The Ellsworth and Prescott High School track and field programs always look forward to the famed New Richmond Stan Barr Relays, but this year wasn’t quite the same.

Injuries, illness and precautionary measures took their toll on the two local programs. Both the Panthers and Cardinals featured at least one alternate in their competitive boys’ 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400-meter relays, which shipwrecked any chance of competing at their apex in New Richmond on Friday, May 5.

Injuries and illness are a part of sports, but their timing obstructed some of Prescott and Ellsworth’s elite relays from competing against other great teams in one of the most stacked meets of the season.

Teams from throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota travel to New Richmond annually to compete in the Stan Barr Relays. The attraction is the premier competition which simulates a regional or sectional, but Ellsworth and Prescott’s top talent didn’t get that opportunity.

In Prescott’s case, the two absent athletes included senior Shane Butler and freshman Kobe Russell, who have both missed time with various injuries. Butler has been a leading athlete in the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400-meter relays while Russell has impacted the 4x100 and 4x200 events.

Although Butler and Russell were both sidelined on Friday afternoon for the Stan Barr Relays in New Richmond, they’re on different timetables to return, according to Prescott coach Emily Calabrese.

“Our boys were not at full strength on Friday, and it for sure impacted the results,” Calabrese said. “Shane was ready and wanted to run on Friday, but we are continuing to be cautious so that he can be completely good to go by conference time. We are being overly cautious with Shane since our boys’ relays are so highly dependent on his ability to perform at 100%.”

While Butler was ready and willing to go on Friday, Russell wasn’t. The freshman phenom continues to work with athletic training staff as he recovers from a hip injury. Calabrese spoke about Russell’s status as of Sunday, May 7.

“Kobe is aiming to be good to go for the Middle Border Conference meet,” Calabrese said. “We have been working closely with the athletic staff to ensure that Kobe is taking all precautions to heal fully from his hip injury. His health is also vital to a couple of those relays having the success it will take to move onto the next level in the postseason.”

With Butler and Russell sidelined, Prescott adjusted and instead featured sophomore Jack Kreager and freshman Andrew Lesso in the 4x100-meter relay, alongside sophomore starters Ethan West and Will Packard. Their relay finished 10th of 15 teams with a time of 46.65.

West, Kreager, Lesso and Packard also ran the 4x200-meter relay in place of the injured Butler and Russell. Their time of 1:37 netted an eighth-place finish in another 15-team field.

Prescott’s 4x400-meter relay squad featured just one substitution, senior Tyler Loucks in place of Butler. Loucks ran with Packard and juniors Breckin Schommer and Kyle Cogan. Their relay posted a time of 3:35.09 and secured a fifth-place finish out of 14 teams in the event.

Ellsworth

The Ellsworth Panthers were in almost an identical situation as Prescott on Friday night at the New Richmond Relays.

Ellsworth’s high hopes of running its top 4x100 and 4x200-meter relays against some of the best teams in the area were hampered when sophomore starter Michael Holst got sick late last week. His absence was one of several that impacted the Panthers’ relay squads.

Ellsworth head coach Drew Pechacek spoke about how illness and injuries impacted the relays at New Richmond.

“It was a disappointing day,” Pechacek said. “We had high expectations in a couple of the relays, but with injuries and illnesses, we had to scratch a couple of relays and move people to other events to make sure we could put our athletes in positions to be successful. The 4x200 ran their best time of the year and was our lone bright spot for the day.”

Despite Holst’s absence, Ellsworth’s 4x200 relay of senior Bo Hines, juniors Jake McCabe and Kehan O’Neil and sophomore Levi Nelson ran the season-best time of 1:33.73. They garnered a fourth-place finish and trailed only larger programs including River Falls, New Richmond and Eau Claire North.

“Kehan O’Neil stepped into both the 4x100 and 4x200-meter relays and had good chemistry on handoffs,” Pechacek said. “You never know when you need these guys to step in and it was great to see him be successful when he had to. It was just a bug going around and hopefully everyone will be back this week.”

Other Results

Despite having the relays hampered by illness and injury, Ellsworth and Prescott both had strong showings in several of the girls’ competitions and the field events.

Prescott’s girls’ relay finished sixth in the 4x100-meter relay and garnered a pair of fourth-place results in the 4x400 and 4x800-meter events. The Lady Cardinals’ standout performances came in the 3x100 shuttle hurdle and the 4x1,600-meter relay.

The 3x100 shuttle hurdle included sophomores Nicole Hudak and Kendra Ogilvie and senior Addison Huppert. Their time of 56.06 secured a first-place finish, which bested nine other teams and also set a new school record by over three seconds.

Prescott’s 4x1,600-meter relay, which is a special event only ran sparingly throughout the year, included sophomore Katie Huppert, junior Sophie Ripley and seniors Ella Johnson and Evalyn Sieben. Their relay time of 23:07.56 at New Richmond set a new Prescott school record.

While Prescott had success in a couple of the specialized relay events, Ellsworth honed its focus on the field events, particularly on the girls’ side of competition.

Ellsworth sophomore Maleah Peterson and juniors Kelila Gooden and Nyla Wilford all finished ninth or better on Friday afternoon. Gooden’s throw of 31 feet, 4 inches earned a team-best fifth-place finish. Peterson took eighth when she threw 30 feet, 4 inches. Wilford finished ninth with her toss of 30 feet, 2.5 inches.

Prescott and Ellsworth are slated to be back in action at Altoona on Tuesday, May 16. Events are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.