BISMARCK - Until Saturday, Ryan Enerson had won a 110 hurdles race only once this season, and that was in a dual against Grand Forks Central.
Win No. 2 for the Grand Forks Red River senior came on the biggest stage on Saturday. Enerson carried on the Riders’ dominance of the event by winning the 110 hurdles at the North Dakota Class A boys high school track meet.
Throughout the outdoor season, it was West Fargo’s Daniel Asa or Fargo North’s Brady Huffman, sometimes both, beating Enerson in the 110s. But Enerson ran a time of 14.81 seconds, with Asa (14.92) and Huffman (15.00) placing second and third.
“All season, I was thinking whatever happens, happens,” Enerson said. “All that matters is the last two weeks of the season. And I did beat them indoors, so I knew I could do it.”
Enerson also finished fourth in the 300 hurdles and tied for fifth in the high jump in helping the Riders to a top-five finish. Bismarck won its 11th straight state team title with 200 points, followed by Bismarck Century (115). Red River was fifth with 45.50 points, with Central scoring 24 to place 11th.
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“I was loose and feeling good,” Enerson said. “You have to believe. Around the eighth hurdle, I was thinking, ‘I’ve got this. If I keep pushing, I think I can do it.’ “
The win marked the fourth straight season and sixth in the last seven that Red River has won the 110 hurdles. Enerson joined Ryan Todhunter (twice), Loren Bothun (twice) and Jimmy Evers (once) as state champions in that span.
“Seeing how Red River has won that race so much, just to be out there running the hurdles is an honor,” Enerson said.
Camron Roehl was Central’s top scorer. The senior placed third in the 3,200 with a time of 9:31.33. Bismarck’s Matt Gotta (9:15.42) won. Gotta and Roehl were 1-2 in Friday’s 1,600 final.
“I think I got my days mixed up, going out strong the first four laps today,” Roehl joked. The senior led for most of the first 1,600 before Gotta made a move to the front in the final 100 of the fourth lap and maintained his lead through the final four laps.
“My strategy was to go out hard in the first mile,” said Roehl, who also placed sixth in the 800. “Maybe I should have made the move with (Gotta). But I’m not used to that. Not many people have passed me halfway through that race this season.”
Devils Lake’s Bradley Davidson, meanwhile, left the track Saturday knowing he could keep his hair.
The sophomore ran an 11:04-second final in the 100 to finish second behind Century senior Landon Jochim (10.89). That allowed him to win a friendly wager with classmate Ryan Kraft.
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“We made a bet at the start of the year - if I didn’t make the top three in the 100 at state, I’d have to shave my head,” Davidson said. “It was definitely motivation. I didn’t want to lose my hair. I wouldn’t look too good. Imagine John Lennon with no hair.
“Now I think (Kraft) has to shave his head as part of the bet.”
