LA CROSSE — It originally took some persuading just to get Mason Hofherr to join the Marinette track and field team when he was a sophomore. But once he was convinced, there was no looking back on a rapid ascent that took Hofherr to the mountaintop in his final race as a Marine.
Hofherr’s track journey culminated in a curtain call from atop the podium at last weekend’s WIAA State Track & Field Championships, where he accepted his gold medal for winning the Division 2 boys’ 200-meter dash.
Hofherr used the type of late acceleration that has become his signature, running down the competition and crossing the finish line in 21.65 seconds — six hundredths of a second ahead of McFarland junior John Gibson in second.
“I was looking forward to it all day. I was a little nervous, not going to lie, but that’s natural,” Hofherr said. “But it just came down to who wanted it more. Had a lot of fun. I got to sneak it at the end.”
That victory capped a whirlwind weekend for the Marines, who had Hofherr and junior Kaiden Brown competing in the same two sprinting events and then together as part of a relay that broke a school record and landed on the podium.
The Marines’ dynamic duo of Hofherr and Brown each qualified for state last year both individually and as part of relays. Marinette head track coach Jessie Konyn noted that though the two can “bicker like brothers” at times, they share a tight friendship and are constantly pushing each other to be better.
“Iron sharpens iron,” as Hofherr summed up their relationship.
“They both have pretty big personalities, so they definitely can get each other riled up and fired up, but I think that helps them to also keep their competitive edge and to keep things light and fun,” said Konyn. “They can be bickering about who the best player in the NBA is one moment, the next moment they’re getting in the blocks and they’re doing what they’re there to do.”
Hofherr and Brown’s state weekend began on Friday in the 100-meter dash prelims, where Brown posted a time of 11.35 seconds to place 10th overall and finish just above the finals cut line, but Hofherr missed out with his time of 11.37 seconds that left him in 13th.
Brown bettered both his time and placement on Saturday, crossing the finish line in 11.20 seconds to finish in ninth. Later that same day, his mark of 22.82 seconds put him in 15th place in the 200-meter dash.
The Marinette quartet of senior Luke Adams, Hofherr, sophomore Derek Montalvo and Brown set a new school record in Friday’s 400-meter relay prelims with a time of 42.49 seconds, besting the mark of 42.64 seconds set by Jaden Boivin, Zach Campbell, Colton Dessart and Dakota Vanidestine when they won the event in 2013.
Coincidentally, the victories by Boivin, Campbell, Dessart and Vanidestine in the 400 relay and Dustin Valind in the boys’ discus throw at the 2013 state meet marked the last time the Marines won any events at state prior to Hofherr.
Adams, Hofherr, Montalvo and Brown finished third overall in the prelims with their school-record mark. That time slipped to 42.76 seconds in Saturday’s finals, which still was good enough for sixth place and the last spot on the medalist podium.
That left only the 200-meter dash for the Marines. A prolonged lightning delay on Friday altered parts of the state meet schedule, including the prelims for the D2 200 being eliminated and the race instead being ran in two sections as a timed final on Saturday.
Hofherr qualified for the 200 at state as a junior, where he was fifth in the prelims but slid to seventh in the finals to miss the podium by one spot. He had his sights set on something much more than just making the podium this time around, and that dream became a reality on the grand stage of Roger Harring Stadium.
“I’m not a complacent person. Once I get somewhere, I want to keep climbing and climbing, and I’m very confident in myself,” Hofherr said. “I had a lot of good people around me — family, good coaches — and all that kind of brought me together and gave me what I needed.
It was only two years ago that Marinette volunteer track coach Braden Bizzelle and some of Hofherr’s football teammates had to convince him to give track a try. All the hard work he’s put in since — learning the strategy of sprints, going to clinics outside of the season, asking his coaches questions on how to improve his craft — brought him to his moment of glory in La Crosse.
“I know how much work he’s put in and it’s just so exciting to see all of his work pay off,” Konyn said. “To know your last race of your high school career literally could not go any better — to come out on top is just a phenomenal feeling for him.”
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