By Rich Winter

605 Sports

After Deubrook Area junior Treven Grimsrud finished the 200-meter dash at Monday’s Scott Underwood Invitational in Brookings, he looked at his coach Brad DeBeer with some angst in his eyes. 

 His :23.80 was good enough for fourth place in a field loaded with A and AA schools but Grimsrud wasn’t happy. 

 “I know he wanted to run faster but I just looked at him and said you ran :23.8 indoors and that’s really, really good,” DeBeer said.

 And that wasn’t even Grimsrud’s best race. 

 Earlier in the day, he opened his season running a :52.78 in the 400-meter dash to finish third. He also ran a leg on Deubrook Area’s 4x400 team (3:40) that finished fifth. 

 This fall Grimsrud broke three bones in his foot in the seventh football game of the season. That injury took some time to heal and still isn’t healed completely. 

 “It’s still not quite right,” DeBeer said. “He’s actually running with a broken bone or two in his foot. He’s a tough kid that can run through pain.” 

 A year ago Deubrook Area was in Class B. While Grimsrud qualified for the 2021 state track meet in the 100 meters the Deubrook coaches put him in three relays (4x200, 4x400 and 1,600 sprint medley), all of which earned medals last May. 

 What makes those early season times even more impressive is Deubrook Area currently does not have a track. 

 “We’re building a track and a new football stadium,” DeBeer said. “The football field will be ready for the fall and the track will be done by next spring.”

 And so, in lieu of a track to practice the Deubrook Area coaches got creative this spring. 

 “We run around the park and do some work on the roads around town,” he said. “We’ve got some blocks that we’ll use with some carpet in the gym or we’ll take them out to the city park and put them up against a tree.” 

 DeBeer said the Dolphins do have a good relationship with Elkton-Lake Benton and on occasion the kids will travel there to work on their jumps and handoffs while on a real track. 

 Deubrook Area moves from Class B to Class A this season. A relative unknown to the rest of the A field, DeBeer feels like the 2022 boys track team has an opportunity to do some damage. 

“Senior Parker Crooks anchored our medley team last year,” DeBeer said. “He has really blossomed athletically and he’s a good 400 and 800 guy.” 

 “Treven and Parker have become our leaders and they are the guys that are up front during practices,” he said. “We have a bunch of sophomores that are just aching to get onto our relay teams.” 

 Other Deubrook athletes to keep an eye on: 

• Sophomore Jaxon Quail ran a 4:53, 1,600 on Monday. He also ran a 2:09 split on the Dolphins 4x800 team that finished fourth (8:47). 

• Sophomore Gavin Landmark ran a 2:11 split in that 4x800 and finished 10th in the 400 meters (:55.79).

• Sophomore J.P. Rogness opened his season with a 2:12 split in that 4x800 relay. 

• Landen Johnson split (:54) in the 4x400 relay and ran a 2:16 in the 800 meters. 

• Sophomore Devon Landmark ran the 100 and 200 meter events in Brookings on Monday. 

 Monday’s opener at the indoor meet even saw some good performances in the field events. 

 “Jake Jorenby did high jump for us last year and went about 4-10,” DeBeer said. “He jumped 5-08 on Monday and finished second in Brookings.” 

 Deubrook Area will be in Garretson Saturday for its next meet.