If you want some reason for excitement for the future of Neligh-Oakdale football, look no farther than Julien Hearn.
The freshman dominated for the junior varsity in a showdown with Madison on Monday. He racked up more than 300 total yards as he helped lead the JV Warriors to a 58-32 win over the Dragons. Hearn's yards came from all over the field as he accounted for all but two of Neligh-Oakdale's scores. He started the game with a big 68 yard kick return score. He followed that up with a 29 yard scoring grab from Brock Kester. He then ran it in from 18 yards out. And that was all just the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Warriors switched it up a bit, getting a six yard scoring run from Colton Klabenes. The ball was soon back in the hands of Hearn however, as he scored on a 57 yard connection from Kester to put the Warriors up 36-26 at half. In the third quarter, Hearn and Kester connected yet again, this time for a 42 yard score. The Warriors scored once more in the frame with a connection from Kester to Beau Murray from eight yards out. The final score of the day came in the fourth quarter when Hearn dashed in from 40 yards out to seal the win. When the dust settled, Hearn finished with 118 yards rushing on five attempts, 158 yards receiving on four grabs and six total touchdowns. He wasn't the only one producing, however, as Kester added 194 yards on 8-of-14 passing for four scores along with 38 yards on the ground. Klabenes finished with 45 yards on eight carries, Gage Dawson added 30 yards on five carries and Garret Belitz had six yards on two carries. Murray pulled in two grabs for 24 yards and Dawson Kaup had two grabs for 12 yards. The Warriors and Falcons faced strong winds and some of the state's fiercest competitors at the cross country meet in O'Neill on Friday afternoon.
Although the blustery conditions did slow them down a bit, it certainly didn't stop the Antelope County runners from turning in some top performances. Emma Bixler of Neligh-Oakdale was the top medalist in 5th place. She finished the race in 22:19, followed by teammates Madi Grosserode in 29th - 27:22; Rachel Higgins 32nd - 27:45; and Hailey Bixler 35th - 29:51. In the boys race, Brayden Effle of Elkhorn Valley earned the 8th place medal in 18:37, followed by Hunter Bennett of EV in 10th with an 18:45. Cole Belitz was the final medalist for Antelope County with a 13th place finish in 19:00. Other runners were Christian Carothers (N-O) 28th 20:57; Griffin Claussen (N-O) 33rd - 21:13; Isaiah Greenhalgh (EV) 34th - 20:59; Damien Smith (EV) 40th - 21:39; Cameron Wilkinson (N-O) 44th - 21:53; and Logan McConnell (N-O) 54th 23:43. JV runners for the Warriors were Eric Claussen 34th - 28:25 and Dominque Wright 36th - 30:43. N-O Coach Rick Eickholt said he was pleased with his team's performance at this tough meet. "Cole tied the course record of Tyler Pedersen," N-O Coach Rick Eickholt said. "It's the first time since Tyler medaled as a senior that we've had a boy medal at this meet. And I couldn't tell you the last time we had varsity medalists in both the boys and girls races (at O'Neill)." The coach said he's glad to get back to a week of normalcy after a busy week of homecoming events, followed by two meets in one week. "It's good to have this week behind us," he said. "We had a lot of things going on the last couple of weeks as well as three meets in eight days." Neligh-Oakdale and Elkhorn Valley will travel to Albion on Friday for the Boone Central Invite. The NSAA released the 2017-18 district wrestling assignments on Monday and there should be plenty of familiarity among Antelope County squads.
The D-1 district will include Neligh-Oakdale, who will be joined by the likes of West Holt, Randolph and Burwell among others. In the D-2 district, Clearwater-Orchard, Elgin Public/Pope John and Elkhorn Valley will all take part in the battle at districts. Other area teams in the district include Creighton, Niobrara/Verdigre and Osmond. District wrestling tournaments will be held February 9 and 10, with host sites to be announced. Clearwater-Orchard's volleyball girls didn't spend much time lounging around this weekend as they had a couple of battles on Saturday.
The Cyclones went 1-1 in two games on Saturday, topping St. Mary's 25-7 and 25-19 but falling to North Central 21-25, 25-23, 9-25. The Cyclones dominated the young St. Mary's squad, winning in straight sets while allowing just 26 total points. A number of girls posted great numbers in the matchup, led by Taylor Sanne's four aces. Grace Rittscher added three more aces, Julian Tuttle put down two and Brooke Knievel added one more. Tuttle did plenty to spread the ball around with 15 assists, most of which went to JoCee Johnston as part of her nine kills. Johnston was also more than solid defensively, recording six blocks. Against North Central, it proved to be a bit more challenging in the three-set showdown. Tuttle once again controlled the flow of the offense with her 27 assists. Johnston got the bulk of the kills with 12, while Brooklynn Chipps and Avery Cheatum recorded six and five kills, respectively. Katie Stearns added four more kills and Allison Kerkman was responsible for two. While Elkhorn Valley fans likely aren't happy to see a Falcon loss, they certainly have to be ecstatic about what the future brings.
Braedyn Ollendick, Adam Miller and Hunter Howard all stuffed the stat sheet for the Falcons on Friday as the team travelled to Allen. While EV took a 46-20 loss, there is plenty of reason for optimism from their performances. Ollendick commanded the offense well from the quarterback spot, connecting on 56 percent of his passes for 232 yards and three scores. Miller was on the receiving end of two of those scores, finishing with four catches for 82 yards. Howard finished with 17 yards on just two carries for the Falcons. Although the freshman stole the show, they weren't the only ones putting in work. Josh McFarland once again had a big night, finishing with 71 yards on seven catches and another 37 yards on the ground. On the defensive side, McFarland and Brock Schaecher led the way, racking up 15 and 11 tackles, respectively. Prestin Vondra added nine more tackles and had the lone Falcon interception on the night. Severe weather in the area got in the way of the second half of Friday night's Elgin Public/Pope John and Clearwater-Orchard showdown, but that didn't stop the scoreboard from getting lit up all night.
Lightening shortened the homecoming night battle between the Wolfpack and the Cyclones one play into the second half, by which point the Cyclones already held a commanding lead - which would be the final - 46-0. The first quarter was a bit of a back and forth affair, with both teams marching down the field almost at will. However, the Wolfpack were unable to capitalize on their opportunities as they turned the ball over on a fumble and a missed field goal kept them scoreless. In that same frame, Clearwater-Orchard got scores thanks to a 13-yard strike from Blake Hoke to Kirby Willats and a 42-yard dash from Creston Bertschinger to go up 14-0 entering the second quarter. The second quarter is where the Cyclones really buckled down, especially Bertschinger. He notched two more scores - one on a 60-yard run and the other on a kick return after a safety. However, it was a lineman who go the scoring started in the quarter when Andrew Steskal lined up at fullback and punched it in from three yards out. Chris Kester followed that up a few plays later with a pick-six for the score. The safety came when Zach King and Ryan Wilhelm met in the end zone for a sack of Wolfpack quarterback Hunter Reestman near the end of the frame. While the game certainly favored the Cyclones, one of the highlights of the night was when EPPJ sophomore R.J. Lierman came in to replace the injured Kyle Schumacher and immediately pulled in an interception off of Hoke, sending the crowd into an uproar. Interception aside, Hoke was strong in the shortened game, finishing with 49 yards through the air and 22 receiving. Bertschinger was impressive, racking up 164 yards on just 12 carries and adding another 72 return yards. For the Wolfpack, Conor Ramold finished with four completions for 33 yards. The main target on the night was Schumacher, who finished with three grabs for 12 yards. Elgin Public/Pope John held their homecoming pep rally on Friday in anticipation of their showdown with Clearwater-Orchard in the evening.
Students met at the field on a breezy afternoon in Elgin. Sprinkled in with a massive game of musical chairs, elephant and a make over contest, the coaches took their turn introducing the 2017 Wolfpack squads. Fans on both sides got all the excitement they wanted when Elgin Public/Pope John and Creighton clashed on Thursday night in the St. Boniface gym. Both teams entered the night with just a single loss, but it was the Wolfpack keeping that intact during homecoming week with a five-set win 25-19, 25-17, 23-25, 23-16, 15-4. After taking the first two sets in strong fashion, the Wolfpack allowed themselves to get a bit complacent in the third and fourth set, according to coach Tina Thiele-Blecher. "I think we got a little lax. You know, its hard after you win those first two sets, especially when we haven't had any five-set games. You think 'Oh, we got this, no big deal. We beat em in those first two sets pretty easy.' We got out there and got lax and our passing goes down, our hitting goes down and it's just a roller coaster," said Thiele-Blecher. In the fifth set, the Wolfpack locked down and finished the game with one of the most dominant sets of volleyball this season. In that set, and for most of the night, they were led by Grace Henn, who finished with an incredible 16 kills on the night. Henn was far from the only Wolfpack lady to make an impact on the stat sheet, however. Paige Meis knocked down eight more kills, Lydia Behnk added seven and Kaylee Martinsen put down six. EPPJ did plenty of scoring from the service stripe as well, with Allyson Wemhoff putting down four aces. Nicki Payne and Anna Heilhecker added two aces each and Meis and Haley Zegers each added one. Wemhoff and Payne were also vital to keeping the ball moving, recording 19 and 20 assists, respectively. Defensively, Martinsen was a wall with four blocks. Wemhoff, Heilhecker, Meis and Calli Krebs were all adept at keeping the ball alive, combining for 58 digs between the four. On parents night on Thursday, Neligh-Oakdale broke a five-match losing streak by sweeping Niobrara-Verdigre in three sets.
The Warriors hadn't won a match since opening weekend but put things together for a 25-14, 25-17, 25-15 win. Stats will be added when they become available. Six seniors celebrated their final parents night on Thursday at Neligh-Oakdale. This was the final volleyball parents night for Bailey Frey, Jaclynn Hixson, Brittany Ingalls, Jordan Neely, Devyn Kallhoff and Kendra Carr.
Despite a big name from a number of players on parent’s night, Clearwater-Orchard was unable to pull out the win on the volleyball court against Creighton.
The Cyclones were unable to pull out the victory as the Bulldogs took it in straight sets, 25-17, 25-21, 25-16. The loss came despite won of the more impressive nights of the young season by JoCee Johnston. The junior connected on 54.5 percent of her kill attempts to lead the way with 12 kills. Avery Cheatum added another five kills. Hoewever, the Cyclones got just three kills from the rest of the team. At the service stripe, Grace Rittscher and Julian Tuttle both were strong, putting in three aces each. Possibly the real downfall of the Cyclones was the defense. They committed 23 dig errors and recorded just three total blocks. Randolph may have earned the win Tuesday night against Neligh-Oakdale, but the Warriors started to click again and picked up their first set win in more than a week.
The Warriors dropped the first two sets of the night but jumped out to an early lead in the third and held on for a momentum-changing victory. The fourth set was a back-and-forth battle until about midway when the Cardinals regained their rhythm and capitalized on several Warrior errors. Neligh-Oakdale falls to 2-5 on the season and will be back in action Thursday as they host NVC rival Niobrara-Verdigre. JV starts at 5:30 and will be best of five, followed by parents' night activities and then varsity. Randolph 25 25 18 25 Neligh-Oakdale 12 15 25 18 Neligh-Oakdale: Paige Furstenau 5d; Jordan Neely 1sa; Kristen Snodgrass 12d; Trinity Kurpgeweit 6k, 2a, 2d, 1sa; Bailey Frey 5k, 1a, 1b, 4d, 1sa; Amanda Dietz 11k; Shelby Pitzer 2k, 1a, 1d; Haley Kerkman 2k, 1a, 7d, 24sa; Brooke Frey 3d; Jaclynn Hixson 5k, 2d, 1 sa. The OC volleyball team celebrated their parent's night tonight, September 12th.
Check back for scores and team stats as the lady Cyclones take on the Creighton Bulldogs. Antelope County runners earned a dozen medals in the high school races of the 2017 Neligh-Oakdale Cross Country Invitational on Monday. The competition was held at the Antelope Country Club.
Alison Stineman of Elkhorn Valley won the girls race in a time of 20:04. Emma Bixler of Neligh-Oakdale wasn't far behind, earning second place in 20:14. Also medaling for the N-O girls were Rachel Higgins in 10th, 24:22; Madi Grosserode 13th, 25:15; and Hailey Bixler 17th, 26:07. Courtni Heckert finished in 21st in 27:58. The girls team was second overall and earned a plaque for their efforts. In the boys race, Brayden Effle and Hunter Bennett of EV finished in a close second and third, 17:06 and 17:07, respectively. Cole Belitz of Neligh-Oakdale crossed shortly after in 17:23 for 4th place. Other medalists were Christian Carothers of N-O 10th, 18:56; Griffin Claussen of N-O 11th, 19:06; Isaiah Greenhalgh of EV 15th, 19:22; and Cameron Wilkinson of N-O 16th, 19:23. The EV boys finished in 3rd as a team and N-O was 4th. N-O Coach Rick Eickholt said he was pleased with the way his runners performed on their home course. For the third-straight meet, junior Cole Belitz set a new course record for Neligh-Oakdale. "Cole's time of 17:23 was a course record, and Rachel (Higgins) cracked the top 10 for the first time in her varsity career," Eickholt said. Complete results: GIRLS 1. Allison Stineman, Elkhorn Valley, 20:04 2. Emma Bixler, Neligh-Oakdale, 20:14 3. Kira Dickau, Stuart, 20:57 4. Cloe Cozad, North Central, 21:10 5. Megan Erickson, North Central, 21:36 6. Rebecca Frick, North Central, 22:13 7. Jillian Buel, North Central, 23:30 8. Lainey Paxton, Stuart, 24:01 9. Ashley Hausmann, Boyd County, 24:16 10. Rachel Higgins, Neligh-Oakdale, 24:22 11. Josie Kuchera, North Central, 24:24 12. Rachel Pavelka, Niobrara-Verdigre, 24:47 13. Madi Grosserode, Neligh-Oakdale, 25:15 14. Hayle Krienert, Osmond, 25:28 15. Lexi Beacom, Osmond, 25:45 16. Kaci Mashino, Boyd County, 25:57 17. Hailey Bixler, Neligh-Oakdale, 26:07 18. Ariel Larsen, Stuart, 27:06 19. Jozie Kumm, Osmond, 27:19 20. Emma Stahlecker, Boyd County, 27:20 21. CourtniHeckert, Neligh-Oakdale, 27:58 22. Andrea Hipke, Boyd County, 28:01 23. Genesis Saul, Niobrara-Verdigre, 34:02 GIRLS SCORES 1. North Central, 14 pts 2. Neligh-Oakdale, 28 pts 3. Boyd County, 42 pts BOYS 1. Blake Ahlers, Boyd County, 16:39 2. Brayden Effle, Elkhorn Valley, 17:06 3. Hunter Bennett, Elkhorn Valley, 17:07 4. Cole Belitz, Neligh-Oakdale, 17:23 5. Cory Lechtenberg, Boyd County, 17:35 6. Jared Bessmer, Osmond, 17:44 7. Johnson Chishiba, Osmond, 18:03 8. Evan Reiman, Boyd County, 18:29 9. Aaron Chishiba, Osmond, 18:51 10. Christian Carothers, Neligh-Oakdale, 18:56 11. Griffin Claussen, Neligh-Oakdale,19:06 12. Issac Cook, Niobrara-Verdigre,19:13 13. Jimmy Johnson, Creighton,19:14 14. Chase Harmon, Boyd County,19:15 15. Isaiah Greenhaulgh, Elkhorn Valley, 19:22 16. Cameron Wilkinson, Neligh-Oakdale,19:23 17. Kody Roth, Boyd County, 19:24 18. Keaton Timmerman, Osmond, 19:26 19. Brayden Ahlmgren, Boyd County, 19:38 20. Toby Ives, Niobrara-Verdigre, 19:53 21. Brady Jackson, Lutheran High NE,19:56 22. Isaac Koenig, Boyd County, 19:57 23. Dillion Stewart, Elkhorn Valley, 20:08 24. Ben Bruns, North Central, 20:13 25. Ethan Pfansteil, Osmond, 20:14 26. Damien Smith, Elkhorn Valley, 20:19 27. Ethan Pickenpaugh, Niobrara-Verdigre, 21:20 28. Gunner Vargus, Niobrara-Verdigre, 21:26 29. Isaias Juarez, Neligh-Oakdale, 21:27 30. Jose Luna, Neligh-Oakdale, 21:28 31. Kenny Justo, Niobrara-Verdigre, 21:30 32. Jace Hofener, Creighton, 21:32 33. Logan McConnell, Neligh-Oakdale, 21:44 34. Kolten Schroder, Stuart, 22:11 35. Christian Swalley, Niobrara-Verdigre, 22:16 36. Alexander Heiman, Osmond, 22:22 37. Alex Kumm, Osmond, 23:06 38. Joshua Kersch, 23:16 39. Anthony Morrill, Creighton, 23:29 40. Alex Chavez, North Central, 23:49 41. Tommy Klemesrud, North Central, 24:30 42. Connor VonRentzell, Osmond, 24:33 43. Nathan Kaczor, Boyd County, 25:07 44. Alex Bustamumante, Niobrara-Verdigre, 26:11 45. Trevor Brooks, Boyd County, 26:37 46. Eric Claussen, Neligh-Oakdale, 30:06 47. Noah Eilers, Boyd County, 30:43 BOYS SCORES 1. Boyd County, 27 pts 2. Osmond, 39 pts tie breaker #5 runner 3. Elkhorn Valley, 39 pts 4. Neligh-Oakdale, 40 pts 5. Niobrara-Verdigre, 79 pts Junior High Girls 1. Daisey Frick, North Central, 9:15 2. Chaney Konopasek, Niobrara-Verdigre, 9:52 3. Carney Black, Elkhorn Valley, 9:58 4. Natasha Zeisler, Boyd County, 10:02 5. Katilynn Kaup, Stuart, 10:03 6. Chrissenna Swalley, Niobrara-Verdigre, 10:04 7. Bree Breithaupt, Niobrara-Verdigre, 10:07 8. TaylorHasenbrook, Elkhorn Valley, 10:15 9. Brooke Dance, Creighton, 10:44 10. Amaya Smith, Elkhorn Valley, 10:56 11. Madi Schaffer, Elkhorn Valley, 11:17 12. Phalynn Rouilard, Niobrara-Verdigre, 13:09 Junior High Boys 1. Cody Erickson, North Central, 8:19 2. Daniel Pavelka, Niobrara-Verdigre, 8:30 3. Colton Rystrom, Elkhorn Valley, 8:34 4. Tristan Smith, Elkhorn Valley, 9:08 5. Connor Klein, Elkhorn Valley, 9:26 6. Sam Waterman, Creighton, 9:28 7. Kaden Polt, Osmond, 9:31 8. Robert Aschoff, Osmond, 9:33 9. Nate Halsey, Elkhorn Valley, 9:37 10. Dylan Wright, Elkhorn Valley, 9:43 11. Schuyler Mustin, Stuart, 9:56 12. Walter Furstenau, Elkhorn Valley, 10:18 13. Vance Chance, Neligh-Oakdale, 10:35 14. Ben Klemesrud, North Central, 11:15 15. Carson Shaw, North Central, 11:28 16. Chris Carpenter, North Central, 11:51 17. Dante Justo, Niobrara-Verdigre, 12:28 18. Ethan Gregory, Neligh-Oakdale, 14:04 The future of Neligh-Oakdale football was on display Monday afternoon in Neligh and fans have plenty to look forward to.
The Neligh-Oakdale Junior High football team took on Creighton at Warrior Field in the first game of their season. The seventh and eighth graders had a great day thanks to a mix of great line play, stout defense and a strong running game. The Warriors took home the victory 34-8. Another week means improvement for the Elkhorn Valley girls golfers.
Kim Frey and Angel Qualset took part in the Pierce Invite on Saturday, improving their numbers from just a few days before. Frey finished the day with a 117 while Qualset golfed a 159. Pierce took home the team title on the day while Pender Thurston County's Paige Peters won the individual competition with a 90. Friday night was far from friendly for Elgin Public/Pope John as they continued to navigate their tough schedule, this time against Chambers/Wheeler Central/Ewing.
The Wolfpack found themselves unable to keep up with the versatile Renegades as they fell 81-8. CWCE took a 53-8 lead into the break and never looked back, adding 20 points in the third and eight in the fourth quarter. For the second-straight week, junior Hunter Reestman proved to be the workhorse for EPPJ, gathering up 137 yards of total offense. He gained 50 yards through the air, a team high 73 on the ground and 14 more yards as a receiver. Ramold split time at quarterback with Reestman, racking up 99 yards passing and throwing the lone Wolfpack touchdown of the night - to Reestman. Ramold also had 29 yards receiving. The lead receiver of the night for EPPJ was Kyle Schumacher. He finished with 10 grabs for 70 yards. Clearwater-Orchard had the chance to play spoiler on Friday and that is exactly what they did.
The Cyclones racked up nearly 400 yards of total offense as they took down Neligh-Oakdale on the Warriors' homecoming night in a 58-20 victory. The game was a tight one at the end of one frame, with O-C getting on the board first with a short run from Jacob Long and a Chris Kester dash for 28 yards to go up 14-0. After trading interceptions, N-O finally got on the board when Andrew Herley dashed 74 yards down field on a screen toss from Hunter Charf to make it 14-8 at the end of one. However, the game wouldn't get any closer as the Cyclones' defense stifled the Warriors the rest of the way while the offense used it's multitude of weapons to keep N-O on it's heels. In the second, Blake Hoke found the end zone on a 17 yard keeper and then connected with Kester for a score to send the Cyclones in to half up 30-6. In the second half, O-C punched it in again from just a few yards out to start the third quarter before Kester again took it in from 28 yards out to extend the lead to 44-6. The Warriors finally countered on the ensuing kickoff when Herley took it nearly endzone-to-endzone for a score. However, the Cyclones were able to muster a kickoff return of their own when Creston Bertschinger duplicated the feat on the next kickoff to make it 50-12 entering the fourth quarter. A couple of young players got in on the scoring to end the game. Neligh-Oakdale's Brock Kester connected with Gage Dawson for the Warriors' final score while Eli Macke got his first touchdown as a Cyclone with a 61-yard dash to end the game. Hoke finished the night 7-of-11 with 67 yards and a touchdown. Kester didn't see too many attempts at quarterback - finishing with just one completion for three yards - but led the team on the ground with 10 carries for 134 yards and two scores. Long had two scores as part of his 40 yards rushing while Bertschinger racked up 74 yards on the ground. Clay Thiele was the primary target through the air for O-C, with two grabs for 32 yards. Kirby Willats added a catch for 11 yards. Neligh-Oakdale was led through the air by Charf, who completed 9-of-18 passses for 117 yards and a score. Kester added a score as well while passing for 18 yards. 90 of those yards went to Herley, who caught four catches on the day and also led the team in rushing with 24 yards. Austin Rice recorded another four grabs, taking his for 21 yards. Defensively, Charf and Herley both recorded six solo tackles while assisting in seven and six more, respectively. Nate Buck added five more solo tackles on the night. On homecoming night in Neligh, it was Clearwater-Orchard that left the court in the highest spirits.
The Cyclones earned a straight-set victory over Neligh-Oakdale, spoiling homecoming night for the Warriors with wins of 25-17, 25-23 and 25-20. The Cyclones rarely trailed throughout, with the only significant Neligh-Oakdale lead coming in the second set. JoCee Johnston and Avery Cheatum made sure the Cyclones remained on top, recording nine and eight kills respectively. Katie Stearns and Julian Tuttle recorded three and two aces, respectively. Tuttle was also busy moving the ball around, recording 17 assists on the night. Full stats for Neligh-Oakdale will be added when they become available. Elkhorn Valley coach Emily Vaughn likely couldn't be any more pleased with her team's performance from the service line on Thursday against Niobrara/Verdigre.
The Falcons took down the Cougars in straight sets 25-8, 25-12, 25-11. That incredible performance was propelled by a team effort, particularly on their serves. The Falcons recorded 13 aces, good for 17.1 percent as a team. Overall, they were 96.1 percent on the night from the service stripe. Leading the way was Amber Miller, who put down five aces. Bri Werner added four of her own. Sierra Rystrom recorded two aces as well while Karissa Evans and Olivia Nall were each responsible for one. The Falcons were also strong at the net, led by Rystrom's six kills. Nall and Hannah Ollendick each added four kills while Evans had three. Defensively, Ollendick pulled up 15 digs while Miller recorded 11. Elgin Public/Pope John continued their strong start on Thursday as they took down Boyd County in straight sets.
The Wolfpack traveled to meet the Spartans and came home with the victory 25-18, 25-23 and 25-17. EPPJ excelled at the net, putting down 33 kills on the night. They had four girls finish with six or more kills, led by Paige Meis's nine. Lydia Behnk added eight kills, Kaylee Martinsen put down seven and Grace Henn added six. Defensively, Martinsen and Meis each scored two blocks. Calli Krebs and Nicki Payne each brought up nine digs and dished out 12 and 15 assists, respectively. Neligh-Oakdale dropped two matches in straight sets on Thursday at the Fullerton Triangular, falling to Burwell before losing to the host.
Neligh-Oakdale fell 25-11, 25-6 to Burwell and to Fullerton 25-15, 25-13. Burwell 25 25 Neligh-Oakdale 11 6 Fullerton 25 25 Neligh-Oakdale 15 13 The Lady Cyclones fall to the Ewing Tigers in a touch matchup.
The team was unable to pull off a win over the Tigers losing in straight three sets, 13-25, 10-25, 20-25. The young team's potential shined through multiple times throughout the game, and despite a discouraging first two sets, the Cyclones were able to fight back in the third set to just barely lose with a set score of 20-25. The Cyclone volleyball team will take on Neligh-Oakdale tomorrow, September 8th. PLAYER STATS Katie Stearns - 3k, 1a, 7d Julian Tuttle - 1a, 2d, 14sa JoCee Johnston - 8k, 1a Grace Rittscher - 1k, 1a, 11d Avery Cheatum - 1a, 6d Brooklynn Chipps - 5k, 1bs, 1d Allison Kerkman - 3sa For the second consecutive week, Emma Bixler and Cole Belitz broke course records for the Neligh-Oakdale cross country teams.
Bixler won the girls race at the Boyd County Invite in 20:24, while Belitz placed third in 17:34. "Second meet of the year, and two more course records," Coach Rick Eickholt said with a smile. "And Emma put herself into an elite group. Only four people in Neligh-Oakdale history had ever won a meet before today -- Tyler Pedersen, Courtney Pellatz, Jamie Helgren and Kasi Grosserode." In addition to Bixler and Belitz, the Warriors had three more medal performances. Rachel Higgins finished in 12th place with a 23:47; and Christian Carothers was 7th in 18:22 and Griffin Claussen was 9th in 18:59. Hailey Bixler crossed in 16th place and was the only other runner for the girls, as Madi Grosserode and Courtni Heckert sat out with injuries. Jose Luna was 17th in 20:41, followed by Isaias Juarez, Dominque Wright, and Eric Claussen. The boys team earned third place overall. "We are looking to get everyone healthy," Eickholt said. "There is a lot of potential for good things when we get everyone back." The junior high boys had three medalists: Ashton Higgins was 4th in 10:02, Thomas Johnson was 5th in 10:08, and Vance Chance was 8th in 10:49. Rounding out the boys team was Ethan Gregory. The Warriors will host the Neligh-Oakdale Cross Country Invite at the Antelope Country Club on Monday, Sept. 11 at 4:30 p.m., and will end the week with a meet in O'Neill on Friday, Sept. 15. The Cyclones split their games at a home triangular on Tuesday.
The Cyclones went 1-1, beating Boyd County early on and later falling to Spalding Academy. Against Boyd County, it took just two sets for the Cyclones to earn their victory, winning 25-16, 25-20. Katie Stearns led the way for Clearwater-Orchard, putting down 4 kills, with Julian Tuttle helping with a total of 14 set assists. But, these two could not have done it without the defensive effort of Grace Rittscher, with a total of 13 digs in the game. Against Spalding Academy, it was a three-set battle with the Shamrocks coming out on top 14-25, 25-23, 28-26. JoCee Johnston was spectacular in the match, recording 15 kills to the team’s total of 18. The Cyclone’s next competition will be Thursday night at Ewing. BOYD COUNTY STATS Katie Stearns - 4k, 1a, 2d Julian Tuttle - 1a, 1b, 9sa, 3d JoCee Johnston - 2k, 1sa, 1d Grace Rittscher - 1a, 12d Avery Cheatum - 1k, 2d Brooklynn Chipps - 2k, 1b, 1sa Allison Kerkman - 2k, 1a, 1b, 4d SPALDING ACADEMY STATS Katie Stearns - 2a, 9d Julian Tuttle - 1k, 6d, 14sa JoCee Johnston - 15k, 2a Grace Rittscher - 2a, 13d, 1sa Avery Cheatum - 4d Brooklynn Chipps - 2k Allison Kerkman - 3d, 1sa Taylor Sanne - 2d |
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