Every point matters.

That became a reality Friday night towards the end of the annual Owensville High School Relays track meet.

Competing against nine other schools at Dutchmen Field, Matt Candrl’s Dutchmen and Dutchgirl track teams looked to keep as many medals and one of the top-three team plaques in town.

After the end of the 4x400-meter relay races, the Dutchmen came from behind to edge Hermann at the top of the team standings while the Dutchgirls were caught by Montgomery County.

Paced by Jacob Luther’s winning clearing height of 13 feet, six inches in the pole vault, Owensville scored team points in all 19 events with top-eight finishes.

Along with Luther’s win in the pole vault, the Dutchmen got second-place finishes from Austin Terry (800-meter run), Alan Kopp (110m, 300m hurdles in times of 17.76 and 43.71), and the 4x400m relay team of Treyden Williams, TJ Whelan, Cason Gray and Terry in a time of 3:45.87 helping them pass Hermann at the top of the team standings after the Bearcats took the lead following a 1-2 finish in the 3200m run.

Scoring points in the hurdle races along with Kopp, sophomore Zach Adams placed third in the 110m (17.76) and fourth in the 300m (47.32).

A pair of relay teams also posted third-place times for the Dutchmen.

Sprinting their way to a third-place time of 47.60 in the 4x100m relay was the OHS team of Jonah Adkison, Sean Adkison, Trenten Watkins and Ben Walter.

At the beginning of the meet, OHS’ Dutchmen 4x800m relay team of Bam Wizeman, Jacob Breedlove, Williams and Terry posted a third-place time of 9:03.51.

Senior Jarett Payne paced the Dutchmen throwers with a third-place heave of 38-04.5 in the shot put to go along with Reece Wehmeyer scoring in the discus with a seventh-place throw of 98-08.

Luther added to his win in the pole vault with a fourth-place throw of 128-10 in the javelin. Fellow senior Lucas Edwards also took sixth in the event posting a mark of 125-11.

Placing second in two earlier events, Terry cleared 5-08 in the high jump to place third.

Boyde Nicks cleared 11-06 to place third in the pole vault while junior Riley Wehmeyer leaped to a pair of third-place finishes in the long and triple jump events.

Beat out by Montgomery County by a half-point, Dutchgirl track and field scored points in all but one event.

Paced by Katie Candrl, the OHS sophomore racked up 38 points by herself winning the 110m hurdles, 300m hurdles and the pole vault along with placing second in the 200m dash.

Also winning an event on the track for the Dutchgirls was junior Sophia Ashner with a first-place time of 12:30.57 in the 3200m run.

Mackenzie Rademacher and Bailey Rasmussen racked up 32 points for Owensville with Rademacher taking the shot put posting a first-place throw of 35-10 followed closely by Rasmussen’s second-place mark of 34-11.

Edged by Hermann’s Kaylyn Powers in the discus, Rademacher (108-11) and Rasmussen (108-04) placed second and third respectively in the event.

Leading the Dutchgirl relay teams was the 4x800-meter team of Kendra Hults, Abby Koepke, Paige Heckelmann and Ashner with a second-place time of 10:54.16.

Ending the meet with a third-place time of 4:39.17 in the 4x400m relay was the OHS team of Kyah Weirich, Alexis Branson, Alexus Wenkel and Koepke.

Also scoring in their final OHS home track meet were seniors Mackenzie Armstrong (7th, 100m dash), Paige Tayloe (8th, 400m dash), Veronica Courtouise (4th, javelin) and Liana Miller (T-7th, high jump).

Sophomore Kate Angell scored team points in two events placing second in the high jump (4-08) and sixth in the long jump with a distance of 14-03.5.

Fellow Dutchgirl sophomore Grace McFalls added team points clearing 7-06 in the pole vault placing fifth in the event.