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By JIM LUTGENS
Sports Editor
Coach Duey Ferber did not simply ride off into the sunset in his final season at the helm of the NRHEG track and field program.
He had one more championship in him.
Ferber's girls' squad surprised a lot of people by claiming the title in last week's Section 2A South Sub-section meet at United South Central, totaling 125 points to second-place Jackson County Central's 122. Six-time conference champion JWP was third with 103. Twelve teams competed.
"I am so proud of these girls!" said Ferber. "Sub-section champions!"
The Panthers will be well represented in Saturday's Section 2A championship meet as a total of 12 girls advanced from sub-section.
Sub-section champions for NRHEG: Camryn VanMaldeghem, 100, 14.0; Quinn VanMaldeghem, 400, 1:03.65; Evelyn Nydegger, 300 intermediate hurdles, 48.8; Julieann Wobbrock, 3200, 12:29.08; and Kylie Olson, shot put, 34-1.75.
Silver medalists were Nydegger, 100 hurdles and 200, and Chloe Riewer, long jump.
Other section-qualifying marks; 4x200 relay, third (Sierra Misgen, Riewer, Clara Buendorf, Elli Clark; 4x100, third (Gabby Schlaak, Anika Ladlie, Riewer, C.VanMaldeghem; 4x400, third (Misgen, Buendorf, C.VanMaldeghem, Q.VanMaldeghem); Clark, fourth, 300 hurdles and eighth, 100 hurdles; Ladlie, fourth, high jump; Schlaak, fifth, 110 hurdles and eighth, long jump; Q.VanMaldghem, fifth, 800; Malonna Wilson, fifth, discus and sixth, shot put; Misgen, seventh, long jump.
Placing seventh and missing the section cut was the Panthers' 4x800 relay team of Buendorf, Wobbrock, Holly Bartness and Ellen Jeno.
The NRHEG boys finished seventh with 54 points. Maple River won with 106.
The Panthers advanced five athletes to section, led by Will Tuttle who won the 110 high hurdls in 16.75 and the 300 intermediate hurdles in 41.29.
Also qualifying for section; Levin Kitzer, third, 110 hurdles and fourth, 300 hurdles; 4x100 relay, third (Harbor Cromwll, Kitzer, Tuttle, Jaylin Raab); Raab, fifth, long jump; Parker Bunn, sixth, 300 hurdles.
Placing but not advancing: Raab, sixth, 100; 4x200 relay, sixth (Gavin Lewison, Wyatt Tuttle, Colton Conroy, Brenden Schmidt); 4x400 relay, sixth (Bunn, Gavin Sletten, Cromwell, Raab); 4x800 relay, eighth (Lewison, Jacob Karl, Justin Beauvis, Sletten).
"The boys had some nice performances tonight," said Ferber. "Our hurdlers are impressive to watch."
The Section 2A meet starts at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Mankato West High School. The top two individuals, first-place relays and those meeting qualifying standards advance to state.
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NRHEG Head Track coach of 34 years, Duey Ferber, was celebrated during the final home track meet of his career Thursday evening in New Richland. Unbeknownst to him, more than 100 alumni, friends and family streamed onto the track to honor his tenure with the district.
By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
In 34 years, NRHEG track and field coach Duey Ferber, 58, has racked up nearly as many awards as he has memories.
One more memory, a big one, was tacked on the board last week.
It may come as a surprise to some, but the longest tenured coach in NRHEG school history is hanging up his whistle at the end of this season.
Nearing the end of the final home track meet of Ferber’s career Thursday evening in New Richland, with the hurdle events completed, the voice of Jay Crabtree, a longtime former assistant coach, came over the loudspeaker.
As Crabtree recounted three decades of accomplishments, dozens of alumni, friends, family and students streamed onto the track to acknowledge, honor and celebrate Ferber’s tenured career.
“I literally didn’t have a clue,” Ferber said. “I thought Jay was being Jay and wanted to say some nice things about me. But when he asked those kids to come down… I kept asking them to help with hurdles, but they didn’t and I thought that was weird. But then when he stopped the meet and they all came out, I was overwhelmed.
“That killed me,” Ferber continued. “My whole family was there. That made it extremely special.”
Ferber credits Jessica Bouwers and Kim Schlaak as the architects of the plan. Ferber reached out through Facebook to try and get former alumni to come and work the final meet. He garnered few responses. Little did he know, there was a separate Facebook group setting this all up.
Ferber was surprised with posters, pictures, a gift, a card signed by the entire team, and many, many hugs and tears.
After the celebration and the conclusion of the evening's meet, it took more than two hours of conversations and the setting sun, before Ferber and company finally called it a night.
“I couldn’t imagine it being any more perfect,” Ferber said. “That was a nice ending.”
What’s next for NRHEG track and field?
“I want it to continue to be a strong program,” Ferber said. “Where everybody finds something to do. Everybody has an event. I just want it to continue on and be… Like I always tell the kids, I want us to be the team when our bus pulls up, I want the other teams to say ‘oh crap, NRHEG is here. We’re all fighting for second place.’”
This season, however, isn’t quite over.
Sub-sections are Thursday, May 23, followed by sections June 1 at Mankato East and finally the state meet at St. Michael-Albertville on June 6 and 7.
“I hope to get 15 onto sections and I’d like to see three get to state,” Ferber said. “I think that’s realistic.
“I say it to my seniors, everybody leaves me,” Ferber concluded. “It’s me this time. That’s the way I feel. It’s time to hand the baton to someone else. Keep it rolling.”
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The NRHEG High School golf teams played at Waseca's Lakeside Golf Club last Thursday, taking on Waseca and JWP.
The girls took second. Scores for nine holes: Hallie Schultz 52, Elsie Schultz 65, Alexis Olson 72, Gabby Nelton 74, Olivia Wilkenson, 74. The Panthers were without their best golfer, Meela Budach, who has been the medalist in more than one match this spring.
The NRHEG boys finished third for nine holes.
Panther scores: Matt Williams 58, Hudson Chrz 58, Braydon Rollag 58, Jackson Chrz 62, Shan Hanson 81.
The Panthers played at Austin Country Club Monday, May 13, where the girls finished third.
Scores for 18 holes: Budach 98, Hallie Schultz 102, Elsie Schultz 122, Wilkeson 142 and Olson 160.
The NRHEG boys placed ninth.
Scores: Hanson 104, Rollag, Tyler Kress 126, Hudson Chrz 129.
The Panther Invitational was held at Lakeside Monday, May 20, with visiting teams Waseca, JWP, Blooming Prairie, Blue Earth Area, Hayfield, Kenyon, LCWM, Maple River, Randolph, St. Peter and USC.
The NRHEG girls took fifth.
Scores for 18 holes: Budach 95, Hallie Schultz 96, Elsie Schultz 125, Wilkenson 127, Olson 141 and Nelton 163.
NRHEG's boys placed 11th.
Eighteen-hole scores: Chrz 110, Rollag 110, Hudson Chrz 110, Hansen 115, Jackson Chrz 118, Williams 121.