By John RittenhouseFifteen future Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth track athletes competed in the Hershey’s District 2 Track and Field meet in Windom Saturday.The young Patriots made a strong impression on meet officials as 10 local athletes earned the right to advance to the state meet by placing first or second at the district level.The Hershey’s Minnesota State Track and Field meet will be staged in Apple Valley Saturday.H-BC-E athletes qualifying for state are Dalton Bass, Dustin Verhey, Karic Wiertzema, Colton Bass, Andrew Scholten, Terrance Reid, Caleb Ellingson, Mya Mann, Chelsi Fink and Amanda Tilstra.Wiertzema, Colton Bass and Tilstra qualified in multiple events.Wiertzema and Bass formed one-half of the boys’ 11- to 12-year-old 400-meter relay team that placed second at the district meet. Caleb Ellingson and Andrew Scholten are the other members of the team.Wiertzema won the boys’ 11-12 softball throw and placed second in the 400-meter dash.Along with running with the relay team, Colton Bass placed first in the boys’ 11-12 100-meter dash.Tilstra placed second in the girls’ 13-14 standing long jump and 1,600-meter run.Dalton Bass advances to the state meet after placing second in the boys’ 9-10 100-meter dash.Reid placed second in the boys 11-12 softball throw, and Fink placed second in the girls 13-14 softball throw.Mann placed second in the girls’ 13-14 800-meter run, and Verhey finished second in the boys’ 11-12 800.H-BC-E athletes placed in a number of other events Saturday.Scholten was third in the boys’ 11-12 softball throw, while Cody Penning finished fifth in the boys’ 13-14 softball throw.Rayna Sandoval and Brooke Tilstra placed third and sixth respectively in the girls’ 11-12 400-meter dash.Dalton Bass finished fourth in the boys’ 9-10 400. Verhey was fourth in the boys’ 11-12 400.Reid placed fifth in the boys’ 11-12 100-meter dash. Fink was sixth in the girls’ 13-14 100, and Penning finished sixth in the boys’ 13-14 100.Mann placed third and Fink fifth in the girls’ 13-14 200-meter dash.Reid was fourth, Scholten fifth and Casey Middendorp sixth in the boys’ 11-12 200.
