By Rich Winter

605 Sports

In the winter of their sophomore years Eli Fogel and Kade Stukel came to an agreement while lifting weights in the Gregory weightroom. 

If Kade Stukel went out for golf that spring Eli Fogel promised that he would go out for track. 

Two years later the pair of best friends finished their senior seasons as 9A state football champions, Class B state track champions and Class B state golf champions. 

“It is an indescribable feeling,” Eli Fogel said shortly after claiming medalist honors and the team championship of the 2023 state B golf championship. “Winning the football title felt really good but I think everyone sort of expected that. After we won football we immediately set our goals to winning the track and football championships. It was a goal and then to go out and execute it felt really good.” 

Gregory is well known for their prowess on the football field so it wasn’t a shock when the Gorillas rolled to an 11-1 record defeating Warner 36-23 in the 9A championship game. 

Stukel and Fogel were key cogs on the 2022 championship team with Stukel making the 9A all-state team as a defensive back and Fogel making the 9A team as a defensive lineman. 

“After football it was like let’s go get championships in track and then golf,” Stukel said.

Kade Stukel and Eli Fogel were both all-state defensive players for the 9A champion Gregory Gorillas - Courtesy Photo

Neither of the athletes participate in a winter sport so they had plenty of time to work on their fitness and speak out loud the goals they were trying to achieve. 

The 2023 outdoor track season had plenty of highlights for Fogel and Stukel who along with Luke Stukel and Paul Sinclair won Howard Dakota Relay titles in the 400-meter relay (:44.45) and 800-meter relay (1:32.71). 

At the 2023 state track meet on the Friday of qualifying Stukel came across the line after his 200-meter preliminary race clutching his hamstring. 

Fogel was there for comfort and support during that difficult evening between Friday’s prelims and Saturday’s finals. 

“We were in the hotel room and I just kept repeating this is your last track event so you have to leave it all out there,” Fogel said. 

Fogel said his friend was not in a good mood when he woke up the next morning and could barely walk. Ten minutes before the start of the Class B 100-meter dash finals Fogel sent Stukel one final text message telling his buddy he could do it. 

Stukel rocketed from the blocks, won the race and ran the best time of his high school career (:10.86), all on a bad wheel. 

“That was a very emotional moment for us,” Fogel said. 

The road to tying with Ipswich for the Class B state track title wasn’t quite done and Fogel, the relative novice at track had plenty to do if Gregory were to win a title. 

Stukel had plenty of confidence in his friend. 

“I always knew that Eli was fast.” Stukel said. “In the last few years he fell in love with track so I knew he was going to pull through for us.”

Fogel qualified for the state track meet in the 400-meter relay 800-meter relay sprint medley relay and 1,600 meter relay. He was the first runner on each of those relay teams and derived some confidence for that pressure packed leadoff position by watching USA Track & Field’s Noah Lyles. 

Before he started every relay Gregory's Eli Fogel gave himself a hug to get mentally prepared - Ryan Deal/605 Sports

“I’m not a superstitious person but I watched Noah Lyles hug himself before races,” Fogel said. “Before every race I hugged myself and got mentally prepared to run that first leg and execute that first handoff.” 

In Saturday’s finals Fogel led off the 800-meter relay team that ran without Stukel yet finished in fourth place. Fogel led off the 400-meter relay that claimed a state title and set the Gregory school record (:44.24).

Entering the final relay of his high-school career, the 1,600 meter relay Gregory trailed Ipswich by three points. Fogel knew his team needed to finish at least fifth in that race to have a shot at the state team title. 

Fogel ran the fastest 400-meter carry of his life (:52.5) as the Gorillas did just enough to tie Ipswich for the Class B state title. 

About a week after earning the state title in track and field Fogel, Kade Stukel, Trey Murray and Luke Stukel headed to Watertown for the Class B state golf championships at the Prairie Winds Golf Club.

With football and track in his rearview mirror Fogel focused on his favorite sport, the one he had been playing since he was a small child, golf. 

“When I was little my mom used to drop me off at the golf course and I would spend four or five hours out there by myself,” Fogel said. 

In middle school Fogel and current Gregory junior Trey Murray spent every day of the summer on the golf course. 

“We couldn’t drive a cart so we spent all day just walking the course and playing in 95 degree temperatures” he said. 

Having dreamed of one day winning medalist honors at a state tournament, Fogel shot a (78) on the first day of the state tournament. 

“My mindset going in was you can’t win this thing on day one but you can lose it,” he said. “I was striking the ball really well but I just wasn’t making very many putts.”

Before action started on day two Fogel said he spent a good amount of time practicing his putting. The result was a (73) and a two-day total of (151) finishing one shot ahead of McIntosh’s Wyatt Larson (152). 

“With everything that has happened my senior year and then to cap off my senior year like this ended things on the highest possible note,” Fogel said. 

Kade Stukel and Eli Fogel hold the Class B state golf trophy - Courtesy photo

While Fogel was focusing on his own game, Fogel said he wasn’t overly concerned with what his teammates were doing. 

“Golf is such an individual sport and it has very little impact on what your teammates do,” he said. “I wasn’t worried about my teammates because I knew they were going to be doing their best.”

Teammate Trey Murray ended up tied for fifth (161) with Kade Stukel tying for ninth (162). The Gorillas repeated as Class B state champions with a two-day total (474) finishing well ahead of Hanson (503). 

Following the state track title the town of Gregory organized a welcome-home celebration for their track champions. It was there that Kade Stukel learned just how much the success on the field meant to his community. 

“It is hard to describe how good it made us all feel to see so many people from our community come out and congratulate us,” Stukel said. “We’ve been hearing from a lot of Gregory alumnus and other people and it is a great feeling to know that all the work we’ve put in was appreciated by so many. I leave here knowing that I am proud to be a Gregory Gorilla.”

The story isn’t quite finished for the pair of friends. Stukel and Fogel will be roommates this fall at Augustana where Stukel will continue running track for the Vikings.