Bears Battle Heat and Competition at Little Crow Invitational

by Coach Kenny Miller

The Bertha-Hewitt Bears traveled to Spicer on Thursday, September 11, to compete in the Little Crow Invitational, where they faced warm temperatures, a challenging course, and a highly competitive field. Despite the conditions, the Bears turned in strong performances across multiple races.

In the junior high boys’ 2500-meter race, eighth-grader Nolan Rach once again demonstrated his elite status by capturing first place with an impressive time of 9:04.9. Fellow eighth-grader Vance Lockwood found his rhythm in the second half of the race, surging to a fifth-place finish in 9:44.0. Seventh-grader Ambrose Heinze continued his consistent season with a 37th-place effort in 11:29.0, while Jase Fitzlaff (61st, 13:09.5) and Owen Schultz (66th, 13:42.0) rounded out the scoring. The group’s efforts earned the Bears a fifth-place team finish with 116 points, trailing only Melrose (61), Ortonville (96), Sauk Centre (113), and host New London-Spicer (115).

The varsity girls’ squad was limited to three runners as Kendra Miller was sidelined with an injury. Senior Miette Hansel led the way, placing 32nd in 22:36.6. She was followed by fellow senior Mckayla Kapphahn in 55th (24:33.8) and sophomore Aulani Johnson in 73rd (25:48.4)...

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