By JIM LUTGENS
Sports Editor
During the last three-plus decades, a lot of coaches have came and gone for New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva athletic teams. Except for one sport: track and field.
Duey Ferber enters his 34th season at the helm of the program. He remains as optimistic as ever, and he has some good reasons for that optimism with state entrants returning for both the boys and girls.
The boys' team will be led by Will Tuttle, who reached state in the 110-meter high hurdles and 300 intermediate hurdles, placing seventh in the highs. The Panthers' Most Valuable award winner for track and field last spring, Tuttle is one of three captains.
The other captains are Levin Kitzer, voted Most Valuable in track events last year, and Parker Bunn.
Also returning for the boys are Harbor Cromwell, Charlie Fuller, Devon Nelton, Wyatt Tuttle and Brendan Schmidt.
Key athletes graduating off last year's squad include Aidan Deyle, Lucas Hanna, Makota Misgen, Conner Nelson and Sawyer Prigge. Hanna finished seventh in discus at the state meet. Deyle was fourth in the 110 high hurdles at section.
According to Coach Ferber, the Panthers should have solid performers in most every event.
"We have some good athletes in most areas," said Ferber. "We should be strong in our hurdle events and sprint relays. Our long distance has some good younger athletes as well as some upperclassmen. Our jumps have some new athletes to hopefully score some points. We have most of our bases covered."
On the other side of the coin, Ferber said, "We need more events where we can score multiple people."
Avoiding injury is crucial for the Panthers.
"We need to keep everyone healthy and able to compete in all the meets," said Ferber. "We need to work hard and get some of our new members some experience in their events."
Ferber, who guided the Panthers to Gopher Conference championships in 2018 and 2019, said Maple River returns some very good athletes and are the preseason conference favorites. He expects Belle Plaine and Jordan to have solid squads in Section 2A.
"We have a lot of good hard working kids that love to be out there competing and trying to get better," summarized Ferber. "Our upperclassmen do a good job of showing the younger athletes how to work hard to succeed."
So how did the Panthers’ captains get into track:
“I was driving as a student driver with Mr. Ferber,” said Tuttle. “Nine hours that I rode with him, and he convinced me to do it, and I never looked back. He mentioned Brady Agrimson’s name. When I was a kid, oh my goodness I looked up to that guy. That’s all he had so say and I was gung-ho about it because I wanted to be like him.”
“One of the main this is it just looked like a lot of fun,” said Kitzer. “Everyone’s always real happy, messing around and just having a good time.”
Tuttle said he feels a little more sponsibility as a senior
“What I’m focused on right now is really just showing those kids what they do through hard work,” he said. “We want to set an example by actually winning races, scoring points and just setting an example by the way we work. Yeah, sure we joke around and have fun, but when it comes down to it, we’re the hardest working people in the room, and I will take that to the end of the year.
What do they think of Ferber’s famous saying, “Track is every other sports punishment?”
“I think that can be true,” said Bunn. “There’s a lot of work to put in this sport if you want to put in, so this sport is about what you really want to put into it.”
Expected to lead the NRHEG girls is another hurdler, Evelyn Nydegger, who finishd 13th at state in both the 100 highs and 300 intermediates. Her teamates voted her Most Valuable last spring. She's a captain this year.
Another returning state perfomer is Quinn VanMaldeghem, who had the 15th-best 800 time in the state meet. She was NRHEG's Most Valuable in track events.
The Panthers also return Gabby Schlaak, Anika Ladlie, Chloe Riewer, Malonna Wilson, Paige Johnson, Keira Lenort, Sierra Misgen, Clara Buendorf and Holly Bartness. Schlaak was the squad's Most Improved athlete last year.
Key graduates last year were hurdler Olivia Kofstad and all-around performer Josie Strom.
The Panthers have finished second in the Gopher Conference meet the past two seasons, edged by two points last year. Ferber isn't ruling out a championship season for the NRHEG girls.
"I think the Gopher Conference is wide open this year," said Ferber, who expects JWP and Maple River to field solid squads.
Ferber figures the Panthers will be strong in the hurdles, jumps and middle distance events.
His biggest concern is numbers.
"We need to have more than one person score in each event," he said.
The key to success?
"Hard work and grit," said Ferber, who likes what he's seen from the Panthers' newcomers.
"We have some new athletes that are looking good on our team," he said. "This group of seventh-graders is going to be good for years to come."
Ferber is assisted by Larry Nydegger, Bailie Thom, Kim Johnson and Brian Belcourt.
Evelyn Nydegger, for one, anticipates a fun spring.
“This is going to be a great season,” she said. “We had a really good year last year, had a shot at conference. I think we can do it this year. We’ve got good numbers, a lot of new young kids. It’s going to be a good year.”
Despite setting the school record in the 300 hurdles last year, Nydegger is aiming to improve. And of course have fun.
“I want to do that again,” she said of the record. “That’s always a goal of mine. Honestly, I’m here to have fun this year. I went out and did what I wanted to last year. Obviously, I’d like to do it again, but I’m here to have fun and get the new kids into it too.”
What has being a part of NRHEG sports taught Nydegger?
“It’s given me a lot of great experiences,” she said. “It’s given me opportunities outide of athletics, just getting experience out in the world, as well as in the school and in the community. It’s been a lot of fun.”
She couldn’t pinpoint one favorite Ferber story.
“Goodness sakes, there’s a lot of stories with that man right there,” she said. “He’s a very big book.”
Wilson also said she looks forward to a great season.
“I just hope that it’s a fun year, and I think it will be,” she said. “I just hope everyone improves, and that we do good at conference.”
Wilson shared she would like to get as close as possible to the school record in the shot put.
She doesn’t necessarily agree with the assessment that track is other sports’ punishment.
“It’s actually more fun that in seems,” said Wilson. “It’s a lot more fun that people make it out to be. You make so many new friends.”
Ferber, in his 35th year as a head coach, did pinpoint a favorite story.
“We were at a meet at Maple River, and we had a young man with a bag of Funions,” said Ferber. “He asked if I’d like one. I said sure, and he gave me one.”
The joke kicked in when Ferber took his first bite.
“He said, ‘Yeah, I just found these in the porta-potty,’” said Ferber. “He was kidding of course, but I didn’t know it. I called him ‘Pottie Chips’ after that. He was a lot of fun to have on the team.”
Ferber laughed we asked if so many kids go out for track because of his influence in drver’s training.
“Our numbers are always pretty solid,” he said. “Track is a fun sport.”
But’s only half jokingly that he wears a T-shirt with his favorite saying about track being the punishment for other sports.
“One thing I’ve always said is that it takes a special person to go out for track,” said Ferber. “You do have to be a very disciplined individual to go out for track.”
NRHEG 2024 Track and Field
April 2 Boys at Hayfield, 4:30
April 9 at United South Central, 4 p.m.
April 16 at Maple River, 4:30
April 22 at Blooming Prairie, 4:30
April 30 at JWP, 4:30
May 2 NRHEG Invitational, 4:30
May 11 Conf, at Maple River, 10 a.m.
May 13 at Waseca, 4:30