Johnson gets third D-SC cross country title; Panther boys team denied

• Brett Johnson

St. Croix Central senior Brett Johnson earned his third individual D-SC cross country title last week.

Talk about it

It’s a loss that burns and it’s an ache that isn’t going to go away quickly.

The St. Croix Central boys cross country team thought it had a good chance of winning its third straight Dunn-St. Croix Conference championships at the 2010 D-SC meet in Boyceville last Thursday.

They thought wrong. The Panthers were upset by Colfax and Glenwood City, finishing four points out of first place.

“We got schooled,” Central coach Bill Emery said. “We didn’t see Colfax coming.”

St. Croix Central senior Brett Johnson earned his third straight boys individual championship, but it was a hollow victory.

“He told me he’d rather come in last and win the team championship,” Emery said.

Emery said it was natural for the boys to be angry and depressed over the loss, but he didn’t want anyone blaming themselves for the team loss.

“Every single one of the teammates said there’s something they could have done better. Everyone down the line didn’t have their best race,” Emery said.

Johnson was joined on the first team All-DSC list by Stephen Brunshidle, who placed fourth. Making the second team All-DSC list was Alex Halvorson, who placed eighth.

Brett Briggs and Jon Mielke completed the Panthers’ top five, placing 17th and 21st.

Girls meet

Central’s girls placed fourth in a strong field of teams at the D-SC meet. Colfax earned the girls title to give the Vikings a sweep in the meet.

Courtney Kramer led the Panthers by placing eighth in the meet, earning her second team all-conference honors. The freshman completed the course in 16:54.

Senior Corynne Nelson placed 16th, battling through an injury filled season.

“I was quite proud of our captain,” Emery said of Nelson. “She ran a (personal record time) and missed all-conference by two places.”

Hope Hoolihan placed 20th, Jenna Ganther 30th and Abbey Webb 37th for the Panthers.

Sectional meet

The Panthers will run in the Amery Division 2 sectional meet on Friday. The boys race is at 3:30 p.m., with the girls starting at 4:15 p.m.

2010 Dunn-St. Croix Conference Cross Country Meet

Boys Team Scores: Colfax 46, Glenwood City 49, St. Croix Central 50, Boyceville 96, Elk Mound 100, Spring Valley 124

St. Croix Central finishes

1. Brett Johnson 16:26; 4. Stephen Brunshidle 17:39; 8. Alex Halvorson 18:16; 17. Brett Briggs 19:02; 21. Jon Mielke 19:07; 38. Logan Nelson 20:13; 42. Andrew Skala 20:22

Girls Team Scores: Colfax 37, Mondovi 59, Spring Valley 80, St. Croix Central 99, Glenwood City 107, Elk Mound 120, Boyceville 128

St. Croix Central finishes

8. Courtney Kramer 16:54; 16. Corynne Nelson 17:35; 20. Hope Hoolihan 18:06; 30. Jenna Ganther 18:58; 37. Abbie Webb 19:39; 54. Hayley Ray 22:59; 55. McKenzy Johnson 23:17

Tags: cross country, sports, panthers, prep