Threatening and dark skies greeted the De Pere team on the day of their team banquet, November 10. Luckily, since the event was held indoors at the Swan Club, there was no need to worry about the rain. Doors opened at 5:30 and the 70 or so athletes that showed up enjoyed one last bonding session before dinner was served at 6:00. Many athletes also had several family members in attendance.
After a meal of signature Chicago Street Pub-style pizza, it was time to recap the season and dish out hardware. The entire coaching staff (Coaches Hendricks, Joseph, Deshazer, Wilson, Bieszk and Soquet) were on hand and received a round of applause from the audience. The head coaches highlighted how successful the season was, touching on both the advancements of the varsity teams from last season and how many junior varsity runners made significant progress from the start of the season to the end of the season. After that, it was time to distribute awards to everybody. The list of award winners is as follows:
Captain Award - distributed to all team captains: Madi DeCleene, Emma Coon, Emily Dehn, Brylee Birkholz, Olivia Kust (girls), Caleb Krueger, Enoch Thielhelm, Casey Trousil (boys)
Fox River Classic Conference All-Conference team - based off placements at conference meet: Hope Dragseth, Emma Coon, Jessica Rolain, Grady Lenn, Casey Trousil, Chase Deshazer (first team), Bella Heideman (honorable mention)
WIAA State Qualifier Award - given to those who advanced to state: Emma Coon, Hope Dragseth, Jessica Rolain, Katherine Pahl, Bella Heideman, Bella Broullire, Kemily Kneeland, Olivia Kust, Greta Czachor, Sydney Sturdivant, Amelia Hoff, Madi DeCleene
Sportsmanship Award - given to the team member who embodies leadership and encouragement: Madison DeCleene (girls), Enoch Thielhelm (boys)
Top Performer - given to the most valuable runner on the team: Hope Dragseth and Emma Coon (girls), Grady Lenn (boys)
Most Improved - given to the runner that made the greatest improvements from last year or in-season: Olivia Kust (girls), Ryan Bintz (boys)
Dan Baker Award - given to the athletes that live the phrase 'all it takes is all you've got': Jessica Rolain (girls), Casey Trousil (boys)
Varsity letterwinners were noted but because of the sheer number of them were not recognized in front of the audience. They received their letters in their packets.
After a short wrapup ceremony, athletes took pictures and a few even took BeReals for the day with Coach Hendricks, with plenty of smiles to go around.
With the day off school on October 28th, supporters of the team were able to gather at 1:00 PM to see the bus off for the weekend. After a very nice sendoff, the team made their way to Central Wisconsin for state championship weekend.
The bus ride over was certainly one of the more eventful ones, with a stop in Waupaca for a bathroom break as well as a stop in Wisconsin Rapids to get state apparel. After about four total hours, the team made it to their hotel in Marshfield. A scenic run through a zoo ensued, with team members afforded the opportunity to view bison, deer, squirrels, and other wildlife on their premeet run. One last team dinner happened on Friday night, and then athletes retired for the night.
Saturday morning arose with a newfound air of excitement. The team gathered for a walk at 8:00 AM, and ate breakfast after that. After packing their bags, the team left the hotel around 10:15 en route to The Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids. Upon arrival, the team set up their camp and started their initial race preparations.
After opening ceremonies for the meet, the team was guided through the course by Coach Hendricks, who estimated that this was the 18th or 19th consecutive state cross country meet that he attended. The runners also got an opportunity to cheer on runners in the Division 3 girls race in a show of sportsmanship.
The captains led the girls team on a well-rounded warmup, and the team got to the box and checked in with the referees in plenty of time before the race. It was a little bit difficult for De Pere runners to find their places at the start of the race, with many runners getting swallowed up by the large pack that formed. Emma C. and Hope D. had to fight up the order all throughout the race, with Hope struggling with a nagging injury on race day. Emma finished 19th and Hope 21st at the end of the race. Jessica R. finished 52nd to cap off a very strong season. Katherine P. stepped up to finish fourth on the team and Bella H. rounded out the scoring for the Birds. Seniors Bella B. and Kemily K. rounded out the runners for De Pere. As a team, the girls finished eighth with 214 points, the highest-placing girls team from De Pere to ever run at state.
Grady received support from many of his varsity teammates before the race. He followed the race plan that was set out for him, hanging back of the lead for the first mile and then advancing. Grady ran as high as second before falling to seventh at the end of the race. Despite not acheiving his reach goal of a top-five finish, Grady still found himself on the podium and ran the fastest-ever time for a freshman at the state meet. It was a very good performance from an athlete who was originally planning on playing football this fall.
After a stop for supper on the way back, athletes arrived home on Saturday evening proud of what they accomplished. It was a fantastic end to another great season for the De Pere Cross Country team.
On an unseasonably warm day, the De Pere cross country teams loaded a bus and went down to the sectional meet, held at Meadow Links Golf Course in Manitowoc. Along with the Division 1 sectional, there was also a Division 3 sectional being held concurrently, giving the meet a charged-up atmosphere throughout. Teams the Redbirds would do battle with for a state spot included Pulaski, Ashwaubenon, Green Bay West, Green Bay Southwest, Green Bay East, Green Bay Preble, West De Pere, Kaukauna, Kimberly, Manitowoc Lincoln and Bay Port.
Although the team arrived before 9:00 AM, the first race, featuring the girls team, was not until 11:30. All athletes had plenty of time to walk the course and review strategy with coaches before they had to start warming up. Many parents and fellow students dropped by the team camp before the races as well to show their support.
At the beginning of the race, all seven girls runners ran very assertively and put themselves in good positions for the rest of the race. Hope D. and Emma C. methodically worked their way through some very good runners to finish second and third overall. Jessica R. held her own to finish eighth, fighting all the way to the end. Bella H. (18th) and Katherine P. (22nd) finished the scoring for De Pere, who had five runners finish in under 21 minutes. When the results came in, the girls finished second at a team, punching a ticket to Wisconsin Rapids for the following weekend. Kaukauna won the sectional with 38 points, followed by De Pere (53) and Preble (87), who was the first team that did not advance.
The boys team encountered a little bit more adversity in their race. Grady L. held on to the lead pack for the first two miles and put the pedal down in the third mile, winning the sectional by five seconds over a Manitowoc runner that beat him last week. Casey T. battled throughout, finishing 11th. Malachi O. came alive in the back half of the course and turned in a fine performance, running sub-nineteen. Evan M., Chase D., and Ryan B. came across the line 39th-40th-41st to finish out the scoring runners. Chase fought a nagging injury throughout the race and gave a great effort. When the scores were tallied, the team was sixth with 121 points, just a handful of points off the season-long goal of being a top-five team at sectional.
Clouds, wind and a little bit of hail greeted the Redbird cross country team as they disembarked the bus to compete in the Fox River Classic Conference championships. The race was held at Seven Lakes Golf Course, a venue outside of the small town of Whitelaw, located in Manitowoc County. It was a new course for all Redbird runners, but the course wound up being easy to scout. The course was three of the same one-mile lap around a few of the golf course holes, with a start chute and finish chute making up the remaining .11 mile of the course. Foes at the conference meet included meet host Manitowoc Lincoln, Sheboygan North, Sheboygan South, Ashwaubenon, Pulaski, Bay Port, Green Bay Preble, Green Bay Southwest, and Notre Dame Academy.
The girls junior varsity race was the first race on the docket. Greta C. competed well with a number of Notre Dame runners in the early portion of the race before finishing in eighth place. Madi D. unleashed a massive personal record, finishing only five seconds behind Greta with a time of 22:24. That effort was good for second place on the team and 11th overall. The dynamic freshman duo of Sydney S. and Amelia H. ran a consistent race, finishing in 20th and 21st. Sophomore Sarah D. rounded out the scoring for De Pere, who tied with Manitowoc for third place after five runners. After going to the tiebreaker, the Redbirds won the spot on the strength of senior Ella Z., who ran to a 33rd-place finish. Congratulations to the girls junior varsity team on securing a podium finish at conference!
Following that event, the junior varsity boys took to the course. Peter H. turned in a sterling effort in the final race of his career, finishing seventh overall with a time of 18:46. Vlad B. also fought through some big packs to finish 13th. The final three scoring runners for the Birds came in quick succession, with Ethan M. (20th), Finnegan B. (23rd), and Ian F. (25th) contributing to the team score. Freshmen Emmett M. and Cooper A. were the top non-scoring runners for the Redbirds, who finished fifth as a team with a score of 88 points.
Medals and plaques were on the line for the next race, girls varsity. Hope D. and Emma C. ran very tactical races to finish first and second with times of 18:53 and 19:13. Jessica R. ran a gutsy race from start to end and also earned first-team All-Conference honors, finishing seventh. Freshman Bella H. qualified for the honorable mention All-Conference team, finishing in 24th. Katherine P. rounded out the scoring for the Redbirds with a 28th-place finish. The three senior runners on the team were Bella B. (30th), Kemily K. (32nd), and Olivia K. (38th). As a team, De Pere finished third with a score of 62 points.
The final contest of the event was the boys varsity race. Grady L. ran up front all race and finished a close second, finishing with a time of 15:53. Casey T. and Chase D. stepped up their game, running together for most of the race before finishing 6th and 8th respectively, both good for first-team All-Conference honors. The rest of the Redbird runners came across the line in a pack, with Enoch T. (29th) and Ryan B. (30th) making up the remainder of the team score. They were followed by Evan M. (31st), Malachi O. (33rd), and Aaron B. (42nd). Just like the girls team, the boys also finished third, this time with a score of 75 points.
De Pere All-Conference Runners:
Hope Dragseth (First Team), Emma Coon (First Team), Jessica Rolain (First Team), Grady Lenn (First Team), Casey Trousil (First Team), Chase Deshazer (First Team), Bella Heideman (Honorable Mention)
With rain showers on their way out, the De Pere cross country team travelled down to Kimberly for a tune-up before the conference championships the following week. There, they would square off against Preble's girls, Stevens Point's girls, and teams of both genders from Xavier, Waupaca, Appleton East, Pulaski, and Bay Port. Kimberly also participated at their home invitational but did not run their varsity runners.
The meet was run "open" style, with only one girls race and one boys race. The girls race kicked off at 4:00, with the entire girls team lining up at the starting line. After starting the race behind two Xavier runners, Hope D. and Emma C. secured a 1-2 sweep for the Redbirds at the finish. Jessica R. was 16th, followed by Bella H. in 27th and Bella B. in 32nd. The Redbirds secured a third-place finish as a team, scoring 78 points.
The boys race started at 4:40, with De Pere once again representing a large portion of the field. Grady L. took control of the race early on and never looked back, claiming the win and a time of 16:41. Casey T. was second on the team and fifth overall with a time of 17:51. In his first race in a month, Chase D. rose up through the field and finished third on the team (seventh overall), also finishing under 18 minutes. Enoch T., also returning from injury, provided a fourth top-ten runner for the Birds, finishing ninth. Evan M. in 15th place rounded out the top five for De Pere, who scored 37 points as a team. That score was good enough to win the invitational, beating out Xavier by a mere five points.
The Redbirds will travel to Seven Lakes Golf Course outside of Whitelaw next week for the FRCC championship meet on Thursday, October 13.
Thursday, September 22nd was a seasonal day for the beginning of fall - partly cloudy, temperatures hovering right around 60 degrees in the afternoon. The atmosphere was primed for a breakout day, and the Redbirds accomplished exactly that throughout the course of the meet, competing against 38 other schools.
The girls varsity team put in an admirable effort. Hope D. and Emma C. finished second and third, each running around 19 minutes. Jessica R. ran her fastest time of the year by over a minute to turn in a 13th-place finish. Greta C. and Bella B. rounded out the scoring team for the Redbirds, who lost second place to Fox Valley Lutheran on a tiebreaker.
Due to sickness, the boys varsity team saw some eleventh-hour promotions, with seniors Peter H. and Caleb K. joining the squad for the first time this season. Grady L. ran a tough race and lost the win by .3 seconds at the finish line, finishing second. Casey T. was 11th overall, turning in a massive personal record. Accomplishing the same feat was Ryan B., who was third for the Redbirds and 29th overall. Malachi O. and Aaron B. completed the five scoring runners for De Pere, who finished third as a team to West De Pere and Kiel.
The girls junior varsity race was a Redbird affair from start to finish, with a DP runner always in command after the opening start. Bella H., Kemily K. and Katherine P. pushed each other throughout, all finishing under 21:40 in a 1-2-3 finish. Madi D. and Ella Z. were 6th and 7th, both running 22:52. The Redbirds finished with 19 team points, only 4 off of a perfect 15 score. Even after the top five runners for the team came in, the next three runners in the race were also Redbirds, with Emily D., Sarah D. and Sara V. contributing to a great team performance.
The final race of the afternoon was boys junior varsity. Lincoln P. and Vlad B. both ran near the front the entire race, finishing 3rd and 4th. Ethan M. was 11th overall, breaking 20 minutes. Ian F. and Emmett M. completed the scoring for the team, which was tied with Bay Port after five runners. The tiebreak then went to the sixth finisher, which for the Redbirds was A.J. B., running in his first cross country race. He was 21st compared to 24th for Bay Port's sixth runner, securing the team win in the nightcap.
The Redbirds will take a week off from racing during the last week of September and will return to action at the Kimberly Papermaker Invitational on Thursday, October 6.
The bus left at 7:00 AM from the De Pere High School parking lot, bound for Wausau East High School. The 63rd annual Bill Smiley Cross Country Invitational was the second Smiley that that the Redbirds participated in. The meet featured 26 WIAA Division 1 teams that the Redbirds would compete against, along with a few dozen more Division 2 and Division 3 teams.
The girls junior varsity race was run as a combined event with all runners from all divisions going at once. The Redbirds were led by Katherine P., who took 18th in Division 1 with a time of 23:05. After that, the pack of Brylee B., Sarah D., Emily D. and Ella Z. came in within 20 seconds of each other to secure a 7th-place team finish for the Redbirds, a single point behind DeForest for 6th.
Hope D. put a clinic on the varsity girls race, winning by nearly 40 seconds with a time of 19:05. Emma C. was third overall, also running sub-20 minutes. Jessica R. recorded a season-best time, finishing 28th. Olivia K. and Amelia H. (in her first varsity race) rounded out the scoring for the Redbirds, who finished 4th as a team.
Grady L. continued his season-long hot streak, recording a personal record time of 16:11 en route to a second-place finish in the boys race with a time of 16:11. Casey T. was second for the Redbirds, breaking the 18-minute barrier for the first time this season. Evan M., Malachi O. and Enoch T. completed a strong scoring performance for the boys, who finished third as a team.
Run as the last race of the meet, the boys junior varsity race did not disappoint. Lincoln P. led the Redbirds in 14th with a time of 20:05, followed closely by Cooper A., who was 17th. Ethan D., Emmett M. and Ian F. completed the top five finishers for the Redbirds, who finished fourth in the team standings.
Next up for the Redbirds is the Mishicot Invitational, which will feature another large field of teams but a flatter course than the one at Wausau. The Mishicot meet will be held on September 22nd; additional details will be forthcoming.
Another warm day met the Redbirds on Thursday, September 8, as they travelled across town to run at Southwest Park. With little shade to be found, the only respite was a steady breeze that flowed through the park. On that sunny afternoon, De Pere was set to battle runners from West De Pere, Neenah, Kimberly, Fox Valley Lutheran, Appleton West, Sheboygan North, and New London.
The first race was the girls junior varsity race. Bella H. ran a commanding first mile and led the race at that point. Eventually, she was passed by a number of runners including Amelia H., who was the Redbirds' top finisher in 5th place with a time of 22:48. Bella H. (6th), Kemily K. (8th), Ella Z. (19th), and Sarah D. (20th) rounded out the team's scoring runners. As a team, the Birds took second to Neenah.
Girls varsity was next in a back-to-back for the female runners. After having a shoe come off at the beginning of the race, Hope D. passed literally every single runner in the race and won with a time of 19:13. Emma C. ran a lonely race in 3rd place, also going sub-20 minutes. The other five runners for the Redbirds ran in a pack for the whole race, finishing 22nd (Sydney S.), 23rd (Bella B.), 24th (Greta C.), 25th (Jessica R.), and 28th (Olivia K.). The team took third place behind Kimberly and Neenah, but beat New London, who scored ahead of the Birds two weeks ago at Freedom.
Following that contest was the boys varsity race. Grady L. was in contention for the lead, if not leading, for the whole race and finished in second place, running a personal best time of 16:23. Enoch T. was second for the team, finishing in 9th with a time of 18:05. Casey T., Evan M. and Malachi O. rounded out the scoring lineup for the team, which finished third to Neenah and Kimberly.
The final race of the day was the boys junior varsity race. Running against a stout field that included West De Pere's varsity team, Chase D. ran a very competitive race and finished 9th with a time of 18:45. Ryan B. and Bryce B. came in 15th and 16th, and Vlad B. in 19th also ran a race that was faster than 20 minutes. Finnegan B. was the fifth scoring runner for the Birds, who were third to West De Pere and Neenah.
The next contest for the Redbirds will be the Smiley Invitational, held in Wausau on Saturday, September 17th.
The sun beat down on the former Sherwood Golf Course on the campus of UW-Green Bay for the annual Redbird Invite, relocated from the grounds of De Pere High School. Competing teams included Bay Port, Gillett, GB West, Kewaunee, Lena, Luxemburg-Casco, Sevastopol, Seymour, Shawano, West De Pere, and Wrightstown.
The Redbirds completed a clean sweep of all four races, netting a special co-ed championship plaque in the end. Team members even found a number of rakes from the golf course days and posed for a celebratory photograph at the end of the meet.
In the junior varsity girls race, Amelia H. ran away from the field, winning the race by thirteen seconds over Bella B. with a time of 23:47. Bella was second overall. Katherine P., Bella H. and Emily D. rounded out the top five runners for the Redbirds, finishing in 4th, 9th and 10th.
The junior varsity boys race was a close contest, with the Redbirds winning by one point over Bay Port. Chase D. was the top runner for the Redbirds, finishing third overall in 20:25. Cooper A. was 6th overall in his first high school race, followed by Vlad B. in 7th, Finnegan B. in 11th and Ethan M. in 12th.
Moving to varsity competition, the girls varsity team also won over Bay Port. Hope D. came from behind and won the overall race with a time of 19 minutes and 18 seconds. Emma C. was 3rd overall, followed by Sydney S. in 11th and Greta C. in 12th, both running their first varsity race. Olivia K. rounded out the scoring depth for the Redbirds, finishing in 15th.
The final race of the evening was the boys varsity race. The team was led by freshman sensation Grady L., who finished 3rd overall. Enoch T. and Casey T. ran different race strategies but finished near each other in 13th and 14th. The scoring team was completed by Evan M. in 17th and Aaron B. in 25th.
Congratulations to the Redbirds on great performances! Their next meet is at Southwest Park in De Pere on Thursday, September 8.
On a sunny Friday morning, the Redbird cross country team traveled to Irish Waters golf course in Freedom for their first meet of the season. Other teams attending included Assumption, Brillion, Chilton, Coleman, Fox Valley Lutheran, Freedom, Gillett, Green Bay East, Kaukauna, Little Chute, Marinette, New London, Oconto Falls, Peshtigo, Sevastopol, Seymour, St. Mary’s Springs, Weyauwega-Fremont, and Winneconne.
The girls varsity race was first up. Hope D. and Emma C. both moved up throughout the race to finish first and fifth among large school participants with times of 18:37 and 19:28. Jessica R., Brylee B. and Kemily K. rounded out the scoring lineup for De Pere, who finished sixth as a team with 110 points.
The varsity boys race was next. Freshman Grady L. worked his way from a strong start to third place overall, finishing in a time of 16:38. Enoch T. was second on the team, finishing in 18:06, followed closely by Evan M. and Casey T., who finished in 18:12 and 18:22. Aaron B. was the last scoring runner for the team that finished second to Winneconne, scoring 64 points.
A very crowded combined junior varsity race was the last event of the morning. The boys team had a very strong showing, with Ryan B., Malachi O. and Chase D. finishing second, third and fourth in the race. Peter H. and Vlad B. completed the scoring for De Pere, who scored a very low 24 points, just off of a perfect 15.
The girls junior varsity team also performed well. Olivia K. finished third overall, followed by three runners competing in their first high school cross country meet - Sydney S., Greta C. and Amelia H. The fifth runner on the team was Katherine P., helping the team to a second-place finish behind Kaukauna.
The next race for the Redbirds is the De Pere Invitational, held at the Shorewood Outdoor Recreational Center on the campus of UW-Green Bay. The meet is on September 1 and the first race will begin at 4:00 PM.