top five

The Rocket girls scored 164 points and finished fifth in the 16-team meet.

Dodgeland won with 84 points. Then came Lourdes Academy, 106; the Prairie School, 113; and Kewaunee, 138.

Junior Brynlee Schmidt, the school’s record-holder and two-time state qualifier, led the way again, taking second of 137 runners in 19:47.6. She finished behind Dodgeland’s Delaney Rennhack, who won in 19:34.4 and ahead of Dodgeland’s Brooklynn Borchardt, who was third in 19:51.6.

“I was just looking to work my way up as the race progressed, and it was good to be able to compete with Division 3 girls who will be at state,” Schmidt said.

“Brynlee had a very strong finish. She got trapped early in the race, but did a good job moving up — 13th at the mile, ninth at the 2-mile, and then sixth overall and second in Division 3,” Langer said.

“She has some lofty goals for the season, and she is putting herself in a good position to hit and/or exceed those expectations once late October rolls around.”

Schmidt credits her success to a higher power.

“I thank God for the talent that He has blessed me with, and I wouldn’t be able to be where I am without that or my family supporting me,” she said.

Schmidt’s sister Lydia, a sophomore, was 26th in 22:03.6. Sophomore Ava Gregory was 36th in 23:08.2. Senior Hannah Langer was 46th in 24:04.4. Freshman Anja Kaas was 66th in 25:28. Sophomore Braelyn Meinen was 109th in 28:16.9 and junior Mikayla Rowdon was 117th in 29:53.3.

“Ava dropped 1:10 from her season best and Hannah had a 45-second personal record,” Langer said.

“With such an inexperienced team on the girls’ side, these first couple of meets have been a great learning experience in terms of competing and how to strategically race a 5k, and they have really done a good job applying the lessons learned from practice and previous races.”

The Rockets race on the challenging course of the Angel Invite at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside on Saturday, Sept. 19.