By MIKE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
The Amherst boys and Rosholt girls cross country teams are getting used to ordering an extra copy of an 8-by-10 team photograph.
The schools need an extra picture again this year to complete the championship trophies from the Central Wisconsin Conference meet.
The Hornets, for the fifth year in a row, and the Falcons, for the third straight season, captured the team titles at the meet, hosted by Pacelli at Iverson Park last Thursday. Rosholt, led by individual champion Tami Scott, ran away with the girls meet, scoring 41 points. Amherst got the job done again on the boys side, winning with 51 points.
The Falcon girls finished second in the girls meet, the school's highest finish in history, with 65 points. The Pacelli girls were seventh with 216. On the boys side, Rosholt was third with 101 points and the Cardinals were 10th with 255.
While Amherst had two finishers in the top three in the girls race, Rosholt had the individual winner and the Hornets had six finishers in front of everyone else's No. 3 runner. The Falcons had hoped to break Rosholt's stranglehold on the conference title.
"What was supposed to be a battle turned out to be a near massacre," Rosholt coach Mike Trzebiatowski said. "The girls are for real. They worked off each other, ran steady and strong, and dominated the first two teams for all-conference."
Scott, a junior, was in front of the field the whole way, winning the 4,000-meter race in 15:23. Her sister, senior Amy Scott, made the first-team all-conference squad with a seventh-place finish in 16:55. Jackie Zdroik (ninth in 17:03), Jackie Yenter (11th in 17:10), Lisa Yenter (13th in 17:21) all made the second team and gave the Hornets five finishers in the top 13.
"We were scary good today on a course that doesn't produce fast times. Tami looked strong, but still wasn't super sharp, and the girls know there is more down the road," Trzebiatowski said.
"It's hard to single out anyone, but it's special for a senior to get all conference. Amy believed she would come around at the end of the season and she proved it today."
For Amherst, Salla Pulli finished second in 15:35 and Jane Ovanin was third in 15:58, giving the Falcons two of the first three finishers. Brittney Dick, (18th in 17:34), Samantha Diver (19th in 17:39) and Jackie Hucke (30th in 18:29) rounded out the top five.
"It wasn't for lack of trying," Amherst coach Rob Sparhawk said of his team's hopes to top the Hornets. "I thought it could be closer. Right now, all we have on our mind is getting as many people to state as possible.
"Jane had her best race of the year. Salla ran for the team. She never really took a shot at first place and made sure second place was secure for the team."
Angela Peters led Pacelli with a 29th place finish in 18:27. Beth Boden (48th in 20:09), Amber Bemowski (52nd in 20:29), Chrissy Nowak (62nd in 24:05), Nikki Theisen (63rd in 24:15) completed Pacelli's top five. The team's top runner, Katie Hansel, was unable to run because of injury.
"I think that the girls ran near their potential," Pacelli coach Kim Olson said. "With Katie Hansel still out with an injury, they ran about where they can."
Amherst's Tim Olson finished the 5,000-meter course in fifth place, in 18:24, to make the all-conference team and led the Falcons to the boys title. Jordan Selbo (10th in 18:38), Jeremy Sherf (13th in 19:00), Jeff Cloninger (15th in 19:08) and Dan Werner (18th in 19:18) completed Amherst's top five.
"We pretty much knew we were going to win it," said Sparhawk, who now has won 10 conference titles, including the six he won while at Pacelli. "To win the conference meet is no small thing. But we're glad it's over so we can concentrate on sectionals and getting to state."
Rosholt's Brady Staszak was the highest local finisher in the boys race, helping the Hornets to a third place finish with 101 points. Staszak, a sophomore, was fourth in 18:22. Willie Van De Yacht (ninth in 18:35), Zachery Rodriguez (12th in 18:52), Tyler Staszak (42nd in 20:36) and Paul Zdroik (44th in 20:47) rounded out Rosholt's top five.
"We ran well, we need a little more from our fourth and fifth runners. They tried valiantly but their wheels fell off in the second part of the course," Trzebiatowski said.
"Brady Staszak, with only one year of running experience looked strong but not super and still finished fourth to place first-team all-conference. Zach Rodriguez ran strong and with the first three, we were winning the meet. That's improvement that we can be humbly proud of."
Scott Schmick of Port Edwards won the boys race in 17:38.
The Pacelli boys were led by senior Nick Gross, who was 32nd in 20:12. Joe Miller (47th in 20:54), Jason Lepak (55th in 21:37), Evan Kruzitski (62nd in 22:04) and John Sniadajewski (73rd in 23:10) comprised Pacelli's top five.
"The boys team didn't run as well. They have previously beaten a couple of these teams," Olson said. "We have lost Ryan Marciniak (our No. 2 runner) to an injury for the rest of the season, so that has hurt our team results."