By John Rittenhouse
A portion of the Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth track program competed in the West Lyon Relays near Inwood, Iowa, Friday.
With all of H-BC-E's younger athletes attending the Camden Conference Junior High meet the same day, the Patriot varsity squads were shorthanded for the WL Relays.
H-BC-E, however, earned meet titles in both the boys' and girls' divisions of competition while racking up a combined 16 top five finishes overall in what was a solid effort by the Patriots.
Brad Haak came up with the meet championship for H-BC-E's boys. Haak won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:04.1.
Chris Reid placed second in a pair of individual events, covering 20-0 3/4 in the long jump and running 100 meters in 11.27.
Chris Fransman cleared 6-2 to place second in the high jump, Chris Willers ran 400 meters in 52.26 to place second, and Lee Jackson was second in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 11:16.
Erin Boeve was a meet champion for the Patriot girls. Boeve had the winning effort of 15-6 in the long jump.
Boeve also was a member of H-BC-EÕs sprint medley relay team that placed second with a time of 2:01.04. LaDonna Sandstede, Shanna Tilstra and Janelle Jenniges are the other members of the team.
Here is a look at the rest of H-BC-EÕs top five finishers from the WL Relays.
H-BC-E boys
Third place: 800 relay (Reid, Fransman, Willers and Haak), 1:35.86.
Fourth place: Nathan Fick, 3,200, 11:53; distance medley relay (Ryan Ranschau, Jesse Leuthold, Lee Walraven and Jackson), 4:12.01.
H-BC-E girls
Third place: distance medley relay (Sandstede, Brittney Olson, Tilstra and Jenniges), 4:43.84; 400 relay (Jenniges, Connie Lewis, Tilstra and Boeve), 54.85.
Fourth place: Tilstra, high jump, 4-10.
Fifth place: Olson, 1,500, 5:43; Sarah Rozeboom, 400 hurdles, 1:22.44.