For the first time since 2005, no one on the International Falls boys track and field team is advancing to the Class A State Tournament.
At last Friday’s Section 7A meet at the University of Minnesota Duluth, the closest the Bronco boys came to a top-two finish and a state qualifying spot was in the pole vault, where senior Kyle Askey placed third after clearing 12 feet, 6 inches. Junior teammate Cade MacKay finished fifth at 11-6.
Though Askey cleared the same height as both the winner, Deer River/Northland War Eagle junior Kevin Drotts, and the runner-up, Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin junior Josh Engel, he lost out on the opportunity to compete in this Friday’s state pole vault competition at Hamline University based on tiebreaker criteria, which take the number of misses into consideration.
The next best individual finish for the Broncos came from junior Nick Janttie, who finished fourth in the shot put with a throw of 43-11.75. Hinckley-Finlayson junior Chris Carlstrom had the winning toss of 48-7.75, a half inch farther than runner-up Joe Geiselman of Virginia.
Falls senior Tyler House recorded a pair of eighth-place finishes in the triple jump (39-4.5) and 100-meter dash (11.8 seconds).
The Broncos also scored a team point when sophomore Paul Skoglund placed eighth in the 110 hurdles (19.19). Skoglund had the sixth-fastest preliminary time (17.61) to qualify for the finals, where he tripped over a hurdle toward the end of the race and ended up in eighth.
Of the Falls’ two relay teams that qualified for the Section meet, the best showing was a fifth-place finish in the 4X100 relay (46.45).
The Broncos closed out the Section meet with their 4X400 relay finishing eighth in 3:46.99.
In the team standings, the Falls placed 11th with 23 points. Moose Lake/Willow River won the Section meet with 87.5, while Esko took home the runner-up trophy at 81.
Section 7A Meet
Boys team scores: Moose Lake/Willow River 87.5, Esko 81, Hinckley-Finlayson 78, Proctor 73, Virginia 51, Bigfork 36, Eveleth-Gilbert 31, Crosby-Ironton 28, Two Harbors 27, Duluth Marshall 25, International Falls 23, Chisholm 20.5, Mesabi East 17, Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin 16, Silver Bay 15, Deer River/Northland War Eagle 14, Cromwell 11, Cook County 7, South Ridge 7, Ely 5, Carlton 5, East Central 3, Barnum 2.
