Minnesota’s Top Duel-Sport Athletes: Track & Field
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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…
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Continue ReadingIf 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 PrepRedzone 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.
Class A:
100 M Dash
Sanjay Redd Sanjay Redd 5'10" | 165 lbs | RB SMB | 2022 State MN (Minnehaha) Placed 2nd with an 11.09 (seed) and a 10.99 in the finals
Sam Backer Sam Backer 5'11" | 190 lbs | RB Chatfield | 2023 State MN (Chatfield) 2023. Placed 5th with a 11.10 (seed) and 11.18 (finals)
Hudson Artz Hudson Artz 6'0" | 185 lbs | DB Fairmont | 2022 State MN (Fairmont) 11.53 (seed) and 11.24 placed 9th on the 100
Ayo Ogundeji (Nevis) C/o 2025. Placed 11th with a 11.51 (seed) and 11.26 (finals)
200 M Dash
Ethan Lebrija (Morris Area-Chokio-Alberta) State Champ with a 22.30 finals time
Jarod White (Pine Island) Placed 4th. Ran a 22.43 (seed) and 22.52 (finals)
Sanjay Redd Sanjay Redd 5'10" | 165 lbs | RB SMB | 2022 State MN (Minnehaha) Placed 5th. 22.68 (seed) and 22.57 (finals)
Ayo Ogundeji (Nevis) C/o 2025. Placed 6th. 22.79 (seed) and 22.76 (finals)
Sam Backer Sam Backer 5'11" | 190 lbs | RB Chatfield | 2023 State MN (Chatfield) C/o 2023. Placed 8th. 22.59 (seed) and 22.96 (finals)
Quintin Laveau (Pillager) Ran a 22.98 in the finals to place 10th
Hudson Artz Hudson Artz 6'0" | 185 lbs | DB Fairmont | 2022 State MN (Fairmont) Placed 13th. 22.97 (seed) and 23.31 (finals)
Kaden Robbins (Moose Lake-Willow River) 2024. Placed 16th.
400 M Dash:
Hudson Artz Hudson Artz 6'0" | 185 lbs | DB Fairmont | 2022 State MN (Fairmont) Placed 3rd. 50.62 (seed) and 50.04 (finals)
Pole Vault:
Jarod White (Pine Island) State Champ. Jumped 16’ (seed) and 15’09″ (finals)
Levi Richter Levi Richter 5'9" | 165 lbs | DB Perham | 2022 State MN (Hutchinson) Placed 2nd. 13’ 6″ (seed) 13’ 9″ (finals)
Shot Put:
Tony Nelson Tony Nelson 6'6" | 265 lbs | OL Tracy-Milroy-Balaton | 2022 State MN (Tracy-Milroy-Balaton) Placed 1st. 54’ 11″ (seed) 59’ 02″ (finals)
Francis O’Malley (Montevideo) 2024. Placed 6th with a 49’03″ throw in the finals
Ryan Retzer Ryan Retzer 6'3" | 265 lbs | OL Belle Plaine | 2023 State MN (Belle Plaine) 2023. Placed 9th with 48’ 02″ throw in the finals
Hank Artz (Fairmont) 2025. Placed 11th with a 48’10″ throw (seed) and 47’08″ throw (finals)
Discus:
Ethan Fischer Ethan Fischer 6'9" | 265 lbs | OL Maple River | 2022 State MN (Maple River) Placed 5th. 179’ 08″ (seed) and 161’ (finals)
Tony Nelson Tony Nelson 6'6" | 265 lbs | OL Tracy-Milroy-Balaton | 2022 State MN (Tracy-Milroy-Balaton) Placed 8th. Threw 146’05″ (seed) and 141’11″ (finals)
Francis O’Malley (Montevideo) 2024. Placed 10th.
Class AA
100 M Dash:
Christian Belt (Burnsville) Placed 6th. Ran a 10.92 in the finals
Cole Brisbois Cole Brisbois ATH Forest Lake | 2022 State MN (Forest Lake) Placed 8th. Ran a 10.97 in the finals
Eli Gillman Eli Gillman 6'0" | 195 lbs | ATH Dassel-Cokato | 2022 State MN (Dassel-Cokato) Placed 14th. Ran a 11.10 in the finals
200 M Dash:
Sawyer Seidl Sawyer Seidl 5'10" | 165 lbs | RB Hill-Murray | 2023 State MN (Hill-Murray) 2023. DQed in the finals but clocked a 21.88 in the prelims
Grady O’Neil (St. Thomas Academy) Placed 3rd. Ran a 22.52 (seed) and 22.25 (finals)
Noah Smith (Rochester Mayo) Placed 6th. Ran a 22.34 (seed) and 22.39 (finals)
Michael Haugo Michael Haugo 6'4" | 185 lbs | WR Moorhead | 2023 State MN (Moorhead) 2023. Placed 13th. Ran a 21.82 (seed) and 22.64 (finals)
400 M Dash:
Miles Towsend (Rosemount) Placed 4th. Ran a 49.78 in the finals
Mitchell Piehl Mitchell Piehl 6'0" | 170 lbs | RB Hutchinson | 2022 State MN (Hutchinson) Placed 6th. Ran a 49.27 (seed) and 50.06 (finals)
110 M Hurdles
Jacob Kelly Jacob Kelly 6'3" | 210 lbs | WR Bemidji | 2022 State MN (Bemidji) Placed 4th. Ran a 14.96 (seed) and 14.95 (finals)
High Jump
Devin Jordan Devin Jordan 6'2" | 190 lbs | DB Eden Prairie | 2023 State MN (Eden Prairie) 2023. Placed 9th.
Pole Vault
Cayden Holcomb Cayden Holcomb 5'10" | 180 lbs | ATH Rochester Mayo | 2022 State MN (Rochester Mayo) Placed 8th.
Shot Put
Marcus Hansen Marcus Hansen 6'5" | DL Waseca | 2021 State MN (Waseca) State Champ. 2021. Threw 62’07″ (seed) and 63’02″ (finals) and won by 9 feet. Named Minnesota Gatorade Track & Field Male Athlete of the Year
Jackson Weston (Grand Rapids) Placed 2nd. Threw 54’10″ in the finals
Hayden Bills (Rosemount) 2023. Placed 4th. Threw 53’.5 in the finals
Weston Ebner Weston Ebner 6'3" | 275 lbs | OL Rosemount | 2022 State MN (Rosemount) Placed 5th. Threw 52’.02 in the finals
Dylan Gross (Brainerd) 2024. Placed 6th
Discus
Marcus Hansen Marcus Hansen 6'5" | DL Waseca | 2021 State MN (Waseca) State Champ. 2021. Threw 178’08″ in the finals to win by 13 feet
Hayden Bills (Rosemount) 2023. Placed 2nd. Threw 169″08″ (seed) and 165’01″ (finals)
Jackson Weston (Grand Rapids) Placed 6th. Threw 143’01″ in the finals
Elinneus Davis Elinneus Davis 6'2" | 300 lbs | DL Moorhead | 2023 State MN (Moorhead) 2023. Placed 7th. Threw 142’ in the finals