Stratford boys cross country wins team title, earn state meet berth at WIAA Division 3 Colby sectional

Stratford senior Cree DeFoe. (MarshfieldAreaSports.com file photo/Paul Lecker)

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COLBY – The Stratford boys cross country team is heading to state for the first time in eight years after winning the team title at a WIAA Division 3 sectional Saturday at Colby High School.

Stratford won the boys title with 57 points and Bonduel was second with 65 to qualify for next week’s state meet. It is the first time the Stratford boys program has qualified as a team for state since 2016.

The top two teams and top five individuals not on those teams for both the boys and girls at the sectional qualified for the 2024 WIAA State Cross Country Championships at Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Nolan Waltz of Three Lakes won the boys 5-kilometer race in 16:21.2, three seconds ahead of Crandon’s Taylor Karcz.

Cree DeFoe led the Stratford team with a third-place finish, running in 16:41.9.

Ethan Heeg added a seventh-place finish in 17:20.1, and Cooper Bosmans, Jayden DeFoe, Joey Cable and Christopher all finished between 20th and 25th for complete the strong performance from the Tigers.

The Stratford girls just missed out on a state berth as well as it tied for second, but lost the sixth-runner tiebreaker to Bonduel. Both finished with 87 points behind team champion Wittenberg-Birnamwood, which had 72 points.

Addison May of Crandon won the girls race in 19:19.2, seven seconds ahead of Bonduel’s Mariah Wondra.

Stratford’s Kayla Casperson placed 10th in 20:35.4 and Breleigh Skaya was 14th in 21:30.9, missing out on the individual state qualifying spots.

WIAA Division 3 Cross Country Sectional
Oct. 26, at Colby High School
(*denotes state meet qualifier)
Boys
Team scores:
1. *Stratford 57; 2. *Bonduel 65; 3. Marathon 70; 4. Peshtigo 123; 5. Crivitz 146; 6. Laona/Wabeno 161; 7. Crandon 174; 8. Edgar 199; 9. Wittenberg-Birnamwood 214; 10. Oconto 238; 11. Suring 326; Three Lakes, Owen-Withee, Athens, Lena/St. Thomas Academy, Florence/Niagara, Gillett, Marion, Wolf River Lutheran, Northland Lutheran, Coleman incomplete.
Top 10, and Stratford finishers: 1. *Nolan Waltz (TL) 16:21.2; 2. *Taylor Karcz (CR) 16:24.9; 3. Cree DeFoe (ST) 16:41.9; 4. *Bradyn Wendorff (GIL) 16:47.7; 5. *Logan Peters (MARA) 17:00.0; 6. *Colton Paczkowski (OW) 17:17.0; 7. Ethan Heeg (ST) 17:20.1; 8. Ben Brown (CR) 17:26.7; 9. Jacob Richlen (CR) 17:28.2; 10. Race Anvelink (BON) 17:35.5; 20. Cooper Bosmans (ST) 18:21.7; 22. Jayden DeFoe (ST) 18:28.1; 24. Joey Cable (ST) 18:34.2; 25. Christopher Stuttgen (ST) 18:39.5; 41. Derek Wiese (ST) 19:22.9.
Girls
Team scores:
1. *Wittenberg-Birnamwood 72; 2. *Bonduel 87; 3. Stratford 87; 4. Colby 102; 5. Coleman 125; 6. Marathon 136; 7. Three Lakes 138; 8. Lena/St. Thomas Academy 186; 9. Oconto 231; 10. Edgar 233; 11. Abbotsford 244; Crandon, Athens, Northland Lutheran, Suring, Gillett, Laona/Wabeno, Owen-Withee, Florence/Niagara incomplete.
Top 10, and Stratford finishers: 1. *Addison May (CR) 19:19.2; 2. Mariah Wondra (BON) 19:26.5; 3. *Shilo Blake (MARA) 19:44.0; 4. *Brianna Sheahan (ATH) 19:53.4; 5. *Annamarie Schmitt (COL) 19:55.8; 6. *Alexa Leonard (NL) 19:58.1; 7. Rory Salvesen (WB) 20:02.6; 8. Azul Diaz (AB) 20:20.6; 9. Harper Krull (WB) 20:31.7; 10. Kayla Casperson (ST) 20:35.4; 14. Breleigh Skaya (ST) 21:30.9; 23. Lily Dabbert (ST) 22:43.1; 28. Kylie McHugh (ST) 23:06.1; 36. Samantha Mielke (ST) 23:24.8; 64. McKayla Stueber (ST) 25:19.1; 68. Hayden Fecker (ST) 25:30.8.

Click here for the complete boys results, courtesy of the WIAA
Click here for the complete girls results, courtesy of the WIAA