Prep report: Esko laps field at Polar League meet
May 19—Competing on their home track, Esko's boys and girls track and field teams won comfortable victories in the Polar League track meet on Wednesday.
The Esko girls finished with 213.5 points, with Two Harbors (154) and Carlton/Wrenshall (69.5) rounding out the top three. Esko racked up 212 points on the boys side, more than the next three teams (Moose Lake/Willow River with 79, Carlton/Wrenshall with 70 and Barnum with 62) combined.
Mason and Makoi Perich went 1-2 for Esko in both sprints, with Mason running the 100 in 11.09 seconds and the 200 in 22.66.
Two other Eskomos, hurdler Chad Hart and thrower Wyatt Stankiewicz had a first and a second.
The only other double winner among boys was jumper Kaden McNiff of Floodwood, who took the long jump at 20-7 3/4 and triple jump in 42-2 1/2.
Hurdler Gwendolyn Lilly won both the 100 (17.29) and 300 (52.53) as the Eskomos and Two Harbors won six track events apiece. The Agates' Trinity Giddings combined wins in the 400 (1:03.07) and the triple jump (32-1/2).
Superior prevailed in a narrow three-way race in the Lake Superior Conference boys track meet on Tuesday in Grand Rapids. The Spartans posted 144 1/2 points, with Cloquet and the host Thunderhawks close behind with 129 and 128 points, respectively.
Darrel James took both sprints for the Spartans.
On the girls side, Cloquet prevailed by a more comfortable margin, scoring 189 1/2 points to finish well ahead of runner-up Hibbing (126) and Grand Rapids (88).
The Lumberjacks' star of the day was hurdler Olivia Jameson, who won by nearly a second in the 100 in 16.75, by more than a second in the 300 in 48.48 and cleared a winning 5-4 in the high jump. Taylor Wick won both distance jumps, marking 34-11 1/2 in the triple jump and 16-1/2 in the long jump.
Hibbing's Julia Gherardi cleared 11-6 in the pole vault, while also running 13 seconds flat to win the 100.
Northwestern put in a dominant performance at the Heart O'North Conference meet on Tuesday in Cameron, Wisconsin.
The Tigers racked up 173 points, well ahead of second-place Chetek-Weyerhauser (93).
C.J. Thompson won the 100 hurdles for the Tigers by a hair (.01 seconds) in 15.58 and by a much wider margin (1.32 seconds) in the 300 hurdles and Greg Ohman topped both throwing events.
The Northwestern girls finished seventh behind winners Hayward.
* Rock Ridge prevailed as both boys and girls champion in the Iron Range Conference on Tuesday in Chisholm.
Hermantown overcame an 11-6 disadvantage in hits to get the home win over the Eskomos.
Esko got two hits apiece from Sam Haugen, Cale Haugen, Joey Antonutti and Bryce Hipp. Cale Haugen homered.
Kyle Henke and Nolan Svatos had two hits apiece as the Thunderhawks outslugged the Hunters in Grand Rapids.
Esko scored six times in the sixth inning to rally past Cloquet before storms blew in at Braun Park in Cloquet.
A bases-clearing double from Bailey Plante broke the 5-5 tie and made her the only Eskomo to have a multi-hit game. Kaitlyn Adkins also drove in three runs.
Amber Carlblom got the win for Esko, allowing five runs (three earned) on nine hits.
For Cloquet, Brynn Martin, Roena Diver and Carly Johnson had two hits apiece.
Baylee Edwards was 3-for-3 with a double, while Molly Sonnesson and Lindsey Ewer posted two hits apiece as the Hawks won a game called in the fifth inning due to lightning.
Ewer allowed one run on six hits in 5 2/3 innings.
PREP SCOREBOARD
BASEBALL
Hermantown 10, Esko 7
Hibbing 10, Cloquet 3
Rock Ridge 14, Cloquet 4
Grand Rapids 14, Duluth Denfeld 9
SOFTBALL
Esko 9, Cloquet 5
Superior 5, Proctor 0
Grand Rapids 10, Duluth Denfeld 0
Cherry 5, North Woods 2
Hermantown 9, Duluth East 1
