John’s Journal: 67 Years Later, Minneapolis Runners Finish 1-2
Boys From Washburn, Southwest Top 3A Podium At State
Posted: Saturday, November 5, 2022 - 5:45 PM
Aidan Jones of Minneapolis Washburn crosses the finish line to win the Class 3A boys state title, followed by Sam Scott of Minneapolis Southwest.
History was everywhere Saturday during the MSHSL cross-country state championships in Northfield. This year’s event marked the 30th anniversary of the races being held at St. Olaf College, and two runners from Minneapolis marked a rebirth of championship running in city schools, reviving success that goes back 67 years.
When senior Aidan Jones of Minneapolis Washburn and junior Sam Scott of Minneapolis Southwest crossed the finish line in first and second place in the Class 3A boys race, it woke up the echoes.
Jones became the first individual boys champion from a Minneapolis public school since Hassan Mead of Minneapolis South in 2006. And the duo of Jones and Scott marked the first time a state championship race was led by two runners from Minneapolis public schools since 1955, when the top two were Wayne Sullwold of Minneapolis Southwest and Jerry Larson of Minneapolis Central.
Minneapolis city school runners also finished 1-2 in 1947 (Bill Torp, Minneapolis. North, and Jim Hancock, Minneapolis Southwest) and 1952 (Saxe Roberts, Minneapolis Roosevelt, and Paul Noreen, Minneapolis Henry).
“I’m so excited for our team,” Jones said. “I think between us and Southwest, we're two of the four smallest schools in the class. And my goal was just to come out here and represent and hopefully build a better culture at my school to get more people running.”
Caleb Dickel of Washburn placed 11th and Dominic Haugland of Washburn was 27th as the Millers placed sixth in the team standings. Wayzata won the team title with 57 points and Rosemount was second with 98.
No Surprise Among 3A Girls
As expected, nationally ranked Wayzata senior Abbey Nechanicky closed out a dominating season with an easy victory in the 3A girls race. Her time of 16 minutes, 47.61 seconds provided a large gap between Nechanicky and runner-up Sydney Drevlow of Hopkins (17:39.80).
“I just wanted to come out here and have fun,” said Nechanicky, who will be a collegiate runner at Colorado. “This was my last cross-country race on Minnesota soil. So I was hoping to leave my mark and do it.”
She led Wayzata to the team title; the Trojans had a score of 39 points, with Minnetonka second at 98.
Class 2A Results
Belle Plaine's Emmett Gerres won the 2A boys championship and Mankato East (111) finished first among teams with a two-point lead over Rock Ridge (113).
St. Paul Highland Park was the front-runner among 2A girls with Luna Scorzelli capturing the individual title and the Scots winning the team crown. They had 79 points to second-place Alexandria’s 105.
Class 1A Results
Branden Kampsen of Sauk Centre was the winner of the Class 1A boys state title. Heritage Christian won the team championship with 99 points, followed by Luverne with 102.
In 1A girls, Jade Rypkema of Nevis was the individual champion, with sisters Amanda and Ashley Overgaauw of Murray County Central finishing second and third. Perham won the team crown with 56 points and St. Cloud Cathedral was second with 78.
--Click here for complete results: https://results.wayzatatiming.com/meets/18769/xc-events/665748/results&…;
--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at [email protected]