In a race that was toe-to-toe the entire way, Menno junior Ashton Massey clipped Freeman eighth grader Rylee Peters to claim the gold medal in the 100 hurdles at the 2023 State Track & Field Championships Saturday morning. Massey edged Peters 15.38 to 15.47 and took advantage of a stumble at the end for Peters, who appeared to have the edge after clearing the final hurdle and finished second. "It was so close the whole way; I definitely thought she was going to get me after the last hurdle," said Massey, who was fourth in the event at state as a sophomore last year.

The Menno boys remain atop the leaderboard in the men’s team standings at the SDHSAA State Track & Field Championships after the second day of competition, but with that total, coupled with what they have left, be enough to get them a team plaque.

Freeman High School senior Kate Miller runs to the finish line to greet her teammates immediately following the 4x100 preliminary during the opening day of the three-day state track meet Thursday. Miller and the three other runners — Makenzie Scharberg, Rylee Peters and Zenovia Butler — won their heat with another personal best (15.66) and will compete in the 400-meter final Saturday with the third-best time in the field. The Flyers will also be looking to qualify the 4x200 for Saturday's final, with that prelim set for 10:30 a.m. today.

The final region championship belongs to the Menno High School boys.

Ashton Massey, a Menno junior and the top Class B hurdler in South Dakota, warms up at the Region 4B Track and Field Meet in Freeman Thursday morning, May 18. Field events began at 10 a.m. and running events are scheduled to start at 12 p.m. This marks the final year of region track meets in South Dakota — a decision that comes on the heels of a change in the way the field of state qualifiers is set.

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The Canistota/Freeman/Marion Sticks and Scotland/Menno Trappers have both finished in the top eight in the 12-team Region 1B standings and have therefore qualified for the region tournament this Sunday. The Sticks (5-6) are No. 7 and will face No. 2 Dakota Valley (10-1) at 2 p.m. at Dakota Valley (North Sioux City). The Trappers (7-4) are No. 4 and will play No. 5 Ethan/Parkston/Tripp (7-4) at 3 p.m. in Tyndall. 

Donna Ries, outgoing instrumental instructor at Freeman Academy pictured in the lower center, stands with both current and former students at the conclusion of a pep band concert that was part of a full evening of activities at the school on what was a beautiful Tuesday evening, May 16. The event, which included a tribute to Ries' years of service to the school, was marked by a surprise visit from Donna's three daughters, who are pictured standing next to her.

A 2021 Ford Expedition driven by a male juvenile with a learner’s permit on his way to school plowed into a storage unit at the corner of Cherry and Sixth streets around 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, May 17, sending the vehicle all the way into the steel structure and damaging at least five of its units.