Conner Denman knows what it’s like to come so close, yet so far away.Again. And again. And again.But not this time.Last week the Cloquet senior helped the Lumberjacks capture the Section 7AA boys team title, qualifying for Saturday’s state meet in Northfield, Minn.Denman missed qualifying for state by one place as an individual in each of the last two seasons.
“I was that guy,” Denman said. “To come so close two years in a row, and to work my butt off and finally make it, just means so much.”Cloquet tied Duluth East with 78 points last year at the Section 7AA meet, but East earned the second and final qualifying spot because the Greyhounds’ sixth runner finished two spots ahead of the Lumberjacks.“They put a lot of pressure on themselves, because they have high expectations, so it’s disappointing when you come up just short,” Cloquet coach Mike Bushey said. “But they got redemption.”Cloquet left nothing to chance last week, finishing with 48 points, easily ahead of runner-up Forest Lake (65 points) and Duluth East (103). Led by Isaac Boedigheimer’s fourth-place finish, the Lumberjacks took five of the top 15 spots. Denman finished eighth, one spot ahead of teammate Aidan Ripp, covering 5 kilometers in a personal-record 17 minutes, 12.7 seconds, or 5:32 a mile. He was of three Lumberjacks to set a PR that day.“Last year some things didn’t go right, but we just told ourselves we have to work harder over the summer,” Denman said. “We wanted it for each other. Hard work pays off.”Denman also was part of Cloquet’s 3,200-meter relay last spring that would have made the state track meet except Denman, running the anchor leg, was disqualified after jockeying for position. That team included Boedigheimer, John Waltjer and Parker Sinkkonen, all members of the cross country team.Boedigheimer, Denman and Waltjer are senior captains. “Isaac is a motivator, while I’m just a little more serious,” Denman said. “And John provides comic relief. He’s essential.” While Denman just missed the state cross country meet the last two years, he is no stranger to competing at the state level. He and Boedigheimer were part of Cloquet’s other state-qualifying cross country team in 2013, when they were freshmen. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2943671","attributes":{"alt":"Cloquet cross-country runner Isaac Boedigheimer runs during practice at Pine Valley in Cloquet Wednesday night.","class":"media-image","height":"480","title":"","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"320"}}]] Denman also is an accomplished wrestler, competing at the state meet the past two years and placing fifth at 145 pounds as a sophomore.Denman also qualified for the state track meet the past two years. He was part of the Lumberjacks’ 3,200 relay that placed ninth in 2015 and qualified in the 800 last spring, with a top time of 1:59.“I love track,” Denman said. “I can see where I’m going to finish, and I feel like there is a little more strategy to it. The 800 is definitely my favorite race.”It was in the 800 at state last spring when Denman felt a pop in his right leg near the end of the first lap. He cried and limped off to the medical tent. He suffered a tear in his Achilles’ heel but didn’t need surgery.Instead, he had his leg in a boot for eight weeks.For Denman, that was unacceptable. Upon Bushey’s recommendation, he worked out on a stationary bike, boot and all.“I wanted my senior year to be my best year,” Denman said. “So I had the motivation, and I knew that bike was my ticket.”Denman biked at least 20 miles a day three days a week while also doing speed workouts. He didn’t start running again until mid-August, but remarkably, he came back better than ever.And now, Denman is just where he wants to be.“When you have these awesome guys to train with, everything is more emotional and exciting. We’re so connected,” Denman said. “Honestly, I’ve thought about next year, and it’s kind of a scary thought. I know we’ll stay in touch, and whenever we see each other, I don’t know why we couldn’t go for a quick run together.”Cloquet will have a pep rally today that will include its football team, which plays tonight for the Section 7AAAA championship.“It’s good to be a Lumberjack,” Denman said. “There is a lot of talent in Cloquet right now, and we have some really hard-working kids. We try to represent our community well.”With a 3.7 grade-point average, Denman is a good example of that. He plans on running cross country and track at Wisconsin-La Crosse. The Lumberjacks are one of the smallest schools in Class AA and have little chance for a state title, but not of that seems to bother them.“It just motivates you to work that much harder,” Denman said.As part of their sendoff, the Lumberjacks will run through middle school halls lined with children.“It’s an unreal feeling,” Denman said. “Like my dad says, success breeds success, and once you start doing well, the grades below see that and want to do well, too. It just keeps building from there. It’s so much fun.”Best of the restNo coincidence, but a lot of the Northland’s top runners are also some of the best cross country skiers.Like Boedigheimer, Cloquet senior Anja Maijala is making her fourth straight appearance on Saturday. She is joined by teammate Lauren Cawcutt, an eighth-grader making her first.Duluth East sophomore Molly Weberg and senior Lauren Dynek, along with Grand Rapids junior Emma Stertz and Hermantown eighth-grader Laura Dahlin, are among the area’s other top girls in Class AA. Duluth East senior Andrew Arthur is among the top boys.In Class A, Moose Lake-Willow River’s Ethan Olson could finish in the top 10 if he runs anything like he did in winning the Section 7A meet last week, while rising star Geno Uhrbom - an eighth-grader - leads a strong Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin squad. North Shore junior Jake Paron also could contend if he is healthy after finishing 10th a year ago.Among girls, a trio of seniors, GNK’s Ellyssa Peterson, Carlton’s Erika Fox and Ely’s Erin Bianco, should lead the way, while Duluth Marshall sophomore Ashlee Siegle and MLWR freshman Savannah Gamst are also in the mix. Fox finished fourth last year while Peterson was 11th. Cross country state meetWhen: SaturdayWhere: St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.Boys: Class A 10 a.m, Class AA 1 p.m.Girls: Class A 11 a.m, Class AA 2 p.m.Conner Denman knows what it’s like to come so close, yet so far away.Again. And again. And again.But not this time.Last week the Cloquet senior helped the Lumberjacks capture the Section 7AA boys team title, qualifying for Saturday’s state meet in Northfield, Minn.Denman missed qualifying for state by one place as an individual in each of the last two seasons. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2943669","attributes":{"alt":"Cloquet cross-country runner Conner Dehman runs during practice at Pine Valley in Cloquet Wednesday night. (Clint Austin)","class":"media-image","height":"480","title":"","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"320"}}]]“I was that guy,” Denman said. “To come so close two years in a row, and to work my butt off and finally make it, just means so much.”Cloquet tied Duluth East with 78 points last year at the Section 7AA meet, but East earned the second and final qualifying spot because the Greyhounds’ sixth runner finished two spots ahead of the Lumberjacks.“They put a lot of pressure on themselves, because they have high expectations, so it’s disappointing when you come up just short,” Cloquet coach Mike Bushey said. “But they got redemption.”Cloquet left nothing to chance last week, finishing with 48 points, easily ahead of runner-up Forest Lake (65 points) and Duluth East (103). Led by Isaac Boedigheimer’s fourth-place finish, the Lumberjacks took five of the top 15 spots. Denman finished eighth, one spot ahead of teammate Aidan Ripp, covering 5 kilometers in a personal-record 17 minutes, 12.7 seconds, or 5:32 a mile. He was of three Lumberjacks to set a PR that day.“Last year some things didn’t go right, but we just told ourselves we have to work harder over the summer,” Denman said. “We wanted it for each other. Hard work pays off.”Denman also was part of Cloquet’s 3,200-meter relay last spring that would have made the state track meet except Denman, running the anchor leg, was disqualified after jockeying for position. That team included Boedigheimer, John Waltjer and Parker Sinkkonen, all members of the cross country team.Boedigheimer, Denman and Waltjer are senior captains. “Isaac is a motivator, while I’m just a little more serious,” Denman said. “And John provides comic relief. He’s essential.” While Denman just missed the state cross country meet the last two years, he is no stranger to competing at the state level. He and Boedigheimer were part of Cloquet’s other state-qualifying cross country team in 2013, when they were freshmen.
Denman also is an accomplished wrestler, competing at the state meet the past two years and placing fifth at 145 pounds as a sophomore.Denman also qualified for the state track meet the past two years. He was part of the Lumberjacks’ 3,200 relay that placed ninth in 2015 and qualified in the 800 last spring, with a top time of 1:59.“I love track,” Denman said. “I can see where I’m going to finish, and I feel like there is a little more strategy to it. The 800 is definitely my favorite race.”It was in the 800 at state last spring when Denman felt a pop in his right leg near the end of the first lap. He cried and limped off to the medical tent. He suffered a tear in his Achilles’ heel but didn’t need surgery.Instead, he had his leg in a boot for eight weeks.For Denman, that was unacceptable. Upon Bushey’s recommendation, he worked out on a stationary bike, boot and all.“I wanted my senior year to be my best year,” Denman said. “So I had the motivation, and I knew that bike was my ticket.”Denman biked at least 20 miles a day three days a week while also doing speed workouts. He didn’t start running again until mid-August, but remarkably, he came back better than ever.And now, Denman is just where he wants to be.“When you have these awesome guys to train with, everything is more emotional and exciting. We’re so connected,” Denman said. “Honestly, I’ve thought about next year, and it’s kind of a scary thought. I know we’ll stay in touch, and whenever we see each other, I don’t know why we couldn’t go for a quick run together.”Cloquet will have a pep rally today that will include its football team, which plays tonight for the Section 7AAAA championship.“It’s good to be a Lumberjack,” Denman said. “There is a lot of talent in Cloquet right now, and we have some really hard-working kids. We try to represent our community well.”With a 3.7 grade-point average, Denman is a good example of that. He plans on running cross country and track at Wisconsin-La Crosse. The Lumberjacks are one of the smallest schools in Class AA and have little chance for a state title, but not of that seems to bother them.“It just motivates you to work that much harder,” Denman said.As part of their sendoff, the Lumberjacks will run through middle school halls lined with children.“It’s an unreal feeling,” Denman said. “Like my dad says, success breeds success, and once you start doing well, the grades below see that and want to do well, too. It just keeps building from there. It’s so much fun.”Best of the restNo coincidence, but a lot of the Northland’s top runners are also some of the best cross country skiers.Like Boedigheimer, Cloquet senior Anja Maijala is making her fourth straight appearance on Saturday. She is joined by teammate Lauren Cawcutt, an eighth-grader making her first.Duluth East sophomore Molly Weberg and senior Lauren Dynek, along with Grand Rapids junior Emma Stertz and Hermantown eighth-grader Laura Dahlin, are among the area’s other top girls in Class AA. Duluth East senior Andrew Arthur is among the top boys.In Class A, Moose Lake-Willow River’s Ethan Olson could finish in the top 10 if he runs anything like he did in winning the Section 7A meet last week, while rising star Geno Uhrbom - an eighth-grader - leads a strong Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin squad. North Shore junior Jake Paron also could contend if he is healthy after finishing 10th a year ago.Among girls, a trio of seniors, GNK’s Ellyssa Peterson, Carlton’s Erika Fox and Ely’s Erin Bianco, should lead the way, while Duluth Marshall sophomore Ashlee Siegle and MLWR freshman Savannah Gamst are also in the mix. Fox finished fourth last year while Peterson was 11th. Cross country state meetWhen: SaturdayWhere: St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.Boys: Class A 10 a.m, Class AA 1 p.m.Girls: Class A 11 a.m, Class AA 2 p.m.Conner Denman knows what it’s like to come so close, yet so far away.Again. And again. And again.But not this time.Last week the Cloquet senior helped the Lumberjacks capture the Section 7AA boys team title, qualifying for Saturday’s state meet in Northfield, Minn.Denman missed qualifying for state by one place as an individual in each of the last two seasons.
“I was that guy,” Denman said. “To come so close two years in a row, and to work my butt off and finally make it, just means so much.”Cloquet tied Duluth East with 78 points last year at the Section 7AA meet, but East earned the second and final qualifying spot because the Greyhounds’ sixth runner finished two spots ahead of the Lumberjacks.“They put a lot of pressure on themselves, because they have high expectations, so it’s disappointing when you come up just short,” Cloquet coach Mike Bushey said. “But they got redemption.”Cloquet left nothing to chance last week, finishing with 48 points, easily ahead of runner-up Forest Lake (65 points) and Duluth East (103). Led by Isaac Boedigheimer’s fourth-place finish, the Lumberjacks took five of the top 15 spots. Denman finished eighth, one spot ahead of teammate Aidan Ripp, covering 5 kilometers in a personal-record 17 minutes, 12.7 seconds, or 5:32 a mile. He was of three Lumberjacks to set a PR that day.“Last year some things didn’t go right, but we just told ourselves we have to work harder over the summer,” Denman said. “We wanted it for each other. Hard work pays off.”Denman also was part of Cloquet’s 3,200-meter relay last spring that would have made the state track meet except Denman, running the anchor leg, was disqualified after jockeying for position. That team included Boedigheimer, John Waltjer and Parker Sinkkonen, all members of the cross country team.Boedigheimer, Denman and Waltjer are senior captains.“Isaac is a motivator, while I’m just a little more serious,” Denman said. “And John provides comic relief. He’s essential.”While Denman just missed the state cross country meet the last two years, he is no stranger to competing at the state level. He and Boedigheimer were part of Cloquet’s other state-qualifying cross country team in 2013, when they were freshmen.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2943671","attributes":{"alt":"Cloquet cross-country runner Isaac Boedigheimer runs during practice at Pine Valley in Cloquet Wednesday night.","class":"media-image","height":"480","title":"","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"320"}}]]Denman also is an accomplished wrestler, competing at the state meet the past two years and placing fifth at 145 pounds as a sophomore.Denman also qualified for the state track meet the past two years. He was part of the Lumberjacks’ 3,200 relay that placed ninth in 2015 and qualified in the 800 last spring, with a top time of 1:59.“I love track,” Denman said. “I can see where I’m going to finish, and I feel like there is a little more strategy to it. The 800 is definitely my favorite race.”It was in the 800 at state last spring when Denman felt a pop in his right leg near the end of the first lap. He cried and limped off to the medical tent. He suffered a tear in his Achilles’ heel but didn’t need surgery.Instead, he had his leg in a boot for eight weeks.For Denman, that was unacceptable. Upon Bushey’s recommendation, he worked out on a stationary bike, boot and all.“I wanted my senior year to be my best year,” Denman said. “So I had the motivation, and I knew that bike was my ticket.”Denman biked at least 20 miles a day three days a week while also doing speed workouts. He didn’t start running again until mid-August, but remarkably, he came back better than ever.And now, Denman is just where he wants to be.“When you have these awesome guys to train with, everything is more emotional and exciting. We’re so connected,” Denman said. “Honestly, I’ve thought about next year, and it’s kind of a scary thought. I know we’ll stay in touch, and whenever we see each other, I don’t know why we couldn’t go for a quick run together.”Cloquet will have a pep rally today that will include its football team, which plays tonight for the Section 7AAAA championship.“It’s good to be a Lumberjack,” Denman said. “There is a lot of talent in Cloquet right now, and we have some really hard-working kids. We try to represent our community well.”With a 3.7 grade-point average, Denman is a good example of that. He plans on running cross country and track at Wisconsin-La Crosse. The Lumberjacks are one of the smallest schools in Class AA and have little chance for a state title, but not of that seems to bother them.“It just motivates you to work that much harder,” Denman said.As part of their sendoff, the Lumberjacks will run through middle school halls lined with children.“It’s an unreal feeling,” Denman said. “Like my dad says, success breeds success, and once you start doing well, the grades below see that and want to do well, too. It just keeps building from there. It’s so much fun.”Best of the restNo coincidence, but a lot of the Northland’s top runners are also some of the best cross country skiers.Like Boedigheimer, Cloquet senior Anja Maijala is making her fourth straight appearance on Saturday. She is joined by teammate Lauren Cawcutt, an eighth-grader making her first.Duluth East sophomore Molly Weberg and senior Lauren Dynek, along with Grand Rapids junior Emma Stertz and Hermantown eighth-grader Laura Dahlin, are among the area’s other top girls in Class AA. Duluth East senior Andrew Arthur is among the top boys.In Class A, Moose Lake-Willow River’s Ethan Olson could finish in the top 10 if he runs anything like he did in winning the Section 7A meet last week, while rising star Geno Uhrbom - an eighth-grader - leads a strong Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin squad. North Shore junior Jake Paron also could contend if he is healthy after finishing 10th a year ago.Among girls, a trio of seniors, GNK’s Ellyssa Peterson, Carlton’s Erika Fox and Ely’s Erin Bianco, should lead the way, while Duluth Marshall sophomore Ashlee Siegle and MLWR freshman Savannah Gamst are also in the mix. Fox finished fourth last year while Peterson was 11th.Cross country state meetWhen: SaturdayWhere: St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.Boys: Class A 10 a.m, Class AA 1 p.m.Girls: Class A 11 a.m, Class AA 2 p.m.Conner Denman knows what it’s like to come so close, yet so far away.Again. And again. And again.But not this time.Last week the Cloquet senior helped the Lumberjacks capture the Section 7AA boys team title, qualifying for Saturday’s state meet in Northfield, Minn.Denman missed qualifying for state by one place as an individual in each of the last two seasons.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2943669","attributes":{"alt":"Cloquet cross-country runner Conner Dehman runs during practice at Pine Valley in Cloquet Wednesday night. (Clint Austin)","class":"media-image","height":"480","title":"","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"320"}}]]“I was that guy,” Denman said. “To come so close two years in a row, and to work my butt off and finally make it, just means so much.”Cloquet tied Duluth East with 78 points last year at the Section 7AA meet, but East earned the second and final qualifying spot because the Greyhounds’ sixth runner finished two spots ahead of the Lumberjacks.“They put a lot of pressure on themselves, because they have high expectations, so it’s disappointing when you come up just short,” Cloquet coach Mike Bushey said. “But they got redemption.”Cloquet left nothing to chance last week, finishing with 48 points, easily ahead of runner-up Forest Lake (65 points) and Duluth East (103). Led by Isaac Boedigheimer’s fourth-place finish, the Lumberjacks took five of the top 15 spots. Denman finished eighth, one spot ahead of teammate Aidan Ripp, covering 5 kilometers in a personal-record 17 minutes, 12.7 seconds, or 5:32 a mile. He was of three Lumberjacks to set a PR that day.“Last year some things didn’t go right, but we just told ourselves we have to work harder over the summer,” Denman said. “We wanted it for each other. Hard work pays off.”Denman also was part of Cloquet’s 3,200-meter relay last spring that would have made the state track meet except Denman, running the anchor leg, was disqualified after jockeying for position. That team included Boedigheimer, John Waltjer and Parker Sinkkonen, all members of the cross country team.Boedigheimer, Denman and Waltjer are senior captains.“Isaac is a motivator, while I’m just a little more serious,” Denman said. “And John provides comic relief. He’s essential.”While Denman just missed the state cross country meet the last two years, he is no stranger to competing at the state level. He and Boedigheimer were part of Cloquet’s other state-qualifying cross country team in 2013, when they were freshmen.
Denman also is an accomplished wrestler, competing at the state meet the past two years and placing fifth at 145 pounds as a sophomore.Denman also qualified for the state track meet the past two years. He was part of the Lumberjacks’ 3,200 relay that placed ninth in 2015 and qualified in the 800 last spring, with a top time of 1:59.“I love track,” Denman said. “I can see where I’m going to finish, and I feel like there is a little more strategy to it. The 800 is definitely my favorite race.”It was in the 800 at state last spring when Denman felt a pop in his right leg near the end of the first lap. He cried and limped off to the medical tent. He suffered a tear in his Achilles’ heel but didn’t need surgery.Instead, he had his leg in a boot for eight weeks.For Denman, that was unacceptable. Upon Bushey’s recommendation, he worked out on a stationary bike, boot and all.“I wanted my senior year to be my best year,” Denman said. “So I had the motivation, and I knew that bike was my ticket.”Denman biked at least 20 miles a day three days a week while also doing speed workouts. He didn’t start running again until mid-August, but remarkably, he came back better than ever.And now, Denman is just where he wants to be.“When you have these awesome guys to train with, everything is more emotional and exciting. We’re so connected,” Denman said. “Honestly, I’ve thought about next year, and it’s kind of a scary thought. I know we’ll stay in touch, and whenever we see each other, I don’t know why we couldn’t go for a quick run together.”Cloquet will have a pep rally today that will include its football team, which plays tonight for the Section 7AAAA championship.“It’s good to be a Lumberjack,” Denman said. “There is a lot of talent in Cloquet right now, and we have some really hard-working kids. We try to represent our community well.”With a 3.7 grade-point average, Denman is a good example of that. He plans on running cross country and track at Wisconsin-La Crosse. The Lumberjacks are one of the smallest schools in Class AA and have little chance for a state title, but not of that seems to bother them.“It just motivates you to work that much harder,” Denman said.As part of their sendoff, the Lumberjacks will run through middle school halls lined with children.“It’s an unreal feeling,” Denman said. “Like my dad says, success breeds success, and once you start doing well, the grades below see that and want to do well, too. It just keeps building from there. It’s so much fun.”Best of the restNo coincidence, but a lot of the Northland’s top runners are also some of the best cross country skiers.Like Boedigheimer, Cloquet senior Anja Maijala is making her fourth straight appearance on Saturday. She is joined by teammate Lauren Cawcutt, an eighth-grader making her first.Duluth East sophomore Molly Weberg and senior Lauren Dynek, along with Grand Rapids junior Emma Stertz and Hermantown eighth-grader Laura Dahlin, are among the area’s other top girls in Class AA. Duluth East senior Andrew Arthur is among the top boys.In Class A, Moose Lake-Willow River’s Ethan Olson could finish in the top 10 if he runs anything like he did in winning the Section 7A meet last week, while rising star Geno Uhrbom - an eighth-grader - leads a strong Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin squad. North Shore junior Jake Paron also could contend if he is healthy after finishing 10th a year ago.Among girls, a trio of seniors, GNK’s Ellyssa Peterson, Carlton’s Erika Fox and Ely’s Erin Bianco, should lead the way, while Duluth Marshall sophomore Ashlee Siegle and MLWR freshman Savannah Gamst are also in the mix. Fox finished fourth last year while Peterson was 11th.Cross country state meetWhen: SaturdayWhere: St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.Boys: Class A 10 a.m, Class AA 1 p.m.Girls: Class A 11 a.m, Class AA 2 p.m.
