Perham boys win Class AA 4x800 relay title with faith over fear message
Perham’s 4x800 relay repeated as Class AA champion in 7:52.62, then stood on the podium in Faith Over Fear shirts at St. Michael-Albertville High School.
Perham’s boys 4x800 relay turned the final day of the state meet into one of the Yellowjackets’ biggest moments of the season, winning the Class AA title in 7:52.62 and setting a new school record at St. Michael-Albertville High School. Dylan Guck, Henry Mathiason, Ben Mathiason and Matt Jorgenson finished the race, then stood on the podium in matching Faith Over Fear shirts, giving the victory a meaning that reached well beyond the medal stand.
The win gave Perham a repeat championship in the event and arrived as the Minnesota State High School League meet was winding down in St. Michael, Minn. It also anchored a strong finish for the Yellowjackets, with Jorgenson adding a sixth-place finish in the 800 meters in 1:57.80. For a program that has built its reputation on distance depth, the relay title showed how much can hinge on four runners staying composed and delivering at the same moment.
That kind of finish matched the identity Perham’s runners have been building for more than one season. The boys cross-country program had already framed faith as a central part of its success during the 2024 season, and team support was part of that message. One runner put it this way: “I knew all my teammates were out there fighting as hard for me as they were for each other.”
That same mindset was visible in the 4x800. Relay titles depend on more than raw speed, and Perham’s four seniors carried their school record into a race that demanded trust on every handoff and control over every lap. The Faith Over Fear shirts on the podium made the message plain: this was a group finishing its work with a shared standard and a shared identity.
For Perham High School, the race will stand as more than another championship result. A repeat Class AA title, a school record and a senior quartet that made its beliefs part of the celebration gave the Yellowjackets a defining image from the state meet, one that younger runners in Otter Tail County will remember as part of the program’s history.
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