Portage County Gazette

By John Kemmeter

After finishing as the WIAA Division 3 State Runner-up last season, the Rosholt High School boys track team will look to contend for the State Title this weekend.

Rosholt senior Sawyer Fleming will compete in the long jump and 800 run at the Division 3 State Meet, along with a pair of relay events, as he qualified for state as an individual for the fourth year in a row. (John Kemmeter photo

Junior Adam Rzentkowski qualified for state in three individual events, and senior Sawyer Fleming advanced in two individual events and two relays at the Marathon Sectional Thursday, May 24, as the Hornets finished with eight state qualifiers in six events.

Meanwhile, sophomore Jordan Zdroik qualified in two individual events and is part of one of the two relay teams the Rosholt girls will send to the WIAA Division 3 State Meet at UW-La Crosse Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2.

“The boys should be in the top three or four teams, unless something really falls apart,” said Rosholt boys and girls track head coach Mike Trzebiatowski. “But I just don’t see that happening with Fleming being a senior, and Adam is just tremendously motivated and did the right stuff.

“The girls team, we didn’t have the throwers to quite get what they wanted at Sectionals, but they really had a nice season, to help us at a lot of meets,” he said.

Last season the Rosholt boys scored 39 points at state to finish second behind Coleman (43), as Rzentkowski finished third in the 3,200 run and sixth in the 1,600 run, and Fleming was second in the 800 run.

Rzentkowski and Fleming were also part of the Hornets’ 4×800 relay teams that won back-to-back State Titles the last two years, while Fleming also returns from last year’s 4×400 relay team that won the State Title.

This season, the Rosholt boys won the Central Wisconsin Conference Large Title and placed second at the Rosholt Regional, as they headed into the Marathon Sectional Thursday.

Rzentkowski won the 1,600 run and the 3,200 run to advance to state in both events, as he enters state seeded fourth in the 1,600 run (4:31.29) behind senior Michael Axtman of Living Word Lutheran (4:28.18) and second in the 3,200 run (9:58.33) behind junior David Vannucchi of Onalaska Luther (9:25.29), who won the Division 3 Individual State Title in cross country the last two years, with Rzentkowski placing second last fall.

“The distance races for Adam, he’s a top-notch kid, and it should be a Battle Royale,” said Trzebiatowski. “Adam’s done some homework and he’s run some two-a-days this spring, which he hadn’t done before, he’s been able to handle those, and his workouts have been to the point of jaw dropping.

“We’ll let the cards fall where they may, but this could be an epic race between those two kids in the mile and two-mile,” he said.

Fleming (1:58.75) finished just ahead of Rzentkowski (1:58.82) to win the 800 run at the Sectional and qualified for state in the event for the fourth year in a row, as Fleming enters state seeded third in the 800 and Rzentkowski is fourth, behind Axtman (1:57.81) and defending State Champion senior Isaac Bohaty of Chippewa Falls McDonell (1:58.6).

Senior Dausen Anderson (left) will compete in a pair of relays, while junior Adam Rzentkowski will compete in three individual events at the WIAA Division 3 State Meet. (John Kemmeter photo)

“Again this could be an epic race, but I’ve got a feeling that we might have a good handle on teaming up together, and seeing what we do,” said Trzebiatowski. “There’s power in numbers, maybe, in that event.”

Fleming also finished fourth in the long jump to qualify in his second individual event, while sophomore Matt Ross was third in the 3,200 run to earn a trip to state for the first time.

“Matt qualifying is a big plus,” said Trzebiatowski. “He’s just been a really big pleasure and is moving in the right direction at the right time.”

Senior Dausen Anderson, Fleming, junior Zach Lepak and freshman Josh Zick teamed up to win the 4×800 relay in 8:25.74, as they edged Wild Rose (8:26.94) at the finish, and are seeded second in Division 3 behind Darlington (8:25.11) after winning the event at state four times in the last seven years.

“Adam’s going in the 800 (instead), we figure we have a chance to still win the 4×800 without him, so hopefully we’re in the top two,” said Trzebiatowski. “Josh will probably be running, otherwise (sophomore) Reese Anderson might fill in that spot.

“Zach never ran track before and he has done a marvelous job, and it will be interesting with Fleming on the end of that, we’re hoping that the other guys do their part and he just puts it to bed at the end,” he said. “That would be his third in a row, and it gets into a pretty elite crowd of winning an event three years in a row.”

The 4×400 relay team of Dausen Anderson, Reese Anderson, Fleming and Zick (3:29.92) finished sixth at the Sectional, but their time was good enough to earn them an extra qualifier to state.

“We hope to sneak a few points in the mile relay,” said Trzebiatowski. “Dausen’s filling in at the end, and Fleming’s going to run second and hopefully get us in the mix, then hang on for some points at the end.”

For the Rosholt girls, Zdroik finished third in the 3,200 run at the Marathon Sectional and fourth in the 800 run to qualify for state in both events, after she finished fourth at state in 3,200 run last year as a freshman.

Sophomore Jordan Zdroik will compete in the 800 run and 3,200 run, as well as part of the 4×800 relay team, at the Division 3 State Meet for the Rosholt High School girls track team Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2.
(John Kemmeter photo)

“Jordy had one of the guttiest races you’ve seen,” said Trzebiatowski of the 3,200 at Sectionals. “I really wasn’t too pleased about trying to let her do what she did, running the 800, and then 15 minutes later trying to come back in a pretty tough Sectional in the two-mile.

“With 1,000 meters to go something got in her head and she made it through a tough time and got back to the leaders, she was about 50 meters off of the group, and she was able to rally and get back in the mix and almost go to the lead, and then obviously hung on for third,” he said. “But she was fourth (at state) last year, and I know that’s got to be her goal, to get in the top three or four again.”

Zdroik also teamed up with sophomore Jenna Trzebiatowski, freshman Amber Studzinski and freshman Logan Krogwold to finish third in the 4×800 relay, while the 4×400 relay team of sophomore Madalyn Simonis, junior Mackenzie Stalter, Studzinski and junior Amanda Wanta also qualified for state after they finished fourth.

“The two-mile relay, we’re in the fast section, so hopefully we can try to get in that top six on the podium,” said coach Trzebiatowski. “That would be nice for those girls.

“And then the mile relay probably had the slowest time in the state (out of the qualifiers), but they made it there and they were elated, just because they knew they had a chance and they ran their hearts out for sure,” he said. “If they get in the Top 10 they make finals, and they’d be pleased as pumpkins if they got that.”

The Rosholt boys totaled 72 points to finish second behind Wild Rose (79.5) at the Sectional, while the Rosholt girls were 13th with 27 points, as Three Lakes/Phelps had 66.5 points to win the Sectional Title over Edgar (61.5) and Marathon (58).

At the state Meet this weekend, coach Trzebiatowski said Bangor is the team to beat for the boys, with Cambridge also in the mix.

“Bangor basically survives on jumpers that came off the basketball team that won state in Division 5, and they won state in football for Division 6,” said coach Trzebiatowski. “The key event will be high jump, if they do well, they could get to a point where we can’t touch them.

“If they don’t do well, then there’s a chance that we can sneak in and battle, along with Cambridge, and hopefully we’ve got some cards up our sleeves at the end of the day on Saturday, with the two two-milers,” he said. “But it’s been a fun season, and hopefully we’re going in the right direction.”