Luverne High School hosted the 2023 Cardinal Relays track and field meet Tuesday, April 11, 
The Luverne boys’ and girls’ teams took top honors in the meet that included 10 teams.
Joining LHS were Adrian Area, Canby-Minneota, Jackson County Central, Pipestone, Redwood Valley, Southwest Christian-Edgerton, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton, Westbrook-Walnut Grove and Windom.
“It was a lot of fun getting to see many of the kids compete for the first time this season and for them to see how their hard work is paying off,” said head coach Pete Janiszeski.
The Luverne boys’ team took first place in the competition with a score of 176.5.  
Pipestone was second with 95, followed by SWMCH-EHS 77, Redwood Valley 69, Jackson County Central 65.5, Windom Area 64, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 48, Canby/Minneota 44, Adrian/Ellsworth 44 and Westbrook-Walnut Grove/Red Rock Central 19.
The Luverne girls’ team took top team honors with 183.5 points. They were followed by Jackson County Central 109, SWMCH-EHS 99, Redwood Valley 84.5, Canby/Minneota 75, Pipestone Area 67, Windom Area 35.5, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 35.5, Westbrook-Walnut Grove/Red Rock Central 7 and Adrian/Ellsworth 6.
“The kids did a great job of going out and competing hard and doing their very best,” Janiszeski said.  
In the meet the Cardinals set 37 new personal records in various events.
Junior Jenna DeBates set a new Cardinal Relay record in the 3200-meter run. Her time of 11 minutes, 35 1/2 seconds beat Tenley Nelson’s 2021 meet record of 11:47.06.
“We as coaches are very proud of the kids for their efforts, and we’re excited to see them grow and improve as they chase their goals,” Janiszeski said.
Individual event results are as follows:
 
Girls’ 4x800 Meter Relay
Jenna DeBates, Tiana Lais, Kayla Bloemendaal, Roselynn Hartshorn, 10:54.07, third.
Ella Schmuck, Maria Rops, Olivia Lund, Josie Anderson, 11:51.01, sixth.
 
Boys’ 4x800 Meter Relay
Owen Janiszeski. Ryan Fick, Sage Viessman, Leif Ingebretsen, 9:00.38, first.
 
Girls’ 100 Meter Hurdles
Hailey Como, 20.71, seventh.
 
Boys’ 110 Meter Hurdles
Did not compete.
 
Girls’ 100 Meter Dash
Sarah Stegenga, 14.18, third.
Baylee Smidt, 14.57, eighth.
Makena Nelson, 15.03, 10th.
Corynn Oye, 15.25, 15th.
Jerzey Hood, 15.38, 17th.
Marlee Nelson, 15.70, 20th.
Elizabeth Mulder, 15.73, 22nd.
Emma Jacobsma, 16.66, 26th.
Jaelyn Arp, 18.81, 31st.
 
Boys’ 100 Meter Dash
DJ Rock, 12.43, seventh.
Tyler Rolfs, 13.16, 16th.
Jack Gangestad, 13.56, 18th.
Ashton Pick, 13.62 [PR], 20th.
Jaymyn McLaughlin, 13.80, 22nd.
Asher Barron, 14.24, 25th.
Chris Bonilla, 15.07, 32nd.
Dawson Holz, 15.36, 34th.
Levi Huisman, 15.52, 36th.
Riley Ripka, 15.64, 37th.
Linkon Korr, 15.75, 38th.
 
Girls’ 4x200 Meter Relay
Sarah Stegenga, Makena Nelson, Anna Banck, Isabella Oye, 1:56.22, second.
Ella Apel, Emma Nath, Jaelyn Arp, Elizabeth Mulder, 2:09.95, 11th.
 
Boys’ 4x200 Meter Relay
Darius Dolo, Gavin DeBeer, Zachary Terrio, Lucky Dara, 1:36.09, first.
 
Girls’ 1600 Meter Run
Grace Ingebretsen, 6:05.50, fourth.
Cassi Chesley, 6:17.99, fifth.
Anna Reisdorfer, 8:51.92, 24th.
Emma Wieneke, 9:16.77, 25th.
 
Boys’1600 Meter Run
Camden Janiszeski, 4:55.56, second.
Carsen Tofteland, 5:09.29 [PR], fourth.
Dylan Ommen, 5:26.28, eighth.
Eli McLendon, 5:52.18, 15th.
 
Girls’ 4x100 Meter Relay
Hailey Como, Anna Banck, Sarah Stegenga, Isabella Oye, 54.00, second.
Skylar VanderSteen, Ella Apel, Adelyn Rodriguez, Morgan Hadler, 57.83, eighth.
 
Boys’ 4x100 Meter Relay
Trayton Sayavong, Coy Thone, Ashton Hood, Coulter Thone, 47.87, second.
 
Girls’ 400 Meter Dash
Tiana Lais, 1:07.62, third
Kayla Bloemendaal, 1:09.81, fifth.
Maria Rops, 1:10.77, 10th.
Emma Jacobsma, 1:17.06, 19th.
Josie Anderson, 1:19.32 [PR], 22nd.
 
Boys’ 400 Meter Dash
Zachary Terrio, 55.45, third.
 
Girls’ 300 Meter Hurdles
Elizabeth Wagner, 48.14, first.
Reinha John, 51.51 [PR], second.
Roselynn Hartshorn, 57.89, seventh.
 
Boys’ 300 Meter Hurdles
Isaac DeBates, 46.61, sixth.
Darius Dolo, 48.21, seventh.
 
Girls’ 800 Meter Run
Cassi Chesley, 2:36.16, second.
Grace Ingebretsen, 2:46.12, fourth.
Jarlyn Arp, 3:33.13, 24th.
 
Boys’ 800 Meter Run
Owen Janiszeski, 2:09.69, first.
Camden Janiszeski, 2:12.40, second.
Carsen Tofteland, 2:16.10 [PR], third.
Dylan Ommen, 2:21.22 [PR], seventh.
Eli McLendon, 2:40.45, 15th. 
Zander Fountain, 3:14.48 [PR], 21st.
 
Girls’ 200 Meter Dash
Isabella Oye, 28.65, second.
Anna Banck, 29.61, fourth.
Hailey Como, 29.90, sixth.
Baylee Smidt, 30.70, ninth.
Morgan Hadler, 30.81 [PR], 11th.
Kendra Thorson, 31.27, 13th.
Jerzey Hood, 32.39, 19th.
Adelyn Rodriguez, 32.66, 20th.
Emma Nath, 32.74, 21st.
Marlee Nelson, 32.93 [PR], 23rd.
Abby Boltjes, 33.97, 30th.
Emmery Huiskes, 36.09, 32nd
 
Boys’ 200 Meter Dash
Lucky Dara, 23.91 [PR], first.
Coulter Thone, 25.51, ninth.
Ashton Hood, 25.60, 10th.
Coy Thone, 25.65, 11th.
Tyler Rolfs, 26.56, 16th.
Jack Gangstad, 27.36, 20th.
Dawson Holz, 27.54, 21st.
Ashton Pick, 27.75 [PR], 23rd.
Trayton Sayavong, 27.88 [PR], 25th. 
Jaymyn McLaughlin, 28.34, 26th.
Asher Barron, 29.55, 28th.
Levi Huisman, 30.55, 32nd.
Chris Bonilla, 30.83 [PR], 34th.
Riley Ripka, 31.52 [PR], 36th.
Linkon Korr, 32.12 [PR], 38th.
 
Girls’ 3200 Meter Run
Jenna DeBates, 11:35.50, first
Ella Schmuck, 13:14.55, fifth.
 
Boys’ 3200 Meter Run
Ryan Fick, 10:34.00, second.
Sage Viessman, 11:17.62, seventh.
Leif Ingebretsen, 11:44.02, 11th.
 
Girls’ 4x400 Meter Relay
Elizabeth Wagner, Tiana Lais, Reinha John, Cassi Chesley, 4:19.56, first.
 
Boys’ 4x400 Meter Relay
Lucky Dara, Owen Janiszeski, Zachary Terrio, Carsen Tofteland, 3:47.15, third.
 
Girls’ Discus Throw
Jadyn Hart, 125-01 [PR], first.
Jocelyn Hart, 113-10, third.
Andrea Luitjens, 85-09, eighth.
Ava Sieve, 75-01 [PR], 11th.
Elaine Nath, 72-11 [PR], 13th.
Hannah Woodley, 70-10, 15th.
Nardy Merida, 65-02 [PR], 18th. 
Hannah Sneller, 62-06, 21st.
Jaycee Chapa, 61-10 [PR], 23rd.
Maddy Schepel, 59-11 [PR], 25th.
Ella Apel, 53-01, 30th.
Lauren Peters, 47-03, 35th.
Luella Johnson, 46-11, 36th.
Taya Johnson, 45-03, 37th.
Natalie Berning, 32-10, 41st.
 
Boys’ Discus Throw
Eli Woodley, 130-02 [PR], first.
Keaton Ahrendt, 114-03 [PR], fourth.
Ryker Johnson, 109-11 [PR], sixth.
Adam Ask, 109-06, seventh.
Damien Ahrendt, 68-06 [PR], 26th.
Masyn Akkerman, 63-04, 32nd.
Logan Mann, 47-11, 34th.
Keegan Crow, 45-08, 37th.
 
Girls’ Shot Put
Jocelyn Hart, 40-11.50 [PR], first.
Jadyn Hart, 35-04.00, second.
Hannah Sneller, 29-00.00, 11th. 
Hannah Woodley, 28-11.50, 12th.
Jaycee Chapa, 26-08.50 [PR], 15th.
Andrea Luitjens, 26-02.00 [PR], 18th.
Nardy Merida, 25-03.50 [PR], 21st.
Taya Johnson, 24-07.50, 23rd.
Ava Sieve, 24-03.50 [PR], 24th.
Elaine Nath, 23-07 [PR], 27th.
Ella Apel, 22-01.50, 30th.
Maddy Schepel, 19-08.00 [PR], 39th.
Lauren Peters, 17-00.00, 40th.
Luella Johnson, 16-01.00, 41st.
Natalie Berning, 15-02.00, 42nd.
 
Boys’ Shot Put
Eli Woodley, 45-11.00 [PR], first.
Keaton Ahrendt, 41-02.00, second.
Ryker Johnson, 39-05.50, seventh.
Adam Ask, 35-04.00, 14th.
Masyn Akkerman, 27-08.50, 29th.
Damien Ahrendt, 26-11.50 [PR], 30th.
Keegan Crow, 22-06.00, 33rd.
Logan Mann, 18-11.00, 37th.
 
Girls’ Long Jump
Kendra Thorson, 14-02.50, fourth.
Jerzey Hood, 13-00.00, 10th.
Makena Nelson, 12-10.00, 12th.
Marlee Nelson, 12-04.00, 16th.
Elizabeth Mulder, 12-01.50 [PR], 18th.
Olivia Lund, 9-11.00, 26th.
 
Boys’ Long Jump
Gavin DeBeer, 20-08.00 [PR], first.
DJ Rock, 18-07.25, seventh.
Coy Thone, 15-10.75, 21st.
Jaymyn McLaughlin, 14-05.00, 25th.
 
Girls’ Triple Jump
Kendra Thorson, 31-00.75, fifth.
Abby Boltjes, 25-07.00, 13th.
 
Boys’ Triple Jump
Did not compete
 
Girls’ High Jump
Elizabeth Wagner, 5-00.00, second.
Maria Rops, 4-06.00 [PR], ninth.
Olivia Lund, 4-02.00, 13th.
 
Boys’ High Jump
Gavin DeBeer, 5-10.00, third.
Isaac DeBates, 5-06.00, seventh.
Darius Dolo, 5-04.00 [PR], eighth.
 
Girls’ Pole Vault
Corynn Oye, 7-06.00 [PR], fourth.
Brynn Boyenga, 5-00.00, 16th.
Josie Anderson, 5-00.00, 16th.
 
Boys’ Pole Vault
DJ Rock, 11-00.00, third.
Leif Ingebretsen, 9-00.00, sixth.

The Luverne High School softball team opened its season against Adrian Tuesday, April 11, beating the Dragons 15-2 on the road.
The Cardinals opened their season with an easy win over the Dragons following a first-inning push of six LHS runs.
Sophomore Payton Behr started the game with a triple off a fly ball. Junior Elizabeth Smidt then singled a ground ball to shortstop, scoring Behr from third.
Smidt stole second on a pitch to senior Carly Olson, who swung on a full count, driving a hard ground ball to right field. Smidt and Olson both crossed home plate to make the score 3-0.
Junior Anika Boll scored the Cardinals’ fourth run from third base off an errant Adrian throw.
Junior Tori Serie and sophomore Regan Mehlhaff finished the scoring from third base and second base in the first inning when Behr hit a line drive to center field.
The Dragons scored once in the first inning when an Adrian runner stole third base and then made it home after an error by Luverne.
After the first inning the score was Luverne 6, Adrian 1. 
With the score at LHS 6, AHS 1, the second inning featured Cardinal Ella Reisdorfer scoring from third base on a Dragons throwing error.
Adrian scored in the bottom of the second after a walk that advanced to second on a wild pitch. Adrian then bunted and reached first on an error at first, scoring the runner from second. 
LHS closed the second inning leading Adrian 7-2.
In the third inning Luverne scored one more run after Behr was hit by a pitch, stole second and then advanced to third on a wild pitch.
Smidt hit a hard ground ball to right field to score Behr.
The Cardinals held Adrian from scoring and took the third inning with an 8-2 lead.
In the top of the fourth inning junior Kenedee Franken scored on a walk after reaching first base on a line drive to center, then being awarded second after a passed ball, went to third on a walk and reached home on another walk by the AHS pitcher.
With Serie at third and Mehlhaff on second base, Behr singled on a ground ball to center and reached second on an error. Serie scored on the single and Mehlhaff scored on the error.
Reisdorfer hit a grounder to score Behr from third base, bringing the fourth-inning score to 12-2, Luverne.
In the fifth inning Serie walked to first, and then advanced to second and third on AHS errors, ending up scoring for Luverne.
Later in the inning Reisdorfer hit another grounder to score Lenz from third base.
A few plays later Behr, at third, scored after junior Anika Boll was hit by a pitch when the bases were loaded.
Luverne finished the game with 15 points, 10 hits and four errors.
“I thought that we had some very nice at bats and were aggressive at the plate,” head coach Brooks Maurer said.
“We had a few more walks and errors than we would like, but it was good to play and see what we need to work on going forward.” 
The Cardinals are scheduled to host Jackson County Central April 20 and will travel to Fairmont April 24.
 
BOX Score
AHS   1  1  0  0  0   3
LHS   6 1 1 4 3   15
 
BATTING
Luverne AB R H RBI
Behr         3  4  3  3
Smidt       4  1  2  2
Olson       2  1  1  2
Reisdorfer 4  1  0  2
Boll.         3  1  1  1
Cowell.    2  0  0  0
Franken.  3  1  1  0
Serie        1  3  1  0
Nath        1  0  0  0
Mehlhaff  0  2  0  0
Lenz        2  1  1  1
Stegenga 0  0  0  0
 
Triple: Behr Home Run: Olson Total Bases: Franken, Olson 4, Boll, Serie, Smidt, Lenz, Behr 5 Stolen Bases: Behr 1, Reisdorfer, Smidt 2 Left On Base: 12
 
PITCHING
Luverne     IP   H   R ER  SO
Nath          3   4   3   3   5
Reisdorfer 2   0   0   0   4
 
Win: Nath, Pitches-Strikes: Nath 58-30, Reisdorfer 32-17, Batters faced: Nath 15, Reisdorfer 8

The Luverne baseball team hosted Marshall Thursday, April 13, at Redbird Field, dropping a 14-1 game to the Tigers.
The Cardinals gave up 14 runs on 22 hits and five errors in the game. Luverne left eight runners on base with seven total hits.
Luverne’s only run came at the bottom of the fourth with senior Zach DeBoer scoring from third base on a pop fly to center field from Elliot Domagala.
DeBoer got on base with a ground ball single to the shortstop. He then stole second and advanced to third on a grounder by sophomore Alex Schlosser to the shortstop.
The Cardinals are scheduled to host Pipestone Tuesday, April 18, travel to Windom April 20, and face Windom again at home April 21.
 
BOX Score
MRSH 2 1 1 4 1 5 X 14
LHS 0 0 0 1 0 0 X 1
 
BATTING
Luverne AB R H RBI
Sehr         3   0  1   0
Sneller     0  0  0   0
Serie        2   0  0   0
Connell    3   0  1   0
Stroh       3   0   0   0
Miller       3   0  0   0
DeBoer     3   1   2  0
Schlosser 3   0   2  0
Buss         1   0   0  0
Domagala 2  0   1   1
Ahrendt    -   -   -   -
Kroski       -   -   -   -
Left On Base: 8
 
PITCHING
Luverne IP H R ER  SO
Stroh      3   8  4   4   6
DeBoer   1   4   4  3  2
Sehr        2 10  6  6   1
 
Loss: Sehr, Pitches-Strikes: DeBoer 25-18, Sehr 42-29, Stroh 71-39

Luverne High School hosted a track and field meet Monday, April 17, with participating teams from Hills-Beaver Creek, Pipestone and Marshall.
The event was originally to take place in Marshall but was moved to Cardinal Field due to scheduling, weather and remaining snow on the ground in Marshall.
No team scores were kept for the meet, but head coach Pete Janiszeski said it was good for the athletes.
“It was another great night for the kids. They got out and got after it, striving to improve on their personal records [PR] and season best [SB] performances, and I think they were successful in doing so,” he said.
“They have things heading in the right direction. We just need to stay healthy as well as humble and hungry to grow and get better with each practice and meet.”
This was Hills-Beaver Creek’s first varsity meet, and head coach Rex Metzger said he felt good about the team’s performance.
“It was great to get on the track and get our first varsity meet in,” Metzger said. “It was a great day, and I thought our kids competed very well.”
Luverne and Hills-Beaver Creek track and field teams are both scheduled to travel to Pipestone Saturday, April 22, for the Pipestone Invitational and to the Worthington Invitational Thursday, April 27.
Individual event results for Luverne and Hills-Beaver Creek at Monday’s meet are as follows:
 
Girls’ 4x800 Meter Relay
LHS Jenna DeBates, Tiana Lais, Cassi Chesley, Elizabeth Wagner, 10:07.04, [SB] second.
LHS Reinha John, Grace Ingebretsen, Emma Jacobsma, Brynn Boyenga, 11:46.03, sixth.
 
Boys’ 4x800 Meter Relay
LHS Camden Janiszeski, Owen Janiszeski, Carsen Tofteland, Ryan Fick, 8:26.46, [SB] second.
LHS Zachary Terri, Dylan Ommen, Marcus Papik, Eli McLendon, 9:41.44, fourth.
 
Girls’ 100 Meter Hurdles
LHS Augusta Papik, 18.70, second.
LHS Roselynn Hartshorn, 18.71, third.
H-BC Larissa Steinhoff, 20.01, fourth.
LHS Hailey Como, 20.18, fifth.
H-BC Ava Steinhoff, 21.48, eighth.
 
Boys’ 110 Meter Hurdles
LHS Micah Anderson, 20.78, sixth.
 
Girls’ 100 Meter Dash
H-BC Brynn Bakken, 12.93, first.
LHS Isabella Oye, 13.56, third.
LHS Anna Banck, 13.93, fourth.
H-BC Abigail Harris, 14.00, fifth.
H-BC Brynn Rauk, 14.24, sixth.
LHS Hailey Como, 14.36, seventh.
LHS Baylee Smidt, 14.59, tenth.
LHS Morgan Hadler, 14.70, 11th.
H-BC Hailey Moser, 14.83, 13th.
LHS Adelyn Rodriguez, 14.89, 14th.
LHS Emma Nath, 15.38, 17th.
LHS Abby Boltjes, 15.47, [PR] 18th.
LHS Skylar VanderSteen, 15.77, 21st.
LHS Emmery Huiskes, 17.37, 24th.
LHS Jaelyn Arp, 19.19, 28th.
 
Boys’ 100 Meter Dash
H-BC Mason Shaffner, 12.33, [PR] seventh.
LHS Isaac DeBates, 12.35, eighth.
H-BC Beau Bakken, 12.35, [PR] ninth.
H-BC Blake Leenderts, 12.83, [PR] 12th.
H-BC Riley Tatge, 12.87, [PR] 13th.
H-BC Sawyer Bosch, 13.06, [PR] 16th.
H-BC EJ Wegener, 13.08, 17th.
LHS Trayton Sayavong,13.25, [PR] 18th.
LHS Dawson Holtz, 13.36, [SB] 23rd.
LHS Ashton Pick, 13.72, 25th.
LHS Jack Gangestad, 13.78, 27th.
LHS Asher Barron, 14.20, [PR] 28th.
LHS Chris Bonilla, 14.71, [PR] 29th.
 
Girls’ 4x200 Meter Relay
H-BC Abigail Harris, Brynn Rauk, Layla Deelstra, Brynn Bakken, 1:54.16, first.
LHS Sarah Stegenga, Makena Nelson, Anna Banck, Isabella Oye, 1:54.48, [SB] second.
 
Boys’ 4x200 Meter Relay
LHS Darius Dolo, Gavin DeBeer, Zachary Terrio, Lucky Dara, 1:35.02, [SB] first.
H-BC James Vanden Bosch, Elisha Taubert, Blake Leenderts, Cooper Gehrke, 1:39.42, third.
H-BC EJ Wegener, Jamin Metzger, Micah Bush, Riley Tatge, 1:44.75, fifth.
 
Girls’ 1600 Meter Run
LHS Jenna DeBates, 5:26.42, first.
LHS Ella Schmuck, 6:00.45, fourth.
LHS Maria Rops, 6:18.85, sixth.
H-BC Emma Deelstra, 6:53.44, ninth.
LHS Olivia Lund, 6:57.18, 10th.
LHS Josie Anderson, 7:03.49, 11th.
 
Boys’ 1600 Meter Run
LHS Owen Janiszeski, 4:50.57, first.
LHS Ryan Fick, 4:56.05, fourth.
LHS Sage Viessman, 5:03.58, [PR] fifth.
LHS Leif Ingebretsen, 5:13.98, [PR] seventh.
 
Girls’ 4x100 Meter Relay
Sarah Stegenga, Anna Banck, Makena Nelson, Isabella Oye, 53.37, [SB] first.
 
Boys’ 4x100 Meter Relay
LHS Tyler Rolfs, Coy Thone, Ashton Hood, Coulter Thone, 47.89, third.
H-BC Mason Shaffner, Elisha Taubert, Beau Bakken, Cooper Gehrke, 48.11, fourth.
H-BC James Vanden Bosch, Sawyer Bosch, Micah Bush, Blake Leenderts, 48.57, fifth.
 
Girls’ 400 Meter Dash
H-BC Bailey Spykerboer, 1:09.11, second.
LHS Roselynn Hartshorn, 1:09.99, [PR] third.
H-BC Hailey Moser, 1:13.22, [PR] sixth.
H-BC Ella Sammons, 1:13.35, [PR] seventh.
LHS Skyler VanderSteen, 1:16.91, eighth.
LHS Brynn Boyenga, 1:19.24, 10th.
LHS Emma Wieneke, 1:27.67, 11th.
LHS Anna Reisdorfer, 1:30.84, 12th.
 
Boys’ 400 Meter Dash
LHS Lucky Dara, 54.66, first.
H-BC Micah Bush, 58.69, third.
LHS Ashton Hood, 59.91, fifth.
LHS Coulter Thone, 1:03.75, sixth.
H-BC Jacob Wallin, 1:06.88, [PR] seventh.
LHS Riley Ripka, 1:10.88, 10th.
 
Girls’ 300 Meter Hurdles
LHS Elizabeth Wagner, 47.89, [SB] first.
LHS Reinha John, 52.48, third.
LHS Kayla Bloemendaal, 58.31, [PR] sixth.
LHS Kendra Thorson, 59.40, seventh.
H-BC Ava Steinhoff, 59.89, eighth.
H-BC Larissa Steinhoff, 1:00.01, ninth.
 
Boys’ 300 Meter Hurdles
LHS Isaac DeBates, 46.01, [PR] third.
H-BC James Vanden Bosch, [PR] 48.10, fifth.
LHS Micah Andersen, 49.12, seventh.
H-BC Jackson Gacke, 51.66, [PR] eighth.
LHS Ashton Pick, 53.12, ninth.
 
Girls’ 800 Meter Run
LHS Cassi Chesley, 2:36.16, [SB] second.
LHS Ella Schmuck, 2:48.91, fourth.
LHS Josie Anderson, 3:06.35, [PR] eighth.
H-BC Emma Deelstra, 3:07.11, ninth.
H-BC Ella Sammons, 3:09.45, 10th.
 
Boys’ 800 Meter Run
LHS Carsen Toftland, 2:16.99, fourth.
LHS Dylan Ommen, 2:20.47, [PR] fifth.
LHS Leif Ingebretsen, 2:21.76, [PR] sixth.
LHS Sage Viessman, 2:23.41, seventh.
 
Girls’ 200 Meter Dash
LHS Tiana Lais, 28.87, [PR] third.
LHS Hailey Como, 30.36, fourth.
H-BC Bailey Spykerboer, 30.69, sixth.
LHS Morgan Hadler, 30.86, seventh.
LHS Jerzey Hood, 31.27, [PR] ninth.
LHS Baylee Smidt, 31.32, 10th.
LHS Corynn Oye, 31.36, 11th.
LHS Adelyn Rodriguez, 31.38, [PR] 12th.
H-BC Hailey Moser, 31.51, 13th.
LHS Elizabeth Mulder, [PR] 32.38, 14th.
LHS Ella Apel, 32.40, [PR] 15th.
LHS Emma Nath, 32.52, [PR] 18th
LHS Marlee Nelson, 33.01, 20th.
LHS Emma Jacobsma, 33.97, 21st.
LHS Jaelyn Arp, 40.21, 26th.
 
Boys’ 200 Meter Dash
LHS DJ Rock, 24.68, second.
H-BC Elisha Taubert, 24.90, [PR] third.
LHS Zachary Terri, 24.93, [PR] fifth.
H-BC Mason Shaffner, 25.52, [PR] seventh.
LHS Trayton Sayavong, 27.41, [PR] 15th.
LHS Jaymyn McLaughlin, 28.05, [PR] 20th.
LHS Jack Gangstad, 28.40, 21st.
H-BC Jacob Wallin, 29.44, [PR] 22nd.
LHS Chris Bonilla, 30.13, [PR] 24th.
LHS Levi Huisman, 30.33, [PR] 25th.
 
Girls’ 3200 Meter Run
LHS Grace Ingebretsen, 13:00.51, [PR] second.
 
Boys’ 3200 Meter Run
LHS Camden Janiszeski, 10:25.07, second.
LHS Marcus Papik, 11:37.44, fourth.
LHS Eli McLendon, 12:58.29, fifth.
 
Girls’ 4x400 Meter Relay
LHS Elizabeth Wagner, Tiana Lais, Jenna DeBates, Kayla Bloemendaal, 4:22.13, [SB] second.
 
Boys’ 4x400 Meter Relay
LHS Lucky Dara, Ryan Pick, Darius Dolo, DJ Rock, 3:45.68, [SB] second.
 
Girls’ Discus Throw
LHS Jadyn Hart, 124-06, first.
LHS Jocelyn Hart, 118-01, [SB] second.
LHS Andrea Luitjens, 90-00, [PR] fifth.
LHS Hannah Sneller, 84-00, [PR] sixth.
LHS Hannah Woodley, 83-11, [PR] seventh.
LHS Ava Sieve 75-09, [PR] eighth.
LHS Elaine Nath, 71-05, 11th.
H-BC Isabel Wysong, 61-03, 14th.
LHS Ella Apel, 60-06, [PR] 15th.
LHS Nardy Merida, 59-00, 17th.
LHS Jaycee Chapa, 54-05, 19th.
LHS Lauren Peters, 49-04, [PR] 22nd.
LHS Maddy Schepel, 44-10, 23rd.
LHS Natalie Berning, 30-06, 25th.
 
Boys’ Discus Throw
LHS Eli Woodley, 132-05 [PR], first.
LHS Adam Ask, 111-07, [PR] second.
LHS Keaton Ahrendt, 104-03, fifth.
H-BC Riley Tatge, 99-11, [PR] sixth.
H-BC Brayden Metzger, 92-10, ninth.
H-BC Jackson Gacke, 80-03, 13th.
LHS Damien Ahrendt, 73-06, [PR] 17th.
H-BC Blake Leenderts, 70-02, 18th.
H-BC EJ Wegener, 70-00, 19th.
H-BC Jamin Metzger, 65-06, 22nd.
H-BC Gavyn Leuthold, 62-10, 23rd.
LHS Keegan Crow, 51-01, [PR] 31st.
LHS Logan Mann, 43-08, 32nd.
 
Girls’ Shot Put
LHS Jocelyn Hart, 35-09, first.
LHS Jadyn Hart, 35-06, [SB] second.
H-BC Isabel Wysong, 30-01, [PR] fifth.
LHS Hannah Woodley, 28-11, sixth.
LHS Hannah Sneller,28-02.50, eighth.
LHS Jaycee Chapa, 27-08.50, [PR] ninth.
H-BC Larissa Steinhoff, 27-03.50, 10th.
LHS Andrea Luitjens, 26-09, [PR] 12th.
LHS Taya Johnson, 25.06.50, [PR] 14th.
LHS Ava Sieve, 25-01, [PR] 16th.
LHS Nardy Merida, 24-01, 17th.
LHS Elaine Nath, 23.06.50, 18th.
LHS Ella Apel, 20-08, 19th.
LHS Maddy Schepel, 20-05.50, [PR] 20th.
LHS Lauren Peters, 17-11, [PR] 23rd.
LHS Natalie Berning, 16-07, [PR] 25th.
LHS Luella Johnson, 16-01, 26th.
 
Boys’ Shot Put
LHS Eli Woodley, 46-00 [PR] first.
LHS Keaton Ahrendt, 40-09.50, second.
H-BC Beau Bakken, 38-11, [PR] fourth.
H-BC Jackson Gacke, 36-07, fifth.
LHS Adam Ask, 36-02, [SB] sixth.
H-BC Brayden Metzger, 34-08.50, 10th.
H-BC Jamin Metzger, 34-05,12th.
H-BC Riley Tatge, 32-02, 16th.
H-BC Gavyn Leuthold, 27-01.50, [PR] 23rd.
LHS Damien Ahrendt, 26-00.50, 25th.
LHS Logan Mann, 21-10, [PR] 30th.
LHS Keegan Crow, 20-10, 31st.
 
Girls’ Long Jump
H-BC Brynn Rauk, 14-07.75, first.
LHS Kendra Thorson, 13-05.75, fifth.
H-BC Hailey Moser, 12-11, sixth.
LHS Jerzey Hood, 12-10, eighth.
LHS Makena Nelson, 12-07.50, 10th.
H-BC Abigail Harris, 12-06.75, 11th.
LHS Marlee Nelson, 12-03.50, 13th.
LHS Elizabath Mulder, 10-04.75, 15th.
 
Boys’ Long Jump
H-BC Mason Shaffner, 17-11, [PR] fourth.
H-BC Sawyer Bosch, 17-07.50, [PR] fifth.
LHS Isaac DeBates, 17-01, [PR] sixth.
LHS Beau Bakken, 16-03.50, eighth.
H-BC EJ Wegener, 15-03.50, 10th.
LHS Jaymyn McLaughlin, 13-00, 17th.
 
Girls’ Triple Jump
H-BC Brynn Bakken, 32-10, first.
LHS Augusta Papik, 32-03.50, second.
H-BC Bailey Spykerboer, 30-03, third.
LHS Kendra Thorson, 29-10, fourth.
LHS Sarah Stegenga, 29-03, fifth.
H-BC Emma Deelstra, 28-06.50, seventh.
H-BC Ava Steinhoff, 27-06.50, [SB] eighth.
LHS Abby Boltjes, 26-07, ninth.
 
Boys’ Triple Jump
LHS Gavin DeBeer, 38-02, [PR] second.
H-BC Micah Bush, 36-04.50, [PR] third.
LHS Anyuon Atem, 35-06, fifth.
H-BC Sawyer Bosch, 35-04.50, sixth.
LHS Coy Thone, 32-08.50, eighth.
H-BC Jacob Wallin, 30-05.50, [PR] 10th.
 
Girls’ High Jump
H-BC Ava Steinhoff, 4-08, fourth.
H-BC Larissa Steinhoff, 4-08, [PR] fifth.
LHS Maria Rops, 4-06, sixth.
LHS Olivia Lund, 4-00, eighth.
 
Boys’ High Jump
LHS Gavin DeBeer, 5-06, third.
H-BC Elisha Taubert, 5-04, fourth.
LHS Darius Dolo, 5-04, fifth.
H-BC Jamin Metzger, 5-02, [PR] sixth.
H-BC Jackson Gacke, 5-02, seventh.
H-BC James Vanden Bosch, 5-02, eighth.
LHS Coy Thone, 5-00, ninth.
H-BC Jacob Wallin, 5-00, [PR] 10th.
 
Girls’ Pole Vault
LHS Corynn Oye, 8-06 [PR], third.
LHS Josie Anderson, 6-00, [PR] seventh.
LHS Anna Banck, 6-00, eighth.
LHS Brynn Boyenga, 6-00, [SB] eighth.
LHS Elizabeth Mulder, 5-00,10th.
 
Boys’ Pole Vault
LHS DJ Rock, 12-06, [SB] first.
LHS Tyler Rolfs, 10-00, [PR] second.
LHS Anyuon Atem, 10-00, [PR] third.
LHS Leif Ingebretsen, 9-00, fifth.
LHS Dawson Holtz, 7-06, sixth.
LHS Trayton Sayavong, 7-06, seventh.

We had cake in the office Tuesday to celebrate my 30 years as Star Herald editor. I love what I do, and I cherish the role of a weekly paper in a community, so it’s definitely worth celebrating.
Thirty years sounds impressive, but it’s just on par with countless feature stories we’ve written about people in their jobs for 30 or more years. 
When I started at the Star Herald in April 1993, Charlie Braa was still running the County Auditor’s Office — and the County Board, too, from what I could tell.
Bill Weber had just replaced Gordy Gits as Luverne mayor, and Andy Steensma was representing us in the State Capitol where Arne Carlson was governor.
In my first months on the job, I wrote about Kyle Oldre starting as county personnel director (now administrator) and Dr. Diane Kennedy starting at Luverne Community Hospital (when it was still located downtown).
I wrote about Betty Mann’s retirement from 25 years of teaching. Norm Miller was school superintendent and Ed Salzer was elementary principal in the three-story brick building in the middle of town. Magnolia elementary students still attended classes in Magnolia.
The Veterans Home had just opened in 1993 and the Evergreen housing additions were still part of the city’s long-range plan.
I came to Rock County after writing for the U of M campus daily in Minneapolis and at the Worthington Daily Globe.
Lynn Taylor was the outgoing editor and Carole Olson was the reporter who became my mentor and dear friend.
We were still photographing on film, which we developed in the darkroom where we printed images on paper in chemical trays. We pieced together the weekly editions one strip of waxed news copy at a time on pages that were driven to a press room 30 miles away.
Today we’re digitally produced and sent to printers online. We still circulate news on paper, but many of our subscribers like the E-edition.
What hasn’t changed in 30 years, however, is our approach to local news. 
We’re more committed than ever to telling the stories of Rock County — the schools, governments, businesses and, of course, the citizens. 
In the name of journalism, I’ve had rare opportunities to get close to people and families I may have never otherwise met, and I’m a better person (and better journalist) for knowing them.
If this job has taught me anything, it’s that we’re all human, and everybody hurts. 
And more than that, I’m repeatedly impressed by the resiliency of our people and the generosity of our community when someone needs help.
It's what sets us apart from other communities, and it’s what makes my work so rewarding.
I consider it an honor and privilege to have been documenting Rock County’s history for 30 years, and Lord willing, I’ll be here many more.
Thank you, dear readers, for the journey and for allowing me to tell your story.

Over 100 happy Easter egg hunters took to Main Street in Magnolia Saturday morning in search of plastic egg-wrapped treats. The event, sponsored by the Magnolia Juniors 4-H Club, typically happens in the city park, but it had to move this year due to winter conditions. “It was such a change from last year, because the park was under snow,” said Laura Luitjens, one of the organizers. She said 4-H Club members filled 1,900 eggs with candy at their last meeting, and more were donated after that. Also that morning, rabbits and a calf (in Easter bunny ears) were available for a small petting zoo.

The Rock River spilled its banks over the weekend in Luverne, sending water into Riverside Park on the north side of County Road 4 on Sunday and Monday.
The Luverne City Park and Redbird Field escaped flooding, however, and by Monday morning water levels began to recede.
According to the National Weather Service, the river crested just before 10 p.m. Sunday in Luverne at 9.9 feet.
Moderate flooding at that location is considered to be 10 feet, and at noon Monday, it measured 10.45 feet. The record was set on June 17, 2014, at 14.9 feet.
In other parts of Rock County over the weekend, many fields and pastures were under water as spring temperatures warmed into the 60s prompting a rapid snow melt.
The Rock River near Hardwick was dammed at County Road 7 with ice chunks and branches, causing flood warnings for water levels that reached 14.58 feet by Monday afternoon.
At that location, 12 feet is considered “actionable” and 14 feet is considered “minor flooding.”
In northwestern Rock County, melting snow combined with fresh rain to fill waterways and creeks that rushed toward Split Rock Creek, which spilled its banks south of Jasper Saturday night.
By Monday, however, it receded back to well within its banks, likely due to an ice dam breaking apart upstream.
This comes as a bit of relief to area residents who had started to brace for spring flooding. Now attention is turning to how the extra winter snow will affect drought conditions.
 
Snow cover, water content, soil moisture, frost depth …
Only two weeks ago, Rock County and southwest Minnesota still had more than a foot of snow on the ground, in addition to 12-foot-tall piles on properties and 5-foot-tall berms along roadways.
In terms of ranking, it’s among the deepest on record for March.
Most of that snow held roughly 3 to 5 inches of “snow water equivalent,” and had it melted rapidly with additional rainfall, flooding would have been problematic.
As it happened, cool temperatures prevailed, allowing daytime melting and nighttime freezing up until the past week.
Soil moisture has started to recover after nearly two years of drought conditions, but many areas started the winter in drought, which means the soil is able to absorb and hold water from the snowmelt.
The early snowpack kept frost depth to a minimum over most of the area this year, and in some cases the soil wasn’t even completely frozen below the snow.
Local measures in March reported frost only 4 inches below the surface because heavy snow served as an insulator. (Typical frost depth in this part of the state under bare ground is more than 20 inches in March.)
This also mitigated flooding because melting snow and rain water can quickly infiltrate the soil rather than run off over a frozen layer.
 
Drought nearly over
Drought conditions have been improving drastically over the winter, according to the National Weather Service Drought Monitor.
In November Rock County was solidly in “drought,” compared with
April 4, (when the Drought Monitor was last updated) when most of Rock County was considered to be “abnormally dry,” which is the next step down from “none” on the monitor.
Most river levels in the area were below normal when ice formed, so there is more room for runoff to be incorporated into the rivers before they would flood.
Many ponds and marshes that had dropped to low levels prior to winter are now able to intercept water that would otherwise contribute to river and stream rises.
If these trends continue, farmers can expect to start spring field work by late April and easily meet planting deadlines, according to farm analyst Kent Thiesse.
“If we can avoid any further significant amounts of precipitation in the next couple of weeks and get some warmer temperatures,” he said, “many crop producers in Iowa and southern Minnesota should be able to begin full-scale corn planting once soil conditions are fit.”

Law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical responders and military personnel are trained to help victims in traumatic circumstances.
However, despite their training, these professionals often suffer from the aftereffects of their regular exposure to life-and-death emergencies.
Luverne’s Diane Sherwood and her Remember Rally nonprofit will host a conference April 20 to bring awareness to the fact that emergency responders are human, and they need to protect their mental health.
“I, along with so many people, understand the concerns related to mental health. We hope that attendees of the conference will benefit from the training and resources that will be provided,” Sherwood said.
“Some of the speakers will be telling stories of their experiences as a first responder, what issues they went through, and what they did to reach out for help.”
The event begins with registration at 8 a.m. at the Luverne Pizza Ranch, and the program begins at 9 a.m.
The lineup of speakers includes professionals from around the nation who will talk about mental health, PTSD and suicide prevention for an audience of invited law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS, clergy and counselors in Luverne and surrounding communities.
•Ann Jensen, director of southwest Minnesota EMS in Dawson, will talk about “The importance of Debriefing Teams”
•Samantha Bruening, Yankton, South Dakota, Police Department will share “From Crisis to Calm” about a tragic incident that affected her life, how she reached out for help to get out of darkness and the importance of support.
•Wayne Kewitsch, Minnesota Fire Initiative Twin Cities, will speak about the “Hometown Heroes Assistance Program.”
•Dennis Proffitt, former Virginia State Trooper, will talk about his work in law enforcement and crisis response counseling and about his podcast, “Badge To The Bone.”
•Brad Shepherd, public safety director and alumni for Chateau Recovery, a mental health and substance abuse residential Treatment facility, will speak on “The Impact of Trauma on First Responders.”
Jonathan Hickory, law enforcement officer in Virginia, wrote a book about his depression, alcoholism and thoughts of suicide. The book, “Break Every Chain,” was made into a movie.
A private screening of the movie for emergency responders Thursday will be at 3:15 at the Palace Theatre.
A public showing of the movie will be at 7 p.m. as a fundraiser for Luverne first responders. Tickets are $7.
Pre-register for the conference by emailing promos@iw.net or texting to 507-920-5349. There is no cost to attend the conference, and food is provided for those who register in advance.
“We feel that by having first responders and related fields able to come together for training, a bond from various agencies and communities can be created,” Sherwood said.
There will be volunteers on Maple Street behind the Pizza Ranch that will help attendees on where they can park.
The event is presented by Remember Rally, a nonprofit that Sherwood started after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The organization honors military personnel and first responders and raises money to help those affected by service-related trauma and health problems.