The Frederick boys’ 1,600-meter relay team is looking to return to the top of the podium after a strong finish to the end of the track and field season last year.

The squad surprised many by capturing the state title at last season’s state meet in Sioux Falls, including the runners themselves, according to senior Johnathan Bretsch.

“It was a pretty good feeling. Honestly, we weren’t really expecting that,” Bretsch said.

Frederick assistant coach Janelle Barondeau said it was rewarding to see the efforts of the kids pay off.

“It was the goal for them going in, but to actually accomplish it, I guess it was just really rewarding,” Barondeau said. “They worked really hard and it was great to see it pay off for them.”

Bretsch is one of three returning members of the state champion relay team, along with fellow senior Stephen Achen and junior Brayden Sumption.

One of the hardest parts about trying to repeat has been attempting to find a fourth member for the relay team. Mason Hinz was the lone senior on the relay last year, and the Titans have been working on figuring out how to fill the void.

“(It’s been) a little tough, because he was one of those guys that kept everybody laughing, and he was kind of like a goofball,” Frederick assistant coach Wayne Haas said. “Mason Hinz played a big part in it last year. We’ve got two good sophomores that are filling in for us in relays. Get them together at some track meets hopefully the next couple weeks and we’ll see their times dropping.”

Achen also said that it is key to have a few new runners step in and help make the relay team competitive.

“We have a few kids that can step up, it’s just a matter of trying to cut their times down, but I feel like we’ll come back to state strong,” Achen said.

Coming back strong will be key for the Titans, as they hope to equal or improve on their championship winning time of 3:29.09. Bretsch noted that the relay team has already been cutting down its time this season.

“This last meet we’ve cut eight seconds off from our personal best this year,” Bretsch said after a meet earlier last week. “So, we’re improving quite a bit, which is what happened last year. We didn’t start shaving a lot of seconds off until the end of the season, but I think it will be close.”

The Frederick coaching staff has also made sure that the team does not lose sight of its expectations for the relay by preparing them for the end of the season.

“They definitely have higher expectations than normal coaches,” Sumption said. “They feel like we should be doing really good, and so that’s nice to have.”

The Titans have been working hard doing workouts and extra running to make sure they have the best chance at repeating this season.

“Running more half miles and trying to get some more sprints in is kind of what we do,” Achen said. “Working on our handoffs as well.”

Although the results are yet to be determined at the upcoming state meet, the goals for the relay team remain the same.

“Just do what we did last year,” Sumption said. “Make it fun and get first place.”