PARK RAPIDS – Producing another historic season is the goal for the Park Rapids boys track and field team this spring.

The Panthers capped off last season by having Luke Hartung win the state Class A title in the discus with a toss of 168 feet, 5 inches to break the school record while finishing second in the shot put. Hartung became Park Rapids’ first individual state champion since Frank Schapp won the 400-meter dash in 1993.

Two more school records were set at the state meet as Blaine Hensel, Eli Bervig, Noah Huot and Ephraim Bervig took eighth in the 4 x 800 relay in 8:07.37 while Hartung, Cameron Runyan, Malachi Martin and Jaydon Walen took seventh in the 4 x 100 relay in 43.88. Those efforts gave Park Rapids 31 points to finish sixth in the team standings for the best state showing since the 1996 team scored 51 points in winning the Class A title. Huot finished sixth in the 3,200 while Ephraim Bervig was 13th in the 800 at the state meet. The Panthers also won the Section 8A title for the first time since 1999 and repeated as Mid-State Conference champs.

Last year’s senior crew of Hartung, Hensel, Eli Bervig, Runyan, Martin, Pierce DeBlieck, Matt Dahring, Logan Maanum and Jordan Odor played key roles in that success. Eli Bervig (12th in the 800) and DeBlieck (15th in the 110 hurdles) also competed at state. Helping the Panthers defend their conference title with winning efforts were Hartung (shot put, discus, 4 x 400 relay), Eli Bervig (800, 4 x 400 relay, 4 x 800 relay) and Maanum (4 x 800 relay). Among the conference runners-up were DeBlieck (110 hurdles and 300 hurdles) along with Runyan, Martin and Dahring in the 4 x 200 relay.

After helping the Panthers win the subsection title for the sixth straight season and for the 11th time in the last 12 years by scoring 190 points, Hartung won both throwing events, DeBlieck won the 110 hurdles, and Park Rapids won the 4 x 100 and 4 x 800 relays in scoring 116 points to edge out Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton’s 106 points for the team title at the section meet. Eli Bervig was the runner-up in the 800 while DeBlieck (third in the 300 hurdles, 16th in the triple jump), Runyan (third in the pole vault, 16th in the long jump), Maanum (fourth in the 800), Hensel (seventh in the 3,200), Martin (ninth in the 200) and Dahring (14th in the 200) also placed. Hartung and Eli Bervig ran on the 4 x 400 relay that finished third while Runyan, DeBlieck and Martin ran on the 4 x 200 relay that placed fourth.

Replacing that group will be tough, but the Panthers return a talented group looking to repeat as conference, subsection and section champs.

Being counted on to lead Park Rapids are the returning letterwinners: Noah Huot and fellow senior Owen Van Batavia; Ephraim Bervig and fellow juniors Jarrett Galzki, Thomas Hartung, Castle London and Kaleb Weaver; Walen and fellow sophomores Kaden Gartner, Alex Huot and Corbin Schiller; freshmen Asher Bervig, Zach Brewer, Tyler Huot and Aiden May; and eighth graders Tobias Bervig and Jack Mitteness.

Walen and Gartner ran on the conference champion 4 x 400 relay team while Gartner and Ephraim Bervig competed on the conference champion 4 x 800 relay unit. Ephraim Bervig (800) and Noah Huot (1,600 and 3,200) took second. Walen was a member of the runner-up 4 x 200 relay team.

The Panthers return four runners from the four relays that won subsection titles. Noah Huot (3,200) and Walen (long jump) were individual champions while Gartner (400) and Ephraim Bervig (800) finished second. Also scoring points were Asher Bervig (third in the 3,200), Galzki (fourth in the pole vault, eighth in the 400), Tyler Huot (sixth in the 1,600), Weaver (seventh in the shot put), Hartung (eighth in the discus), Schiller (eighth in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles), Alex Huot (eighth in the triple jump) and Gartner (tied for eighth in the high jump). The other competitors at last year’s subsection meet were Van Batavia (ninth in the 400), Mitteness (ninth in the 1,600), Alex Huot (10th in the 300 hurdles), Hartung (10th in the 100, 10th in the 200) and Schiller (17th in the 100).

Helping the Panthers win the section title with winning times were Ephraim Bervig in the 800 and Noah Huot in the 3,200. Walen returns from the 4 x 100 relay while Noah Huot and Ephraim Bervig return from the 4 x 800 relay (which set a Section 8A record of 8:11.23) that were section champs. Also back after scoring points at the section meet are Asher Bervig (fourth in the 3,200), Gartner (eighth in the 400) and Galzki (eighth in the pole vault). Gartner and Walen ran on the 4 x 400 relay took third and Walen is back from the the 4 x 200 relay that finished fourth. The other section competitors back are Walen (ninth in the long jump), Tyler Huot (12th in the 1,600) and Mitteness (16th in the 1,600).

Looking to provide depth and compete for varsity spots will be senior Dominick Gamache (shot put, discus); juniors Henry Johnson (shot put, discus), Tyler Crissinger (shot put, discus) and Leo Kaufenberg (100-400, long jump); sophomores Carver Laternus (shot put, discus), Carter Schiller (100-400, pole vault) and Murilo Carvalho (hurdles, triple jump, long jump); and eighth graders Max DeBlieck (hurdles) and Caesar Gomez (200-800).

“We have very high expectations for this season. We graduated a lot of great seniors, but we are returning a lot of athletes with varsity and state experience along with a lot of new and younger athletes that we will look to help us fill varsity spots,” said Park Rapids head coach Andrew Lachowitzer. “Our goal is to compete in True Team, three-peat as Mid-State champs, win sub-sections, repeat as section champs and bring as many athletes to state as possible. Our goal at the beginning of the season is to fill the bus with as many athletes as possible to get into the state meet and we have the pieces to make that happen. We are excited about another great season.”