Houston Marino of Orchard-Clearwater competed in the prelims of the 100m dash Friday morning at the state track and field meet in Omaha. Marino finished in 11.76 and was seventh in his heat.
Brooklynn Chipps of Orchard-Clearwater finished in the top 10 in discus Friday morning at the state track and field meet in Omaha. Chipps threw 103-1 to finish 10th in Class D.
Brayden Effle of Elkhorn Valley competed in the prelims of the 110 hurdles Friday morning at the state track and field meet in Omaha. Effle finished in 16.87 and was fifth in his heat.
Elkhorn Valley's Hannah Ollendick competed Friday morning in the prelims of the Class D 100 hurdles. Ollendick ran in 17.55 and was fifth in her heat.
Alison Stineman of Elkhorn Valley competed in the pole vault Friday morning at the state track and field meet in Omaha. Stineman cleared 8-0 in Class D.
Clearwater-Orchard's Jake Long struck gold first thing Friday morning by winning the Class D state championship in high jump by clearing 6-04!
Teammate Liam Odell came in 9th in the high jump by clearing 5-10. Liam Odell of Orchard-Clearwater competed in the high jump Friday morning at the state track and field meet in Omaha. Odell jumped 5-10 to finish 9th in Class D.
Amber Miller of Elkhorn Valley finished in the top 10 in the pole vault Friday morning at the state track and field meet in Omaha. Miller cleared 9-06 to finish 7th in Class D.
Four Antelope County athletes have been selected to play in the 2018 NVC All-Star basketball games.
Local players are Kalen Dittrich of Elkhorn Valley and Lydia Behnk, Paige Meis and Ashton Evans, all of Elgin Public/Pope John. The Niobrara Valley Conference (NVC) and Mid Nebraska Athletic Conference (MNAC) All-Star Basketball game will be held on Friday, May 25 at the St. Mary’s High School Gym in O’Neill. The girls game will tip off at 5 p.m. and the boys game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. There will also be a 3-point shoot out between games. A $5 admission will be charged for the All-Star game. The NVC girls coaches will be Mike Pardun of West Holt and Alex McCleary of North Central. The NVC boys will be coached by Todd Hale of West Holt and Jim Carlson of Boyd County. Members of the NVC girls team will be Bailey Kraus (West Holt), Rhiannan Smalley (Boyd County), Bailey Schindler (Ewing), Lydia Behnk (Elgin Public), Paige Meis (Elgin Pope John), Jenae Osborne (West Holt), Lexy Heyden (Rock County) Skylar Cosgrove (Rock County), Kylin Munger (Keya Paha), Jadyn Bussinger (Rock County), Caitlin Orton (Rock County), Stevie Rae Peters (Santee). The NVC boys team will feature Ricky Bickerstaff (Niobrara-Verdigre), Logan Pelster (Wheeler Central), Christian Swalley (Niobrara), Daniel Libolt (Chambers), Justin Drueke (Boyd County), Bryce Kerkman (West Holt), Shayden Neptune (West Holt), Mason Hale (West Holt), Payton Williams (West Holt), Kalen Dittrich (Elkhorn Valley) and Clay Hansen (Boyd County). It came as a surprise to him. He just tries to be a well-rounded athlete who works hard during each season as it comes. But, Hunter Bennett has accomplished something that likely has never been done at Elkhorn Valley: he qualified for state in three sports during his freshman year. “I just try to practice hard and focus on one sport at a time,” he said. “I don’t think ahead. I just focus on today, one race at a time, one match at a time.” Bennett, 15, qualified for state in cross country, wrestling and track in his first year of high school sports. “We don’t know of any boy who has ever done that at Elkhorn Valley,” EV track coach Jeff Meyer said. “I think it’s safe to say this is the first time.” When asked what his personal records were for each sport, Bennett wasn’t sure. Coach Meyer said that is precisely what makes the young athlete such a pleasure to coach. “Your inability to pull out your personal bests makes a coach smile ear to ear,” Meyer said to Bennett. “You think, ‘Who cares?’ You just go out and do your best. And rock it.” After talking to each of Bennett's coaches, some impressive stats were discovered. In cross country, the freshman runner posted his fastest time of the season at the Niobrara Valley Conference meet. Bennett crossed the finish line in second place with a time of 16:42 to earn All-Conference honors. He earned third place in the D2 District cross country meet (17:30.57) to punch his ticket to state. At state, Bennett ran an 18:30.1 to place 42nd out of 148 runners. He was the 5th freshman to cross the finish line in the Class D race. On the mat, Bennett wrestled at 106 pounds and accumulated a 36-16 record, including 67 takedowns, 16 escapes, 9 reversals, 23 near falls, 1 tech fall and 12 pins. He earned 181.5 points for the Falcon team during his freshman season. The EV team won the D2 District wrestling title, and Bennett qualified for state as the district runner up to the eventual state champion at 106 pounds. In his first state appearance, he went 1-2 in his matches. The Falcons earned state runner up in the overall team standings. Bennett also earned first place in the USA State Wrestling meet at 104 pounds. He was named to the second team for NVC All-Conference. To complete the state trifecta, he was a double-qualifier in track and field, competing in Class D pole vault and the 3200 meter run. At districts, Bennett earned 2nd in pole vault when he cleared 10-6, his best vault of the season, and placed 4th in the 3200. His district time of 11:07.24 was fast enough to seal a wildcard spot at state. At the track state meet, Bennett matched his personal best, vaulting 10-6 to finish in 21st overall. He was one of five freshman to qualify for boys pole vault in Class D. Bennett broke into the top 15 in the 3200 at state, placing 12th with a time of 11:01, and was the first freshman to cross the finish line. Only four freshman qualified for the state race in Class D. Coach Meyer said Bennett “grew up across the street” from him. The son of Lucas and Meredith Bennett and the oldest of five children, he said Bennett was always an active child. “You can pick out those elementary kids when they’re younger, based on how active they are, which ones are going to be nice athletes,” the coach said. “I kinda had a feeling about Hunter, not a ‘He’s going to qualify for state in three sports feeling,’ but a feeling. It’s been an exciting year for him.” Meyer said Bennett is “very coachable” and “trains hard.” “He’s focused,” he said. “He doesn’t buy into what other kids are doing. He knows what he needs to do to be successful. He’s not on the X-box five hours a day. He’s very competitive.” The coach said he also appreciates that Bennett “doesn’t specialize in one sport” and “devotes his season to that sport.” His other coaches agreed. Wrestling coach Joey Tegeler said his dedication is impressive. “He’s a good kid and a hard worker,” Tegeler said. “He’s a rare gem. You don’t get that from a lot of kids these days. He puts in extra work during the summer and goes to open gyms. He’s one of them that’s always there.” Cross country coach Rebecca Munson said Bennett’s drive and work ethic are two of the biggest reasons for his success. “He pushes himself to the limit everyday in practice and he works hard in the summer,” Munson said. “He trains on his own. He races on his own. He came into the season in peak condition, ready to compete.” Bennett said he attended camps for cross country, wrestling and pole vault last summer, and runs and lifts weights to stay in shape. “I don’t drink pop a lot, try to stay in shape and eat right,” he said. Bennett said sometimes when they do sprint training in practice he goes out and “jogs a little more at home.” He typically logs a total of 2-3 miles a day during track season and 5-7 miles a day during cross country. Bennett credits his coaches for much of his success. “My coaches set goals for me,” he said. A goal-oriented athlete, Bennett has surpassed all of their expectations for his freshman season, and believe there are more great things to come. “He’s accomplished what a lot of kids would like to do, just get to state,” Coach Meyer said. “Now that he’s qualified, he’s going to go down to state and do some damage.”
A Falcon golfer is soaring to state after medaling in the D2 district meet at Twin Creeks Golf Club in Pender on Monday.
Sophomore Bryson Anderson of Elkhorn Valley carded an 88 to break into the top 10 for an 8th place finish and a trip to next week's state golf meet. The top 10 individuals and top 3 teams qualify for the state meet at Lake Maloney Golf Course in North Platte on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 22-23. He is scheduled to tee off at 10 a.m. on hole #1 on Tuesday. Anderson led the Falcons, who finished 9th in the team standings with a score of 447. Osmond won with a 359, followed by Howells-Dodge 388 and Clarkson/Leigh 388. Team Scores: 1. Osmond 359; 2. Howells-Dodge 388; 3. Clarkson/Leigh 388; 4. Fullerton 393; 5. Randolph 400; 6. Plainview 410; 7. Guardian Angels Central Catholic 431; 8. Hartington-Newcastle 438; 9. Elkhorn Valley 447; 10. Osceola 543; 11. Pender 566; 12. Humphrey St. Francis-NTS; 13. Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family-NTS; 14. Homer-NTS; 15. Santee-NTS. Individual Qualifiers: 1. Alexander Kumm (12), Osmond, 75; 2. Carter Schnoor (10), Randolph, 81; 3. Chase Ostransky (11), Fullerton, 83; 4. Garrett Schroeder (12), Clarkson/Leigh, 84; 5. Zach Lund (12), Howells-Dodge, 84; 6. Andrew Franzluebbers (11), Guardian Angels Central Catholic, 86; 7. Gabriel Pfeifer (11), Humphrey St. Francis, 88; 8. Bryson Anderson (10), Elkhorn Valley, 88; 9. Jack Lubischer (9), Humphrey St. Francis, 90; 10. Tristan Maertins (12), Osmond, 90 Neligh-Oakdale's golf season came to an end at the D3 District Golf Meet at Summerland Golf Course on Monday.
"It was a really great group to coach," Coach Ron Beacom said. "For the most part, we improved all year, we just didn't shoot our best scores today." Freshman Garret Belitz led the way for the Warriors, shooting a 96, followed by Austin Rice and Neven Kline each with a 105, Caleb Payne 121 and Brock Kester 123. Neligh-Oakdale finished seventh in the overall team standings with a score of 427. West Holt won the meet, OC was runner up and Boyd County was third. "With no seniors on this year's team, I'm really excited to see how much more we grow between now and next spring," Beacom said. "If the kids log a fair number of golf rounds this summer, we should be a very competitive team next spring with some very good individual players as well." Two Wolfpack golfers are heading to state after earning medals in the Class D3 District golf meet at Summerland Golf Course on Monday.
Hunter Reestman shot an 83 for fourth place and Liam Heithoff carded an 85 for seventh to become individual medalists. The top 10 individuals and top 3 teams qualify for the state meet at Lake Maloney Golf Course in North Platte on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 22-23. As a team, EPPJ finished in fourth place with a score of 378. West Holt won the district with a 331, followed by OC 366 and Boyd County 374. EPPJ results: Hunter Reestman 83, Liam Heithoff 85, Ashton Evans 91, Cameron Nielsen 119 and Skylar Reestman 119. The Cyclones will storm into the state golf meet next week after finishing runner-up at the D3 district meet at Summerland Golf Course on a soggy Monday.
The Cyclones finished second to West Holt and ahead of third-place Boyd County. The top three teams qualify for the state meet at Lake Maloney Golf Course in North Platte on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 22-23. Individually, a pair of Cyclones medaled to automatically qualify, as well. Ryan Wilhelm finished sixth and Gage Clifton was ninth. OC results: Ryan Wilhelm 84, Gage Clifton 86, Blake Hoke 89, Clay Thiele 107, Rafe Grebin 108 Neligh-Oakdale will send four state track qualifiers from one of the toughest districts in all of Class C.
Freshman Julien Hearn cleared 6-0 for a second place finish in the high jump at the Class C-5 District to become the first state qualifier for the Warriors in Atkinson on Wednesday. The fierce competition pushed the Warriors to some of their best performances, and three were able to grab wildcard spots based on their times. Senior Bailey Frey earned third place in the 300 hurdles, but qualified for state with the fastest wildcard time of 48.43. Junior Cade Wilkinson was fourth in the 200 meter dash, sprinting into one of the wildcard spots when he crossed the finish line in 23.25. Sophomore Emma Bixler ran a 12:38.63 for third place in the 3200 meter run and qualified for a wildcard spot with her time. The Clearwater-Orchard varsity golf team earned yet another first place at the Niobrara-Verdigre Triangular on Thursday.
Gage Clifton and Ryan Wilhelm led the way for the Cyclone varsity golf team, both scoring a 42. Clifton and Wilhelm tied with Camden Eisenhauer of Niobrara-Verdigre for first place overall at the meet, who also shot a 42 over the meet. The varsity golf team was also made up of Clay Thiele (46), Rafe Grebin (48) and Blake Hoke (50). The OC JV 1 and JV 2 teams also competed at the Niobrara-Verdigre Triangular. The top JV golfer for the Cyclones was Codey Snider with a 47. Other JV golfers were Kirby Willats (51), Hunter Klabenes (58), Caleb Krebs (61), Grace Rittscher (64), Erin Schwater (65), Cade Mlnarik (67), James Kester (70) and Brooke Kneivel (71). Team scores: OC varsity 178, OC JV 1 220, Creighton JV 229, OC JV 2 267, Niobara-Verdigre NTS. A Neligh-Oakdale hurdler earned herself a spot at the state track meet as a wildcard after placing third at the district track meet on Thursday.
Bailey Frey placed third in the 300 meter low hurdles with a time of 48.43 seconds, qualifying for state as a wildcard. Wildcards for the state track meet are selected as the next six top times in the state after the first and second place qualifiers in each district. The Nebraska State Track Meet will be held Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19 at Omaha Burke Stadium. Girls 300 meter low hurdles is set for 6:55 p.m. on Friday. A Neligh-Oakdale long distance runner earned herself a spot in the state track meet as a wildcard after her third place finish on Thursday.
Emma Bixler placed third in the 3200 meter run with a time of 12:38.63, earning herself a wildcard ticket to the state meet. Wildcards are chosen as the six best times in the state after the first and second place qualifiers in each district. The Nebraska State Track Meet will be held Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19 at Omaha Burke Stadium. Girls 3200 meter run is set for 5:55 p.m. on Friday. An Elgin Public-Pope John relay team earned themselves a ticket to the state track meet after an impressive second-place finish at the district track meet was fast enough to earn them a wildcard spot.
The Wolfpack 1600 meter relay team of Kaylee Martinsen, Haley Zegers, Lydia Behnk and Paige Meis took second at the district track meet in Basset, finishing with a time of 4:22.67. Wildcards for the state track meet are chosen as the six best times in the state after the first place qualifiers from each district in the 1600 meter relay. The Nebraska State Track Meet will be held Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19 at Omaha Burke Stadium. Girls 1600 meter relay is set for 3:55 p.m. on Saturday. A Neligh-Oakdale runner earned themselves a spot in the state track meet after placing third and receiving a wildcard on Thursday.
Cade Wilkinson took third place in the 200 meter dash with a time of 23.25 seconds. The wildcard for the state tournament is selected as the 6 best times in the state after the first and second place qualifiers from each district. Wilkinson captured the final wildcard, edging out the next runner by .09 seconds. The Nebraska State Track Meet will be held Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19 at Omaha Burke Stadium. Boys 200 meter dash is set for 7:35 p.m. on Friday. A Neligh-Oakdale high jumper qualified himself for state at the district track meet in Atkinson on Thursday.
Julien Hearn qualified in the high jump after placing second at the district meet, clearing a height of 6 feet. The Nebraska State Track Meet will be held Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19 at Omaha Burke Stadium. Boys high jump is set for 3:00 p.m. on Friday. The Clearwater/Orchard varsity golf team captured first place at the Summerland JV meet on Wednesday.
Leading the way for the Cyclones was junior Ryan Wilhelm, the meet's individual winner, who shot the lowest score of the day with a 39 to win the gold. Clearwater-Orchard's varsity team was rounded out by Gage Clifton 45, Clay Thiele 46, Rafe Grebin 46 and Blake Hoke 47. Also competing for the Cyclones were the OC JV 1 and OC JV 2 teams. Codey Snider was the top JV golfer with a 50, followed by Kirby Willats with a 59; Grace Rittscher 62; Caleb Krebs 64; Hunter Klabenes 65; James Kester 74; Cade Mlnarik 78; Erin Schwager 81 and Brooke Knievel 88. Other participating schools included Boyd County and Chambers-Wheeler Central-Ewing. Team scores: OC varsity 176, Boyd County 181, OC JV 1 236, CWCE 246 and OC JV 2 307. A Cyclone high jumper flew over the bar on her way to a state track qualification at the Class D-5 District Meet in Bassett on Wednesday.
JoCee Johnston finished third in the triple jump, but still qualified in the event with her automatic qualifying jump of 5-0. To automatically qualify in Class D, girls must high jump 4-11 or greater. The Nebraska State Track Meet will be held Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19 at Omaha Burke Stadium. Girls high jump is set for 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. A Cyclone runner sprinted his way to state at the Class D-5 District Track Meet in Bassett on Wednesday.
Houston Marino earned second place in both the 100 and 200 meter dashes to qualify for the state track meet. He sprinted his way to a 11.74 finish in the 100 and ran a 24.33 in the 200. The Nebraska State Track Meet will be held Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19 at Omaha Burke Stadium. The boys 100 meter dash is set for 10:35 a.m. on Friday and the 200 will be later that day at 1:35 p.m. An Elkhorn Valley senior earned a return trip to state in the hurdles on Wednesday.
Brayden Effle placed second in the 300 hurdles with a time of 42.88 to qualify for state at the Class D-5 District Track Meet in Bassett. The Nebraska State Track Meet will be held Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19 at Omaha Burke Stadium. The boys 300 meter intermediate hurdles are set for 1:15 p.m. Friday. |
News That Matters To Antelope County - Your News. Your Way. Every Day!
© Pitzer Digital, LLC