Preble’s Buergi aiming for an electric finish

Gavin Buergi is an electrifying athlete.

Whether it’s on the football field or the track, the Green Bay Preble senior has a knack for providing a jolt of energy to lift his team.

Buergi did so again Monday when he powered the Preble boys track and field team to a WIAA Division 1 regional championship at Bay Port by placing first in the 100- and 200-meter dashes in addition to serving as the anchor leg on the winning 400 relay team.

The 5-foot-9, 151-pounder will be aiming to advance to the WIAA state track and field meet for a fourth time today at Schneider Stadium in De Pere.

Buergi is attempting to qualify for state for a third straight year in the 100 and for a third time as a member of the 400 relay, which he served as the lead leg his freshman year.

The speedster has come a long way since then.

Buergi’s wheels on the gridiron helped him earn first-team all-Fox River Classic Conference honors as a returner twice.

The personal-best times he achieved in winning FRCC titles in the 100 (10.89 seconds), 200 (22.42) and 400 (50.20) at the FRCC track and field meet May 15 at Pulaski rank among some of the best in the history of the Preble track and field program.

While he has accomplished a lot with his legs, Buergi feels he does his best work with hands. It’s the reason he’ll be doing an apprenticeship to pursue a career as an electrician.

“That’s what I always wanted to do since I was a little kid,” Buergi said. “Sports are really fun, but there is no point to changing what you want to be for a living to go do (college) sports.

“I like taking things apart. I like doing things with my hands. Senior year, I’ve been in so many workshops. There is always work to be done around the house.”

Buergi recently made a coffee table for Mother’s Day after his mom’s broke.

However, when it came to high school athletics, Buergi’s track and field team wasn’t in need of fixing.

Buergi’s job was to upkeep the strong tradition the Hornets have built over the years.

It has been a job well done for the Preble senior captain.

He has continually climbed up the Hornets’ Top 10 list for all-time performances. His winning times at the FRCC meet are among some of the program’s best for the 100 (third), 200 (sixth) and 400 (fourth).

After making it to the state finals and finishing ninth the past two years in the 100, Buergi is setting his sights on making it back there to make a run at the state podium for the first time.

“I just hope to make it to the second day,” said Buergi, a three-time FRCC champion in the 100. “If I make it to the second day, then I’ll be as happy as I can be.”

Opposing teams were never happy to see Buergi with the football in his hands.

He totaled 464 rushing yards, 337 receiving yards, 438 return yards and combined for 12 touchdowns as a senior to propel Preble to the playoffs for a seventh straight year.

Buergi will be trying to become a two-time sectional champion in the 100 and 400 relay today to advance to state.

His athletic accomplishments would be attractive to college programs, but Buergi is ready to close one chapter in his life to pursue others.

Regardless of the outcome, Buergi knows his last run is going to be a bittersweet one as he passes the baton to the next leaders for the Hornets.

“I don’t think I’ve personally cried after a meet or after a game, but at my last meet, my last run, I think I may,” Buergi said. “Being done really humbles you a lot, but I will always compete, especially with two brothers. I’m sure we’ll be well into our 30s and still wrestling, and our mom will still be yelling at us.”

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