By Rich Winter

605 Sports

DEUBROOK — For Class B sprint specialist Treven Grimsrud, the weekend ahead looks busy with the Howard Wood Dakota Relays on Friday and Saturday. 

Grimsrud is entered in the open 400-meter dash and in the mile relay and medley relays. On Friday evening he’ll take a turn running on Deubrook Area’s top-seeded 3,200-meter relay (8:24.85).  

“To be honest I don’t like that race very much,” Grimsrud said. “Ultimately I think running the 800 helps me in the 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash and when I’m running for my teammates I know I can’t let them down.”

Those teammates are Landon Johnson, Gavin Landmark and Jaxon Quail who set the Deubrook Area school record in that 3,200-meter relay on April 27 at the First Dakota Relays in Yankton.

While the trophy case at Deubrook Area High School is filled with Howard Wood Dakota Relay titles, the good majority of those trophies have come from the girls program. The Dolphins last claimed a boys relay title in the 1990s and head track and field coach Brad DeBeer is thinking this will be the year his boys get the job done. 

“This team has the tightest group of guys that I’ve had in my 15-20 years of coaching,” he said. “We had a good Class A state track meet last year and the drive that this group has this year is unbelievable.” 

Individually, the Deubrook Area boys are excellent. 

Grimsrud has the fastest 400-meter dash in Class B (:50.53) and the fourth fastest 200 meter dash (:22.77). J.P Rogness has the seventh fastest 400-meter dash time (:53.34) and Landon Johnson the tenth fastest 400-meter dash time (:53.38). Jaxon Quail has the ninth fastest 800-meter run time (2:08.67)

Collectively is where the 2023 Dolphins shine.

Deubrook Area has Class B’s fastest 1,600-meter relay (3:31.29), the fastest 3,200-meter relay time (8:24.85) and the fastest sprint medley relay time (3:46.63). While the sprint relays aren’t their best, Deubrook Area still sports the fourth fastest Class B times in the 400-meter relay and 800-meter relay. 

Deubrook Area senior Treven Grimsrud is running in three relays and the open 400-meter dash at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays this weekend - Photo courtesy of Deubrook Area track and field.

For a Class B school to be so highly ranked in so many relays is rare. The range and depth the Dolphins possess came as a result of a lot of hard work and an occasional prompting from the coaches. 

“When you have talented kids you can talk them into doing things they normally would not want to do,” DeBeer said. 

Grimsrud’s only open event, the 400-meter dash, takes place Saturday morning. He is in the fast heat and hoping to break the :50-second barrier. 

“In the individual events you don’t rely on anyone and I can focus on myself,” Grimsrud said. “In a relay it is way more fun to have other guys and to encourage them. It helps you build a huge relationship with them.”