Headley, Wanner help Bulldogs claim titles (2024)

Sophia Headley got the day off to a good start, which led to a big finish for Bowman County at the Bismarck Community Bowl.

Headley claimed a state title in the first event on Saturday, the 300-meter hurdles, which helped the Bulldogs claim their second-ever state title and their first since 2008.

Headley came into the meet as the state’s top-ranked qualifier and she posted the best time (46.72) in the prelims.

“I had a long talk with coach (Brian) Qualley and he got me ready for this race mentally,” Headley said. “He told me nerves were good, but to just run my race and that’s all I thought about. It helped all my nerves go away.”

The Bulldogs junior posted a PR of 44.78, edging Drayton-Valley-Edinburg’s Elizabeth Fedje at the finish. A good start was the key.

“Right out of my blocks. I’ve been working on those a lot,” Headley said. “And my coach always says attack the hurdle and that’s what I did – every single hurdle, all I worried about was attacking it.”

Having a strong push from Fedje, who finished by 0.2 seconds back in a PR of her own, was big as well.

“It really pushed me. Without her right by me I wouldn’t have been able to run that time. It was amazing with that competition,” Headley said. “It’s always been a dream and I knew I had to work for it hard and all the hard work has finally paid off.”

Headley also helped Bowman County pick up titles in the 800 and 1600 relays as the Bulldogs piled up 72 points to win the team title. Central Cass was second with 58, Fargo Oak Grove third with 55, Carrington fourth with 54.5 and Shiloh Christian fifth with 54.

Adyson Gerbig, Headley, Landyn Gerbig and Quin Andrews combined for a 1:44.14 in winning the 800 relay.

In the final event of the day, the same quartet clocked in at 4:04.37 to win the 1600 relay.

Wanner breaks 39-year-old record

Taylor Wanner swept the Class B 800, 1,600 and 3,200 events with a state record performance.

The Bowman County junior accomplished a lot during the three-day state meet, earning a state title on each day.

His notable efforts began on Thursday with a personal record-setting win in the 3,200. He continued his success with a victory in the 1,600 on Friday, followed by a dominant performance in the 800 on Saturday.

Wanner entered the meet as the state leader in the 800. With the opportunity to break the Class B state record of 1:54.48, he was determined to give his best in his final race of the season.

After completing his first lap around the 55-second mark, he began to break away from the pack. As he rounded the final curve, the crowd rose to their feet to cheer him on. Wanner crossed the finish line with a time of 1:53.18. With this performance, he broke a record set back in 1985 by Killdeer’s Paulo Costa. Additionally, he successfully defended the title he earned last year.

“I could feel the people cheering and I felt I still had some stuff left to give,” he said. “I wanted to leave it all out on the track today.”

Wanner and Bowman County’s distance runners played a significant role in the team’s 95-point victory. Jonah Njos and Gavin Lambourn consistently placed in the top six in each of the 800, 1600 and 3200 events.

“They’re my best friends,” Wanner said. “We love working together and having fun. All the support they give me is pretty special.”

The Bulldogs’ championship brings an end to Kindred’s four-year winning streak and marks their first title since 1993.

Shiloh’s Wood wins 100 hurdles

Senior Dedra Wood capped off her high school career by winning a state title in the 100 hurdles.

She just missed her PR of 15.1, which was the best mark among qualifiers during the regular season, but ran a 15.15 to beat out Elsa Ingebrigtson of Kindred (15.52) and Ashley Martodam of Rugby (15.95).

“It’s just crazy emotions. I just feel so blessed. I’m just so lucky to be able to get first, It’s just a really crazy experience,” Wood said. “I would’ve liked a little better time, but under the conditions I felt like I ran my best today and I’m proud of the time I came out with.”

Wood didn’t feel 100 percent, but she came through with a title-winning effort.

“Just kick it in, lock in, try to keep my legs moving,” Wood sad. “I was kind of sore today, so just keep moving, try to go fast, try to make sure I’m keeping up and not slowing down was a big focus for me.

“It’s one of those races where it’s one mistake and you’re done for the entire race, so it’s just a lot of repetition, a lot of making sure you know what you’re doing and a lot of reps. Keying on every hurdle, not getting lazy because if you get lazy, you’re probably going to fall, so make sure you’re locked in all the time.”

Skyhawks win 400 relay

Shiloh Christian's girls 400 relay team claimed the Class B title with their best performance of the season.

With the win, the Skyhawks received a significant boost in points, securing them a top-five finish in the meet. With a photo-finish ending, Shiloh’s Jordan Stahl, Emma Duffy, Brooklyn Fuller and Brynn Fuller posted a time of 49.82, sealing their victory ahead of Fargo Oak Grove, who placed second in the event with a 49.90.

Brynn Fuller, the anchor, described the feeling as surreal and insane, especially considering they had not anticipated making it to the finals. She explained that the team had nerves entering the race but managed to gather themselves beforehand, listening to Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” together.

“There are no words to explain the feelings of competing at this level,” she said. “My team is amazing, and I am so grateful that my last season was with them.”

Shiloh’s 800 relay team, in which Fuller participated, finished third. Additionally, Fuller earned fourth place in the javelin with a throw measuring 125-3.

Hornets’ Thorson wins two titles

Tallen Thorson of Harvey-Wells County picked up a pair of wins in the hurdles races.

Thorson posted a PR of 39.02 to open the day with a title in the 300 hurdles, finishing .56 seconds ahead of Carrington’s Logan Weninger.

He added a title in the 110 hurdles, crossing in 15.26 to edge Kason Buchholz of Hillsboro-Central Valley (15.44).

The improved weather on Saturday was a positive.

“Yesterday my goal, since the weather wasn’t very good, was just to make finals,” Thorson said. “I wasn’t out for any PRs. Yesterday I was just trying to make finals and I was going to give everything I had in finals today.

“I PRd in the 300s and won that, had a lot of momentum coming into the 110s. I wasn’t satisfied with my time, but I was happy that I won. In the 110s, my goal was just to not hit a hurdle because I’ve been smoking the hurdles lately.”

Reinhardt wins two titles

Hazen’s Jaran Reinhardt used a big push down the stretch to pick up a title in the 400.

A late kick helped Reinhardt posted a PR of 48.24 and nose in front of Cody Amble of Langdon-Edmore-Munich (50.01) and Landon Moser of Northern Cass (50.49).

“It felt great,” Reinhardt said. “My legs felt really good. Up until the 200 mark, those guys were really far ahead. I didn’t know if I was going to get them or not, but I pulled ahead at the end and sealed the deal.”

Reinhardt later added another victory in the 200, crossing in 22.39 with Connor Knatterud of New Rockford-Sheyenne (22.47) and Bison teammate Mark Lora (22.88) close behind.

Reinhardt also ran a leg on Hazen’s winning 1600 relay squad, combining with Bennett Kilwein, Wyatt Grueneich and Lora to finish in 3:25.8.

Wisnewski secures two titles

Elise Wisnewski of Central Cass swept the Class B 100 and 200 events on Saturday.

The senior had an eventful last day at the Bowl. Her morning kicked off with a victory in the 100, posting a time of 12.2.

Tochi Udekwe of Minot Ryan secured second place with a time of 12.42, while Wisnewski’s teammate, Grace Lemar, claimed sixth with a time of 12.99 seconds.

Later in the day, Central Cass received additional points when Wisnewski won the 200 title, clocking in at 24.59. She was the only Class B runner with a sub-25-second time in the event.

“The [100] and [200] were the main events I wanted to win or PR,” she said. “I met those goals.”

Just over an hour after winning the 400, Anya Olson of Velva-Drake-Anamoose placed second in the 200 with a time 25 seconds flat. In her 400 performance, she achieved a personal record of 56.39 seconds, narrowly beating Wisnewski’s time of 56.93 seconds.

"I remembered her [from] last year, and I knew she was going to get really good this year,” Wisnewski said. “I think it was really cool that we both were able to push each other throughout our races.”

Central Cass' star was named the Class B girls track and field Senior Athlete of the Year.

Notes

Carrington head coach Greg Hoeckle was named Class B girls Coach of the Year.

Kindred's Riley Sunram was the Class B boys track and field Senior Athlete of the Year. Coach Jon Jahner of Bowman County was the Class B boys Coach of the Year.