As the Bronco girls try and forget a one-point loss entering the 2009 season, a youthful boys team is all about competing
Bronco senior Stephanie Christianson couldn’t imagine missing state by just one point again.
“I’d be so upset,” she said, before pushing some confidence toward this year’s team. “I think we can (make state).”
Last season’s unfortunate close to the season — the Broncos finished third at sections and one point behind Esko — is still fresh in their minds and it’s serving as motivation to get to state. Christianson qualified as an individual for the third time in 2008, but it wasn’t the same experience without all her teammates. This year she wants to end on a high note and bring along six other Broncos as a team.
“It would be a great way to end high school, my senior year,” Christianson said.
The Broncos return four of their top runners from last year — Christianson, Amy Auran, Amber Harms and Rachel Foss — but need to replace some key cogs who departed. Grace Thorstad, who finished fourth on the team and 32nd overall in the section last season, made the switch to girls swimming, while Mackenzie Raboin switched to volleyball. Breanne Friend was lost to graduation.
“If we can find a fifth runner, we should be strong again,” said head coach Paul Hjelle.
The leading candidates for the final three spots are junior Paige Boyum, senior Cali Treat and freshman Jaime Sjoblom, who participated in last year’s section meet. Shelby Wolden and Sierra Ruelle could also be in the mix.
Senior Britni Hendrickson, a co-captain with Christianson, compared this year’s team to last year’s team and got excited.
“I think we can be better even,” she said.
The Broncos opened the season a week ago and didn’t have a full lineup on varsity, but Auran, Wolden and Ruelle all finished in the top 10 in the 7th and 8th grade race, while Treat was fifth in the junior varsity competition. The Falls is back at it again tonight at Roseau and should continue to build up the varsity lineup from meet to meet.
Now if they could only forget that one point.
“I think we all know last year was an eye-opener that showed we can do it,” Hendrickson said. “This group is just as good if not better.”
Young Bronco boys team feeding off competition
Without a senior on the roster, the 2009 Bronco boys cross country team is building toward the future.
But what they lack in experience is being made up for with good old competition.
Not even the three junior captains — Jake Jensen, John Sobczynski, Nick Bujold — are guaranteed a spot on the 7-man varsity squad, leaving every opening available for the takers. And with an online roster filled with 19 runners, the competition is steep.
“Young team,” Hjelle said. “And they will have to battle to make the top seven.”
Sobczynski is the top returner after finishing 30th overall and second for the Broncos at sections last season, while freshman Marco Griffith finished fifth for the Broncos and 42nd overall. Four seniors off the section squad, which finished fourth, were lost to graduation — Thomas Briggs, Zach Severson, Daniel Eldien and Alex Marx.
The Broncos return to action tonight against Roseau and will look to improve on the fifth place it earned out of seven teams in last week’s Babbitt Lions Club Gene Ritche Memorial. The lineup then was Sobczynski, Jensen, Adam Davies, Bujold and Marx. No word is out on tonight’s lineup, but there will definitely be competition.
“I want to become a top team in the section,” Bujold said. “I think a couple of our guys can go to state.”
