After finishing runner-up at the UW-Stout Blue Devil Invite last week, Prescott’s track and field team was happy, but not satisfied.

The satisfaction came days later when the boys’ and girls’ track and field teams returned to Menomonie where they each toppled 27 other programs en route to winning the annual Northern Badger Classic Small Division meet on Saturday, March 25.

Prescott went into the Northern Badger without its complete A-team roster. A couple of important athletes were involved with either forensics or honors choir and missed the event. Even with those absences and a couple of injuries, the Cardinals still got the job done.

For Prescott head coach Emily Calabrese, winning a meet of that caliber with a less than 100% roster was an incredible surprise, especially given the relative inexperience of some of the Cardinals’ newer athletes.

“That one surprised us the most,” Calabrese said. “We knew there was a chance for it, but we were missing a few of our top performers. So not having our full top roster and to still end up champions on both sides was surprising, but comforting. Now we know we have that depth.”

Prescott’s girls’ program split the championship title with Byron, as both teams scored 47.33 points, seven clear of the second-best score. The gentlemen claimed the title outright, as their 46 points were eight clear of second-placed Chetek-Weyerhaeuser.

The Lady Cardinals racked up a laundry list of top-five finishes, including junior Sophie Ripley’s victory in the 800-meter run. Senior teammate Ella Johnson earned a fifth-place finish in the 800 just under 10 seconds behind Ripley’s championship score.

Prescott also earned a victory in the girls’ 4x400-meter relay, which featured senior Katrina Budworth, juniors Ava Budworth and Sophie Ripley and freshman Amanda Miller. Their time of 4:26.47 was just over seven seconds clear of second place.

For coach Calabrese, the relay’s victory in the 4x400 and Ripley’s solo win in the 800-meter run was confirmation that the girls are ready to compete at a high level this year and continue their track record of winning.

“Yeah (they have a track record) of winning,” Calabrese said. “Sophie loves this sport so much and we always tell her how fierce, competitive and driven she is. To see her compete every time she runs is one of my favorite things to watch.”

Other notable results on the girls’ side include Budworth’s fifth-place finish in the 400-meter dash, senior Evalyn Sieben’s fifth-place result in the 1,600-meter run and junior Kianna Severson took fifth in the triple jump.

Prescott junior Kennedy Braun took fifth in the 55-meter dash and came within two-tenths of a second of setting a school record. Calabrese spoke about Braun coming within striking distance of the school record this early in the season.

“She ran a 7.80 which is 0.16 off of the school record,” Calabrese said. “I think she was shocked to see that. She’s worked so hard all year to become stronger. She wants it so bad, so it’s really nice to see her get some of those results.”

Prescott boys’ Northern Badger title

For the Prescott boys’ program, winning a Northern Badger Small Division title without junior Josh Peterson, the Cardinals’ top sprinter is an indication of the depth of this year’s roster.

Peterson was precautionarily sidelined after Tuesday’s Blue Devil Invite when he experienced some discomfort after running his events. However, that didn’t slow Prescott’s success on Saturday.

Senior Shane Butler came within a tenth of a second of breaking Peterson’s school record in the 55-meter dash at the Northern Badger. For Prescott’s Carl Calabrese, who coaches the team with his wife Emily, having Butler and Peterson running side-by-side this year will be a huge advantage over the field.

“Shane Butler nearly broke Josh Peterson’s school record,” Carl Calabrese said. “That’s going to be amazing to have both of them healthy. To not have our top sprinter competing in anything and to place as well as we did was incredible.”

Junior Breckin Schommer took first in the 800-meter run before joining forces with sophomores Will Packard and Ethan West and freshman Kobe Russell to win the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:47.38.

The title-winning squad featured just two of the regular starters in that event, Schommer and Packard. The other likely starters missed the meet due to injuries, which is a testament to Prescott’s depth in the mid and short-distance events.

“Kobe and Ethan stepped in instead of Shane and likely Josh Peterson or junior Kyle Cogan,” Carl Calabrese said. “We’ve got quite a few guys to pick from and it’s going to be interesting to see how it plays out this season.”

In addition to the relay, Packard also took third in the 400-meter dash and sixth in the long jump. Senior Tyler Loucks took fourth in the 1,600-meter run with a posted time of 4:53.42.

Given Prescott’s worst result through the first two meets of the year is a runner-up finish, it would be easy for the program to get carried away with inflated egos and expectations. Instead, the Cardinals are staying the course and looking to remain consistent.

“We’re looking to stay the course while trying to figure out if there’s more there,” Emily Calabrese said. “We know that we’re on a good path right now, but we’re not going to get too far ahead of ourselves.”

Prescott’s success deserves context, as the girls’ programs for Osceola and Amery finished first and second respectively at the Northern Badger Large Division meet just 24 hours before the Cardinals’ victory on Saturday afternoon.

Prescott is back in action for an indoor meet at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls on Thursday. Events are slated to begin at 3:30 p.m.