The boys also competed at the indoor quadrangular featuring Hutchinson, New Ulm and Minnesota Valley Lutheran.

Last year’s Blue Earth Area boys track and field team relied on underclassmen and newcomers to put together a pretty good season.

This year will be no different.

The squad has only two seniors listed on its roster and just six juniors.

“The boys will be young and inexperienced, but we’ll have some newcomers that should provide a good blend,” says Head Coach Tom Plocker.

While the focus may have been on the girls squad in 2008, the boys held their own.

The team took second or third in nine of 11 meets, including third place at the Section True Team and South Central Conference meets.

Gone from last year’s squad are a trio that earned a total of 13 varsity letters; Jonathan Leitzke (5), Mark Bartley (4) and Dan Lyke (4).

Senior distance runner Eduardo Vega enters the season with three varsity letters and senior standout football player and wrestler Jake Lee has one and will compete in the shot and discus.

Nate Carr tops the junior list with three varsity letters.

At the conference meet, his leap in the high jump earned him a gold medal. He was second in the 200-meter dash, 110-meter high hurdles and 300-meter intermediate hurdles.

At the Section Meet, Carr took the bronze medal in the 300-meter hurdles and was a member of the 4 x 400-meter relay that took sixth.

Other juniors on the squad include two-year letterwinner Cody Sailor; Ryne Myers and Nick Lee, each with one letter; Taylor Andrews, a junior varsity letterwinner; and Abi Vasquez and Kiley Hyland.

Sophomores Travis Hagedorn, Dan Plocker and are Zach Tvedten returning two-year letterwinners.

Plocker last year was on the 4 x 200-meter relay team that finished second at the Section Meet.

Sophomores with one varsity letter include: Brandon Christians; Santos Flores; Alvin Goraczkowski; and Micah Zastrow. Junior varsity letterwinners are: Tedd Bakken (3); Jared Brown (2); Tyler Meyers (2); and Jacob McNamara (1). Also on the team are Matt Dulas and Tanner O’Rourke.

Freshmen Jake Wagner and Jake Zebedee each have collected one varsity letter, while Sam Lee and Jacob Olson have two junior varsity letters apiece and Dan Griffin one.

The eighth-grade class has six athletes with one junior varsity letter, Jesse Alleven; Nick Beattie; Isaac Darrington; Luke Loveall; Max Nagel; and Steven Plocker. JT Roe has earned a junior high certificate and also on the team is Cole Klinksiek.