Willmar and Montevideo delivered an entertaining early-season dual on Thursday night, with the Cardinals ultimately earning a 98–80 varsity victory behind strong sprinting, depth, and steady relay production.
Willmar opened the meet with a narrow win in the 200 Medley Relay, where the quartet of Anthony Buzzeo, Samuel Sheets, Abram Schueler, and Soren Newberg posted a 1:50.42. Montevideo stayed close with a 1:51.92 showing from its A-relay of Brandyn Landmark, Hayden Blom, Haaken Weckwerth, and Cody Westby. In the 200 Freestyle, Willmar junior Abram Schueler pulled away late to win in 2:01.22, while Montevideo’s Patrick Baukol touched second. Willmar added key depth points from Isaac Thielen and freshman Abbot Schueler.
The Cardinals added another win in the 200 IM with junior Anthony Buzzeo going 2:27.76 ahead of Montevideo’s Haaken Weckwerth. That set the stage for a major scoring swing in the 50 Freestyle, where Willmar swept the top three spots—Samuel Sheets (23.35), Beckham Sebesta (23.84), and Matthew Lammers (25.17)—before Montevideo’s Cody Westby touched in fourth.
Through the 50 Free, Willmar led 43–19.
Montevideo struck back on the boards, where senior Ethan Jakobs won the 1-meter diving event with 163.05, followed by teammate Brandyn Landmark. But Willmar regained momentum in the 100 Butterfly as Abram Schueler collected his second individual win of the meet in 1:01.62. Haaken Weckwerth again placed second, but Willmar added valuable depth points with seventh-grader Manny Heinen in fourth.
Montevideo showed strong front-end speed in the 100 Freestyle, where junior Hayden Blom surged to a 52.52 win. Willmar answered with second and third from Beckham Sebesta and Soren Newberg to hold the scoring margin steady heading into distance.
The 500 Freestyle produced one of the most crucial scoring sequences of the night. Montevideo’s Patrick Baukol won in 6:11.60, but Willmar stacked up places 2–3–4 with Isaac Thielen, Abbot Schueler, and seventh-grader Dominic Devine. That depth kept the Cardinals firmly in control of the team race.
After the 500 Free, the score stood at Willmar 67–53.
Willmar’s momentum continued in the 200 Free Relay, where Samuel Sheets, Soren Newberg, Beckham Sebesta, and Abram Schueler combined for a winning 1:36.41, pulling away from Montevideo’s A-relay of Hayden Blom, Cody Westby, Brayden Johnson, and Patrick Baukol. In the 100 Backstroke, the Cardinals added another 1–2 finish with Anthony Buzzeo (1:05.45) and Misha Arends (1:07.98). Montevideo’s Drew Dunn touched third to limit further damage.
The 100 Breaststroke featured a strong finish from Samuel Sheets, who collected another individual win in 1:06.82, while Montevideo’s Hayden Blom placed second. Matthew Lammers added a third for Willmar, widening the margin heading into the final relay.
Montevideo closed the meet on a high note, winning the 400 Free Relay in 4:11.25 behind solid legs from Haaken Weckwerth, Brayden Johnson, Keene Evenson, and Patrick Baukol. Willmar swam the final event exhibition with their A relay finishing at 3:57.51.
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