Ready for the push

The WIAA Division 1 cross country subsectionals are on Oct. 20. Sectionals will be held Oct. 24. And it certainly appears that Sauk Prairie is ready. The Eagles’ boys won the thrilling Baraboo Triangular on Oct. 16. Sauk Prairie finished with 30 points to edge Watertown (31) and host Baraboo (72). Watertown won the girls’ race with 36 points, followed closely by Sauk Prairie (37) and Baraboo (53). “I am really excited to see how this group performs as we try to qualify for the state meet,” Eagles coach Andy Sherman said. Sauk Prairie sophomore Jack Boerger continued his sensational season and won the boys’ race in 17 minutes, 28 seconds. It was Boerger’s fourth consecutive win overall. “He led the entire race, which has been his strategy over the last month,” Sherman said of Boerger. Sauk Prairie junior Ritchie Wolff was fourth (18:19), senior Sam Beattie was seventh (19:08), sophomore Jay Dregney was eighth (19:12) and sophomore Jonah Richard was 10th (19:23). “We were without Dalton Zirbel, but I liked the way our boys ran,” Sherman said. “We have been led by Jack, Ritchie Wolff and Dalton, and our next three of Sam Beattie, Jay Dregney and Jonah Richard are starting to close that gap, which makes us an even stronger team.” The girls’ race was just as tight, with the Goslings posting a narrow win. Still, Sherman was thrilled with how his team performed. “I was very pleased with how our girls raced,” he said. “Our girls team is really starting to come together.” Sauk Prairie freshman Catherine Gregg led the Eagles, finishing fourth in 21:51.  “Catherine Gregg led us again and had a decent lead about halfway into the race,” Sherman said. “But she took a wrong turn and added quite a bit of distance before getting back on course. She tried to overcome the mistake but fell short, finishing fourth.” Freshman Lexi Been was sixth (22:36), junior Meadow Liedtke was seventh (22:38), junior Kassia Marquardt was ninth (22:56) and sophomore Natalie Curtis was 11th (23:30). “We had a great race from Lexi Been, who is racing very well right now,” Sherman said. “With Gregg and Been, we have more experienced runners in Kassia Marquardt, Meadow Liedtke, Natalie Curtis, Cassie Radl and Marissa Howard. These girls know what it takes to be successful toward the end of our season.  “They will lead and guide to help give our team a shot at the state meet, which is very exciting for this group. Now we can watch as the time and work they have put in will give them that chance.”   BOYS CROSS COUNTRY BARABOO TRIANGULAR Oct. 6 Team scores: Sauk Prairie 30, Watertown 31, Baraboo 72. Sauk Prairie: 1, Boerger, 17:28; 4, Wolff, 18:19; 7, Beattie, 19:08; 8, Dregney, 19:12; 10, Richard, 19:23. Watertown: 2, Kitzhaber, 17:38; 3, Krueger, 17:50; 6, Williams, 19:01; 9, Heier, 19:19; 11, Gifford, 19:41.  Baraboo: 5, Dunnett, 18:29; 15, Exo, 20:07; 17, Torres, 20:27; 19, Grunewald, 20:52; 20, Gumz, 21:51. At Baraboo HS, 5,000 meters.   GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY BARABOO TRIANGULAR Oct. 6 Team scores: Watertown 36, Sauk Prairie 37, Baraboo 53. Watertown: 1, Gilbertson, 21:18; 5, Meyers, 22:00; 8, Roost, 22:43; 10, Fessler, 23:06; 12, Tobin, 23:32.  Sauk Prairie: 4, Gregg, 21:51; 6, Been, 22:36; 7, Liedtke, 22:38; 9, Marquardt, 22:56, 11, Curtis, 23:30. Baraboo: 2, Weyh, 21:32; 3, Krayer, 21:48; 16, School, 23:53; 17, Hess, 24:06; 18, Dougherty, 24:52.  At Baraboo HS, 5,000 meters.