While it may seem like the high school track season has just begun, postseason competition looms in less than a week.
And in advance of the May 21 subsection competition, the Ely boys tuned up in a big way Tuesday with a solid showing at the Iron Range Conference meet.
On a damp, cool and drizzly day at Aurora, the Timberwolves finished fourth overall and were just a point away from third.
Ely, which amassed 109 points, had a first-place relay and was fueled in large part by its mid-distance participants, with the four-by-800 relay of Brooks Brenny, Wyatt Devine, Oliver Hohenstein and Blake Houde taking first in 9:05.28.
“Our mid-distance guys led the way as usual, and we got a first in the four-byeight,” said Ely Head Coach Will Helms. “Otto (Devine) was out taking a test but it was easy for us to slide someone else in there.”
Overall, Helms added that “it was a really good meet for us with six team personal- bests. That’s what you want to see with subsections coming up. And I thought it was a pretty challenging track with the weather.”
Houde had “probably our biggest day,” Helms noted, with a personal-best of 4:50 on the way to a second-place finish in that event. Teammate Oren Solum was fifth in the same race.
“His previous best was 4:54,” Helms said of Houde. “And Oren, I think every time he’s run a mile he’s lowered his personal best. And all of our relays had their season best and we were moving people around a little bit.”
Hohenstein teamed with Brenny, Wyatt Devine and Otto Devine to place second in the four-by-400 relay in 3:54.57.
Hohenstein and Wyatt Devine both stood out individually, giving Ely a twothree finish in the 800 with respective times of 2:11.32 and 2:11.44.
Brenny also had a runner- up finish in the 400 (59.2), while Houde was also fourth in the 3,200 (11:00.18) and freshman Toivo Forsman placed fourth in the 110 hurdles (19.65).
“I was really happy with Toivo and Elliot (Eastham),” said Helms. “They’re a couple of young guys and Toivo was fourth and Elliot went under 20 (seconds) for the first time. And Toivo spread some points around by placing fourth in the 110, fifth in the 300 and eighth in the triple jump.”
Ely will look to advance both individuals and relays on from the subsection meet to the Section 7A competition, which is slated for Duluth May 27.
“I think it’s a typical Ely team,” said Helms. “We’re peaking at the right time and everybody seems to be healthy and happy.”
Other Ely IRC finishers were:
• 100 dash - 16. Jack Rintala, 13.03; 19. Brady Strange, 13.55; 20. Frank Udovich, 13.61;
• 200 dash - 7. Summit Smith, 26.17; 13. Caleb Ebert, 27.81; 14. Brady Strange, 29.16;
• 400 dash - 8. Noah Axlesson, 1:03.73; 13. John Schiltz, 1:06.33;
• 800 run - 9. Liam Kurnava, 2:38.5;
• 1,600 run - 6. Grady Anderson, 5:09.2;
• 110 hurdles - 6. Eastham, 19.88;
• 300 hurdles - 5. Forsman, 50.85; 14. Eastham, 57.24;
• Four-by-100 relay - 5. Hohenstein, Smith, Rintala, Axlesson, 52.33;
• Four-by-200 relay - 6. Avery Ellerbroek, Schultz, Smith, Aksel Skustad, 1:50.27;
• Shot Put - 11. Emmett Boes, 30-0; 14. Emory Hohenstein, 28-10; 15. Jackson Jones, 28-1;
• Discus - 11. Oscar Shock, 90-5; 15. Boes, 81-6;
• High Jump - 9. Skustad, 4-8;
• Long Jump - 12. Forsman, 14-9.5; 13. Udovich, 149.5; 15. Ellerbroek, 14-0.75;
• Triple Jump - 8. Forsman, 32-1.25; 13. Eastham, 30-3.5; 16. Ebert, 28-2.
