NEW RICHLAND – It may not be a changing of the guard, at least not yet, but the members of the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva boys’ track and field team achieved a milestone of sorts Tuesday.

They finally beat the girls.

The Panthers took third in their own seven-team invitational, finishing ahead of the NRHEG girls in a meet for the first time in many years.

Albert Lea won it with 164 points, followed by St. Clair with 125, NRHEG 106, Medford 54, Maple River 50, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 47 and Minnesota Academy for the Deaf 12.

The Panthers had four firsts, starting with the opening event, the 4×800-meter relay, where Brian Bos, Tim Rysavy, John Coffield and Matt Reiter combined for victory in 9:01.08.

Sonny Berg was first in three events: long jump, 18-8 1/4; 300 intermediate hurdles, 43.16 seconds; 200 dash, 24.43. He was second in the 100 in 11.84.

Coffield took second in the 1600 in 5:08.38, Bos was second in the 800 in 2:09.6. Geoff Stieglbauer, Tim Rysavy, Dustin Schriever and Blake Kierkoff took second in the 4×200 relay in 1:39.6. Stieglbauer was third in the triple jump, Rysavy third in the 800. Stieglbauer, Schriever, Kierkoff and Adam Moen took third in the 4×100.

Other Panther places: Schriever, fourth, 200 and fifth, high jump; Reiter, fourth, 3200; 4×400 relay, fifth (Tom Bartness, Jon Theuer, Tim Bartness, Coffield); Stieglbauer, sixth, 100; Rysavy, sixth, triple jump; Bos, sixth, long jump; Krey Cory, sixth, pole vault.

Sonny Berg had a great meet,” said Panthers co-coach Mike Weber. “Stieglbauer, Rysavy, Schriever and Bos also scored big, and the 4×800 ran well.”