Pirate boys hope to qualify for state meet again

The Port Washington High School boys’ cross country team hopes to return to the Division 2 state meet again this season.

Placing fourth like last year’s Pirates did is a bit much to ask, however.

Port’s top four runners graduated — Mason Raasch, Nate Meeks, Austin Rinke and Gabe Pasten — but coach Mark Pasten has established a high-performing program year in, year out.

Three varsity runners are back from last year and are expected to contribute: sophomore Alex Anewenter and seniors Bryce Grant and Finn Ritter.

Senior Gino Feciskonin is coming back from an injury that ended last season early, and freshman Jameson Parulski should run with the top five, Pasten said.

“This year’s team has the goal of qualifying for the state meet. We were moved into a different sectional — Portage — and feel like there is a chance to finish in one of the top two qualifying positions,” he said.

Last Saturday, the Pirates finished fifth of 16 teams in the Blackshirt Challenge at Minooka Park in Waukesha.

“Going into the meet, I thought we would finish in the middle so I was pleased to see that we finished closer to the top of the teams,” Pasten said.

“The boys did a very good job of competing and made some nice improvements from the first week.”

Anewenter ran the 5,000-meter course in 18 minutes, 41 seconds and finished 16th of 191 runners, which counted as 15th in the team competition among schools with five or more runners.

“Alex did a nice job of getting out hard and competing,” Pasten said.

Grant, a co-captain who Pasten said worked hard over summer, was 30th (29th) in 19:08.

Feciskonin, the other co-captain, was 34th (33rd) in 19:17 after doing “a great job of moving up through the field over the second half of the race,” Pasten said.

Parulski was 41st (40th) in 19:31.

“Jameson has been working hard and has the potential to improve a lot as the season progresses,” Pasten said.

Sophomore Pete Lotz was 47th (46th) in 20:02. Pasten said Lotz “did great job of pacing throughout the race.”

Ritter was 49th (48th) in 20:12 after closing on Lotz in the third mile, Pasten said.

Junior Gabe Hingiss, a football player and track runner who is trying cross country, was 54th (53rd) in 20:25.

Hartford, one of Port’s North Shore Conference competitors, won with 32 points, followed by Kettle Moraine’s 58, Janesville Craig’s 71 and Brookfield Central’s 93.

Girls tie for third

Port’s girls scored 92 points and tied for third with Kettle Moraine, which won the tiebreaker via the sixth runner. Kettle Moraine’s was 33rd and Port’s was 49th.

Senior Abbey Lotz was sixth in 21:04. Senior Braeya Thomas was 16th in 22:13.

Freshman Mia Blum was 23rd (22nd in the team competition) in 22:35. Sophomore Madison Myers was 24th (23rd) in 22:36, and freshman Payton Wysocki was 26th (35th) in 22:43.

Freshman Avery Newell was 63rd (49th), and junior Danielle Ehaney was 75th (55th) in 26:44.

Kettle Moraine’s Ella Lephardt won the race in 20:22.

Brookfield Central won with 40 points, followed by Janesville Craig’s 65.

The Pirates run on Friday, Sept. 9, in the Nightfall Classic 920 at Winagamie Golf Course in Neenah.