By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth track teams began a stretch of competing at three meets in six days in Pipestone Thursday.
The Patriots traveled to Pipestone to make up the Pipestone-Jasper Invitational, which was postponed on April 14.
H-BC-E, Adrian, Southwest Christian, Lincoln HI and Baltic (S.D.) competed in the Class B version of the event.
There were no team tallies kept at the meet, but the Patriots did more than hold their own against the other teams on hand.
H-BC-E won a combined 12 meet championships and placed second in seven events in the boys' and girls' competitions.
The H-BC-E girls turned in a dominating performance by winning seven events and picking up seven second-place finishes.
Erin Boeve, Connie Lewis, Bev Wurpts and Sarah Rozeboom all won individual titles for the Patriot girls.
Boeve won the long jump with a distance of 15-5, Lewis was the triple jump champion after covering 31-7, Rozeboom cleared the 300-meter hurdles in 59.82 and Wurpts ran 3,200 meters in 12:39.
H-BC-E also fielded the winning 400-, 800- and 1,600-meter relays, which turned in respective 56.41, 1:57.18 and 4:23.78 times.
LaDonna Sandstede, Melinda Feucht, Brittney Olson and Lewis ran the 400, Sandstede, Cassi and Shanna Tilstra and Boeve teamed up in the 800, and Janelle Jenniges, Boeve and the Tilstras competed in the 1,600.
H-BC-E placed second in the medley and 3,200-meter relays with respective 4:45.91 and 11:01.92 times.
Olson, Rachel Kvaale, Brittney Rozeboom and Jenniges ran the 3,200, and Boeve, the Tilstras and Wurpts teamed up in the medley.
Shanna Tilstra (4-6, high jump), Sarah Rozeboom (100 hurdles, 19.99), Jenniges (1,600, 6:04.74), Feucht (300 hurdles, 59.75) and Kvaale (800, 2:50.54) placed second individually for H-BC-E.
The Patriot boys finished the meet with five championships.
Tyler Bush ran 800 meters in 2:14.16 and Chris Fransman cleared 6-3 in the high jump to claim individual titles.
The boys also won the medley, 800- and 3,200-meter relays with respective 2:03.45, 1:37.23 and 9:05.95 times.
Chris Reid, Fransman, Chris Willers and Brad Haak won the medley and 800. Lee Jackson, Bush, Greg Van Batavia and Matt Buck teamed up in the 3,200.
Here is a look at the rest of H-BC-EÕs top six finishers during the P-J Invitational.
H-BC-E girls
Third place: Feucht, triple jump, 28-10; Lewis, high jump, 4-4; Angie Bush, 100 hurdles, 20.59; Kelsey Hansel, 400, 1:14.38; B.Rozeboom, 800, 2:50.81.
Fourth place: Olson, 1,600, 6:27.34.
Fifth place: Feucht, 100, 14.43.
Sixth place: Lewis, discus, 64-4, Lewis, long jump, 13-6; Sandstede, 100, 14.45.
H-BC-E boys
Third place: Haak, high jump, 5-4; Jackson, 1,600, 5:15.25; 1,600 relay (Jackson, Van Batavia, Buck and Lee Walraven), 3:56.16.
Fourth place: Buck, triple jump, 37-2; Willers, shot put, 36-4 1/2; Buck, 1,600, 5:17.34.
Fifth place: Robert Swayze, 400, 1:08.85.
Sixth place: Ryan Ranschau, shot, 31-9; Walraven, 100, 12.52; Kale Wiertzema, 3,200, 12:39.