Luverne's Scott Goebel (left) and Nick Otten (behind Goebel) make a turn during the 1,600-meter run at Thursday's Sub-Section 10 Track and Field Championships in Luverne. Goebel placed second in the event and Otten fourth to help the Luverne boys win their fifth straight sub-section team title.
By John Rittenhouse
What has been an outstanding track and field season for the Luverne High School boys' program continued Thursday when the Cardinals hosted the Sub-Section 10 Championships at Cardinal Field.
Luverne turned in a dominating performance that ended with the Cardinals compiling 206 points to run away with their fifth consecutive team title.
Southwest Christian finished a distant second behind LHS in the final standings, finishing 72 points off the pace with 134 counters. Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth (119.5), Pipestone-Jasper (117), Murray County Central (70.5) and Edgerton (24) capped the field.
More important than Luverne's successful team outing was the fact that 15 boys earned the right to compete at todayÕs Section 3A meet in Pipestone. Meet time is 4 p.m.
The top four relay teams and top four finishers in individual events at the sub-section level qualify for the section meet. The 15 LHS boys will compete in 16 of 18 events at the section meet.
LuverneÕs sub-section effort was highlighted by eight event titles.
CardinalsÕ Craig Bosch and Marcus Walgrave won two individual events each.
Bosch won the shot put and discus titles with respective 47-0 and 158-10 tosses. Walgrave took top honors in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles with respective 16.38 and 41.47 times.
Walgrave also ran a leg with Luverne's champion 800-meter relay team, which was timed at 1:34.59. Travis Johnson, Tyler Elbers and Tom Sandager are the other team members.
Sandager and Andrew Norton also locked up sub-section individual titles.
Sandager, who placed second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.9, won the long jump crown with a distance of 20-1.
Norton, who was second in the triple jump with a distance of 40-10 3/4, cleared 6-2 to win the high jump.
Luverne also won the 400-meter relay with a time of 43.32. Team members include Sandager, Elbers, Chris Morgan and Johnson.
Scott Goebel, Morgan, Elbers and Tim Rust placed second in individual competition.
Goebel, who qualified for the section meet by finishing fourth in the 800-meter run in 2:11.35, was second in the 1,600 in 4:49.03.
Morgan, who placed third in the 110 hurdles in 17.06, finished second behind Walgrave in the 300 hurdles with a 43.82 effort.
Elbers, who was fourth in 200-meter dash with a time of 24.09, cleared 5-10 in the high jump to place second.
Rust placed second in the pole vault by clearing 11-6.
Johnson came up with LuverneÕs lone third-place finish when he covered 200 meters in 24.03.
Placing fourth and advancing to Pipestone for LHS are Mark Brockberg, Justin Van Wyhe and the 1,600- and 3,200-meter relay teams.
Brockberg cleared 9-0 to place fourth in the pole vault. Van Wyhe came in fourth in the triple jump with a 39-3 3/4 effort.
Kyle Bitterman, Rust, Goebel and Ruston Aaker placed fourth in the 1,600-meter relay in 3:49.13, while Bitterman, Jamison Tooley, Aaker and Jerome Willers finished fourth in the 3,200-meter relay in 9:30.91.
Here is a look at the rest of Luverne's top-eight individual finishers during the sub-section meet.
Fifth place: Rust, 100, 11.87; Nick Otten, 1,600, 4:56.21; Otten, 3,200, 11:11.01; Aaker, pole vault, 8-6; Norton, long jump, 19-5.
Sixth place: Cody Gehrke, 100, 12.1; Bitterman, 800, 2:14.78.
Seventh place: Ben Peters, 100, 12.5; Van Wyhe, long jump, 19-0; Gehrke, shot, 38-4.
Eighth place: Tom Gluf, discus, 103-4; Tooley, 1,600, 5:19.62; Aaker, 400, 51.16.