Two Clearwater-Orchard tracksters became the first to punch their tickets to the state track meet.
Chris Kester and Vanessa Carpenter each locked up their spot at the state meet in Omaha in the pole vault on Tuesday evening. Kester took the D-6 runner-up title with a vault of 10-00. Carpenter also took second place with a vault of 7-00. The rest of the Cyclones will look to join them on Wednesday at the D-6 meet in Bassett. The state track meet is May 19 and 20 at Omaha Burke High School. Two Neligh-Oakdale junior high tracksters are headed to the state meet.
Julien Hearn and Dawson Kaup will take part in the annual meet in Gothenburg on May 13. Both Warriors qualified for the meet in the triple jump after incredible seasons that saw them each best records. Hearn boasts a personal best of 38-11.5 in the triple jump, hitting that mark at the Creighton Relays. He currently ranks as the top junior high triple jumper in the state. He also set the Niobrara Valley Conference junior high record at Atkinson last week. Kaup sits at eighth in the state standings for triple jump with a leap of 37-08 at the Creighton Relays. He also finished ahead of the NVC junior high record in Atkinson last week, although he finished second to Hearn. The Nebraska Championship Meet has been held in Gothenburg every year since the first meet in 2010. To qualify, a competitor must rank among the top 24 in the state in their event. In one of the final tune-ups before district play begins next week, Neligh-Oakdale's Chris Bentley looked to be in top form on Monday at the Highway 20 Invite in Bassett.
The senior finished with an 88 on the day to lead all Antelope County golfers with a second-place finish. He was one of two Warriors to finish in the top 20, along with sophomore Austin Rice, who took 19th with a 96. Marty Beyer finished just outside of the top 20, shooting a 97 and taking 21st. Ashton Krebs shot a 123 on the day to round out the Neligh-Oakdale golfers. Overall, the Warriors finished in seventh with a team score of 404. Elgin Public/Pope John finished among the top teams at the meet, taking third with a 377. Miles Schrage led the way, tying for third with an 89. Chad Bode wasn't far behind, tying for eighth with a 91. Liam Heithoff also finished in the top 20, shooting a 94 on the day, good for a tie for 14th. Hunter Reestman and Conor Ramold rounded out the Wolfpack with scores of 103 and 119, respectively. Clearwater-Orchard barely missed out on a top-three team finish, taking fourth with a 392. Freshman Gage Clifton led the Cyclones with a 13th-place finish, shooting a 93. Clay Thiele's 94 put him in a tie for 14th and Ryan Wilhelm's 95 slotted him at 18th. Blake Hoke shot a 110 on the day while Zane Herley finished his round at 111. As has been the case all season, it was freshman Bryson Anderson that led the way on the course for Elkhorn Valley.
This week, it was Anderson’s score of 88 that led the way for the Falcons at a difficult Randolph Invite. Golfers all day battled a combination of the tough course, heat and a stiff wind. Anderson did just as well as anyone in the conditions, taking 20th. P.J. Miguelino did his best on the tough course as well. The junior finished with a 100 on the day, good enough to take 47th. Rounding out the Falcons was Zane Richardson. The freshman shot a 116. That score put him in 52nd of the field. The Wilkinson family made history Friday night at the Boone County Raceway with a three-generation victory.
It was a rough start to the night for winner Jason Wilkinson, but the long-time Stock Car driver went from dead last to victory lane to lead the 1-2-3 Wilkinson finish for what is believed to be the first three-generation victory ever at Boone County Raceway. "We were needing a good night," Jason said. "I broke down right away and couldn't heat race. I was ready to pack it up and call it a night, but we fought through, put in a new transmission and went out there and it clicked." Wilkinson started in the back and worked his way forward. His father, Dean, and son, Kyle, were battling out front with another driver. Jason said his father moved to Stock Cars this year and was looking for his first win while Kyle picked up his first of the year two weeks ago in Columbus. "I would have liked to have seen Dad get his first win," Jason said. "Two weeks ago, I rolled six times, so I was bound and determined to win this race." Jason admitted he had a tough decision on whether to pass his dad or not for the win. "When I caught up with him, I was wondering what to do and wanted to pass him clean," Jason said. "I followed two to three laps, and then Kyle gave me a whole. I took the lead on the white flag." Cameron Wilkinson also had a big night by winning the Hobby Stock feature, to make it a Wilkinson sweep in the two features. This marks Dean Wilkinson's 52nd year in racing, Jason said, and his 23rd year. Sons Kyle and Cameron have been racing for five or six years. The 2016-17 school year is drawing to a close, meaning that state track is just around the corner. One final hurdle stands between competitors and a state title - the district meet. Antelope County athletes will be headed in three different directions with the goal of meeting up in Omaha for the state track meet next week. Here is five things you need to know about the district meets this week.
1. The who and when As we said earlier, Antelope County will be a bit spread out for district track. Districts starts off on Wednesday with Clearwater-Orchard and Elgin Public/Pope John heading to the D-6 meet at Rock County in Bassett with the pole vault competition going down in O'Neill on Tuesday evening. Elkhorn Valley will head east to Hartington for the D-1 meet on the same day. Neligh-Oakdale competes on Thursday in Atkinson for the C-8 meet. 2. How's the weather? Things could get a little soggy on Wednesday. The tracksters in Bassett should expect rain throughout the morning before finishing the day under clouds with highs in the mid-50s. That same trend will likely hit Hartington a little bit later in the day, so the Falcon faithful should expect to get a bit wet. Neligh-Oakdale will be the team that lucks out as temperatures are expected to hit the 70s on Thursday in Atkinson with almost no chance of rain. 3. Who has a return ticket to state? The county is not lacking for great athletes, that is evident when looking at last year's state qualifiers combined with the newcomers this year. However, with the districts changing up a bit, it could put some of the fringe competitors out of the running. Elkhorn Valley's Amber Miller, Hannah Ollendick, Tyler Miller, Austin Miller and Brayden Effle all have experience at the state meet from last year. EPPJ's Lydia Behnk will keep her eye on a return trip. Clearwater-Orchard sent Alexis Pokorny, JoCee Johnston, Brooklynn Chipps, Kylie Thiele and Kinzly Macke last year and Neligh-Oakdale's Alexis Jensen, Bailey Frey and Grant White all made the trip as well. 4. What about first-time qualifiers? If there is one thing that can be guaranteed, it's this: there will be multiple first-time qualifiers for the state meet. Its just natural, with kids putting in the hard work they do and talented freshmen coming in. There could be many first-timers this year, but here's someone to watch for from each school: Elkhorn Valley: Allison Stineman Neligh-Oakdale: Tyson Belitz Elgin Public/Pope John: Girls 4x800 relay team Clearwater-Orchard: Jacob Long 5. What will Clearwater-Orchard do next? The track season has been a strong one for the Cyclones. It seems as if every other meet sees a Cyclone setting a new record of some kind, whether it be Thiele, Chipps, Bertschinger or the whole team. The girls topped it off by winning their first-ever Niobrara Valley Conference meet. The depth of the Cyclones is their strength, so it will be certainly be interesting to see how many points they can rack up in search of a district title. Four Warriors earned gold medals at the Randolph Track Invite on Thursday afternoon.
Bailey Frey and Grant White each placed first in the 300 hurdles for Neligh-Oakdale, Kristen Snodgrass won the 200 meter dash, and Damon Arehart was the top thrower in discus. The N-O girls placed fifth in the team standings, just .5 points away from fourth place Randolph, and the Warrior boys team finished in fourth. Neligh-Oakdale results: Girls High Jump 5. Shelby Pitzer, 4' 2" Long Jump 4. Shelby Pitzer, 14' 5.75" 6. Alexis Jensen, 13' 11.5" Pole Vault 4. Courtni Heckert, 7' 6.01" 6. Celina Knievel, 7' 0" Triple Jump 2. Bailey Frey, 31' 4" 5. Haley Kerkman, 29' 7.75" 4 x 800 Relay 4. Neligh-Oakdale, 11:44.7 100 m. Hurdles 5. Bailey Frey, 20.35 6. Jayda Chance, 21.4 100 m. Dash 4. Kristen Snodgrass, 13.72 5. Adysen Boggs, 13.82 4x100 m. Relay 3. Neligh-Oakdale 300 m. Hurdles 1. Bailey Frey, 52.76 800 m. Run 4. Emma Bixler, 2:47.35 200 m. Dash 1. Kristen Snodgrass, 28.14 Boys Discus 1. Damon Arehart, 133' 6" High Jump 2. Tyson Belitz, 5' 8 " Long Jump 6. Jayden Arehart, 18' 4.5" Pole Vault 3. Kaleb Pofahl, 10' 6.01" 4. Cole Belitz, 10' 6" Shot Put 6. Damon Arehart, 39' 3" Triple Jump 3. Grant White, 39' 2.5" 4 x800 Relay 4. Neligh-Oakdale, 10:49.3 110 m. Hurdles 5. Kaleb Pofahl, 19.45 300 m. Hurdles 1. Grant White, 43.64 800 m. Run 3. Cole Belitz, 2:15.58 5. Christian Carothers, 2:21.97 4 x 400 Relay 3. Neligh-Oakdale This may sound familiar, but Elgin Public/Pope John's golf team led the way on Thursday.
The Wolfpack continued their strong season at the Niobrara/Verdigre Invite in Niobrara, taking the team championship on the strength of four medalists. EPPJ took the team title with a score of 332, edging out runner-up Osmond. Liam Heithoff and Chad Bode led the charge, tying for third with scores of 80 each. Miles Schrage dropped in an 83 to tie for seventh and Hunter Reestman medalled at 13th after shooting an 89 on the day. Cade Heithoff shot a 122 on the day to round out the Wolfpack golfers. Neligh-Oakdale wasn't far behind, taking fifth with 359 points. Three Warriors earned a medal on the day, led by Chris Bentley. His 82 was good enough to take sixth place. Austin Rice's 85 earned him 12th place while Marty Beyer's 89 tied him for 13th. Additionally, Neven Kline dropped in a 103 and Ashton Krebs finished at 113. Clearwater-Orchard rounded out the Antelope County linksters, putting in a team score of 393 for seventh. Ryan Wilhelm led the way with a 90, just missing out on a medal. Gage Clifton shot a 92, Zane Herley finished at 104 and Blake Hoke dropped in a 107. Rounding out the Cyclones was Peyton Clifton's 118. Two Neligh-Oakdale club wrestlers qualified for the Heartland National Dual tournament, representing Nebraska. The tournament featured 40 teams from 25 different states.
Austin Rudolf represented the Nebraska Red Team at 100 pounds. The Red Team wrestled seven duals and competed in the gold division, taking seventh place. Rudolf finished 2-5 in the tournament. Aiden Kuester represented the Nebraska Black Team at 130 pounds after winning a state championship. The Black Team wrestled eight duals, finishing the tournament in the diamond division - the highest division, taking fifth place, the highest any Nebraska team has ever finished at the national dual tournament. Kuester finished 6-2 at the tournament. The Wolfpack braved the cold Saturday afternoon and picked up some key hardware at the Niobrara Valley Conference meeting, including a second-place finish in the 4x800.
Baylee Wemhoff, Allyson Wemhoff, Heather Bauer and Anna Heilhecker teamed up to claim runner-up honors in the relay. Lydia Behnk led the Wolfpack with a conference title in the triple jump and runner-up honors in the long jump. Kaylee Martinsen helped the Wolfpack go 1-2 in the triple jump with her second-place finish. A complete list of medalists is below for high school. A link to junior high and full high school results is at the bottom of the story. A photo gallery is also below results. Antelope County Girls Medalists High Jump: 2. JoCee Johnston, OC, 5-0; 5. Alexis Pokorny, OC, 4-8; 7. Kaylee Martinsen, EPPJ, 4-8; 8. Olivia Nall, EV, 4-6. Pole Vault: 1. Amber Miller, EV, 9-06; 3. Alison Stineman, EV, 8-06; 4. Courtni Heckert, N-O, 7-6; 5. Celina Knievel, N-O, 7-0; 6. Jayda Chance, N-O, 6-06; 8. Olivia Nall, EV, 6-6. Triple Jump: 1. Lydia Behnk, EPPJ, 34-3; 2. Kaylee Martinsen, EPPJ, 33-3.25; 5. Amber Miller, EV, 32-6.75. Long Jump: 2. Lydia Behnk, EPPJ, 16-00.5; 3. Sierra Rystrom, EV, 15-10.25; 6. Skye Schroeder, OC, 15-04.50. Shot Put: 2. Brooklynn Chipps, OC, 38-7; 6. Alyssa Rood, EV, 33-8. Discus: 4. Brooklynn Chipps, OC, 110-0. 100: 2. Kinzly Macke, OC, 13.40; 4. Alexis Jensen, N-O, 13.77; 6. Skye Schroder, OC, 13.81; 7. Kristen Snodgrass, N-O, 13.82; 8. Page Meis, EPPJ, 14.13. 200: 1. Kinzly Macke, OC, 28.14; 4. Kristen Snodgrass, N-O, 29.3; 6. Skye Schroeder, OC, 29.82; 7. Paige Meis, EPPJ, 29.83; 8. Alexis Jensen, N-O, 30.40. 400: 2. Kylie Thiele, OC, 1:00.68; 3. Alexis Pokorny, OC, 1:04.75; 4. Kaylee Martinsen, EPPJ, 1:05.00; 8. Amber Miller, EV, 1:08.61. 800: 1. Kylie Thiele, OC, 2:29.88; 2. Alison Stineman, EV, 2:36.46; 8. Allison Kerkman, OC, 2:51.49. 1,600: 1. Alison Stineman, EV, 5:52.52; 4. Anna Heilhecker, EPPJ, 5:59.46; 8. Allison Kerkman, OC, 6:31.67. 3,200: 4. Alison Stineman, EV, 13:41.74. 100 HH: 3. Hannah Ollendick, EV, 17.30; 5. Alyx Siems, OC, 18.10; 7. Haley Fleetwood, EV, 19.30. 300 LH: 2. Hannah Ollendick, EV, 51.91; 3. Bailey Frey, N-O, 52.53; 8. Haley Fleetwood, EV, 55.53. 4x100: 1, Clearwater/Orchard 52.76 (Thiele, Kylie; Stearns, Katie; Schroeder, Skye; Macke, Kinzly); 5. Elkhorn Valley 55.88 (Fleetwood, Haley; Rood, Alyssa; Rystrom, Sierra; Ollendick, Hannah); 7. Neligh-Oakdale 56.35 (Snodgrass, Kristen; Boggs, Adysen; Frey, Bailey; Jensen, Alexis); 8. Eppj 56.79 (Kallhoff, Kayce; Wemhoff, Baylee; Behnk, Lydia; Meis, Paige). 4x400: 1 Clearwater/Orchard 4:20.32; (Macke, Kinzly; Johnston, JoCee; Pokorny, Alexis; Thiele, Kylie); 5. Elkhorn Valley 4:35.92 (Rystrom, Sierra; Ollendick, Hannah; Miller, Amber; Fleetwood, Haley); 6. Eppj 4:39.45 (Martinsen, Kaylee; Wemhoff, Baylee; Wemhoff, Allyson; Behnk, Lydia). 4x800: 2. Eppj 11:12.87 (Wemhoff, Baylee; Wemhoff, Allyson; Bauer, Heather; Heilhecker, Anna) 5. Elkhorn Valley 12:06.89 (Nall, Olivia; Bacon, Kaylee; Eckert, Haley; Frey, Kim); 6. Neligh-Oakdale 12:08.12 (Bixler, Emma; Kerkman, Haley; Grosserode, Kasi; Chance, Jayda); 7. Clearwater-Orchard 12:22.00 (Moser, Alyssa; Thiele, Julia; Knievel, Brooke; Sanne, Taylor). Antelope County Boys Medalists High Jump: 2. Tucker Hecht, EV, 5-10; 2. Tyson Belitz, N-O, 5-10; 5. Seth Lampert, OC, 5-6; 6. Jacob Long, OC, 5-4; 8. Brock Schaecher, EV, 5-4. Pole Vault: 3. Cole Belitz, N-O, 10-6; 4. Tyler Miller, EV, 10-0; 5. Kaleb Pohfal, N-O, 10-0; 7. Dillon Stewart, EV, 9-0; 8. Chris Kester, OC, 8-0. Long Jump: 2. Jayden Arehart, N-O, 18-0; 3. Brayden Effle, EV, 18-0. Triple Jump: 3. Jacob Long, OC, 40-4.5; 5. Grant White, N-O, 39-7.5; 6. Brayden Effle, EV, 38-10.5; 7. Tyson Belitz, N-O, 38-4.5. Shot Put: 5. Damon Arehart, N-O, 42-0; 7. Jacob Long, OC, 39-6. Discus: 1. Dylan Wilkins, EV, 142-2; 4. Damon Arehart, N-O, 126-6. 100: 3. Alex Kerkman, N-O, 11.82; 4. Cade Wilkinson, N-O, 11.84; 5. Jayden Arehart, N-O, 11.92; 6. Creston Berschinger, OC, 12.02. 200: 5. Alex Kerkman, N-O, 24.91; 6. Cade Wilkinson, N-O, 25.17. 400: 3. Tucker Hecht, EV, 54.70. 800: 4. Tucker Hecht, EV, 2:12.04; 6. Cole Belitz, N-O, 2:14.84. 1,600: 6. Cole Belitz, N-O, 5:13.93; 7. Austin Miller, EV, 5:16.02. 3,200: 3. Austin Miller, EV, 11:14.50; 4. Adam Dreger, EPPJ, 12:11.70; 6. Christian Carothers, N-O, 12:42.20; 7. Brandon Evans, EV, 12:52.50; 8. Seth Lampert, OC, 12:57.30. 110 HH: 5. Creston Berschinger, OC, 17:70; 7. Brayden Effle, EV, 17.98; 300 IH: 1. Grant White, N-O, 43.21; 2. Brayden Effle, EV, 44.24; 7. Kaleb Pohfal, N-O, 48.98. 4x100: 1. Neligh-Oakdale 46.54 (White, Grant; Wilkinson, Cade; Arehart, Jayden; Kerkman, Alex); 6. Clearwater/Orchard 48.76 (Berschinger, Creston; Kester, Chris; Marino, Houston; Long, Jacob); 7. EPPJ 53.18 (Henn, Luke; Hupp, Brody; Knievel, Noah; Evans, Ashton). 4x400: 3. Neligh-Oakdale 3:46.61 (White, Grant; Wilkinson, Cade; Belitz, Tyson; Kerkman, Alex); 6. Elkhorn Valley 4:03.02 3 (Nall, Riley; Krick, Kolton; Dittrich, Kalen; Hecht, Tucker). 4x800: 3. Neligh-Oakdale 9:19.61 (Carothers, Christian; Belitz, Cole; Belitz, Tyson; Charf, Hunter; 6. EPPJ 9:56.62 (Schumacher, Kyle; Dreger, Adam; Lierman, R.J.; Knievel, Noah); Elkhorn Valley 10:00.96 (Evans, Brandon; Nall, Riley; Miller, Tyler; Stewart, Dillon). Complete High School and Junior High Results Amber Miller, Alison Stineman and Dylan Wilkins each won individual conference titles on a cold Saturday as the Falcons fared well at the Niobrara Valley Conference meet.
As a team, the girls placed third while the boys finished fifth. There were lots of accomplishments to celebrate as Tucker Hecht, Braydon Effle, Hannah Ollendick, Miller and Stineman all led the Falcons with multiple medals. Hecht placed second in high jump, third in 400 and fourth in the 800. Effle was busy all day, placing second in the 300 hurdles, third in the long jump, sixth in the triple and seventh in the 100 hurdles. Stineman won the 1,600, second in the 800, fourth in the 3,200 and third in the pole vault. Ollendick was second and third in the 300 and 100 hurdles, respectively. Amber Miller won the pole vault and finished fifth in the triple jump, besides finishing eighth in the 400. Many other Falcons picked up medals on the day. A complete list of medalists is below for high school. A link to junior high and full high school results is at the bottom of the story. A photo gallery is also below results. Antelope County Girls Medalists High Jump: 2. JoCee Johnston, OC, 5-0; 5. Alexis Pokorny, OC, 4-8; 7. Kaylee Martinsen, EPPJ, 4-8; 8. Olivia Nall, EV, 4-6. Pole Vault: 1. Amber Miller, EV, 9-06; 3. Alison Stineman, EV, 8-06; 4. Courtni Heckert, N-O, 7-6; 5. Celina Knievel, N-O, 7-0; 6. Jayda Chance, N-O, 6-06; 8. Olivia Nall, EV, 6-6. Triple Jump: 1. Lydia Behnk, EPPJ, 34-3; 2. Kaylee Martinsen, EPPJ, 33-3.25; 5. Amber Miller, EV, 32-6.75. Long Jump: 2. Lydai Behnk, EPPJ, 16-00.5; 3. Sierra Rystrom, EV, 15-10.25; 6. Skye Schroeder, OC, 15-04.50. Shot Put: 2. Brooklynn Chipps, OC, 38-7; 6. Alyssa Rood, EV, 33-8. Discus: 4. Brooklynn Chipps, OC, 110-0. 100: 2. Kinzly Macke, OC, 13.40; 4. Alexis Jensen, N-O, 13.77; 6. Skye Schroder, OC, 13.81; 7. Kristen Snodgrass, N-O, 13.82; 8. Page Meis, EPPJ, 14.13. 200: 1. Kinzly Macke, OC, 28.14; 4. Kristen Snodgrass, N-O, 29.3; 6. Skye Schroeder, OC, 29.82; 7. Paige Meis, EPPJ, 29.83; 8. Alexis Jensen, N-O, 30.40. 400: 2. Kylie Thiele, OC, 1:00.68; 3. Alexis Pokorny, OC, 1:04.75; 4. Kaylee Martinsen, EPPJ, 1:05.00; 8. Amber Miller, EV, 1:08.61. 800: 1. Kylie Thiele, OC, 2:29.88; 2. Alison Stineman, EV, 2:36.46; 8. Allison Kerkman, OC, 2:51.49. 1,600: 1. Alison Stineman, EV, 5:52.52; 4. Anna Heilhecker, EPPJ, 5:59.46; 8. Allison Kerkman, OC, 6:31.67. 3,200: 4. Alison Stineman, EV, 13:41.74. 100 HH: 3. Hannah Ollendick, EV, 17.30; 5. Alyx Siems, OC, 18.10; 7. Haley Fleetwood, EV, 19.30. 300 LH: 2. Hannah Ollendick, EV, 51.91; 3. Bailey Frey, N-O, 52.53; 8. Haley Fleetwood, EV, 55.53. 4x100: 1, Clearwater/Orchard 52.76 (Thiele, Kylie; Stearns, Katie; Schroeder, Skye; Macke, Kinzly); 5. Elkhorn Valley 55.88 (Fleetwood, Haley; Rood, Alyssa; Rystrom, Sierra; Ollendick, Hannah); 7. Neligh-Oakdale 56.35 (Snodgrass, Kristen; Boggs, Adysen; Frey, Bailey; Jensen, Alexis); 8. Eppj 56.79 (Kallhoff, Kayce; Wemhoff, Baylee; Behnk, Lydia; Meis, Paige). Long Jump: 2. Lydia Behnk, Eppj, 16-00.50; 3. Sierra Rystrom, EV, 15-10.25; 6. Schroeder, Skye, OC,15-04.50. 4x400: 1 Clearwater/Orchard 4:20.32; (Macke, Kinzly; Johnston, JoCee; Pokorny, Alexis; Thiele, Kylie); 5. Elkhorn Valley 4:35.92 (Rystrom, Sierra; Ollendick, Hannah; Miller, Amber; Fleetwood, Haley); 6. Eppj 4:39.45 (Martinsen, Kaylee; Wemhoff, Baylee; Wemhoff, Allyson; Behnk, Lydia). 4x800: 2. Eppj 11:12.87 (Wemhoff, Baylee; Wemhoff, Allyson; Bauer, Heather; Heilhecker, Anna) 5. Elkhorn Valley 12:06.89 (Nall, Olivia; Bacon, Kaylee; Eckert, Haley; Frey, Kim); 6. Neligh-Oakdale 12:08.12 (Bixler, Emma; Kerkman, Haley; Grosserode, Kasi; Chance, Jayda); 7. Clearwater-Orchard 12:22.00 (Moser, Alyssa; Thiele, Julia; Knievel, Brooke; Sanne, Taylor). Antelope County Boys Medalists High Jump: 2. Tucker Hecht, EV, 5-10; 2. Tyson Belitz, N-O, 5-10; 5. Seth Lampert, OC, 5-6; 6. Jacob Long, OC, 5-4; 8. Brock Schaecher, EV, 5-4. Pole Vault: 3. Cole Belitz, N-O, 10-6; 4. Tyler Miller, EV, 10-0; 5. Kaleb Pohfal, N-O, 10-0; 7. Dillon Stewart, EV, 9-0; 8. Chris Kester, OC, 8-0. Long Jump: 2. Jayden Arehart, N-O, 18-0; 3. Brayden Effle, EV, 18-0. Triple Jump: 3. Jacob Long, OC, 40-4.5; 5. Grant White, N-O, 39-7.5; 6. Brayden Effle, EV, 38-10.5; 7. Tyson Belitz, N-O, 38-4.5. Shot Put: 5. Damon Arehart, N-O, 42-0; 7. Jacob Long, OC, 39-6. Discus: 1. Dylan Wilkins, EV, 142-2; 4. Damon Arehart, N-O, 126-6. 100: 3. Alex Kerkman, N-O, 11.82; 4. Cade Wilkinson, N-O, 11.84; 5. Jayden Arehart, N-O, 11.92; 6. Creston Berschinger, OC, 12.02. 200: 5. Alex Kerkman, N-O, 24.91; 6. Cade Wilkinson, N-O, 25.17. 400: 3. Tucker Hecht, EV, 54.70. 800: 4. Tucker Hecht, EV, 2:12.04; 6. Cole Belitz, N-O, 2:14.84. 1,600: 6. Cole Belitz, N-O, 5:13.93; 7. Austin Miller, EV, 5:16.02. 3,200: 3. Austin Miller, EV, 11:14.50; 4. Adam Dreger, EPPJ, 12:11.70; 6. Christian Carothers, N-O, 12:42.20; 7. Brandon Evans, EV, 12:52.50; 8. Seth Lampert, OC, 12:57.30. 110 HH: 5. Creston Berschinger, OC, 17:70; 7. Brayden Effle, EV, 17.98; 300 IH: 1. Grant White, N-O, 43.21; 2. Brayden Effle, EV, 44.24; 7. Kaleb Pohfal, N-O, 48.98. 4x100: 1. Neligh-Oakdale 46.54 (White, Grant; Wilkinson, Cade; Arehart, Jayden; Kerkman, Alex); 6. Clearwater/Orchard 48.76 (Berschinger, Creston; Kester, Chris; Marino, Houston; Long, Jacob); 7. EPPJ 53.18 (Henn, Luke; Hupp, Brody; Knievel, Noah; Evans, Ashton). 4x400: 3. Neligh-Oakdale 3:46.61 (White, Grant; Wilkinson, Cade; Belitz, Tyson; Kerkman, Alex); 6. Elkhorn Valley 4:03.02 3 (Nall, Riley; Krick, Kolton; Dittrich, Kalen; Hecht, Tucker). 4x800: 3. Neligh-Oakdale 9:19.61 (Carothers, Christian; Belitz, Cole; Belitz, Tyson; Charf, Hunter; 6. EPPJ 9:56.62 (Schumacher, Kyle; Dreger, Adam; Lierman, R.J.; Knievel, Noah); Elkhorn Valley 10:00.96 (Evans, Brandon; Nall, Riley; Miller, Tyler; Stewart, Dillon). Complete High School and Junior High Results The Warriors finished with a slew of medals on Saturday, finishing runner-up in the boys division of the Niobrara Valley Conference track meet.
After a strong start with the field events, including a second place finish in the long jump by Jayden Arehart and in the Tyson Belitz in the high jump, the boys 4x100 team flew to a championship with Alex Kerkman, Grant White, Cade Wilkinson and Arehart. The Warriors dominated the sprints with Kerkman, Wilkinson and Arehart going 3-4-5 in the 100. The girls placed 10th in the team division. Individually, Bailey Frey led the Warriors with a third-place finish in the 300 hurdles. Kristen Snodgrass placed fourth in the 200 and seventh in the 100 and Alexis Jensen finishing fourth in the 100 and eighth in the 200. The Warriors had their best showing on the day in the pole vault with Courtni Heckert, Celina Knievel and Jayda Chance going 4-5-6. A complete list of medalists is below for high school. A link to junior high and full high school results is at the bottom of the story. A photo gallery is also below results. Antelope County Girls Medalists High Jump: 2. JoCee Johnston, OC, 5-0; 5. Alexis Pokorny, OC, 4-8; 7. Kaylee Martinsen, EPPJ, 4-8; 8. Olivia Nall, EV, 4-6. Pole Vault: 1. Amber Miller, EV, 9-06; 3. Alison Stineman, EV, 8-06; 4. Courtni Heckert, N-O, 7-6; 5. Celina Knievel, N-O, 7-0; 6. Jayda Chance, N-O, 6-06; 8. Olivia Nall, EV, 6-6. Triple Jump: 1. Lydia Behnk, EPPJ, 34-3; 2. Kaylee Martinsen, EPPJ, 33-3.25; 5. Amber Miller, EV, 32-6.75. Long Jump: 2. Lydai Behnk, EPPJ, 16-00.5; 3. Sierra Rystrom, EV, 15-10.25; 6. Skye Schroeder, OC, 15-04.50. Shot Put: 2. Brooklynn Chipps, OC, 38-7; 6. Alyssa Rood, EV, 33-8. Discus: 4. Brooklynn Chipps, OC, 110-0. 100: 2. Kinzly Macke, OC, 13.40; 4. Alexis Jensen, N-O, 13.77; 6. Skye Schroder, OC, 13.81; 7. Kristen Snodgrass, N-O, 13.82; 8. Page Meis, EPPJ, 14.13. 200: 1. Kinzly Macke, OC, 28.14; 4. Kristen Snodgrass, N-O, 29.3; 6. Skye Schroeder, OC, 29.82; 7. Paige Meis, EPPJ, 29.83; 8. Alexis Jensen, N-O, 30.40. 400: 2. Kylie Thiele, OC, 1:00.68; 3. Alexis Pokorny, OC, 1:04.75; 4. Kaylee Martinsen, EPPJ, 1:05.00; 8. Amber Miller, EV, 1:08.61. 800: 1. Kylie Thiele, OC, 2:29.88; 2. Alison Stineman, EV, 2:36.46; 8. Allison Kerkman, OC, 2:51.49. 1,600: 1. Alison Stineman, EV, 5:52.52; 4. Anna Heilhecker, EPPJ, 5:59.46; 8. Allison Kerkman, OC, 6:31.67. 3,200: 4. Alison Stineman, EV, 13:41.74. 100 HH: 3. Hannah Ollendick, EV, 17.30; 5. Alyx Siems, OC, 18.10; 7. Haley Fleetwood, EV, 19.30. 300 LH: 2. Hannah Ollendick, Hannah, EV, 51.91; 3. Bailey Frey, N-O, 52.53; 8. Haley Fleetwood, EV, 55.53. 4x100: 1, Clearwater/Orchard 52.76 (Thiele, Kylie; Stearns, Katie; Schroeder, Skye; Macke, Kinzly); 5. Elkhorn Valley 55.88 (Fleetwood, Haley; Rood, Alyssa; Rystrom, Sierra; Ollendick, Hannah); 7. Neligh-Oakdale 56.35 (Snodgrass, Kristen; Boggs, Adysen; Frey, Bailey; Jensen, Alexis); 8. Eppj 56.79 (Kallhoff, Kayce; Wemhoff, Baylee; Behnk, Lydia; Meis, Paige). Long Jump: 2. Lydia Behnk, Eppj, 16-00.50; 3. Sierra Rystrom, EV, 15-10.25; 6. Schroeder, Skye, OC,15-04.50. 4x400: 1 Clearwater/Orchard 4:20.32; (Macke, Kinzly; Johnston, JoCee; Pokorny, Alexis; Thiele, Kylie); 5. Elkhorn Valley 4:35.92 (Rystrom, Sierra; Ollendick, Hannah; Miller, Amber; Fleetwood, Haley); 6. Eppj 4:39.45 (Martinsen, Kaylee; Wemhoff, Baylee; Wemhoff, Allyson; Behnk, Lydia). 4x800: 2. Eppj 11:12.87 (Wemhoff, Baylee; Wemhoff, Allyson; Bauer, Heather; Heilhecker, Anna) 5. Elkhorn Valley 12:06.89 (Nall, Olivia; Bacon, Kaylee; Eckert, Haley; Frey, Kim); 6. Neligh-Oakdale 12:08.12 (Bixler, Emma; Kerkman, Haley; Grosserode, Kasi; Chance, Jayda); 7. Clearwater-Orchard 12:22.00 (Moser, Alyssa; Thiele, Julia; Knievel, Brooke; Sanne, Taylor). Antelope County Boys Medalists High Jump: 2. Tucker Hecht, EV, 5-10; 2. Tyson Belitz, N-O, 5-10; 5. Seth Lampert, OC, 5-6; 6. Jacob Long, OC, 5-4; 8. Brock Schaecher, EV, 5-4. Pole Vault: 3. Cole Belitz, N-O, 10-6; 4. Tyler Miller, EV, 10-0; 5. Kaleb Pohfal, N-O, 10-0; 7. Dillon Stewart, EV, 9-0; 8. Chris Kester, OC, 8-0. Long Jump: 2. Jayden Arehart, N-O, 18-0; 3. Brayden Effle, EV, 18-0. Triple Jump: 3. Jacob Long, OC, 40-4.5; 5. Grant White, N-O, 39-7.5; 6. Brayden Effle, EV, 38-10.5; 7. Tyson Belitz, N-O, 38-4.5. Shot Put: 5. Damon Arehart, N-O, 42-0; 7. Jacob Long, OC, 39-6. Discus: 1. Dylan Wilkins, EV, 142-2; 4. Damon Arehart, N-O, 126-6. 100: 3. Alex Kerkman, N-O, 11.82; 4. Cade Wilkinson, N-O, 11.84; 5. Jayden Arehart, N-O, 11.92; 6. Creston Berschinger, OC, 12.02. 200: 5. Alex Kerkman, N-O, 24.91; 6. Cade Wilkinson, N-O, 25.17. 400: 3. Tucker Hecht, EV, 54.70. 800: 4. Tucker Hecht, EV, 2:12.04; 6. Cole Belitz, N-O, 2:14.84. 1,600: 6. Cole Belitz, N-O, 5:13.93; 7. Austin Miller, EV, 5:16.02. 3,200: 3. Austin Miller, EV, 11:14.50; 4. Adam Dreger, EPPJ, 12:11.70; 6. Christian Carothers, N-O, 12:42.20; 7. Brandon Evans, EV, 12:52.50; 8. Seth Lampert, OC, 12:57.30. 110 HH: 5. Creston Berschinger, OC, 17:70; 7. Brayden Effle, EV, 17.98; 300 IH: 1. Grant White, N-O, 43.21; 2. Brayden Effle, EV, 44.24; 7. Kaleb Pohfal, N-O, 48.98. 4x100: 1. Neligh-Oakdale 46.54 (White, Grant; Wilkinson, Cade; Arehart, Jayden; Kerkman, Alex); 6. Clearwater/Orchard 48.76 (Berschinger, Creston; Kester, Chris; Marino, Houston; Long, Jacob); 7. EPPJ 53.18 (Henn, Luke; Hupp, Brody; Knievel, Noah; Evans, Ashton). 4x400: 3. Neligh-Oakdale 3:46.61 (White, Grant; Wilkinson, Cade; Belitz, Tyson; Kerkman, Alex); 6. Elkhorn Valley 4:03.02 3 (Nall, Riley; Krick, Kolton; Dittrich, Kalen; Hecht, Tucker). 4x800: 3. Neligh-Oakdale 9:19.61 (Carothers, Christian; Belitz, Cole; Belitz, Tyson; Charf, Hunter; 6. EPPJ 9:56.62 (Schumacher, Kyle; Dreger, Adam; Lierman, R.J.; Knievel, Noah); Elkhorn Valley 10:00.96 (Evans, Brandon; Nall, Riley; Miller, Tyler; Stewart, Dillon). Complete High School and Junior High Results The Clearwater-Orchard girls track team edged North Central by a mere 4 1/2 points on Saturday to win the Niobrara Valley Conference Championship. While every event contributed to the team title, the race literally came down to the finish line of the final events as the Cyclones won the 4x100 and 4x400. The 4x100 proved to be the final difference in the race as Clearwater-Orchard finished first and North Central placed for. The five point difference pulled the Cyclones girls ahead for the win. In the boys race, the Cyclones finished eighth. The Cyclones had multiple medalists on the day, as well as conference champions. Kylie Thiele and Kinzly Macke both claimed individual titles while conference runner-up honors in individual events went to Brooklynn Chipps and JoCee Johnston. A complete list of medalists is below for high school. A link to junior high and full high school results is at the bottom of the story. A photo gallery is also below results. Antelope County Girls Medalists High Jump: 2. JoCee Johnston, OC, 5-0; 5. Alexis Pokorny, OC, 4-8; 7. Kaylee Martinsen, EPPJ, 4-8; 8. Olivia Nall, EV, 4-6. Pole Vault: 1. Amber Miller, EV, 9-06; 3. Alison Stineman, EV, 8-06; 4. Courtni Heckert, N-O, 7-6; 5. Celina Knievel, N-O, 7-0; 6. Jayda Chance, N-O, 6-06; 8. Olivia Nall, EV, 6-6. Triple Jump: 1. Lydia Behnk, EPPJ, 34-3; 2. Kaylee Martinsen, EPPJ, 33-3.25; 5. Amber Miller, EV, 32-6.75. Long Jump: 2. Lydai Behnk, EPPJ, 16-00.5; 3. Sierra Rystrom, EV, 15-10.25; 6. Skye Schroeder, OC, 15-04.50. Shot Put: 2. Brooklynn Chipps, OC, 38-7; 6. Alyssa Rood, EV, 33-8. Discus: 4. Brooklynn Chipps, OC, 110-0. 100: 2. Kinzly Macke, OC, 13.40; 4. Alexis Jensen, N-O, 13.77; 6. Skye Schroder, OC, 13.81; 7. Kristen Snodgrass, N-O, 13.82; 8. Page Meis, EPPJ, 14.13. 200: 1. Kinzly Macke, OC, 28.14; 4. Kristen Snodgrass, N-O, 29.3; 6. Skye Schroeder, OC, 29.82; 7. Paige Meis, EPPJ, 29.83; 8. Alexis Jensen, N-O, 30.40. 400: 2. Kylie Thiele, OC, 1:00.68; 3. Alexis Pokorny, OC, 1:04.75; 4. Kaylee Martinsen, EPPJ, 1:05.00; 8. Amber Miller, EV, 1:08.61. 800: 1. Kylie Thiele, OC, 2:29.88; 2. Alison Stineman, EV, 2:36.46; 8. Allison Kerkman, OC, 2:51.49. 1,600: 1. Alison Stineman, EV, 5:52.52; 4. Anna Heilhecker, EPPJ, 5:59.46; 8. Allison Kerkman, OC, 6:31.67. 3,200: 4. Alison Stineman, EV, 13:41.74. 100 HH: 3. Hannah Ollendick, EV, 17.30; 5. Alyx Siems, OC, 18.10; 7. Haley Fleetwood, EV, 19.30. 300 LH: 2. Hannah Ollendick, Hannah, EV, 51.91; 3. Bailey Frey, N-O, 52.53; 8. Haley Fleetwood, EV, 55.53. 4x100: 1, Clearwater/Orchard 52.76 (Thiele, Kylie; Stearns, Katie; Schroeder, Skye; Macke, Kinzly); 5. Elkhorn Valley 55.88 (Fleetwood, Haley; Rood, Alyssa; Rystrom, Sierra; Ollendick, Hannah); 7. Neligh-Oakdale 56.35 (Snodgrass, Kristen; Boggs, Adysen; Frey, Bailey; Jensen, Alexis); 8. Eppj 56.79 (Kallhoff, Kayce; Wemhoff, Baylee; Behnk, Lydia; Meis, Paige). Long Jump: 2. Lydia Behnk, Eppj, 16-00.50; 3. Sierra Rystrom, EV, 15-10.25; 6. Schroeder, Skye, OC,15-04.50. 4x400: 1 Clearwater/Orchard 4:20.32; (Macke, Kinzly; Johnston, JoCee; Pokorny, Alexis; Thiele, Kylie); 5. Elkhorn Valley 4:35.92 (Rystrom, Sierra; Ollendick, Hannah; Miller, Amber; Fleetwood, Haley); 6. Eppj 4:39.45 (Martinsen, Kaylee; Wemhoff, Baylee; Wemhoff, Allyson; Behnk, Lydia). 4x800: 2. Eppj 11:12.87 (Wemhoff, Baylee; Wemhoff, Allyson; Bauer, Heather; Heilhecker, Anna) 5. Elkhorn Valley 12:06.89 (Nall, Olivia; Bacon, Kaylee; Eckert, Haley; Frey, Kim); 6. Neligh-Oakdale 12:08.12 (Bixler, Emma; Kerkman, Haley; Grosserode, Kasi; Chance, Jayda); 7. Clearwater-Orchard 12:22.00 (Moser, Alyssa; Thiele, Julia; Knievel, Brooke; Sanne, Taylor). Antelope County Boys Medalists High Jump: 2. Tucker Hecht, EV, 5-10; 2. Tyson Belitz, N-O, 5-10; 5. Seth Lampert, OC, 5-6; 6. Jacob Long, OC, 5-4; 8. Brock Schaecher, EV, 5-4. Pole Vault: 3. Cole Belitz, N-O, 10-6; 4. Tyler Miller, EV, 10-0; 5. Kaleb Pohfal, N-O, 10-0; 7. Dillon Stewart, EV, 9-0; 8. Chris Kester, OC, 8-0. Long Jump: 2. Jayden Arehart, N-O, 18-0; 3. Brayden Effle, EV, 18-0. Triple Jump: 3. Jacob Long, OC, 40-4.5; 5. Grant White, N-O, 39-7.5; 6. Brayden Effle, EV, 38-10.5; 7. Tyson Belitz, N-O, 38-4.5. Shot Put: 5. Damon Arehart, N-O, 42-0; 7. Jacob Long, OC, 39-6. Discus: 1. Dylan Wilkins, EV, 142-2; 4. Damon Arehart, N-O, 126-6. 100: 3. Alex Kerkman, N-O, 11.82; 4. Cade Wilkinson, N-O, 11.84; 5. Jayden Arehart, N-O, 11.92; 6. Creston Berschinger, OC, 12.02. 200: 5. Alex Kerkman, N-O, 24.91; 6. Cade Wilkinson, N-O, 25.17. 400: 3. Tucker Hecht, EV, 54.70. 800: 4. Tucker Hecht, EV, 2:12.04; 6. Cole Belitz, N-O, 2:14.84. 1,600: 6. Cole Belitz, N-O, 5:13.93; 7. Austin Miller, EV, 5:16.02. 3,200: 3. Austin Miller, EV, 11:14.50; 4. Adam Dreger, EPPJ, 12:11.70; 6. Christian Carothers, N-O, 12:42.20; 7. Brandon Evans, EV, 12:52.50; 8. Seth Lampert, OC, 12:57.30. 110 HH: 5. Creston Berschinger, OC, 17:70; 7. Brayden Effle, EV, 17.98; 300 IH: 1. Grant White, N-O, 43.21; 2. Brayden Effle, EV, 44.24; 7. Kaleb Pohfal, N-O, 48.98. 4x100: 1. Neligh-Oakdale 46.54 (White, Grant; Wilkinson, Cade; Arehart, Jayden; Kerkman, Alex); 6. Clearwater/Orchard 48.76 (Berschinger, Creston; Kester, Chris; Marino, Houston; Long, Jacob); 7. EPPJ 53.18 (Henn, Luke; Hupp, Brody; Knievel, Noah; Evans, Ashton). 4x400: 3. Neligh-Oakdale 3:46.61 (White, Grant; Wilkinson, Cade; Belitz, Tyson; Kerkman, Alex); 6. Elkhorn Valley 4:03.02 3 (Nall, Riley; Krick, Kolton; Dittrich, Kalen; Hecht, Tucker). 4x800: 3. Neligh-Oakdale 9:19.61 (Carothers, Christian; Belitz, Cole; Belitz, Tyson; Charf, Hunter; 6. EPPJ 9:56.62 (Schumacher, Kyle; Dreger, Adam; Lierman, R.J.; Knievel, Noah); Elkhorn Valley 10:00.96 (Evans, Brandon; Nall, Riley; Miller, Tyler; Stewart, Dillon). Complete High School and Junior High Results Three Antelope County golf teams overcame difficult playing conditions Saturday and finished in the top eight of the West Holt Invite.
Led by Chad Bode, Elgin Public Pope John shot a 363 to finish fourth. Liam Heithoff also medaled for the Wolfpack. Bode shot an 81 while Heithoff carded an 86. Neligh-Oakdale placed seventh and Clearwater-Orchard finished one place back in eighth. Full individual results are not available at this time. Team Scores 1. West Holt 329, 2. Creighton 339, 3O’Neill 340, 4. EPPJ 363, 5 West Holt JV 370, 6. Boyd County 391, 7. Neligh-Oakdale 392, 8. Clearwater-Orchard 415, 9. Niobrara-Verdigre 427, 10. Plainview 437, 11. North Central 462, 12. Ainsworth 485. Top 15 Medalists 1. Mason Hale, West Holt, 73; 2. Brady Brockhaus, Creighton, 78; 3. Josh Cuddy, O'Neill, 79; 4. Chad Bode, EPPJ, 81; 5. Jared Peed, O'Neill, 81; 6. Chase Largen, Creighton, 85; 7. Theo Stenka, West Holt, 85; 8. Bryce Kerkman, West Holt, 85; 9. Ryan Neumann, Creighton, 86; 10. Seth Hytrek, West Holt, 86; 11. Liam Heithoff, EPPJ, 86; 12. Cole Gaughenbaugh, O’Neill, 86, 13. Sam Wilkins, Ainsworth, 89; 14. Bryce Zimmerer, Creighton, 90; 15. Eddie Fredrick, West Holt, 90. Competitors couldn't have asked for a much better day than Thursday to compete at the Northeast Nebraska Track and Field Classic at Norfolk High School. The sun popped out and the wind died down, allowing the athletes to show their best in the all-class meet.
The big winner of the day was Clearwater-Orchard's Kylie Thiele. The senior qualified in three events, but competed in just one on the day, the 800 meter run. It turned out to be worth it, as she took first place with a strong performance, putting in a time of 2:23.00. Thiele wasn't the only Cyclone to medal on the day. Brooklynn Chipps took fourth in the shot put, throwing 36-07.25. Alexis Pokorny and JoCee Johnston each made the trip to Norfolk as well, with both competing in the high jump. However, neither left with a medal. Pokorny finished 10th with a jump of 4-10.00 and Johnston took ninth at the same height after a jump off. Elgin Public/Pope John's Lydia Behnk represented the Wolfpack in the triple jump. She finished third on the day, posting a best mark of 34-03.00. Elkhorn Valley sent a number of qualifiers to the meet, led by double-qualifier Amber Miller. Miller made the trip in both the triple jump and the pole vault, coming home with one medal. She finished tied for third in a tough vault battle, reaching a height of 9-06.00. In the triple jump, she just missed a medal with a seventh place finish thanks to a jump of 32-03.25. Sierra Rystrom also came home with a medal. She took fourth in the long jump with a leap of 15-07.00. Tucker Hecht earned a medal as well, finishing fifth in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:04.27. Rounding out the medalists for EV was Dylan Wilkins. He launched a throw of 135-06 in the discus for fourth place. Results for the Northeast Nebraska Track and Field Classic - Girls Girls 800 M Run 1. Kylie Thiele, Clearwater-Orchard 2:23.00 Girls High Jump 9. JoCee Johnston, Clearwater-Orchard 4-10.00 10. Alexis Pokorny, Clearwater-Orchard 4-10.00 Girls Pole Vault 3. Amber Miller, Elkhorn Valley 9-06.00 Girls Long Jump 4. Sierra Rystrom, Elkhorn Valley 15-07.00 Girls Triple Jump 3. Lydia Behnk, EPPJ 34-03.00 7. Amber Miller, Elkhorn Valley 32-03.25 Girls Shot Put 4. Brooklynn Chipps, Clearwater-Orchard 36-07.25 Results for Northeast Nebraska Track and Field Classic - Boys Boys 800 M Run 5. Tucker Hecht, Elkhorn Valley 2:04.27 Boys 1600 M Run 7. Austin Miller, Elkhorn Valley 5:01.33 Boys Discus 4. Dylan Wilkins, Elkhorn Valley 135-06 The Neligh-Oakdale boys and girls track teams competed in the Patriot Invite at Madison on Thursday.
Postponed due to Tuesday's rain showers, the Warriors had a sunny day for their pre-conference meet. The boys team placed third and the girls were fifth in the competitive nine-team meet. Aquinas Catholic High School teams won both divisions. Results for Patriot Invite - Girls 100 m. Dash 8. Alexis Jensen, 13.88 100 m. Hurdles 6. Bailey Frey, 19.0 300 m. Low Hurdles 1. Bailey Frey, 51.2 3200 m. Relay 5. Neligh-Oakdale - Jayda Chance, Haley Kerkman, Rachel Higgins and Hailey Bixler, 12:39.8 Pole Vault 4. Courtni Heckert, 8' 0" 5. Celina Knievel, 7' 6" 8. Jayda Chance, 6' 6" High Jump 3. Jayda Chance, 4' 4.5" 8. Shelby Pitzer, 4' 2" Long Jump 7. Alexis Jensen, 13' 5" Triple Jump 7. Bailey Frey, 29' 5.5" 400 m. Dash 7. Hannah Schrader, 1:12.9 800 m. Run 5. Emma Bixler, 2:47.5 7. Haley Kerkman, 2:55.9 200 m. Dash 7. Kristen Snodgrass, 29.02 1600 m. Relay 6. Neligh-Oakdale - Addysen Boggs, Hannah Schrader, Mackenzie Rudolf and Chase Vleck Results for Patriot Invite - Boys 100 m. Dash 6. Jayden Arehart, 11.81 110 m. Hurdles 8. Kaleb Pofahl, 19.6 1600 m. Run 3. Cole Belitz, 5:13.1 300 m. Int. Hurdles 2. Grant White, 44.3 3200 m. Relay 4. Neligh-Oakdale - Christian Carothers, Hunter Charf, Isiac Kurpgeweit and Gage Dawson 400 m. Relay 3. Neligh-Oakdale - Grant White, Jayden Arehart, Cade Wilkinson and Alex Kerkman Discus 4. Damon Arehart, 118' 10" Pole Vault 4T. Kaleb Pofahl, 10' 6.02" 7. Cole Belitz, 10' 6" Shot Put 3. Damon Arehart, 40' 4" High Jump 2. Tyson Belitz, 5' 8" Long Jump 6. Jayden Arehart, 17' 10.5" 8. Grant White, 17' 3.75" Triple Jump 3. Grant White, 38' 11.75" 6. Tyson Belitz, 37' .25" 800 m. Run 2. Cole Belitz, 2:18.3 4. Christian Carothers, 2:23.6 200 m. Dash 6. Jayden Arehart, 24.4 7. Alex Kerkman, 24.41 1600 m. Relay 3. Neligh-Oakdale - Alex Kerkman, Cole Belitz, Cade Wilkinson and Tyson Belitz Despite the chilly start to the day, things could not have gone much better for Elgin Public/Pope John junior Liam Heithoff.
Heithoff battled the cold early and continued a strong day when the sun came out, finishing with an 80 to finish third at the Niobrara Valley Conference Golf Tournament on Thursday at Summerland. That made him the leader for a strong Wolfpack squad that took second in the team race with a score of 346. West Holt took the team title with a 320. Two other Wolfpack golfers medaled on the day, Chad Bode and Miles Schrage. The duo finished fifth and seventh with rounds of 84 and 86, respectively. Hunter Reestman finished with a 96 on the day and Cade Heithoff added a 116 for EPPJ. Clearwater-Orchard wasn't far behind in the team standings, taking fourth with a 389. The Cyclones were led by 94's from Ryan Wilhelm and Gage Clifton. Zane Herley finished the day at 99, Blake Hoke shot a 102 and Peyton Clifton ended up with a 113 on the day. Neligh-Oakdale battled to a sixth-place finish with a score of 396. Chris Bentley finished just two strokes out of the medal contention with an 89. Marty Beyer was next in line with a 96 and Austin Rice shot a 98. Beau Murray ended with a 113 and Ashton Krebs rounded out the Warrior golfers with a 121. Elkhorn Valley rounded out the Antelope County teams. With just three golfers, they didn't record a team score. Bryson Anderson led the Falcons with a 92, followed closely by PJ Miguelino's 99. Zane Richardson finished the day with a 134. In the JV race, Clearwater-Orchard took second and EPPJ took fourth. For years, the Northeast Nebraska Track and Field Classic has served as essentially a state meet preview for area track athletes. The prestigious meet brings together Northeast Nebraska's top competitors to battle it out for bragging rights across the area. This year looks to be a competitive year. Here's five things you need to know before heading to Norfolk on Thursday.
1. The who and when A number of top competitors will be at the meet. From Antelope County, you can see 10 top athletes at work. Alexis Pokorny and JoCee Johnston, both of Clearwater-Orchard, will take to the high jump at 4:15 p.m. Sierra Rystrom of Elkhorn Valley is scheduled to make her first jump in the long jump at the same time. At 4:30 p.m., Brooklynn Chipps of O-C will get to work in the shot put, as will Dylan Wilkins of Elkhorn Valley in the discus. At 4:45 p.m., Amber Miller of Elkhorn Valley will take part in her first event, the pole vault. She will also take part in the triple jump at 5:15 p.m., along with Lydia Behnk of EPPJ. At 5:55 p.m., Kylie Thiele of O-C and Austin Miller of EV will take part in the 1600 meter run. Thiele will be busy, as she will then compete in the 400 meter dash at 6:20 p.m. and the 800 meter run at 7:00 p.m. Tucker Hecht of EV will also take part in the 800. 2. Expect to see a record on the boys side As expected at a top-flight meet such as this, the record book is fairly impressive for the Classic. However, this year, expect to see a record or two fall. One to watch is the boys 100 meter dash where Norfolk Catholic's Dylan Kautz enters with a qualifying time of 10.64 and has ran even faster. The all-time record is 10.74 set in 1996 by Chad Theisen of Pierce. Another record to watch is the boys 300 meter hurdles, set in 2008 by Norfolk Catholic's Jon Love with a 39.59. Norfolk's Jake Long isn't far off, boasting a qualifying time of 39.8. 3. The three most exciting races will be on the girls side Obviously the entire meet will be competitive. However, the 4x100 race will be a tight one, with all eight teams entering with qualifying times within a second of each other. The 800 meter run will be another good one, with Taya Johnson of Battle Creek and Thiele entering the race with qualifying times within .5 seconds of each other. Finally, while not a race per se, keep an eye on the discus competition. 4. We may get a break in the weather After a bit of a gloomy week outside, track fans may get a break on Thursday with a nice day to be outside. Temperatures won't be overly warm, with a predicted high of 56 degrees. But the sun is expected to poke out and the wind should be bearable at just 10-15 miles per hour. 5. Who takes the Outstanding Performer Award? There are plenty of worth candidates this year and it will take a real special athlete to rise to the top. Can Antelope County see their first recipient? No competitor from the county has ever brought back the award in the near-20-year history of the award. Could Thiele be in the running on the girls side? She may be the most likely candidate as she will take part in three events and is ranked in the top three in two of them. The Clearwater-Orchard golfers were busy over the weekend, traveling to the Osmond Invite.
The Cyclones battled some of the area's best at the Saturday meet, finishing seventh in the team standings with 390 points. Freshman Gage Clifton led the charge for the Cyclones on the day, shooting a 93, good for 15th in the field. Codey Snider and Blake Hoke each just missed earning a medal, finishing with rounds of 97 and 98, respectively. Ryan Wilhelm shot a 102 on the day while Travis Rudloff rounded out the Cyclone golfers with a 112. The Elkhorn Valley boys and girls track teams have been nothing short of impressive all season and that is evident when looking at the list of qualifiers for the Northeast Nebraska Track and Field Classic.
The Falcons will send five athletes to Norfolk on Thursday to compete in the prestigious meet. Amber Miller leads the way as a double qualifier, earning a spot at the meet in the triple jump and pole vault. Her triple jump mark of 33-03 is the eighth-highest qualifying mark of the meet and her vault of 9-06 is the third highest of all qualifiers. Sierra Rystrom's mark of 15-08 qualified her for the long jump. Austin Miller qualified in the 1600 meter run thanks to his time of 5:01.24. Tucker Hecht will join his EV teammates after qualifying in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:08.34. Rounding out the Falcon qualifiers is Dylan Wilkins. He will take part in the discus thanks to a qualifying mark of 136-06. Elgin Public/Pope John will be one of the number of Northeast Nebraska schools present at the Northeast Nebraska Track and Field Classic.
Lydia Behnk will represent the Wolfpack at the prestigious meet thanks to her outstanding performances so far this season in the triple jump. She qualified thanks to her season-best jump of 34-07.25, good for fourth of the qualifying marks at the meet. The Classic will be Thursday in Norfolk. Four Cyclones have received an invitation to the elite Northeast Nebraska Track and Field Classic.
Kylie Thiele, Brooklyn Chipps, Alexis Pokorny and JoCee Johnston each qualified for Thursday's meet in Norfolk, according to longtime meet director Gary Schuurmans. The initial qualifiers were released Sunday with scratches anticipated to be released on Monday. Thiele qualified in the 400, 800 and 1600 while Brooklynn Chipps will compete in the shot put. Both Pokorny and Johnston qualified in the high jump. The high jump will begin at 4:15 p.m. with the shot put at 4:30 p.m. The 1600 will be 5:55 p.m., 400 at 6:20 p.m. and 800 at 7 p.m. A Saturday track trip was apparently just what the Cyclones needed this past weekend as they took part in the Wausa Invite.
Three Cyclone records fell at the meet, topping an impressive overall day for Clearwater-Orchard. Brooklynn Chipps, who has already cemented herself as one of the best throwers in Clearwater-Orchard history, broke the school record in the discus when she launched a throw of 109-04. She took first in the event, as well as in shot put with a throw of 35-10.5. Kylie Thiele also shattered a school record, with hers coming in the 800 meter run. Her time of 2:22.7 seconds set the new school mark and was good for second place on the day. That time is also the second-highest mark in Class D this year. The final record-breaking performance came from Creston Bertschinger. The junior took fourth in the 100 meter dash with an 11.8. However, his prelim time of 11.63 put him on top of the list in Clearwater-Orchard history. Other top performers on the day were Alexis Pokorny and Jacob Long. The duo combined for three gold medals on the day. Results for Wausa Invite - Girls Girls shot put 1. Brooklynn Chipps, Clearwater-Orchard 35-10.5 Girls discus 1. Brooklynn Chipps, Clearwater-Orchard 109-04 Girls High Jump 1. Alexis Pokorny, Clearwater-Orchard 5-00 3. JoCee Johnston, Clearwater-Orchard 4-10 Girls 100 M Dash 4. Kinzly Macke, Clearwater-Orchard 13.2 Girls 200 M Dash 4. Kinzly Macke, Clearwater-Orchard 28.1 Girls 400 M Dash 1. Kylie Thiele, Clearwater-Orchard 60.4 6. Alexis Pokorny, Clearwater-Orchard 65.9 Girls 800 M Run 2. Kylie Thiele, Clearwater-Orchard 2:22.7 Girls 1600 M Run 6. Allison Kerkman, Clearwater-Orchard 6:15.7 Girls 4x100 M Relay 4. Clearwater-Orchard 54.6 Girls 4x400 M Relay 3. 4:26.50 Results for Wausa Invite - Boys Boys pole vault 2. Seth Lampert, Clearwater-Orchard 8-00 Boys triple jump 1. Jacob Long, Clearwater-Orchard 40-06 Boys high jump 1. Jacob Long, Clearwater-Orchard 5-10 5. Seth Lampert, Clearwater-Orchard 5-02 Boys 100 M Dash 4. Creston Bertschinger, Clearwater-Orchard 11.8, 11.63 prelim By Dr. Jim Tenopir NSAA Executive Director Parents of home-school students continue to express the desire for their children to be able to participate in school sports and performing arts. These requests regularly come to the NSAA, but the response we provide is seldom acceptable. We have had many discussions with the NSAA Board of Directors about possible changes in eligibility standards for home-schooled students, including extended discussion at the NSAA Board Retreat last summer and in several monthly Board meetings. I believe that most of the NSAA Board has come to the realization that compromises can be made to the process for home-school students without compromising NSAA eligibility guidelines. the more we have looked at the issue, many of us have come to realize that there are valid reasons to explore opportunities for such students to access NSAA activities. “I have come a long way in seeing the benefits of an open-minded approach to permitting home-school students to participate in high school sports and activities.” That was the paraphrased comments I received from a school administrator during the recent Girls State Basketball Tournament. It is my hope that more and more school administrators can understand the value of possible bylaw changes that might avail participation opportunities to this grouping of students. As most school administrators are aware, this year’s NSAA legislative process has included a fresh look at how home-school students might be able to participate in NSAA sports and performing arts. During my tenure at NSAA, there have been several initiatives proposed to permit home-school students to be able to play basketball, or sing in the school’s choir, or compete in soccer. As one who served 18 years as a school superintendent, I often embraced the NSAA requirement that a student had to be at least a half-time student to be able to participate. Yet, I’ve come to realize that the vast majority of parents of home-school students choose to home school their children got good and reasoned and closely held beliefs. I have come to realize that the home-school option often cannot be interpreted as an anti-public (or private) school initiative. It has been pointed out that it is not easy to try to teach your own children day in and day out. But many parents take this approach of home schooling for many reason — personal reasons they feel very strongly about. The legislation that has successfully navigated the NSAA District Meeting process requires the home-school student to be enrolled in an exempt school that is approved as a Rule 13 NDE school, and it requires the student to be currently enrolled in twenty credit hours of schoolwork or four classes during the current semester; albeit under the proposed legislation only ten credit hours of that schoolwork would be required in the member school — rather than all four classes. Further, in subsequent semesters, when looking back to make sure such students have successfully completed twenty credit hours of schoolwork the immediate preceding semester, at least ten of those twenty credit hours would need to have been earned at the member high school. LB 58 was introduced this year in the Nebraska Legislature. The original language would have been much less restrictive than the NSAA proposal; however, in working with state senators and legislative aides, the language in the NSAA proposal was permitted to be amended into the version of LB 58 that was heard by the Education Committee. LB 58 still sits in committee, awaiting the results of the NSAA legislation at the April 7 Representative Assembly. For the NSAA home-school proposal to pass at Representative Assembly, it will require a 3/5 favorable vote, and since it is an eligibility matter, if it passes Representative Assembly, it would require a favorable referendum vote of our member schools. If the legislative proposal is forwarded to the membership for a referendum vote, I would encourage school administrators to seriously consider the proposed changes. I believe we have been given an opportunity to solve our own issues without interference from the Legislature. I have always held that it is preferable for NSAA issues to remain outside the Capitol walls. I believe this compromise NSAA legislation is an opportunity to provide participation opportunities for more home-school students without unduly compromising NSAA eligibility guidelines. The NSAA proposal represents a change over what has been required in the past, but I believe it is a good consideration going forward. I know that there are administrators in our local schools who would prefer that home-school student should have to attend the member school more than the current four classes. I understand. It would be my hope that all school administrators take an extra look at the NSAA legislative proposal to determine whether a change from the current norm might be effective for home-school students while still maintaining the integrity of our activities programs. While the Neligh-Oakdale high schoolers are hard at work in the midst of their track season, the junior high competitors have been strong throughout the year as well, a trend that continued in O'Neill.
The boys took third at the O'Neill Invite. A number of athletes had strong performances on the day, including the likes of Julien Hearn, Dawson Kaup, Carson Jones, Isaias Juare, Thomas Johnson, Colton Klabenes, Griffen Claussen and Brock Kester. On the girls side, the Warriors took fourth. Claire Whitesel, Brook Frey, Trinity Kurpgeweit, Aleesha Bergman, Paige Furstenau, Aubrie Klabenes and Elly Herley all performed among the top five in their respective events. Results for JH O'Neill Invite - Boys Boys team results: 3. Neligh-Oakdale 107; Boys 100 M Dash: 3. Julien Hearn, Neligh-Oakdale 13.59, 4. Thomas Johnson, Neligh-Oakdale 13.64, 6. Isaias Juarez, Neligh-Oakdale 13.96; Boys 200 M Dash: 2. Carson Jones, Neligh-Oakdale 28.40, 4. Isaias Juarez, Neligh-Oakdale 29.55, 11. Adan Schindler, Neligh-Oakdale 32.20, 18. Parker Tinsley, Neligh-Oakdale B 37.38, 19. Trey Svatos, Neligh-Oakdale B 37.48, 21. Ethan Gregory, Neligh-Oakdale B 41.51; Boys 400 M Dash: 2. Colton Klabenes, Neligh-Oakdale 1:00.52, 4. Griffin Claussen, Neligh-Oakdale 1:06.38; Boys 800 M Run: 5. Brock Kester, Neligh-Oakdale 2:44.57, 6. Garret Belitz, Neligh-Oakdale 2:52.58, 8. Ashton Higgins, Neligh-Oakdale 3:10.48, 10. Ethan Gregory, Neligh-Oakdale B 3:45.67; Boys 1600 M Run: 9. Ethan Gregory, Neligh-Oakdale B 8:20.70; Boys 200 M Hurdles: 9. Griffen Claussen, Neligh-Oakdale 33.58, 11. Tyson Rix, Neligh-Oakdale 35.75, 13. Dominique Wright, Neligh-Oakdale 37.41; Boys 4x100 M Relay: 4. Neligh-Oakdale 55.99; Boys 4x800 M Relay: 3. Neligh-Oakdale 11:06.85; Boys 800 Sprint Medley: 1. Neligh-Oakdale 1:58.37 Boys High Jump: 2. Julien Hearn, Neligh-Oakdale 5-02, 7. Dawson Kaup, Neligh-Oakdale 4-06, 12. Carson Jones, Neligh-Oakdale 4-00; Boys Pole Vault: 3. Talon Krebs, Neligh-Oakdale 7-06, 4. Brock Kester, Neligh-Oakdale 7-00, 7. Caleb Payne, Neligh-Oakdale 6-06; Boys Long Jump: 9. Jesse Green, Neligh-Oakdale 14-00.75, 17. Cody Booth, Neligh-Oakdale 13-02.00, 18. Thomas Johnson, Neligh-Oakdale 13-01.00, 21. Adan Schindler, Neligh-Oakdale B 10-11.75, 22. Trey Svatos, Neligh-Oakdale B 10-11.25, 23. Parker Tinsley, Neligh-Oakdale B 10-01.25; Boys Triple Jump: 1. Julien Hearn, Neligh-Oakdale 36-11, 2. Dawson Kaup, Neligh-Oakdale 36-06, 10. Griffen Claussen, Neligh-Oakdale B 31-08, 13. Dominique Wright, Neligh-Oakdale B 28-07; Boys Shot Put: 4. Colton Klabenes, Neligh-Oakdale 35-00, 18. Simon Beacom, Neligh-Oakdale B 23-08, 20. 20. Jace Cameron, Neligh-Oakdale, 22-05, 21. Julio Tellez, Neligh-Oakdale 22-01; Boys Discus Throw: 1. Dawson Kaup, Neligh-Oakdale 120-08, 11. Jackson Keetle, Neligh-Oakdale 84-02, 17. Andrew Jacobsen, Neligh-Oakdale 66-02, 26. Simon Beacom, Neligh-Oakdale B 50-10. Results for JH O'Neill Invite - Girls Girls team results: 4. Neligh-Oakdale 49.50 Girls 100 M Dash: 5. Claire Whitesel, Neligh-Oakdale 14.81, 11. Paige Furstenau, Neligh-Oakdale 15.75, 18. Evelyn Vasquez, Neligh-Oakdale 16.37, 19. Emma Boggs, Neligh-Oakdale B 16.86, 26. Mackenzie Sands, Neligh-Oakdale B 20.07, 27. Chloe Carothers, Neligh-Oakdale B 20.45; Girls 200 M Dash: 2. Claire Whitesel, Neligh-Oakdale 30.37, 14. Evelyn Vasquez, Neligh-Oakdale 33.57, 18. Vanessa Parra, Neligh-Oakdale 34.90, 19. Emma Boggs, Neligh-Oakdale 35.03, 23. Alyssa Daniel, Neligh-Oakdale 36.56, 27. Sadie Heckert, Neligh-Oakdale B 45.45; Girls 400 M Dash: 8. Trinity Kurpgeweit, Neligh-Oakdale 1:15.83, 12. Aleesha Bergman, Neligh-Oakdale 1:17.61; Girls 100 M Hurdles: 4. Trinity Kurpgeweit, Neligh-Oakdale 19.00, 14. Aubrie Klabenes, Neligh-Oakdale 21.24, 17. Aleesha Bergman, Neligh-Oakdale 22.72; Girls 200 M Hurdles: 5. Aleesha Bergman, Neligh-Oakdale 36.35, 10. Aubrie Klabenes, Neligh-Oakdale 37.64; Girls 4x100 M Relay: 3. Neligh-Oakdale 58.58; Girls 800 Sprint Medley: 6. Neligh-Oakdale 2:30.54, 9. Neligh-Oakdale B 2:35.32; Girls High Jump: 7. Aubrie Klabenes, Neligh-Oakdale 4-02, 9. Brooke Frey, Neligh-Oakdale 4-02, 10. Trinity Kurpgeweit, Neligh-Oakdale 4-02; Girls Pole Vault: 5. Paige Furstenau, Neligh-Oakdale 6-06; Girls Long Jump: 14. Aleesha Bergman, Neligh-Oakdale 10-11.00, 16. Evelyn Vasquez, Neligh-Oakdale 10-09.00, 20. Alyssa Daniel, Neligh-Oakdale 10-01.50, 22. Emma Boggs, Neligh-Oakdale B 9-11.50, 24. Vanessa Parra, Neligh-Oakdale B 9-10.50; Girls Triple Jump: 1. Brooke Frey, Neligh-Oakdale 29-00.50, 3. Claire Whitesel, Neligh-Oakdale 28-00.50, 4. Aubrie Klabenes, Neligh-Oakdale 27-01.50; Girls Shot Put: 11. Elly Herley, Neligh-Oakdale 21-04.50, 17. Riley Martensen, Neligh-Oakdale B 19-07.00, 19. Grace Shabram, Neligh-Oakdale B 19-06.00, 20. Meredith Wiseman, Neligh-Oakdale 19-03.00, 21. Sydney Olson, Neligh-Oakdale 18-09.00, 25. Hannah Vraspir, Neligh-Oakdale B 17-05.50, Girls Discus Throw: 4. Elly Herley, Neligh-Oakdale 69-08, 11. Meredith Wiseman, Neligh-Oakdale 58-09, 20. Sydney Olson, Neligh-Oakdale 50-01, 28. Grace Shabram, Neligh-Oakdale B 40-05, 29. Hannah Vraspir, Neligh-Oakdale B 39-04.50, 30. Kim Dreger, Neligh-Oakdale B 35-11. |
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