 The schedule of events was released on Wednesday for the Niobrara Valley Conference Junior and Senior High Track Meet in Atikinson on Saturday, April 27.
The conference meet, which will be held at West Holt's Roger Brink Track and Field Complex, is co-hosted by Neligh-Oakdale and CWC this year. Schedule of Events: 9:30 a.m.- FIELD EVENTS- prelims followed by finals In Shot Put, Discus, Long Jump, and Triple Jump: Junior High will be 4 attempts only. High School will be 3 attempts and Finals. Shot Put ------- JH Boys followed by JH Girls Boys (Ring #1) Shot Put ------- HS Girls followed by HS Boys (Ring #2) Discus --------- HS Boys followed by HS Girls (Ring #1) Discus --------- JH Girls followed by JH Boys (Ring #2) Pole Vault ----- HS Boys followed by HS Girls followed by JH Boys then JH Girls High Jump --- HS Girls followed by HS Boys High Jump-----JH Girls/followed by JH Boys Long Jump ---- HS Boys followed by JH Boys (West side of track -pit TBD) Long Jump ---- JH Girls followed by HS Girls (West side of track – pit TBD) Triple Jump --- JH Boys followed by HS Boys, HS Girls followed by JH Girls (North side of the track – east pit) We may start a pit for the girls when the pole vault is complete since it is a shared runway. 11:00 a.m. RUNNING STARTS – Girls followed by Boys JH 3200 Meter Relay—Finals HS 3200 Meter Relay- Finals JHG 100 Meter Low Hurdles- Finals (30 Inches) JHB 100 Meter Intermediate Hurdles- Finals (33 Inches) HSG 100 Meter High Hurdles—Prelims (Girls) HSB 110 Meter High Hurdles—Prelims (Boys) JH 100 Meter Dash - Finals HS 100 Meter Dash—Prelims JH 400 Meter Dash - Finals HS 400 Meter Dash—Finals HS 3200 Meter Run—Finals JH 200 Meter Dash - Finals HS 200 Meter Dash—Prelims QUALIFYING FOR FINALS: Heat winners plus the next fastest times to fill eight qualifying positions. (High School Only) SHORT BREAK—if possible ALL FINALS: HS 100 High Hurdles- Girls HS 110 High Hurdles- Boys HS 100 Meter Dash JH 800 Meter Run HS 800 Meter Run JH 300 Meter Low Hurdles (30 inches for both girls and boys) HS 300 Meter Low Hurdles- Girls HS 300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles- Boys HS 200 Meter Dash JH 1600 Meter Run HS 1600 Meter Run JH 400 Meter Relay HS 400 Meter Relay HS Freshman 400 Meter Relay (boys and girls run together) JH 1600 Meter Relay HS 1600 Meter Relay  Several area gridiron seniors were selected to play in the Sertoma 8-man all-star game June 15 at 6 p.m. at Hastings College.
Elkhorn Valley’s Josh McFarland and Neligh-Oakdale’s Austin Rice each earned spots on the East squad. Clearwater/Orchard seniors Chris Kester and Jacob Long will play for the West team, led by head Jeff Shabram. For Knox County, Wausa’s Ghatlin Hegge and Bloomfield’s Mitchell Mackeprang will suit up for the East team. Riverside senior Ty Martinsen was tabbed to play for the West squad, while West Holt coach Steve Neptune will serve as an assistant on the team. EAST: Edwen Baptista, Exeter-Milligan/Friend; Drew Bippes, Falls City Sacred Heart; Noah Boersen, Nebraska Christian; John Christensen, BDS; Koby Dillon, Palmyra; Braden Freudenburg, Humphrey St. Francis; Lane Hegemann, Howells-Dodge; Ghatlin Hegge, Wausa; Lane Heikkinen, Lawrence-Nelson; Anthony Heiman, Osmond; Grant Hollinger, Cross County; Michael Jensen, Winside; Jacob Kneifl, Emerson-Hubbard; Ethan Koch, Hartington-Newcastle; James Lesiak, Fullerton; Mitchell Mackeprang, Bloomfield; Josh McFarland, Elkhorn Valley; Austin Rice, Neligh-Oakdale; Jacob Schoenholz, BDS; Jake Sharp, Lawrence-Nelson; Kyle Smith, Allen; Jake Twogood, Nebraska Christian; Jarrett Weidner, Humphrey St. Francis; Connor Wilcox, Luth. High Northeast. COACHES: Head--Ryan Haughton, Fullerton; Asst--Carl Ostrand, Ne. Christian; Asst--Corey Uldrich, Hartington-Newcastle; Asst--Eric Frenzen, Fullerton. WEST: Gentry Anderson, Arapahoe; Bennet Floyd, Sutherland; Schuyler Brown, Overton; Alex Chapa, Ravenna; Ryan Denkert, Kenesaw; Caid Doetker, Wauneta-Palisade; Lane Edis, Mullen; Gage Haake, Sandhills-Thedford; Dayne Hinrichs, Giltner; Jordan Holen, Bertrand; Jarred Ivey, Amherst; Tanner Kauk, Alma; Chris Kester, Clearwater-Orchard; Jacob Long, Clearwater-Orchard; Ty Martinsen, Riverside; Colton Munger, North Central; Cade Payne, Hemingford; Riley Racicky, Pleasanton; Gavin Robertson, South Loup; Chad Samuelson, Palmer; Zac Sweet, Mullen; Josh Urbanovsky, Burwell; Issaac Wahls, Loomis; Austin Wolfe, Medicine Valley. COACHES: Head--Jeff Shabram, Clearwater-Orchard; Asst--Steve Neptune, West Holt; Asst--Scott Jorgensen-Paxton; Asst--Mark Dethlefs, Bertrand.  Clearwater senior Jacob Long is ready to take his talents to the next level. On Tuesday in front of friends, family and mentors, Long signed his letter of intent to continue his track and field career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “It’s really exciting and something I’ve always dreamed of,” Long stated. “When I was little, I didn’t think I’d be a track athlete, but it’s something I’m definitely super excited about.” Long will join the Husker track and field team as a walk-on in hopes of becoming a scholarship athlete in the future. “It will motivate me to want to get a scholarship,” Long added. “It’s definitely an honor to get a scholarship. It’s going to make me work harder and I’ll appreciate it more if I do get it. I’m going to put in a lot of work to get there.” The Cyclone senior plans to compete in the heptathlon during the winter and indoor season, and the decathlon during the outdoor season. The heptathlon consists of the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter run, long jump, javelin throw and 800-meter run. The decathlon adds the 100-meter sprint, 400-meter sprint and 1500-meter run. “We’ve been spending a little extra time on these events,” commented OC track and field coach Shannon Schumacher. “He’s a jumper by nature, but he works hard at it and he puts in the extra time. He’s attended some of the camps and watches film to help him get better. We’ve spent a little bit of time this year trying to pick up the hurdles, something he’s never done before. We’ve thrown the shot put around and I’m even going to pull out some of the pole vault poles to show him how to carry and do the basics so he has a little knowledge of it. I got a friend that has a javelin and I’m trying to get that one day so he can have a fun experience with that.” Heptathlon and decathlon athletes are considered some of the best athletes in the world because of their versatility and skills in several different areas. “I’m trying to make sure I work as hard as I can to be able to compete at that level,” Long said. “I feel like my work ethic will keep me going. I’ve talked to some of the (UNL) athletes and I feel like it’s something I can do.” The Clearwater senior has been one of the most decorated athletes in the school’s history. A three-sport athlete, Long has excelled on the gridiron, hardwood and the track all four years. “They look at that,” Schumacher noted. “Track people don’t recruit for just track. They saw he was good in football, basketball and the classroom. That’s a big part too. The kid works his butt off on the field, in the class and always tries to do his best. That’s why this happened. It doesn’t come to anyone, he had to work for it.” Knowing he will be going against the best of the best motivates Long as he prepares to take the next step in his athletic career. “It kind of surprises me,” Long remarked. “I didn’t see myself as someone who could do that many different events, but I feel like if I put the work in; I can keep up with some people at that level.” The future Cornhusker hopes his versatility and success during his time as a Clearwater/Orchard athlete will help guide him to success at the collegiate level. “I feel like it helped me prepare my entire body,” Long continued. “I’ve talked to the multi-events track coach there (T.J. Pierce) and he said most of the decathletes he finds are multi-sport athletes. I feel like that falls in line with the good decathletes and heptathletes.” Long plans to pursue a degree in animal science and wants to become a large animal veterinarian in the future. “UNL has a program with Iowa State where I’ll be at UNL for six years and then finish my last two years at Iowa State,” Long concluded.  Several local teams competed at the O’Neill Invitational Tuesday.
North Central won the boys Division 2 team title with 221 points, followed by St. Mary’s (107), Stuart (66), Ewing (37), Chambers/Wheeler Central (33) and Elgin Public/Pope John (1). In the girls D2 standings, North Central completed the sweep after claiming 152 points. St. Mary’s was second with 99, Stuart took third with 86, Ewing was fourth with 69, EPPJ placed fifth with 44 and CWC claimed sixth with 41. O’Neill (102) and West Holt (86) finished second and third, respectively, in the Division 1 boys standings, while the Lady Eagles took home the team title with 126 points. West Holt placed fourth with 73 points. Girls (D1) Team Scores: 1. O’Neill 126, Ainsworth 121, Ord 93, West Holt 73, Valentine 57, Boyd County 48, Ainsworth JV 5, O’Neill JV 1. Discus: 2. Brianna Bauer, O’Neill, 104-09; 6. Anna Albrecht, West Holt, 91-11. Triple jump: 1. Alyssa Eichelberger, O’Neill, 31-00.50; 2. Makenna Fowler, O’Neill, 30-08.75; 6. Journi Moran, O’Neill JV, 28-02.50. Shot put: 4. Brianna Bauer, O’Neill, 30-08.50. High jump: 1. Blair Gutshall, O’Neill, 4-09; 4. Zelie Sorensen, O’Neill, 4-04; Long jump: 2. Meg Schluns, O’Neill, 15-06.25; 4. Makenna Fowler, O’Neill, 14-04; 5. Zelie Sorensen, O’Neill, 14-03.50; 6. Lindsey Jelinek, West Holt, 14-03.25. Pole vault: 2. Landyn Mlady, West Holt, 8-00; 6. Ashley Larby, West Holt, 7-00. 800 run: 2. Meg Schluns, O’Neill, 2:33.40. 400 dash: 1. Kevona Brown, West Holt, 1:03.36; 2. Meg Schluns, O’Neill, 1:04.53. 100 hurdles: 2. Blair Gutshall, O’Neill, 16.20; 4. Lindsey Jelinek, West Holt, 17.17; 5. Taya Rainforth, O’Neill, 17.88. 300 hurdles: 4. Taya Rainforth, O’Neill, 52.57. 3200 relay: 3. West Holt, 11:57.31; 5. O’Neill, 12:12.83. 1600 relay: 3. West Holt, 4:47.42; 5. O’Neill, 4:57.81. 3200 run: 1. Carlie Wetzel, West Holt, 13:09.83; 3. Whitney Watson, O’Neill, 13:52.99; 5. Naomi Troy, West Holt, 14:53.45; 6. Ally Sedlacek, O’Neill, 15:33.19. 400 relay: 1. O’Neill, (Alyssa Eichelberger, Blair Gutshall, Meg Schluns, Taya Rainforth), 53.98; 2. West Holt, 54.51. 100 dash: 3. Alyssa Eichelberger, O’Neill, 13.60. 200 dash: 1. Kevona Brown, West Holt, 26.66; 2. Blair Gutshall, O’Neill, 27.00; 6. Alyssa Eichelberger, O’Neill, 28.73. Boys (D1) Team Scores: 1. Ord 160, O’Neill 102, West Holt 86, Valentine 70, Ainsworth 58, Boyd County 50. Discus: 5. Christopher Jennings, O’Neill, 112-00. Triple Jump: 4. Brook Colfack, O’Neill, 35-00.50; 5. Nate Wallinger, West Holt, 34-09.00; 6. Matthew Wilson, O’Neill, 34-03.00. High Jump: 1. Rumen Rentschler, West Holt, 5-08.00; 2. Logan Wieneke, West Holt, 5-06.00; 3. Sean Coventry, O’Neill, 5-06.00. Long Jump: 3. Francisco Perez, O’Neill, 17-08.75; 6. Tyler Larby, West Holt, 17-06.50. Pole Vault: 1. Kolby Dean, O’Neill, 13-06; 2. Tanner Storjohann, O’Neill, 11-06; 6. Andrew Alder, O’Neill, 10-06. 1600 run: 4. Isaac Pistulka, West Holt, 5:30.02; 4. Ian Larson, West Holt, 5:55.84; 6. Christian Hoffman, West Holt, 6:13.15. 800 run: 2. Michael Poese, O’Neill, 2:09.29. 400 dash: 1. Jordan Tasler, West Holt, 52.95. 110 hurdles: 1. Logan Wieneke, West Holt, 16.34; 5. Tye Hilker, O’Neill, 18.37. 300 hurdles: 2. Tye Hilker, O’Neill, 45.11. 3200 relay: 1. West Holt, (Cole Liable, Joseph Albrecht, Aaron Kraus, Jordan Tasler), 8:48.02; 3. O’Neill, 9:14.02. 1600 relay: 1. West Holt, (Jakeem Brown, Rumen Rentschler, Aaron Kraus, Jordan Tasler), 3:38.71; 4. O’Neill, 3:52.32. 400 relay: 1.West Holt, (Jakeem Brown, Caid McCart, Aaron Kraus, Jordan Tasler), 45.55; 3. O’Neill, 47.27. 3200 run: 4. Joseph Albrecht, West Holt, 11:40.13. 200 dash: 1. Francisco Perez, O’Neill, 23.81; 2. Aaron Kraus, West Holt, 24.46. 100 dash: 1. Francisco Perez, O’Neill, 11.80; 3. Kolby Dean, O’Neill, 11.92; 4. Caid McCart, West Holt, 12.01. Girls (D2) Team Scores: 1. North Central 152, St. Mary’s 99, Stuart 86, Ewing 69, EPPJ 44, CWC 41, Stuart JV 14. Discus: 2. Tessa Metschke, CWC, 95-09; 3. Cadence Kramer, Stuart, 90-06; 5. Ashley Koenig, Ewing, 83-04; 6. Summer Schroeder, Ewing, 82-04. Triple jump: 1. Abby Everitt, St. Mary’s, 32-11; 2. Faith Kinney, EPPJ, 30-09.75; 3. Lexi Bode, EPPJ, 30-00.05; 4. Tiana Thramer, Ewing, 29-10; 6. Ashley Koenig, Ewing, 29-01.25. Shot put: 1. Taylor Peter, CWC, 34-09.75; 2. Ashley Koenig, Ewing, 31-09; 4. Tessa Metschke, CWC, 28-09.75; 5. Marina Fessler, Stuart, 28-00.5. High jump: 1. Abby Everitt, St. Mary’s, 5-02; 2. Lexi Bode, EPPJ, 4-10; 4. Jadyn Eby, St. Mary’s, 4-02. Long jump: 1. Abby Everitt, St. Mary’s, 16-05.75; 3. Jadyn Eby, St. Mary’s, 14-00; 4. Faith Kinney, EPPJ, 13-07.75; 5. Jaidyn Schindler, Ewing, 13-07.25; 6. Brenna Wagner, Ewing, 13-06.00. Pole vault: 1. Katie Pongratz, St. Mary’s, 7-06. 1600 run: 1. Faith Williamson, St. Mary’s, 5:48.80; 2. Kira Dickau, Stuart, 6:17.22; 3. Anna Heilhecker, EPPJ, 6:30.75; 5. Katilynn Kaup, Stuart, 6:37.23. 800 run: 1. Faith Williamson, St. Mary’s, 2:34.75; 4. Taylor Peter, CWC, 2:47.24l 5. Hailey Genereux, CWC, 2:48.70. 400 dash: 1. Reaghan Engel, Stuart, 1:03.75; 2. Lexi Schroder, Stuart, 1:07.67; 3. Faith Williamson, St. Mary’s, 1:08.16; 4. Hailey Genereux, CWC, 1:08.90; 5. Haley Zegers, EPPJ, 1:09.05; 6. Lexi Bode, EPPJ, 1:10.33. 100 hurdles: 1. Sideny Stallbaum, Ewing, 18.69; 2. Brenna Wagner, Ewing, 19.44; 6. Kali Dworak, EPPJ, 23.68. 300 hurdles: 1. Sidney Stallbaum, Ewing, 52.40; 4. Sybil Scofield, St. Mary’s, 56.85; 5. Emily Nordby, Ewing, 57.79; 3200 relay: 2. CWC, 10:53.25; 3. Stuart, 12:00.74; 4. Stuart JV, 12:51.74. 400 relay: 2. Ewing, 56.49; 3. Stuart, 56.56; 4. St. Mary’s, 1:00.92. 1600 relay: 2. EPPJ, 4:43.75; 3. Stuart, 4:54.45; 4. Stuart JV, 5:14.43. 3200 run: 3. Katilynn Kaup, Stuart, 14:28.51; 4. Alexa Shald, St. Mary’s, 17:24.49. 200 dash: 1. Abby Everitt, St. Mary’s, 27.13; 2. Reaghan Engel, Stuart, 27.80; 4. Lexi Schroder, Stuart, 29.65; 6. Cheyenne Pokorny, CWC, 30.23. 100 dash: 5. Reaghan Engel, Stuart, 13.49; 3. Jaidyn Schindler, Ewing, 14.50; 4. Miranda Summers, Ewing, 14.53; 5. Summer Schroeder, Ewing, 14.64; 6. Jadyn Eby, St. Mary’s, 14.82. Boys (D2) Team Scores: 1. North Central 221, St. Mary’s 107, Stuart 66, Ewing 37, CWC 33, Stuart JV 16, North Central 12, EPPJ 1. Discus: 1. Zach Crumly, St. Mary’s, 118-00; 2. Cole Rosenkrans, St. Mary’s, 114-11; 5. Adam Everitt, St. Mary’s, 94-08; 6. Gage Nilson, Ewing, 93-01. Triple Jump: 2. Dalton Rotherham, Ewing, 36-05.50; 4. Xavier Hobbs, Ewing, 35-09.25; 5. Sam Jesse, CWC, 35-01.00; 6. Gabe Pribil, St. Mary’s, 34-09.25. Shot Put: 3. Isaiah Wiese, St. Mary’s, 34-01.50; 4. Gage Nilson, Ewing, 33-03.25; 5. Logan Reynolds, Stuart, 32-08.75. High Jump: 1. Austin Dvorak, Stuart, 5-10; 2. Grady Semin, St. Mary’s, 5-08; 4. Xavier Hobbs, Ewing, 5-04; 5. Ethan Shoemaker, St. Mary’s, 5-02. Pole Vault: 2. Tate Thompson, St. Mary’s, 8-06; 5. Luke Popkes, St. Mary’s, 7-00. 1600 run: 5. Ethan Moses, CWC, 5:28.49; 6. Jordan Lindgren, EPPJ, 5:44.95. 800 run: 2. Grant Winkelbauer, St. Mary’s, 2:12.07; 4. Ryan Steinhauser, Stuart, 2:20.63. 400 dash: 1. Wyatt Paxton, Stuart, 52.41; 2. Grady Semin, St. Mary’s, 52.96; 4. Grant Winkelbauer, St.Mary’s, 55.03. 300 hurdles: 3. Connor Semin, St. Mary’s, 45.57; 4. Dalton Rotherham, Ewing, 47.50; 3200 relay: 2. Stuart JV, (Ryan Steinhauser, Ty Thurlow, Austin Nachtman, Ethan Dickau), 11:11.41. 1600 relay: 2. St. Mary’s, 3:46.80; 3. Stuart, 3:51.52; 4. Stuart JV, 4:13.87. 400 relay: 1. Stuart, (Grant Pease, Wade Paxton, Jett Kunz, Wyatt Paxton), 47.19; 2. St. Mary’s, (Blake Benson, Connor Semin, Grant Winkelbauer, Gabe Pribil), 47.96; 3. Ewing, 48.98. 3200 run: 3. Nathan Larson, CWC, 12:28.77; 5. Max Wetzel, St. Mary’s, 13:37.67. 200 dash: 1. Grady Semin, St. Mary’s, 23.57; 2. Wyatt Paxton, Stuart, 23.88; 3. Jackson Waldo, CWC, 24.50; 4. Grant Pease, Stuart, 24.86; 5. Sam Jesse, CWC, 25.00; 6. Cole Duba, CWC, 25.13. 100 dash: 1. Grant Pease, Stuart, 11.80; 2. Jackson Waldo, CWC, 11.84; 3. Wade Paxton, Stuart, 12.17; 4. Gabe Pribil, St. Mary’s, 12.23; 5. Cole Duba, CWC, 12.25.  The Neligh-Oakdale boys team earned runner up at the Wildcat Invite in Hartington on Monday. Gold medalists leading the way for the Warriors were Cole Belitz in the 400 meter dash (54.25) and 1600 meter run (5:00.59) and Isiac Kurpgeweit in the 110 hurdles (16.02). Two girls round out Antelope County's event winners. JoCee Johnston leaped 5-1 to win the high jump for the OC girls and Emma Bixler, of N-O, ran 6:14.15 to win the 1600. Silver medalists on the day were Bixler in the 3200, OC's Gage Switzer in the shot put, N-O's Julien Hearn in the high jump, OC's Jake Long in the triple jump and long jump, Belitz in the pole vault and Kurpgeweit in the 300 hurdles. In the boys team standings, Hartington-Newcastle was first, followed by Neligh-Oakdale. Wausa won the girls and Stanton was second. Girls Results: Discus: 1. Bree Burtwhistle, STA,113-0; 2. Brooklyn Eisenhauer, BLO, 90-7; 3. Eli Locke, STA, 88-5; 4. Jaide Kaiser, WAU, 86-9; 5. Mary Kahny, OSM, 85-11; 6. Keeley Wiepen, H-N, 82-6. Shot Put: 1. Morgan Kleinschmit, WAU, 33-1.50, 2. Mary Kahny, OSM, 32-7.5; 3. Aspen Jansen, H-N, 32-6.5; 4. Bree Burtwhistle, STA, 31-8; 5. Brooklyn Eisenhauer, BLO, 31-3; 6. Charlie Price, WAU, 30-11.5. High Jump: 1. JoCee Johnston, OC, 5-1; 2. Belle Harms, H-N, 5-0; 3. Makenzie Johnson, OSM, 4-6; 3. Esther Nelson, WAU, 4-6; 5. Emma Boggs, N-O, J4-6; 6. Amanda Dietz, N-O, 4-4; 6. Sylvia Cunningham, STA, 4-4. Long Jump: 1. Ruth Johnson, WAU, 16-4.5; 2. Autumn Lammers,H-N, 15-5.5; 3.Claire Whitesel, N-O, 15-2; 4. Emma Destigter, KP-WC, 14-8; 5. Ann Woockman, WAU, 14-4; 6. Jessica Opfer, H-N, 14-2.5. Triple Jump: 1. Belle Harms, H-N, 34-7; 2. Elizabeth Christensen, STA, 32-0.25; 3. Claire Whitesel, N-O, 31-05.5, 4. Kennedy Johnson, OSM, 30-6; 5. Keanna Korth, H-N, 30-3; 6. Kaitlyn Kumm, WAU, 29-8. Pole Vault: 1. Michaela Johnson, BLO, 8-0; 2. Evvie Krie, H-N, 7-6; 2. Paige Furstenau, N-O, 7-6; 4. Ella McFarland, BLO, 7-0; 5. Caroline Nelson, H-N, 6-0; 5. Heidi One Feather, BLO, 6-0. 4x800: 1. Stanton 10:49.4, 2. Wausa 11:00.77, 3. Neligh-Oakdale (Emma Bixler, Kristen Snodgrass, Brooke Frey, Haley Kerkman) 11:42.8, 4. KP-WC 12:03.29, 5. Osmond 12:50.92. 400: 1. Jasmine Kment, STA, 1:04.46; 2. Lauren Pinkelman, BLO, 1:05.27; 3. Marissa Remm, STA, 1:07.67; 4. Kennedy Johnson, OSM, 1:07.84; 5. Kate Bruns, BLO, 1:08.97; 6. Leah Bloomquist, WAU, 1:09.02. 3200: 1. Bree Eisenhauer, BLO, 13:00.14; 2. Emma Bixler, N-O, 13:27.49; 3. Ella McFarland, BLO, 14:07.62; 4. Bailey Patterson, STA, 14:19.28; 5. Ann Woockman, WAU, 14:55.90; 6. Gracie Widman, KP-WC, 15:22.81. 100 Hurdles: 1. Belle Harms, H-N, 17.36; 2. Alexandra Eisenhauer, BLO, 17.45; 3. Abrielle Nelson, WAU, 17.89; 4. Makenzie Johnson, OSM,18.22; 5. Sidney Fickbohm, KP-WC,18.48; 6. Madison Wragge, STA, 19.55. 100: 1. Paige Nissen, WAU, 13.09; 2. Jasmine Kment, STA, 13.27; 3. Ruth Johnson, WAU, 13.55; 4. Teagen Kniefl, H-N,13.59; 5. Lauren Pinkelman, BLO,13.63; 6. Jessie Brandl, STA, 13.83. 800: 1. Esther Nelson, WAU, 2:40.4; 2. Bree Eisenhauer, BLO, 2:41.33; 3. Kaci Wickersham, OC, 2:43.15; 4. Darla Nelson, WAU, 2:44.43; 5. Bailey Patterson, STA, 2:44.44; 6. Hannah Hubers, WAU, 2:49.73. 300 Hurdles: 1. Alexandra Eisenhauer, BLO, 52.09; 2. Abrielle Nelson, WAU, 52.38; 3. Kaitlyn Kumm, WAU, 55.74; 4. Sidney Fickbohm, KP-WC, 57.61; 5. Kaden Jueden, H-N, 1:00.24; 6. Kiera Moes, OSM, 1:00.49. 200: 1. Paige Nissen, WAU, 28.02; 2. Jasmine Kment, STA, 28.49; 3. Grace Gansebom, OSM, 29.80; 4. Ruth Johnson, WAU, 30.0; 5. Kristen Snodgrass, N-O, 30.01; 6. Emily Colwell, STA, 30.29. 1600: 1. Emma Bixler, N-O, 6:14.15; 2. Savannah Siebrandt, STA, 6:29.21; 3. Kaci Wickersham, OC, 6:31.06; 4. Sylvia Cunningham, STA, 6:31.10; 5. Ann Woockman, WAU, 6:32.03; 6. Hannah Hubers, WAU, 6:47.15. 4x100: 1. Stanton 54.17; 2. Osmond 56.89; 3. Neligh-Oakdale 57.19 (Trinity Kurpgeweit, Kristen Snodgrass, Paige Furstenau, Claire Whitesel); 4. KP-WC 59.43; 5. Hartington-Newcastle 59.64; 6. Wausa 1:01.38. 4x400: 1. Bloomfield 4:37.88 (Kate Bruns, Alexandra Eisenhauer, Lauren Pinkelman, Ella McFarland); 2. Wausa 4:44.08 (Paige Nissen, Leah Bloomquist, Ruth Johnson, Darla Nelson); 3. Osmond 4:47.60; 4 Stanton 4:51.48; 5. KP-WC 4:56.73; 6. Neligh-Oakdale 4:57.86. Boys Results: Discus: 1. Ben Wilke, STA, 137-09, 2. Matthew Meisenheimer, H-N, 123-07; 3. Dawson Kaup, N-O, 123-02; 4. Alexis Solorzano, OSM, 121-06; 5. Donnie Nolze, OC, 120-04; 6. Gage Switzer, OC, 108-01. Shot Put: 1. Ben Wilke, STA, 51-05; 2. Gage Switzer, OC, 43-03; 3. Alexis Solorzano, OSM, 42-03; 4. Nathan Arens, STA, 41-05; 5. Matthew Meisenheimer, H-N, 41-05; 6. Gabe Krie, H-N, 41-00.5. High Jump: 1. Lincoln McPhillips, H-N, 6-09; 2. Julien Hearn, N-O, 6-04; 3. Jacob Long, OC, 6-02; 4. Ethan Baue, WAU, 5-10; 5. Ghatlin Hegge, WAU, 5-08; 6. Dallas Snyder, N-O, J5-08.00; 6. Carter Lammers, H-N, J5-08.00. Long Jump: 1. Lincoln McPhillips, H-N, 22-11.5; 2. Jacob Long, OC, 21-06; 3. Julien Hearn, N-O, 20-08.5; 4. Cade Goger, STA, 20-08.25; 5. Tyson Kaiser, WAU, 18-08; 6. Nick Reikofski, OSM, 17-08.5. Triple Jump: 1. Lincoln McPhillips,H-N, 45-01.5; 2. Jacob Long, OC, 43-01.5; 3. Isiac Kurpgweit, N-O, 41-06.5; 4. Julien Hearn, N-O, 40-04.5; 5. Graysen Schultze, OSM, 38-10.5; 6. Justus Maertins, OSM, 38-05. Pole Vault: 1. Turner Korth, H-N, 11-0; 2. Cole Belitz, N-O, 10-06; 3. Shawn Pinkelman, H-N, 10-0; 4. Brantson Gieselman, BLO, J10-00.00; 5. Kaleb Pofahl, N-O, 9-06; 5. Talon Krebs, N-O, 9-06. 4x800: 1. Osmond 9:30.08; 2. Hartington-Newcastle 9:48.94; 3. Stanton 9:59.38; 4. Clearwater/Orchard 10:03.47 (David Arroyo, Donnie Nolze, Keagan Smith, Anthony Umphress); 5. Neligh-Oakdale 10:07.21 (Griffin Claussen, Isaias Juarez, Jackson Snyder, Ashton Higgins); 6. Wausa 10:09.52. 400: 1. Cole Belitz, N-O, 54.25; 2. Marcus Sptanski, STA, 54.48; 3. Houston Marino, OC, 55.46; 4. Jake Peitz, H-N, 56.58; 5. Connor Gutz, OSM, 56.94; 6. Johnson Chishiba, OSM, 57.50. 3200: 1. Parker Zach, STA, 10:45.33; 2. Mason Bykerk, OSM, 11:22.93; 3. Jared Bessmer, OSM, 11:27.06; 4. Griffin Claussen, N-O, 11:59.83; 5. Cory Martinson, BLO, 12:10.85; 6. Hunter Beacom, OSM, 13:17.8. 110 Hurdles: 1. Isiac Kurpgweit, N-O, 16.02; 2. Turner Korth, H-N, 16.17; 3. Keaton Wattier, OSM, 16.71; 4. Kaleb Pofahl, N-O, 17.55; 5. Jacob Long, OC, 17.76; 6. Justus Maertins, OSM, 18.21. 100: 1. Trenton Holz, BLO, 11.58; 2. Houston Marino, OC, 11.62; 3. Nathan Arens, STA, 11.95; 4. Kobe Heitman, H-N, 12.05; 5. Dade Davis, BLO, 12.09; 6. Zach Huwaldt, OSM, 12.11. 800: 1. Kelton Van Pelt, STA, 2:08.36; 2. Shaye Morten, H-N, 2:13.10; 3. Johnson Chishiba, OSM, 2:13.88; 4. Christian Carothers, N-O, 2:17.35 5. T.J. Larson, STA, 2:18.83; 6. Griffin Claussen, N-O, 2:24.61. 300 Hurdles: 1. Turner Korth, H-N, 43.24; 2. Isiac Kurpgweit, N-O, 43.70; 3. Justus Maertins, OSM, 44.11; 4. Braden Eisenhauer, BLO, 47.46; 5. Keaton Wattier, OSM, 48.83; 6. Kaden Polt, OSM, 49.78. 200: 1. Jake Peitz, H-N, 24.41; 2. Adam Johnson, BLO, 24.85; 3. Aaron Chishiba, OSM, 25.25; 4. Dallas Snyder, N-O, 25.27; 5. Kobe Heitman, H-N, 25.54; 6. Carson Jones, N-O, 25.78. 1600: Cole Belitz, N-O, 5:00.59; 2. Abraham Larson, STA, 5:01.40; 3. Parker Zach, STA, 5:06.86; 4. Graysen Schultze, OSM, 5:13.27; 5. Jared Bessmer, OSM, 5:23.11; 6. Joshua Gansebom, OSM, 5:31.95. 4x100: 1. Bloomfield 47.20 (Braden Eisenhauer, Trenton Holz, Adam Johnson, Dade Davis); 2. Osmond 47.96; 3. Hartington-Newcastle 48.98; 4. Stanton 49.27; 5. Wausa 49.40 (Ghatlin Hegge, Ethan Baue,Tyson Kaiser, Steele Claussen); 6. Clearwater/Orchard 51.92. 4x400: 1. Hartington-Newcastle 3:46.72, 2. Osmond 3:46.76, 3. Bloomfield 3:50.2, 4. Neligh-Oakdale A 3:55.36, 5. Stanton 4:08.27, 6. Wausa 4:27.19.  The Clearwater/Orchard golf squad hosted a quad meet at Summerland Golf Course Monday. Creighton was the top team with a 177 team score, followed by OC with a 190, Chambers/Wheeler Central/Ewing with a 236 and Niobrara/Verdigre with a 258. Creighton’s Braxton Brockhaus was the medalist after scoring a match-low 39. Conner Hammer shot a 41, Bryce Zimmerer carded a 45, while Brennen Pint and Tyler Wagner each added a 52 for the Dogs. Ryan Wilhelm paced the Cyclones with a 42. Rafe Grebin tallied a 47, Gage Clifton accumulated a 48, Blake Hoke recorded a 53 and Hunter Klabenes notched a 70. For CWC/E, Hunter Tracy accounted for a 52, followed by Logan Sanford’s 57, Jordan Laetsch’s 63, Kyra Farewell’s 64 and Cory Duba’s 66. Ken Justo led the Cougars with a 56. Max Hollmann carded a 66, Jordayn LaPlante shot a 68, Rane Vesely had a 68 and Anthony Vakoc added a 73. OC and N/V compete at the Osmond Invite Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Creighton travels to Norfolk for the Lutheran High Northeast Invite Thursday at 9 a.m. Chambers/Wheeler Central/Ewing participates in the O’Neill Invite Thursday at 9 a.m.  At 60-years-old, most people are thinking about retirement and kicking their feet up to relax. However, Monte Lofing is not like most 60-year-olds. Lofing is out doing what most teenagers and adults cannot do, lifting heavy weight. The Beatrice native recently competed at the Orchard AAU Powerlifting meet this past weekend. Lofing was the top lifter in the Masters Division, accumulating 1,058 pounds between deadlift (418.75), bench press (220.25) and squat (418.75). “I met Monte back in 2004 at the first-ever meet we went to in Lynch,” stated Clearwater/Orchard powerlifting coach Jeff Shabram. “His size is just right at five foot nothing with short legs. He’s quite the lifter, it’s fun watching him and the kids get a kick out of him.” Lofing has attended the Orchard meet every year since it started 12 years ago. “This is one of the most fun meets we have,” Lofing remarked. “Jeff (Shabram) puts on this meet and it’s one of the cheapest meets.” Lofing has been a staple of Nebraska powerlifting throughout his career. “He’s a fixture here and he comes to every meet, everywhere,” Shabram commented. “He’s kind of the face of Nebraska powerlifting. Whether it’s sanctioned powerlifting or non-sanctioned powerlifting, everyone knows Monte Lofing.” Last summer, the longtime powerlifter went from a successful competitor in the Cornhusker state to one of the best in the world. Lofing earned a spot on the US national team for the Masters 3 division. “Being on the US team is a rush,” Lofing noted. “It’s an elite group and only 105 of us make the cut. You have to win nationals and you’re automatically picked or if you’re runner-up, you get put into a pool of alternates and you might go. I’m proud to be on the Masters 3 team.” At the International Powerlifting Competition in Calgary, Alberta last June, Lofing captured the gold medal in the 60-69 age group. Lofing also set the world record for squat at 409 pounds at the event. “This past year has been a rush,” Lofing recalled. “I’m traveling to Helsinborg, Sweden this year to defend my title and squat record.” A large part of Lofing’s continued success is his short stature. At 5-1, Lofing utilizes his lack of height and size to his advantage. “It’s always been an advantage being short,” Lofing continued. “It’s a huge advantage, except if you have really short arms; then deadlift is somewhat of a disability. Short stature and short legs really help with squat and bench.” Despite being one of the smallest powerlifters in the gym, Lofing’s big personality makes up for his small stature. Everyone knows when 60-year-old is up to lift after hearing the echos of Lofing motivating himself and his constant pacing. “I’ve trained for years on a sugar rush and I don’t know any other way to train,” Lofing admitted. “I have to have adrenaline. The louder the crowd is, the louder I get and I lift better. Silence is my death sentence. I’m shocked when someone can lift without emotion. This is a sport that you put yourself on display. It’s like drama or speech, you’re out on the stage, by yourself and this is tough.” Lofing has been powerlifting for 42 years and was a member of the University of Nebraska’s powerlifting team in 1977. The sport has stayed relatively the same in Lofing’s 40-plus year career, but the rules and judging have seen a drastic change. “I’ve watched powerlifting evolve a little bit, but actually the refereeing has gone back to being stricter ,” Lofing spoke. “Below parallel depth (in squat), can’t move the feet and controlled calls in bench and deadlift has pretty much been the same. Other than that, they really control the lifts and I think it helped a lot as far as the technique is concerned.” Doing 40-plus years of physical labor usually takes a toll on a person’s body, but Lofing has managed to stay healthy throughout his career. “I really had a good upbringing as far as technique and had a good coaching platform,” Lofing said. “The technique was really strict. I lift only three times a week. I squat once a week, bench once a week and deadlift once week. I spread them out and don’t overtrain. I see a lot of kids that lift six days a week. You’re just asking for injury and you need to give your body time to rest.” Lofing believes powerlifting is a great sport to be a part of and wishes more schools and programs would encourage powerlifting. “We’ve always had a niche for kids that aren’t good at anything else, but can do powerlifting,” Lofing added. “The self-esteem taught by this sport can’t be matched and that’s another thing coaches are missing out on. Where else can you find a sport where you can say as freshman ‘I want to lift this, this and this; and as a sophomore you want to lift this, this and this?’ You see this progressive chart for four years and these kids start to grow and explode and it’s huge. What other sport does that? Not only do we help that, but it’s proven that more self-esteem in the weight room excels in the classroom. It’s also proven the stronger a lifter gets, the better they are in other sports. Powerlifting has a huge niche and I wish we could get NSAA or somebody in Nebraska to give us a boost. I’m grateful for coaches like Jeff (Shabram) who do push it.” Although most people plan on retiring at the age of 60, Lofing has no plans of slowing down in the next 13 years. “My goal is to do another 13 (years) and make 55 (years powerlifting),” Lofing concluded. “I want to make Masters 4, which is 70 and over. I want to make the US team at 70 because there are some records I want to go after there. That’s my goal, I want to lift as long as I can. Doctors say this is good for you. It keeps your muscles in tone, your muscles don’t deteriorate and it leads to a longer life span. My chiropractor says keep lifting till it feels like you can’t. I’m prepared for my totals to go down and to start slipping. It’s OK because it happens to everyone, but there is always new goals and inspirations moving forward.”  As the weight went up, records fell as some of the best weightlifters in Nebraska traveled to Orchard for the Orchard AAU Powerlifting Meet Saturday. The Clearwater/Orchard squad took home the team title thanks to several individual champions. The highlight of the day was Rafe Grebin breaking the American record for deadlift at the 123-pound weight class for teenagers and Larissa Thomson setting six state records as well in the 123-pound class. Grebin successfully lifted 369.25 pounds to set a new standard. Thomson deadlifted 286.5 pounds, bench pressed 115.5 pounds and combined for 402.25 pounds in the bench and deadlift to set six different state records. Grebin and Thomson's record was one of 32 state, and one of six American records, broken during Saturday's meet. Thomson (5.01) and Grebin (6.04) were also named the female and male lifters of the meet, respectively, after lifting the most weight divided by their body weight. Other highlights included Donaven Nolze and Jeff Shabram each lifting more than 1,000 pounds between squat, bench press and deadlift. Individual winners for their weight class and division in the raw powerlifting class included Larissa Thomson at 123 pounds with 611.75 pounds lifted, Landon Nelson (97) with 369.25 lifted, Coy Wickersham (105) with 347 pounds lifted, Cash Wickersham (114) with 347 pounds lifted, Grebin (123) with 788 pounds lifted, Gaven Gilsdorf (165) with 622.75 pounds lifted, Gunnar Shabram (181) with 589.5 pounds lifted, Riley Fisher (242) with 650.25 pounds lifted and Logan Mueller (275) with 854.25 pounds lifted. Jacob Behnk (198), Nolze (220) Cody Wickersham (123) and Trevor Thomson (148) each placed second as well for the Cyclones, while Anthony Marino was third at 220 and Jeff Shabram was second in the master’s division in the 242-pound weight class. In the equipped powerlifting class Wyatt Shabram (88 pound weight class), Derek Maxwell (181) and Anthony Umphress (198) each took home the top individual honor in their respective weight class. Wyatt Shabram lifted 369.5 pounds, Maxwell tallied 986.5 pounds lifted and Umphress accumulated 903.75 pounds lifted. Larissa Thomson won the top female push-pull lifter - which tallies the totals of a competitor’s bench and deadlift weights - after lifting 115.5 pounds in the bench and 286.5 pounds in the deadlift, for a total of 402.25 pounds. Nolze (688.75) and Maxwell (644.75) also won the push-pull for their weight class, while Gunnar Shabram and Marino each placed second in the push-pull. The Cyclone powerlifters will compete at the Cornhusker games July 23 at Lincoln Northeast High School to end the lifting season until December.  Another Elkhorn Valley senior signed a letter of intent to participate in collegiate athletics. Prestin Vondra joined classmates Amber Miller and Hannah Ollendick as future collegiate athletes after committing to Midland University Monday to continue his wrestling career. “It was close to family and family is a big thing for me,” Vondra stated. “I wanted to stay close to my family and it was the most affordable. I’m ready to tackle this opportunity.” The EV grappler joins his cousin, Beau Kaup out of Logan View at Midland. “Him being there we’ll butt heads a little bit and have fun at practice,” Vondra continued. “I’ve wrestled him in the past and he’s a good kid.” Vondra wrapped up a successful high school career earlier this year after making his second trip to the state tournament. “We signed his cousin (Kaup) earlier this year and it was kind of a family thing,” commented Midland coach Zach Wilcox. “They said they wanted to be together and that’s when we first found out about him. Watching him throughout the year, we liked his dedication, hard work and desire to get better. That definitely drew us to him a lot more.” Vondra’s passion for the sport has helped him accomplish his dreams of being a collegiate athlete. “When I first started dreaming of becoming an athlete, I always thought about football and playing football for (University of Nebraska) Lincoln,” Vondra said. “As years went on, wrestling became more of a passion and family sport. I got closer with everyone and fell in love with it.” Vondra becomes the fourth wrestler under head Falcon’s mentor Joey Tegler to wrestle in college. “It means a lot to us that these kids want to keep competing after high school,” Tegler noted. “They love the sport to go on for another four or five years and compete.” The senior Falcon saved his best for last this past season. Collecting a season-best 38 pins - including his 100th career victory in his final year for the green and yellow. “,We’ve seen that growth throughout this year and think with our weight room abilities, training all summer and our coaches that we have can help him reach his potential” Wilcox said. “We think the best is yet to come from him.” Vondra said being a three-sport athlete throughout his high school career helped him become a better athlete and wrestler. “It kept me in really good shape,” Vondra remarked. “It built my muscles and built everything out to where I could be an all-around decent athlete in college.” The future Warrior will have to make a tough transition from high school to college wrestling. “Talking to coach (Joey and Carter Tegler) it’s going to be tough, but I feel like I can tackle that opportunity and go with it,” Vondra added. “I have a lot of family that are really good wrestlers and I’ll just practice to get as good as I can get, get swole and take it.” Luckily for Vondra, there are plenty of people that can help him ease the difficult transition. “Dillion and Darren Stewart and Noah Rutjens are at Iowa Western and either of those guys are probably more than willing to help,” Tegler spoke. “It’s a whole different game out there. Everybody there is a state medalist and you don’t have an easy match. You’re going to be humbled all the time and I think those guys will be a big help. Plus Carter (Tegler) and I both competed in college as well. We’ve been there and it’s a tough road.” Vondra has been a smaller middleweight throughout his career and will have his choice of where he wants to wrestle at in college. “We leave that up to our guys,” Wilcox commented. “We have a lot of open tournaments to start the year and we can have as many guys as we want in a weight class. We leave it up to them and after those tournaments we talk to them about whether they want to stay at that weight, drop or go up.” At Midland, Vondra plans on majoring in elementary education to become a teacher and coach following his graduation. Tegler has high hopes and expectations for his former wrestler at the next level. “He’s a young man that has a lot of room to grow,” Tegler concluded. “He’s just starting how to figure out to be a good wrestler and I think the sky is the limit for him.”  Solid performances by local linkers were put on full display Tuesday at the Ewing Invitational.
West Holt (369 team score) edged out Norfolk Catholic (370) for the team title. Elgin Public/Pope John was fourth with 385 team score, Clearwater/Orchard took fifth with a 396, Elkhorn Valley was sixth with 415, Chambers/Wheeler Central/Ewing placed eighth with 481 and Niobrara/Verdigre finished ninth with a 490. OC’s Ryan Wilhelm was the top golfer after shooting an 81. Other local medalist from the area were EV’s Bryson Anderson took second with an 81, EPPJ’s Skylar Reestman placed seventh with an 89, West Holt’s Garrison Hansen was ninth with a 90, WH’s Jackson Caddawallade placed 10th with a 91, N/V’s Camden Eisenhauer was 11th with a 92, the Husky’s Max Roberts placed 12th with a 92 and EPPJ’s Hunter Reestman finished 13th with a 93. Other scorers for the Wolfpack were Cade Heithoff (101), Conor Ramold (102) and Adam Dreger (126). Blake Hoke and Rafe Grebin each shot a 98 for the Cyclones, while Spencer Kester recorded a 1191 and Hunter Klabenes had a 121. For the Falcons, Zane Richardson tallied a 107, Josiah Wriedt carded a 110, Derek Hahne accumulated a 117 and Ben Wilcox notched a 126. O’Neill’s Hunter Cullen tallied a 95, Justin Bees shot a 132 and Aaron DeWitt accumulated a 159. EPPJ, N/V, West Holt and O’Neill compete at the Plainview Invite Saturday at 8:30 a.m. Elkhorn Valley travels to Laurel Thursday at 10 a.m. CWC/E hosts a quad match, with OC, Monday at 4 p.m.  The sun was shining and the weather was perfect for Tuesday's Neligh-Oakdale Invitational. Three Antelope County track and field squads participated and saw success Tuesday. In the boy's standings, Osmond spoiled the Warriors' bid on a three-peat at their home invite. Tied at 141 heading into the final event, the Tigers placed first in the 4x400, while N-O was second. Osmond ended with 151 team points, followed by Neligh-Oakdale with 149, Elkhorn Valley with 82, Plainview with 64, Madison with 45, Humphrey/ Lindsay Holy Family with 21 and Niobrara/Verdigre with 9. Elgin Public/Pope John participated but did not score a team point. Cole Belitz had a big day for the Warriors, bringing home four first-place medals in the pole vault, 800, 1,600 and 3,200. Dawson Kaup recorded a personal-best heave in the discus with a toss of 130-3 to claim first. Julien Hearn placed first in the triple jump and high jump as well. Braedyn Ollendick led the Falcons with a first-place finish in the 100 hurdles and and third-place finish in the 300 hurdles. In the girls team race, H/LHF edged Plainview for the team crown with 120 points. The Lady Pirates collected 118 points, followed by EV with 83, Osmond with 72, N-O with 45, NV with 38, Madison 26 and EPPJ with 25. Hannah Ollendick was the top performer for the big green after taking first in the 300 hurdles and second in the 100 hurdles. Amber Miller won the pole vault with a vault of 9-6, while Carney Black finished second in the 1,600 and 300 hurdles. Lexi Bode led the Lady Wolfpack after placing first in the high jump, second in the 400 and fifth in the triple jump. Anna Heilhecker took fifth in the 1,600 and Faith Kinney was sixth in the triple jump. For the Lady Warriors, Claire Whitesel was the top competitor in the long jump and Emma Bixler won the 1,600. Elkhorn Valley returns to action Tuesday at the Wisner Boosters Invite at 4 p.m. Elgin Public/Pope John travels to the O’Neill Invite Tuesday at 9 a.m. Neligh-Oakdale heads to Hartington Monday for the Hartington-Newcastle Invite at 1 p.m. Girls Team Scores: 1. Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family 120, Plainview 118, Elkhorn Valley 83, Osmond 72, Neligh-Oakdale 45, Niobrara/Verdigre 38, Madison 26, Elgin Public/Pope John 25. Discus: 1. Chaney Konopasek, N/V, 97-10; 2. Kiera Moody, N/V, 86-5; 4. Alyssa Maughan, EV, 84-6; 6. Emily Parks, N/V, 76-7; Triple jump: 3. Claire Whitesel, N-O, 32-2.5; 4. Amber Miller, EV, 31-7.25; 5. Lexi Bode, EPPJ, 31-0; 6. Faith Kinney, EPPJ, 30-9.75; Shot put: 5. Kaylee Bacon, EV, 28.6; 6. Alyssa Maughan, EV, 28-5; High jump: 1. Lexi Bode, EPPJ, 4-11; 4. Andrea Sucha, N/V, 4-8; 5. Olivia Nall, EV, 4-6; 6. Emma Boggs, N-O, 4-6; Long jump: 1. Claire Whitesel, N-O, 15-5.5, 3. Chaney Konopasek, N/V, 15-3, 5. Sierra Rystrom, EV, 15-0.5, 6. Andrea Sucha, N/V, 13-11.25; Pole vault: 1. Amber Miller, EV, 9-6; 3. Paige Furstenau, N-O, 7-0; 4. Alisha Larsen, EV, 7-0. 1600 run: 1. Emma Bixler, N-O, 6:04.0, 2. Carney Black, EV, 6:25.27; 5. Anna Heilhecker, EPPJ, 6:36.0; 800 run: 4. Johannah Tasselmeyer, EV, 2:55.14; 6. Olivia Nall, EV, 2:57.46; 400 dash: 2. Lexi Bode, EPPJ, 1:09.63; 5. Erica Bacon, EV, 1:08.91, 6. Emerson Randa, N/V, 1:09.52; 100 hurdles: 2. Hannah Ollendick, EV, 17.4; 300 hurdles: 1. Hannah Ollendick, EV, 51.88; 2. Carney Black, EV, 53.57; 5. Bria Gale, EV, 56.43, 6. Chaney Konopasek, N/V, 56.97; 3200 relay: 2. EV, 11:20.0; 3. N-O, 11:25.7, 6. N/V, 12:31.5; 1600 relay: 4. N/V, 4:44.69, 5. EPPJ, 4:49.96, 6. EV, 4:52.23. 400 relay: 4. N-O, 56.56; 5. EV 57.63, 6. N/V, 1:01.02; 3200 run: 6. Taylor Hasebrook, EV, 16:12.2; 100 dash: 5. Claire Whitesel, N-O, 13.82. Boys Team Scores: 1. Osmond 151, Neligh-Oakdale 149, Elkhorn Valley 82, Plainview 64, Madison 45, Niobrara/Verdigre 9. Discus: 1. Dawson Kaup, N-O, 130-3; 2. Carter Rautenberg, EV, 113-4; 6. Prestin Vondra, EV, 100-6. Triple Jump: 1. Julien Hearn, N-O, 39-11.5; 2. Brandon Evans, EV, 38-0.5, 5. Dawson Kaup, N-O, 37-1.5, Mitchell Petersen, EV, 36-7; Shot Put: 6. Gavyn Clause, EV, 36-6; High Jump: 1. Julien Hearn, N-O, 6-2; 2. Dallas Snyder, N-O, 6-0; 4. Braedyn Ollendick, EV, 5-6; 4. Brock Schaecher, EV, 5-6; 6. Coltin Vargas, N/V, 5-4; Long Jump: 2. Hunter Howard, EV, 18-6; 4. Isiac Kurpgeweit, N-O, 18-5; 6. Thomas Johnson, N-O, 16-9.5; Pole Vault: 1. Cole Belitz, NO, 11-6; 2. Hunter Bennett, EV, 11-0; 3. 3. Adam Miller, EV, 10-6; 6. Kaleb Pofahl, NO, 9-6. 1600 run: 1. Cole Belitz, N-O, 5:15.2; 800 run: 1. Cole Belitz, N-O, 2:09.05; 4. Adam Miller, EV, 2:16.41; 400 dash: 5. Christian Carothers, N-O, 57.56; 100 hurdles: 1. Braedyn Ollendick, EV, 16.02; 3. Isiac Kurpgeweit, N-O, 16.64; 5. Kaleb Pofahl, N-O, 17.14; 300 hurdles: 2. Isiac Kurpgeweit, N-O, 43.89; 3. Braedyn Ollendick, EV, 45.38; 3200 relay: 3. N/V, 9:40.6; 5. N-O, 10:05.6, 6. EV, 10:25.1; 1600 relay: 2. N-O, 3:53.44, 4. EV, 4:01.25, 5. N/V, 4:08.95. 400 relay: 1. N-O, 46.7; 5. EV 48.66; 3200 run: 1. Cole Belitz, N-O, 10:54.1; 3. Hunter Bennett, EV, 11:14.0; 200 dash: 2. Cade Wilkinson, N-O, 24.34; 5. Dallas Snyder, N-O, 24.81. 100 dash: 2. Julien Hearn, N-O, 11.57; 3. Cade Wilkinson, N-O, 11.57.1; 5. Mitchell Petersen, EV, 12.14.  With unsettling weather scheduled for Thursday, O’Neill track and field was forced to reschedule its invite.
The meet has been pushed back to April 16.  The Nebraska School Activities Association voted on multiple changes which affect area boys basketball and football teams, along with a ruling on girls wrestling.
In Class C and D boys hoops, teams will have an option on when to play the district championship game. Next season, the 12 subdistrict champions, along with the four wild card teams, who advance to the district finals can choose when to play their district championship contest. Teams can select between Saturday, or the following Monday or Tuesday. This past season, all district title tilts were scheduled for Saturday Feb. 23, two days following the subdistrict finals. A blizzard forced games to be pushed back, plus coaches were already concerned with the quick turnaround from their subdistrict final's contests. The proposal passed but if the schools fail to mutually agree on a date or site, the district finals will be played on Saturday at a site selected by the NSAA. The board also approved the changing of the Class D-1 and D-2 football playoff schedules. In the past, playoff teams had a six days in between rounds before their next round matchup. The new tournament schedule for Class D-1 and D-2 resemble classes A, B, C-1, C-2 and six-man. In 2020, after the competition of the eight-game regular seasons, the 32 teams advancing to the D-1 and D-2 playoffs will play their first-round games on Thursday of week nine of the football season, the final week of the regular season for A, B, C-1 and C-2. The D-1 and D-2 second-round, quarterfinal and semifinal games will then be played on Friday the next three weeks, the same day as the first three rounds of the 11-man playoffs. The 2019 playoff schedule will be the same format as it has been in the past. First-round games this coming fall will be on Thursday, Oct. 31, second round on Wednesday, Nov. 6, the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Nov. 12, and semifinals on Monday, Nov. 18. One of the top agenda items at Friday’s meeting was the discussion and vote on girls wrestling becoming an official NSAA sport. The approval fell one vote short. Needing 30 votes, only 29 board members voted for girls wrestling. Girls wrestling is expected to be discussed and voted on again next year.  With several state conventions pegged for this weekend, the Elkhorn Valley and Neligh-Oakdale linkers took to the links Thursday afternoon undermanned for a quad meet against Plainview and Pierce at the Plainview Country Club. Pierce was the overall team winner with a 193 team score. Plainview and Neligh-Oakdale tied for second with a 206 and Elkhorn Valley did not record a team score. Bryson Anderson led the Falcons with a fourth-place individual finish after shooting a 47. Derek Hahne recorded a 66. The Warriors’ were paced by Garret Belitz and Neven Kline’s 49. Brock Kester shot a 51 and Jesse Green tallied a 59. Conner Klein led the EV junior varsity squad with a 63. Ashton Gullicksen notched a 65, Haiden Sleister carded a 75 and Tanner Sparr added a 77. Elkhorn Valley travels to the Ewing Invite Wednesday at 9 a.m. Neligh-Oakdale returns to Plainview April 13 for the Plainview Invitational at 8:30 a.m.  Six Antelope County football players have been selected for the 7th Annual Northeast Nebraska All-Star Football Classic in Norfolk this summer.
Area selections are Jake Long, Clay Thiele and Tommie Peed of Clearwater/Orchard; Austin Rice of Neligh-Oakdale, Josh McFarland of Elkhorn Valley and Hunter Reestman of Elgin Public/Pope John. The rosters were announced Wednesday by Mike Sunderman, president of the event’s board of directors. “We are proud of the coaching staffs we have chosen for this game and are excited about the players the coaches have selected for their teams," Sunderman said. "This is a great event for Northeast Nebraska and for the sport of football.” The football game will be played on Saturday, June 8, 2019 at Veteran’s Memorial Field in Norfolk. Kickoff is scheduled for noon. “We are very excited about the kids we were able to put together," Ron Beacom, head coach of the White NEN All-Star team, said. "We have a lot of very talented football players that can run and like to hit. We have a good complement of size and strength up front as well as some very athletic skill kids. It should allow us to be very diverse offensively and make us able to be very sound and quick to the ball defensively.” Beacom, Neligh-Oakdale's head coach, will be assisted by AJ Burki, head coach at Wisner-Pilger, Brendan Dittmer, head coach at Elkhorn Valley, Scott Morrison, head coach at Osmond, Dave Ridder, head coach at Guardian Angels Central Catholic, and Blake Wockenfuss, assistant coach at Norfolk High School. "I am really looking forward to coaching some of the best football players, not only in Northeast Nebraska, but in the entire state," Tom Allen, head coach of the Red NEN All-Star team, said. "We have put together a tremendous roster and the coaches and I are really looking forward to putting this talent together and playing a competitive game this summer." Allen, head coach at Crofton, will be assisted by Mike Hassler, head coach at Wakefield, Adam James, head coach at Winnebago, Zac Kliment, head coach at Creighton, Johnnie Ostermeyer, assistant coach at Crofton, and Corey Uldrich, head coach at Hartington-Newcastle. This year’s football officials, including position and hometown are Rich Rethwisch, referee (Wayne), Mark Reinke, umpire (Lincoln), Taylor Wyatt, head linesman (Lincoln), Lyle Ziems, line judge (Lincoln), and Joe Reinke, back judge (Lincoln). White Team Blake Anderson, West Point-Beemer Brenden Beierman, Boone Central Austin Bruzek, Norfolk High Weston Choat, Boone Central Connor Clayton, Norfolk High Conner Cowling, Norfolk High Spencer Davis, O'Neill Braden Freudenburg, Humphrey St. Francis Will Frey, Boone Central Justyn Hale, Oakland-Craig Tyson Harney, Oakland-Craig AJ Hawthorne, Battle Creek Anthony Heiman, Osmond Ty Heimes, Battle Creek Dylan Horejsi, Howells-Dodge Brady Hull, Logan View Jake Lingenfelter, Plainview Jacob Long, Clearwater-Orchard Ty Martinsen, Riverside Austin Marx, Battle Creek Robby Mayberry, Oakland-Craig Josh McFarland, Elkhorn Valley Jefferson McNeill, Oakland-Craig Jon Merten, Boone Central Jared Minnick, Guardian Angels Central Catholic Tommie Peed, Clearwater-Orchard Hunter Reestman, Elgin Public Pope John Nick Reikofski, Osmond Austin Rice, Neligh-Oakdale Nick Ronnfeldt, Bancroft-Rosalie-Lyons-Decatur Nick Sazama, Norfolk High Jadyn Smeal, Guardian Angels Central Catholic Clay Thiele, Clearwater-Orchard Seth Totten, Bancroft-Rosalie-Lyons-Decatur Ben Vander Griend, West Point-Beemer Jarrett Weidner, Humphrey St. Francis Red Team Romello Porter, Walthill Brad Tomasek, Crofton Evan Anderson, Ponca Grady Semin, St. Mary's Noah Scott, Randolph Esgar Godinez, Wakefield Matthew Becker, Cedar Catholic Landon Wieseler, Wynot Devan Roth, Pierce Izac Reifenrath, Laurel-Concord-Coleridge Turner Korth, Hartington-Newcastle Juan Vergara, Wayne Gage McGill, Ponca Marcus Fertig, Wayne Jaydon Jump, Pender Ryder Fuchs, Pierce Kyle Smith, Allen Ghatlin Hegge, Wausa Marcus Echtenkamp, Lutheran High Northeast Brad Hartnett, South Sioux City John Klemmensen, South Sioux City Connor Wilcox, Lutheran High Northeast Luis Quezada, South Sioux City Michael Logue, Ponca Josh Pinkelman, Cedar Catholic Mitchell Mackeprang, Bloomfield Travis Tyler, Creighton Jakob Meier, Pierce Juan Popoca, South Sioux City Kaleb Anderson, Pierce Drew Buck, Wayne Kaden Kneifl, Wayne Cameron Tyler, Creighton Cole Richards, Ponca Jalen Robinson, Norfolk Catholic Jacob Kneifl, Emerson-Hubbard  A strong performance by the Elgin Public/Pope John golf team guided the Wolfpack to a top team finish at Tuesday’s quad meet at Summerland Golf Course. EPPJ shot a 208 to capture the best team score. Elkhorn Valley was second with a 212, followed by Chambers/Wheeler Central/Ewing with a 247 and Clearwater/Orchard with a 255. Wolfpack senior Hunter Resstman was the top golfer with a round-low of 43. Conor Ramold scored a 51, Skylar Reestman carded a 56, Adam Dreger had a 58 and Cade Heithoff recorded a 60. The EPPJ junior varsity squad was led by Grace Rittscher’s 50, followed by Allyson Wemhoff’s 53, Kyle Schumacher’s 60, Lane Bartak’s 64 and Luke Henn’s 68. Bryson Anderson paced the Falcons with a 44. Zane Richardson and Josiah Wriedt each shot a 54, Derek Hahne tallied a 60 and Ben Wilcox accounted for a 64. Haiden Sleister guided the EV JV squad with a 60. Matt Wood accumulated a 62, Conner Klein notched a 69, Ashton Gullicksen had a 71 and Tanner Sparr added an 81. The Cyclone’s Hunter Klabenes shot a team-low 54 to lead the way. Spencer Kester recorded a 62, followed by Andrew Pearson’s 69 and Erin Schwager’s 70. Hunter Tracy was the top linker for CWC/E, tallying a 54. Jordan Laetsch accounted for a 59, Cauy Duba accumulated a 65, Karsen Peterson notched a 69 and Kyra Farewell added a 79. The JV team was led by Cade Farewell’s 53, followed by Cole Hubel’s 61 and Logan Sanford’s 62. Elkhorn Valley travels to Plainview Thursday at 4 p.m. CWC/E hosts OC, EV and EPPJ Wednesday, April 10, at its home invite at 9 a.m.  The Elkhorn Valley girls and the Neligh-Oakdale boys took top honors in the Antelope County Track Meet on Tuesday. Senior Cole Belitz put together a record-breaking performance in the 1,600 meter run to lead the Warriors. Belitz ran a 4:50.5 to capture the meet record which was previously held by Austin Miller of Elkhorn Valley, who ran a 5:01 in 2017. Jacob Long, a senior member of the Clearwater/Orchard team, tied the meet record in the boys high jump with a leap of 6-5. Other record holders at that height are Will Hardin of Neligh-Oakdale in 1995 and Chris Vacha of Pope John in 2003. Girls Team Scores: 1. Elkhorn Valley 215, 2. Neligh-Oakdale 133, 3. Elgin Public/Pope John 66, 4. Clearwater/Orchard 47. Discus: 1. Alyssa Maughan, EV, 79-1; 2. Haley Kerkman, NO, 79-1; 3. JoCee Johnston, OC, 74-6; 4. Kaylee Bacon, EV, 73-4; 5. Alyssa Burenheide, EPPJ, 67-1; 6. Meredith Wiseman, NO, 65-6. Triple jump: 1. Claire Whitesel, NO, 31-2.5; 2. Theanna Dunn, EPPJ, 31-0; 3. Lexi Bode, EPPJ, 30-11.75; 4. Faith Kinney, EPPJ, 30-8.25; 5. Haley Kerkman, NO, 30-7/5; 6. Bria Gale, EV, 30.5. Shot put: 1. Alyssa Maughan, EV, 28-3; 2. Alyssa Burenheide, EPPJ, 27-1; 3. Kaylee Bacon, EV, 27.5; 4. Maryssa Long, OC, 23-10; 5. Sydnee Schaecher, EV, 23-3.5; 6. Riley Martensen, NO, 21-7.5. High jump: 1. JoCee Johnston, OC, 5-0; 2. Lexi Bode, EPPJ, 4-11; 3. Amber Miller, EV, 4-10; 4. Alexis Larsen, EV, 4-4; 5. Emma Boggs, NO, 4-4; 6. Amanda Dietz, NO, 4-2. Long jump: 1. Sierra Rystrom, EV, 14-6; 2. Kristen Snodgrass, NO, 12-10; 3. Aleesha Bergman, NO, 12-8; 4. Bria Gale, EV, 12-3.25; 5. Brooke Frey, NO, 11-10.75; 6. Taelyn Switzer, OC, 11-2. Pole vault: 1. Amber Miller, EV, 9-0; 2. Paige Furstenau, NO, 7-0; 3. Taylor Hasebrook, EV, 6-0; 4. Alisha Larsen, EV, 5-6. 1600 run: 1. Emma Bixler, NO, 6:03.7, 2. Carney Black, EV, 6:17.2; 3. Kaci Wickersham, OC, 6:17.4; 4. Anna Heilhecker, EPPJ, 6:44.5; 5. Hailey Bixler, NO, 7:29.7; 6. Olivia Lindgren, EPPJ, 7:36.6. 800 run: 1. Kaci Wickersham, OC, 2:46.22; 2. Emma Bixler, NO, 2:47.28; 3. Olivia Nall, EV, 2:49.83; 4. Haley Kerkman, NO, 2:54.06; 5. Johannah Tasselmeyer, EV, 2:55.58; 6. Anna Heilhecker, EPPJ, 2:56.50. 400 dash: 1. Theanna Dunn, EPPJ, 1:08.9; 2. Erica Bacon, EV, 1:10.3; 3. Lexi Bode, EPPJ, 1:12.27; 4. Paige Furstenau, NO, 1:12.28; 5. Sydnee Schaecher, EV, 1:23.33. 100 hurdles: 1. Hannah Ollendick, EV, 17.78; 2. Haley Fleetwood, EV, 18.81; 3. Trinity Kurpgeweit, NO, 18.87; 4. Morgan Erhardt, OC, 20.62; 5. Aleesha Bergman, NO, 21.33; 6. Bria Gale, EV, 22.91. 300 hurdles: 1. Hannah Ollendick, EV, 51.36; 2. Carney Black, EV, 53.26; 3. Aleesha Bergman, NO; 4. Morgan Erhardt, OC. 3200 relay: 1. EV, 11:59.3; 2. NO, 13:38.4; 1600 relay: 1. EV, 4:49.10; 2. EPPJ, 4:51.38; 3. NO, 5:01.38; 4. OC, 5:33.96. 400 relay: 1. EV, 55.69; 2. NO, 56.51; 3. OC 1:02.1. 3200 run: 1. Taylor Hasebrook, EV, 15:29.69; 2. Alisha Larsen, EV, 17:40.20; 3. Sibley Malhoff, EV, 17:50.90; 4. Sydney Olson, NO, 19:09.35. 200 dash: 1. Amber Miller, EV, 28.92; 2. Claire Whitesel, NO, 29.51; 3. Mariah Hansen, EV, 30.62; 4. Theanna Dunn, EPPJ, 31.77, 5. Emma Boggs, NO, 31.94; 6. Sibley Malhoff, EV, 32.38. 100 dash: 1. Kristen Snodgrass, NO, 13.72; 2. Claire Whitesel, NO, 13.73; 3. Sierra Rystrom, EV, 14.12; 4. Erica Bacon, EV, 14.37; 5. Paige Furstenau, NO, 14.47; 6. Melany Mendoza, OC, 15.13. Boys Team Scores: 1. Neligh-Oakdale 182, 2. Elkhorn Valley 153, 3. Orchard/Clearwater 120, 4. Elgin Public/Pope John 6 Discus: 1. Dawson Kaup, NO, 111-3; 2. Carter Rautenberg, EV, 100-8; 3. Donnie Nolze, OC, 99-1, 4. Gavyn Clause, EV, 93-9; 5. Prestin Vondra, EV, 89-4; 6. Colton Wright, EPPJ, 81-10; Triple Jump: 1. Jacob Long, OC, 41-9; 2. Isaiac Kurpgeweit, NO, 40-6 1/4; 3. Brandon Evans, EV, 37-6; 4. Mitchell Petersen, EV, 36-1 1/2; 5. Reed Bennett, EV, 35-8 1/2; 6. Talon Krebs, NO, 34-0 3/4; Shot Put: 1. Donnie Nolze, OC, 38-7; 2. Gage Switzer, OC, 38-2; 3. Anthony Umphress, OC, 36-5; 4. Carter Rautenberg, EV, 35-7; 5. Caden Reikofski, EV, 34-9 1/2; 6. Prestin Vondra, EV, 34-8 1/2; High Jump: 1. Jacob Long, OC, 6-5; 2. Julien Hearn, NO, 6-2; 3. Dallas Snyder, NO, 5-10; 4. Brady Ollendick, EV, 5-6; 5. Brock Schaecher, EV, 5-6; 6. Carson Jones, NO, 5-0; Long Jump: 1. Jacob Long, OC, 19-6 3/4; 2. Hunter Howard, EV, 17-11; 3. Colby Sehi, NO, 17-10; 4. Isiac Kurpgeweit, NO, 17-2, 1/2; 5. Kolton Krick, EV, 16-9 1/4; 6. Thomas Johnson, NO, 16-5; Pole Vault: 1. Cole Belitz, NO, 11-0; 2. Hunter Bennett, EV, 10-0; 3. Kaleb Pofahl, NO, 9-6; 4. Talon Krebs, NO, 96; 5. Adam Miller, EV, 9-0; 6. Ashton Higgins, NO, 8-0. 100: 1. Houston Marino, OC, 11.33; 2. Cade Wilkinson, NO, 11.47; 3. Julien Hearn, NO, 11.7; 4. Mitchell Petersen, EV, 11.85; 5. Kolton Krick EV, 11.86; 6. Thomas Johnson, NO, 12.47; 200: 1. Houston Marino, OC, 23.81; 2. Cade Wilkinson, NO, 24.25; 3. Kolton Krick, EV, 25.34; 4. Carson Jones, NO, 25.39; 5. Colby Sehi, NO, 25.84; 6. Mitchell Petersen, EV, 26.31; 400: 1. Hunter Howard, EV, 56.69; 2. Christian Carothers, NO, 57.78; 3. Brandon Evans, EV, 59.17; 4. David Arroyo, OC, 59.31; 5. Dallas Snyder, NO, 1:00.03; 6. Gavyn Claus, EV, 1:00.83; 800: 1. Christian Carothers, NO, 2:18.22; 2. Adam Miller, EV, 2:21.26; 3. Donnie Nolze, OC, 2:22.46; 4. Isaias Juarez, NO, 2:30.90; 5. Layne Bollock, EPPJ, 2:36.62; 6. Ethan Gregory, NO, 2:45.57; 1,600: 1. Cole Belitz, NO, 4:50.5; 2. Hunter Bennett, EV, 5:16.5; 3. Eli Thiele, OC, 5:19.6; 4. Griffin Clausen, NO, 5:41.6; 5. Jordan Lindgren, EPPJ, 5:51.2; 6. Ashton Higgins, NO, 6:08.1; 3,200: 1. Cole Belitz, NO, 11:06.9; 2. Hunter Bennett, EV, 11:34.81; 3. Eli Thiele, OC, 11:46.94; 4. Griffin Clausen, NO, 12:02.52; 5. Damien Smith, EV, 13:07.31; 6. Ashton Krebs, NO, 13:07.94; 110 Hurdles: 1. Isiac Kurpgeweit, NO, 16:57; 2. Braedyn Ollendick, EV, 16.77; 3. Reed Bennett, EV, 48.82; 4. Harley Snyder, NO, 48.96; 5. Ty Rix, OC, 50.35; 6. Talon Krebs, NO, 52.75; 300 Hurdles: 1. Isiac Kurpgeweit, NO, 43.66; 2. Braedyn Ollendick, EV, 44.62; 3. Reed Bennett, EV, 48.82; 4. Harley Snyder, NO, 48.96; 5. Ty Rix, OC, 50.35; 6. Talon Krebs, NO, 52.75. 400 Relay: 1. Neligh-Oakdale 46.19; 2. Elkhorn Valley 47.93; 3. Orchard/Clearwater 56.14; 1600 Relay: 1. Elkhorn Valley 3:56.7; 2. Orchard/Clearwater 4:02.65; 3. Neligh-Oakdale 4:04.87; 4. Elgin Public/Pope John 4:30.57; 3200 Relay: 1. Orchard/Clearwater 9:55.6; 2 Elkhorn Valley 10:40.6; 3. Neligh-Oakdale 10:29.4. |
