Rosemount throwers Jordan Hecht and Hayden Bills chase records in state's top track and field meets

A gopher periodically scampers about The Hill, the area above Irish Stadium where Rosemount's throwers heave the shot put and discus as far as possible.

Senior Hayden Bills, who holds boys program records in both events, has chased the gopher without a successful capture.

"Yeah, it just pops out," said Bills, who measures 6-4 and 255 pounds. "There are a lot of holes over by the trees. I almost caught it a few times."

Fellow senior and dual girls program record holder Jordan Hecht doesn't bother with the rodent. She can appreciate, however, pursuing what might seem unlikely.

Both accomplished throwers possess the talent and tenacity to achieve even more this spring. Friday's Class 3A True Team state meet at Stillwater High School is the next opportunity, and Bills and Hecht are the favorites in shot put and discus. The intriguing part is whether either of them pops another big throw.

Because there's always a chance. Sort of like catching the elusive gopher.

At the True Team Section 3 meet on May 9, Bills went 65 feet, 3 ½ inches in shot put. Hecht recorded a distance of 45-5. Both marks set school records.

Then Bills went even farther (65-7 ¼) Tuesday at Alexandria. He sits just shy of state record holder Thomas Anderson of Andover (65-8 set in 2012).

Last season, Hecht topped the school best in discus, a mark from 1979. She has thrown farther three more times, pushing the record out to 149-6.

Bills also climbed the Irish discus throw ledger, overtaking all three Otterdahl brothers, Trevor, Payton and Maxwell, in the process; Payton was a 2020 Olympian, the others are college standouts. Currently perched third in state annals at 198-11, Bills is aiming for 201-7, the record throw launched by Karl Erickson of Rochester Century in 2001.

Rosemount throws coach Pat Ahern knows he is doubly blessed.

"Hayden is a generational talent," Ahern said. "And I've coached Division III national champion women who don't throw as far as Jordan."

Ahern challenged Hecht last week before the True Team Section 3 shot put.

"He goes, 'If you throw far today, I'll get you ice cream,' " Hecht said. "And I said, 'What's considered far?' He said, 'Hmm. I don't know. The school record, maybe?' "

First throw, Hecht set the record.

"She looked back at me and said, 'And I want sprinkles, too,' " Ahern said with a laugh.

Starting points

Bills began track and field in middle school and realized a lazy eye and overall poor vision couldn't curtail his ability. The sixth-grader in Coke bottle glasses thought, "I'm pretty good at this."

Hecht joined the party later than most. She came out as a sophomore for track and field, emphasis on field.

"I don't like running," said Hecht, a soccer goalie, "so I didn't want do anything on the track."

She flirted with pole vault before finding a more fitting home throwing heavy objects on The Hill.

"I was nothing special," Hecht said. "But I had better marks than you would expect from somebody who just started."

A weightlifter since seventh grade, the 5-6¹⁄₂ Hecht's strength has helped her overcome a relative lack of size. Competitiveness modeled by her mother and the need to keep up with older twin brothers didn't hurt, either.

"It was kind of crazy to watch because when you have really good female throwers they're usually a lot taller," Bills said. "But she is so explosive when she throws."

Future plans

Hecht and the Irish won the Class 3A girls soccer state championship last fall. She has committed to West Point and will compete for both the soccer and track and field teams. Bills, a Star Tribune first-team selection as a defensive lineman for Prep Bowl runner-up Rosemount, will focus on track and field at Arizona State.

Not that either standout is counting the days. Friday's True Team meet is a chance for the Rosemount boys to repeat as champions and the girls to win their second title in three seasons. Then the focus shifts to the Minnesota State High School League meet in June. Hecht, the two-time defending discus champion, will try to add a shot put title. Bills is poised to win another discus title and avenge a poor showing in shot put.

Whether they smash additional records, both have made indelible marks on their high school programs.

The discus throw sector was expanded this spring with strips of sod to extend the landing area to 205 feet. Bills has one-hopped a few discs past that mark and into the dirt hill past the new grass. On the day he threw 198-11 at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays in Sioux Falls, S.D., Bills barely scratched on a distance of 210 feet.

Such big throws bring out the fan in Hecht.

"It just floats," Hecht said. "When he hits those huge marks in discus, I'm like, 'Let's go. You've got to hit that in a meet.' "

Bills knows the expectations he faces.

"All the pressure that I feel is coming from myself," Bills said. "The goal is just to throw as far as I possibly can. Hopefully, you'll see some big ones."