The numbers at Falls’ track and field practices have dwindled for this week as the season continues for only five Broncos — three boys and two girls — as they prepare to compete in six events they qualified in at this weekend’s Class A state meet at Hamline University.
Freshman sprinter Breanna Shofner has qualified in two events, the 100- and 200-meter dashes, winning the latter last Friday and coming in runner-up to the 100 winner by one-hundredth of a second.
Though the only sprinter still in the running for the Broncos, Shofner was joined by three other girl sprinters at practice Monday morning to work on a fast start out of the blocks in both events.
“I’m just hoping to get my starts perfect and just be able to go out there (at the state meet) and do good,” she said.
Shofner in the last two meets joined the top-10 all-time list of Bronco girls sprinters in both events. At the May 25 Hibbing Subsection, her 200 dash time of 26.53 seconds was the sixth-fastest in school history. Her time of 12.61 in the 100 dash at last Friday’s Section meet is the fourth-fastest time ever by Falls girls.
“There are a lot of girls that are faster than me (at the state meet), so it’s going to push me to try to go harder,” she said.
The top seed in the 100 dash at 12.37, senior Analisa Huschle of Bagley/Fosston, will be running right next to Shofner in the opening heat scheduled this Friday afternoon.
Shofner will also be in the same heat with Huschle later that afternoon in the 200 dash, where the top seed is Foley junior Claire Gapinski at 25.62.
The top two in each heat, plus the next best times to fill out nine lanes, will advance to Saturday’s finals in the 100 and 200 dashes.
“I really just hope that I get to the second day, so I’m able to compete again,” Shofner said.
Eighth-grader Savanah Olson advanced to the state meet in the shot put after her second-place Section finish.
Girls head coach Jen Erickson has described Olson as someone who hasn’t let “her nerves or age affect her performance.”
“Watching her throw, you would have never guessed that she was only an eighth-grader in a field of upperclassmen,” Erickson said.
When asked how she is already able as an eighth-grader to qualify for a state meet at the varsity level, Olson said “working at it more — being pushed where I need to be.”
Olson, who noted her farthest throw in the shot put has been a toss of 35-5, said she would like to be able to get a personal record into the 36-foot range at the state meet.
The top seed in the Class A girls shot put competition is St. Clair junior Ashley Thooft at 41-9. The girls shot put competition is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Olson hasn’t been the only Bronco practicing the shot put this week. In the boys competition, senior Brandon Richards qualified for the state meet with his runner-up shot put toss of 47-5 at the Section meet.
He enters a field of 16 throwers with the top seed being a toss of 54-6 1/2 from senior Jack Fraser of LeSueur-Henderson.
“I’m just hoping for (throws of) 48s or better,” Richards said. “Any farther than 50, maybe, you never know.”
The boys shot put is set for Friday at 3 p.m.
The other two Bronco senior boys competing at Hamline University — Jake Jensen and Shawn Filipiak — have qualified for the state meet for the third year in a row.
Jensen, a three-time Section 7A meet champion, cleared 13 feet last Friday as he did at last year’s Section meet.
He made the 13-9 mark at the 2010 state meet to finish fourth. The top seed this year in Class A, junior Jake Zebedee of Blue Earth Area High School, made 14-1 at his Section meet.
Jensen is scheduled to begin the state competition this Friday at 3 p.m.
Shawn Filipiak, who won his first Section 7A title last Friday after two runner-up finishes, has cleared 6-5 in competition this season. His 6-0 winning mark at the Section meet has placed him near the back of the seeding in the 21-jumper field, in which Springfield/Cedar Mountain/Comfrey senior Nate Golden is the top seed at 6-7.
The Class A boys high jump competition is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Saturday.
