October 28, 2016 at 8:03 a.m.
Dodge-Point boys, girls cross country head to state
This year, however, both teams will be running Saturday at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids.
The boys had their five scorers finish in the top 15 at the Platteville Sectional and edged Monroe 51-54 for the top spot. The Cheesemakers also qualify for state as a team.
Junior Juan Navarro led the D-P team taking 7th in 16:41 with freshman Henry Keith in 9th at 16:49 and senior Tanner Cullen 9th in 16:51. Then came juniors Isaac Grunow in 12th at 17:15 and Gerrit Bakker at 15th in 17:19.
Rounding out the seven runners, both topping Monroe runners, were juniors Brantley Eastman 24th in 17:46 and Jordan May 33rd in 17:54.
River Valley senior Dustin Hatfield, who finished 15th individually at last year's state meet, was the top runner. He toured the course in 15:46, beating out Monroe senior Nick Baumann's 16:05.
Other team scores were: McFarland 95, Platteville 127, Edgewood 134, River Valley 184, Lodi 198, Mount horeb 211, Brodhead/Juda 222, Southwes-tern/Benton/Cuba City 222, Evans-ville 292, Beloit Turner 324, Edgerton 353, Richland Cen-ter/Ithaca 415.
Other individual qualifiers are: McFarland senior Chris Pahnke 16:11, Platteville senior Dan Iselin 16:15, McFarland sophomore Andrew Pahnke 16:17, Platteville sophomore Jace Serres 16:53.
The Dodge-Point girls finished 2nd to McFarland 75-94 with both teams advancing to state.
D-P freshman Korra Wasley led D-P taking 9th in 20:17.
Senior Mackenzie Hall was 15th in 20:34 with sophomore Hannah Tremelling 21st in 20:54.
Sophomore Lindsay Johnston took 22nd in 20:55 while the scoring was completed by sophomore Josie Jabs 27th in 21:09.
Sophomore Cassie McGraw finished 34th in 21:45 and senior Claire Baldus took 64th in 23;05.
The rest of the team scores were: Evansville 109, Platteville 113, Mount horeb 130, Lodi 147, Brodhead/Juda 161, Monroe 169, Prairie du Chien 183, Edgewood 234, River Valley 314, Beloit Turner 354, Richland Center/Ithaca 361, Edgerton 374.
Evansville's talented freshmen McKenzie Fillner and Ava Schroeder finished 1-2 in 19:45 and 19:47.
Platteville senior Brelynn Updike was 3rd in 19:48, Prairie du Chien sophomore Amber Ruser was 4th in 19:49 and Monroe junior Rachel Meier took 5th in 19:56. All advanced as individuals.
Division 2 boys run at 12:35 while the girls run at 2:25.
The meet begins at 12 (noon) with D3 boys.
The following are some comments from the D-P runners about going to state:
"As a senior, there is no better way I could imagine to end my cross country career. Being able to go to Wisconsin Rapids with both the girls and boys team is truly a dream come true. This wouldn't be possible without our amazing coaching staff: Ann Alleman, Joe Hanson, Denny McGraw, and Matt McGraw. They inspire us every day to be the best we can be and make every practice fun. I also am very lucky to run with the best teammates in the state. All of them have made the past four years unforgettable. From the countless team dinners to our pre-race rituals, Dodge-Point Cross Country has become my second family." Mackenzie Hall
"It was amazing to see all of our hard work pay off. We can't wait to see what Wisconsin Rapids has in store for us." Haley May
"I would like to thank the coaches and my teammates for supporting me it's been a great 4 years! I'm glad I have the opportunity to go to State my senior year." Tanner Cullen
"I was super excited when the girls team made it to state because after being able to practice with them and see how hard they've worked they truly deserved it. I was also able to travel with them to sectionals as an alternate and had the opportunity to cheer them on as they ran. They are all truly inspiring and tend to give it their best." Abby Thompson
"As a freshman, the feeling of going to state is very gratifying. Sharing this experience with my teammates will be a life long memory." Henry Keith
"This is my first year of high school cross country and I never would've thought about getting a chance to run at the state meet. When the boys were announced as sectional champions, I felt very happy for them and thought of how hard they have worked to get thus far in the season. As for the girls, we have been working extremely hard to make it to the state meet also. So when the announcer announced that we were runners-up and qualified for state, I knew that this is what our team deserved. We all worked hard this season, so I'm very thrilled to be running at the state meet." Lindsay Johnston
"As a senior, this will be my first time going to state and I couldn't be more excited! The huge amount of support and encouragement throughout the season from my family, teammates, and especially coaches has pushed me to be a better runner and definitely a better person. With the coaches knowledge and genuine love for the sport, paired with the dedication my teammates have displayed, it is great that we get to see our hard work pay off. Overall, I can't think of a better way to end my senior cross country season." Claire Baldus
"It is so exciting to be going to state this year. I could not have asked for a better team to do it with!" Cassie McGraw
"I am honored to be part of such a great program. Years from now, I'll still be replaying the announcing of the sectional results in my head, asking myself the same question. "How the heck did we get so good?" The simple repetitive answer will always be- from the discipline of Denny McGraw and the brain work of Joe Hanson." Jordan May
""It's an honor to be going to State with this team. It's what we have worked all year for." Gerrit Bakker
"Heading to state is a wonderful feeling that shows hard work pays off. Hopefully everyone has a great race and we can showcase what we are capable of." Isaac Grunow
"The feeling of going to state is like no other. It's full of so many different emotions, but mostly rewarding to know that all of our hard work has finally paid off. I'm so proud of both the girls and boys teams for pushing ourselves and believing in each other to accomplish something this amazing." Josie Jabs
"It was the greatest feeling in the world when we found out we were going to state. We were all speechless when we realized that we were going to state. After last season when the team did not go on to state we were determined to get to state this year." Hannah Tremelling
"Couldn't have made it without our amazing coaches denny and joe. From the beginning of the season I knew that in order to succeed, we would have to work hard and listen to the coaches. Big thanks to them, now we're off to state. Dream come true." Juan Navarro
"It doesn't even seem real. This is such a great opportunity and great experience!" Adam Phillips
"I'm incredibly thankful for this opportunity to run at state with an amazing group of girls. Im so happy to see that the hard work and training that our coaches and parents have pushed us to do this year is finally paying off." Korra Wasley
Dodge-Point coach Denny McGraw talked about the sectional meet saying, "It was a great day to be part of Dodge-Point Cross Country at the sectional meet as both the boys and girls teams advance to the state meet in Wisconsin Rapids. The boys won the sectional meet by beating Monroe by 3 points. The girls placed second, advancing them to state also. Everyone was waiting anxiously for results as the scorers dealt with computer problems that delayed the announcing of the winners by almost an hour. When the results were finally announced the DPCC crowd went wild! It is exciting to return both teams to state. We were fortunate to have both teams as state in 2010, 2011 and 2012. We hope to have a large crowd in Wisconsin Rapids on Saturday, October 29, supporting the teams."
Spectators are not allowed to park at the golf course, so they shuttle from various parking areas. See the following link for Parking Infor-mation for the state meet :https://www.wiaawi.org/Portals/0/PDF/Sports/Cross_Country/shuttleparking.pdf
