Cross-Country: Red Wing boys win New Prague Invite

Red Wing got a healthy momentum boost Tuesday at New Prague Golf Course as the Wingers took first place in the boys’ race and fourth in the girls competition.

Four of Red Wing’s five scored boys runners tallied personal bests as the Wingers won with 59 points, Faribault took second with 72 points, New Prague had 88 points in third and Farmington was fourth with 95 points.

“Coming off a really solid week of practice, possibly the best we’ve ever had, the boys really responded well and had a great meet,” Red Wing head coach Jesse Nelson said.

Only 1 minute, 7 seconds separated the Wingers’ top boys runner and their fifth. Junior Aiden Winn finished second in 16:44 to lead Red Wing, sophomore Marcus Warrington came in ninth place in 17:35, ninth-grader George Nemanich was 14th in 17:40 and junior Ryan Schnaith completed the race in 17:50 for 18th place. Junior Joe Partington was 16th in 17:48, two seconds away from a personal best.

“Just really happy with how the boys ran,” Nelson said. “It shows where we’re headed with this group of kids. Where I expect this team to head. I’m very happy with how things went.”

In the girls’ race, the Wingers welcomed back senior Kelsee Anderson, who ran in a race for the first time in nearly a month as Red Wing finished fourth as a team with 109 points and had two players place in the top 10.

New Prague won its own meet with 53 points.

Junior Lindsay Scribner ran a team-leading 15:31 for third place and eighth-grader Elise Leise was eighth in 16:04. Eight-grader Adelle DeSutter came in 28th in 16:57, junior Hailee Johnson was 33rd in 17:08 and Anderson finished in 17:14 for 37th place.

“We’re getting there,” Nelson said. “Both teams definitely took positive steps today.”

Cannon Falls’ Emi Trost won the girls competition with a time of 14:33, more than a second faster than her Class A state runner-up time last year, as the Bombers placed seventh.

Nelson said he was especially pleased with DeSutter’s performance as she’s filled in for Anderson and others that have missed time with injuries and sickness.

“I can’t say enough how DeSutter has stepped up with the other girls injured,” he said.

Anderson is far from completely healthy, Nelson said, but it was nice to see her back racing.

“We’re just happy to have her back,” he said. “It was just good to get her through her first meet with the injury. I know she’s not happy with the time or place but it’s a start.”

The impressive performances put Red Wing in a good position heading into the Red Wing Invitational Friday at Red Wing High School.

“Overall, a great meet for our program,” Nelson said. “We’re going into our home meet with some confidence.”

Tags: cross-country, red wing, sports, prep