By John Rittenhouse
A sharing agreement involving Hills-Beaver Creek and Ellsworth high schools will include every sport this spring.
The schools have shared baseball and golf programs in the past. Now a combined track and field program can be added to the list.
The H-BC-E track and field teams will compete together for the first time in 2001, and all indications point toward a successful merger.
"We're really excited about being together with Ellsworth for the first time," said H-BC-E coach Tom Goehle. "We'll be getting some quality kids from Ellsworth this year, and it gives us a great future."
Goehle has reason to be giddy about teaming up with Ellsworth in track.
H-BC sent three athletes to last year's state meet alone. Add the two state qualifiers Ellsworth has coming back, and the H-BC-E program has five individuals with exposure to the state classic.
H-BC-E also will have a combined 16 athletes who advanced to last year's section meet competing in the same program in 2001, which leads area coaches to believe the Patriots have the potential to contend for Sub-Section 10 titles in late May.
The sharing agreement should give the Patriot girls' team a big boost this spring.
If some of the athletes can recover from injuries as the season progresses, H-BC-E will have 10 girls returning with section experience, including three who advanced to state last season.
Both teams did have to pay a price at graduation time last spring. H-BC lost two girls from a team that placed fifth in the sub-section meet, and Ellsworth lost two kids from a team that placed seventh at the sub-section level.
Ellsworth's 2000 seniors, Heather DeLeeuw and Janet May, did not advance to the section meet.
H-BC, however, lost two of nine girls who represented the school at the section level.
Nichole Top was a solid sprinter for the H-BC team last spring, placing second in the sub-section in the 200-meter dash without securing a place in that event at the section meet. She also was a member of H-BC's 400- and 800-meter relays, which placed second and third at the sub-section meet respectively. The 400-meter relay went on to place fifth at the section meet.
Rachel Krull was a strong 800-meter runner for H-BC last season. She was a member of H-BC's 3,200-meter relay that placed fourth in the sub-section meet without placing at the section level.
As the Patriots prepare for the 2001 season, Goehle has 16 girls in grades eight-12 who should make an impact at the varsity level this season.
The roster is topped by seniors Shanna Tilstra, Janelle Jenniges, Connie Lewis and Kati Meurer.
In Jenniges and Lewis, Goehle has two top-notch performers who became the first girls from EHS to perform at a state meet last season.
Jenniges set school records while placing first and second in the 1,600- and 800-meter runs during last year's sub-section meet. She went on to place fourth in the 800 at the section level but earned a trip to state by placing second in the 1,600. Jenniges placed 10th in the Class A 1,600-meter run at state.
Lewis had an outstanding junior season, too.
She placed second in the sub-section and second in the section meet to earn a trip to state in the triple jump. Lewis didn't qualify for the finals in her event at state.
Goehle expects to use Lewis' wide variety of talents as a jumper, hurdler and a thrower this spring. Jenniges will run 400s and 800s as well as the 1,600 for H-BC-E.
While Meurer is a first-year track member who has yet to define what events she will compete in, Goehle knows what Tilstra can do.
Tilstra, who runs anything between 200 and 800 meters, was a member of H-BC's 400- and 1,600-meter relays last season. The 1,600-meter relay placed second in the sub-section and third at the section meet in 2001.
Stress fracture problems will keep Tilstra from competing early in the season, but she should return to the team before the end of April.
Four juniors are expected to perform well for the Patriots this spring.
Becky Broesder, the H-BC record-holder in the triple jump, may not be able to compete for the Patriots after a solid sophomore season. Broesder had knee surgery after the basketball season and would return to the track team in late May at best.
Broesder placed second in the sub-section and third at the section meet in the triple jump last season. She also was a member of H-BC's 400-, 800- and 1,600-meter relays.
Bev Wurpts is an EHS junior who competed in last yearÕs section meet. Wurpts placed third in the sub-section and fourth in the section in the 1,600-meter run. She will run distances between 800 and 3,200 meters this spring.
Brittney Olson and LaDonna Sandstede are other junior members of the team. Olson will run 400s and 800s. Sandstede is a sprinter.
Sarah Rozeboom tops a group of four sophomores who show varsity promise.
Rozeboom, who was a member of H-BC's 3,200-meter relay last season, runs anything between 100 and 800 meters. She also will compete in field events.
Kelsey Hansel, Angie Bush and Heather Albers are sophomores without section exposure.
Albers is trying the pole vault, and Bush will pole vault and run hurdles. Hansel will run, throw and compete in other field events.
Cassi Tilstra leads a strong group of four sophomores who competed at the section meet as freshmen.
Tilstra, who runs anything between 200 and 800 meters, is the defending sub-section and section champion in the 400-meter dash. She did not qualify for the finals at the state meet. Tilstra also ran with H-BCÕs 800- and 1,600-meter relay teams last season.
Erin Boeve is another sophomore coming off a strong freshman season.
Boeve won a sub-section title in the 100-meter dash and was fourth at that level in the long jump last year. She went on to place fourth in the 100 and sixth in the long jump at the section meet. Boeve, who will jump and run sprints this year, also ran with H-BC's 400- and 1,600-meter relays last season.
Melinda Feucht and Brittney Rozeboom are freshmen who ran with H-BC's 3,200-meter relay last season. Both Feucht and Rozeboom run races between 100 and 1,600 meters, and they are jumpers. Feucht may throw the shot put this season.
Goehle has a lot of seventh- and eighth-graders who could help the varsity squad this spring.
Mattie LeBarre, an athlete who can run many distances, is an eighth-grader who tops the list.
"We had 30 boys and girls in the seventh and eighth grades out for track this year, which is great for our future. Both the boys' and girls' teams will get help from some of these kids this year," Goehle said.