Minnesota’s Top Duel-Sport Athletes: Track & Field

If you've been around high school sports for a while you have probably heard of the debate surrounding prep athletes playing multiple sports. Some people out there (although I think this party is shrinking) believe that kids should focus on just one sport to maximize their potential in that sport when growing up while the opposing side argues that multiple sports is the most beneficial and healthy way to find success athletically. I definitely lean to the latter, and for that reason I've made sure to focus on Minnesota's duel-sport athletes while working for <em>PrepRedzone </em>and have published features focusing on standout football players who also wrestle and play basketball for their high schools. Well, it's about time I gave the track and field standouts some love! If you are a younger higher school player looking to find something else to do in the spring I'm not sure there's another sport that directly benefits your football play more so than track. Speed is one of the most important elements a prospect can possess on the gridiron, and there isn't anything that's going to make you faster than running a ton of 100s, 200s, or 400s, more explosive than everyday reps of the long jump, triple jump high jump, or high hurdles. Even throwing events getting you stronger, more balanced, and more explosive, so as a football scout you need to always be aware of and following track and field times and results of high school prospects. With that in mind I took a detailed look at the spring of 2021 MN high school track and field state championship results, located the names I know from their football success, took advantage of Hudl profiles and rosters to find out which names I didn't know play football, and broke it all down nicely for our lovely readers. Scroll below to find out who are Minnesota's Top Duel-Sport Athletes: Track and Field Edition! Thanks for reading. <span style="font-size: 18pt;">Class A:</span> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">100 M Dash</span></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="116250" first="Sanjay" last="Redd"]</strong> (<em>Minnehaha</em>) Placed 2nd with an 11.09 (seed) and a 10.99 in the finals <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="112047" first="Sam" last="Backer"]</strong> (<em>Chatfield</em>) 2023. Placed 5th with a 11.10 (seed) and 11.18 (finals) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="116257" first="Hudson" last="Artz"]</strong> (<em>Fairmont</em>) 11.53 (seed) and 11.24 placed 9th on the 100 <strong>Ayo Ogundeji</strong> (<em>Nevis</em>) C/o 2025. Placed 11th with a 11.51 (seed) and 11.26 (finals) <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">200 M Dash</span></span> <strong>Ethan Lebrija</strong> <em>(Morris Area-Chokio-Alberta</em>) State Champ with a 22.30 finals time <strong>Jarod White</strong> <em>(Pine Island)</em> Placed 4th. Ran a 22.43 (seed) and 22.52 (finals) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="116250" first="Sanjay" last="Redd"]</strong> (<em>Minnehaha</em>) Placed 5th. 22.68 (seed) and 22.57 (finals) <strong>Ayo Ogundeji</strong> (<em>Nevis</em>) C/o 2025. Placed 6th. 22.79 (seed) and 22.76 (finals) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="112047" first="Sam" last="Backer"]</strong> (<em>Chatfield</em>) C/o 2023. Placed 8th. 22.59 (seed) and 22.96 (finals) <strong>Quintin Laveau</strong> (<em>Pillager</em>) Ran a 22.98 in the finals to place 10th <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="116257" first="Hudson" last="Artz"]</strong> (<em>Fairmont</em>) Placed 13th. 22.97 (seed) and 23.31 (finals) <strong>Kaden Robbins</strong> <em>(Moose Lake-Willow River)</em> 2024. Placed 16th. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">400 M Dash</span>: </span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="116257" first="Hudson" last="Artz"]</strong> (<em>Fairmont</em>) Placed 3rd. 50.62 (seed) and 50.04 (finals) <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Pole Vault: </span></span> <strong>Jarod White</strong> <em>(Pine Island)</em> State Champ. Jumped 16’ (seed) and 15’09" (finals) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="18551" first="Levi" last="Richter"]</strong> (<em>Hutchinson</em>) Placed 2nd. 13’ 6" (seed) 13’ 9" (finals) <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Shot Put: </span></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="116188" first="Tony" last="Nelson"]</strong> (<em>Tracy-Milroy-Balaton)</em> Placed 1st. 54’ 11" (seed) 59’ 02" (finals) <strong>Francis O’Malley</strong> <em>(Montevideo)</em> 2024. Placed 6th with a 49’03" throw in the finals <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="19003" first="Ryan" last="Retzer"]</strong> <em>(Belle Plaine)</em> 2023. Placed 9th with 48’ 02" throw in the finals <strong>Hank Artz</strong> (<em>Fairmont</em>) 2025. Placed 11th with a 48’10" throw (seed) and 47’08" throw (finals) <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Discus: </span></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="116191" first="Ethan" last="Fischer"]</strong> <em>(Maple River)</em> Placed 5th. 179’ 08" (seed) and 161’ (finals) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="116188" first="Tony" last="Nelson"]</strong> <em>(Tracy-Milroy-Balaton)</em> Placed 8th. Threw 146’05" (seed) and 141’11" (finals) <strong>Francis O’Malley</strong> (<em>Montevideo</em>) 2024. Placed 10th. <span style="font-size: 18pt;">Class AA</span> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">100 M Dash:</span></span> <strong>Christian Belt</strong> <em>(Burnsville)</em> Placed 6th. Ran a 10.92 in the finals <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="49907" first="Cole" last="Brisbois"]</strong> <em>(Forest Lake)</em> Placed 8th. Ran a 10.97 in the finals <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22923" first="Eli" last="Gillman"]</strong> <em>(Dassel-Cokato)</em> Placed 14th. Ran a 11.10 in the finals <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">200 M Dash:</span></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="112044" first="Sawyer" last="Seidl"] </strong><em>(Hill-Murray) </em>2023. DQed in the finals but clocked a 21.88 in the prelims <strong>Grady O’Neil </strong><em>(St. Thomas Academy) </em>Placed 3rd. Ran a 22.52 (seed) and 22.25 (finals) <strong>Noah Smith </strong><em>(Rochester Mayo) </em>Placed 6th. Ran a 22.34 (seed) and 22.39 (finals) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="19024" first="Michael" last="Haugo"] </strong><em>(Moorhead) </em>2023. Placed 13th. Ran a 21.82 (seed) and 22.64 (finals) <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">400 M Dash: </span></span> <strong>Miles Towsend </strong><em>(Rosemount) </em>Placed 4th. Ran a 49.78 in the finals <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="49848" first="Mitchell" last="Piehl"] </strong><em>(Hutchinson) </em>Placed 6th. Ran a 49.27 (seed) and 50.06 (finals) <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">110 M Hurdles</span></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="18428" first="Jacob" last="Kelly"] </strong><em>(Bemidji) </em>Placed 4th. Ran a 14.96 (seed) and 14.95 (finals) <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">High Jump</span></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="112137" first="Devin" last="Jordan"] </strong><em>(Eden Prairie) </em>2023. Placed 9th. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Pole Vault </span></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="116208" first="Cayden" last="Holcomb"] </strong><em>(Rochester Mayo) </em>Placed 8th. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Shot Put</span></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22942" first="Marcus" last="Hansen"]</strong> <em>(Waseca) </em>State Champ. 2021. Threw 62’07" (seed) and 63’02" (finals) and won by 9 feet. Named Minnesota Gatorade Track &amp; Field Male Athlete of the Year <strong>Jackson Weston</strong> <em>(Grand Rapids)</em> Placed 2nd. Threw 54’10" in the finals <strong>Hayden Bills</strong> (<em>Rosemount</em>) 2023. Placed 4th. Threw 53’.5 in the finals <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="49837" first="Weston" last="Ebner"]</strong> (<em>Rosemount</em>) Placed 5th. Threw 52’.02 in the finals <strong>Dylan Gross</strong> (<em>Brainerd</em>) 2024. Placed 6th <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Discus</span></span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22942" first="Marcus" last="Hansen"] </strong><em>(Waseca) </em>State Champ. 2021. Threw 178’08" in the finals to win by 13 feet <strong>Hayden Bills </strong><em>(Rosemount) </em>2023. Placed 2nd. Threw 169"08" (seed) and 165’01" (finals) <strong>Jackson Weston </strong><em>(Grand Rapids) </em>Placed 6th. Threw 143’01" in the finals <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="19020" first="Elinneus" last="Davis"] </strong><em>(Moorhead) </em>2023. Placed 7th. Threw 142’ in the finals