 The Neligh-Oakdale football team earned the 11th seed in the Class D1 playoffs and will travel in the first round to play No. 6 North Central in Springview at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25.
 The OC Cyclones earned the third seed in the Class D2 playoffs and will host No. 14 Brady at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, in Orchard.
 The Elkhorn Valley football team saw its 2018 season come to an end Friday night in a 74-20 loss to Laurel-Concord-Coleridge, 74-20.
It was an offensive shootout in the first quarter, as the two teams combined for 52 points. Leading 38-14 after the the first, the Bears outscored the Falcons 36-6 in the remainder of the game. Elkhorn Valley ends its season with a 2-6 record.  Two Antelope County runners sprinted their way to medals in Class D of the 2018 Nebraska State Cross Country Championships in Kearney on Friday. Neligh-Oakdale senior Cole Belitz was the top area finisher, placing 12th in a time of 17:50.7. Elkhorn Valley sophomore Hunter Bennett wasn't far behind, as he claimed the final medal of the boys race for 15th place in 17:58. There were 143 boys in the competition. Both runners shaved significant time off of their first state appearances in 2017. Belitz ran 55 seconds faster this year and moved up 42 places. Bennett ran 32 seconds faster and gained 27 places. Emma Bixler, a Neligh-Oakdale junior, made her state debut in the Class D girls race. Bixler finished 24th out of 144 girls, crossing the finish line in 21:40. Warrior coach Rick Eickholt said both of his runners, Bixler and Belitz, set new school records for state meet finishes. The previous boys record was held by Tyler Pedersen (18:31 in 2003) and the girls was held by Kasi Grosserode (21:54 in 2014). They are also the school's highest finishers at state and Belitz is Neligh-Oakdale's first medalist. "I definitely think it was a great way to cap off my cross country career," Belitz said. "I'm glad I don't have to run anymore races, but I'm definitely glad that it ended in a medal. All of the hard work paid off. Being able to come here two times and finish with a medal is pretty awesome." Bennett said he was pleased with his state race as well. "I think today went pretty good overall," he said. "I just wanted to get a medal. I kind of used Cole to keep my pace and I just wanted to stay close to him because I knew he was going to medal. Hopefully next year we can get higher and bring the full team." First year coach Janet Rood said she was proud of Bennett's performance at state. "Hunter, I think, just felt like he had nothing to lose today," Rood said. "He's not a senior so it wasn't his last race. There was no pressure, he was just going to give it all he had and see how it turned out. We knew he was going to be in the top third, so he just gave it his all. I'm so proud of him. And the finish was incredible." With all of the runners crossing so quickly and some in packs, it was difficult to see what place they earned. The Falcon coach said she was "on pins and needles" waiting to find out the official results, but when she learned that Bennett had earned the last medal slot, she felt "overwhelming excitement." "I couldn't believe in my first year of coaching that I have a state medalist, so it was just overwhelming all together," Rood said. "I am just really proud of him." As Neligh-Oakdale's coach wrapped up his 25-year career at state, he got a little choked up expressing his feelings on his final state cross country meet. "Obviously there are all sorts of emotions at this time," Eickholt said. What most people don't understand is that, as a coach, you feel what your athletes feel. I know Emma is kinda beating herself up right now, but I'm so proud of the season she had. She was deserving of a medal. It just didn't work out today. That's why everyone has to show up and the cards played out like they did. She is, even though she didn't bring home a medal today, one of the top 15 runners in the state in Class D." Holding back tears, he said Belitz's finish was a great way for both of them to end their careers. "As far as Cole, it was a perfect ending to 25 years, I'm so proud of him," Eickholt said. "Like I said, I've got all sorts of emotions right now. A lot of good ones, a lot of memories. It's time to hand it over, and the program will be in good hands. Coach (Kali) Bohling has been an amazing asset to our team."  The Neligh-Oakdale Junior High football team completed its perfect season with dominant 38-0 trouncing of Lutheran High Northeast earlier this week.
An 18-yard touchdown pass from Aiden Kuester to Bryson Gadeken opened the scoring for the Warriors in the first. Kuester then connected on a 25-yard score to Gadeken and a Chase Furstenau two-point conversion reception, gave N-O a 14-0 lead at the end of the first. Carson Whitesel opened the second quarter with a 44-yard pick six and Kuester found Landon Schrader for the two-point conversion. A 26-yard Kuester touchdown run and five-yard pass to Schrader sent the Warriors to the break with a 38-0 lead. The Eagles' coaching staff elected to forfeit the second half and the game was called. In just one half of football, the Warriors gained 220 yards of offense. Kuester led the way, going a perfect four-for-four passing for 120 yards and three scores and also added 50 yards on the ground and a TD. Gadeken caught three touchdown passes for 48 yards, Schrader had a touchdown reception, Austin Rudolf ran for 29 yards and caught a pass for 12 yards and Whitesel recorded 21 yards on the ground. Kuester paced the defense as well with 13 tackles. Whitesel collected seven tackles and an interception, Rudolf added three tackles, Colson Krebs picked off a pass and Gadeken, along with Furstenau, each tallied a tackle. Neligh-Oakdale ends its season with a perfect 6-0 record, the first in program history.  The Elkhorn Valley volleyball team wrapped up the regular season with a pair of wins on their home court Thursday night, sweeping Bloomfield and Madison on Parents Night. The Falcons dominated Bloomfield with a 25-6, 25-9 win before topping Madison 25-17, 25-23 in the night cap. Hannah Ollendick put down 19 kills on the night for Elkhorn Valley while Amber Miller had 10 kills, 21 digs and 28 set assists. Sierra Rystrom had 11 kills. Elkhorn Valley will be back in action Monday night as they host Niobrara Valley Conference action. The Falcons will play the winner of Santee/Neligh-Oakdale. Madison 17 23 Elkhorn Valley 25 25 Elkhorn Valley: Olivia Nall 4k, 10d, 3sa; Bria Gale 1d, 1sa; Carney Black 2k, 4d, 1sa; Haley Fleetwood 1a, 12d, 3sa; Amber Miller 6k, 4a, 15d, 17sa;Hannah Ollendick 12k, 11d; Kaylee Bacon 1k, 1d, 1sa; Sierra Rystrom 6k, 1a, 2d, 1sa. Bloomfield 6 9 Elkhorn Valley 25 25 Elkhorn Valley: Olivia Nall 2k, 3a, 1b, 7d, 2sa; Bria Gale 1d, 3sa; Carney Black 1k; Haley Fleetwood 2a, 10d; Amber Miller 4k, 1a, 6d, 11sa; Hannah Ollendick 7k, 1a, 6d; Kaylee Bacon 1k, 1a, 3d, 1sa; Sierra Rystrom 5k, 2a, 2d.  The Elgin Public/Pope John football team wrapped up the 2018 campaign with a 56-14 victory over Winside Thursday.
The Wolfpack jumped out to a quick 22-0 lead in the first quarter and took a 48-6 advantage into halftime. Hunter Reestman led EPPJ in his final game rushing for 107 yards and four touchdowns. Kyle Schumacher ran for 89 yards and a score and caught a 43-yard TD pass. Conor Ramold passed for 69 yards and a score. Austin Bauer led the defense with two sacks and 12 tackles. Cory Romej and Schumacher each tallied 10 tackles and Joey Getzfred recorded a sack and an interception. Elgin Public/Pope John ends its season with a 2-6 record.  The Neligh-Oakdale Schools honored parents of the 2018 football team Thursday night before the Warriors' regular season finale against Lutheran High Northeast. Members of the football team, along with managers, were introduced in front of the N-O faithful with their families. Check out all the photos from Thursday's parents' night!  Costly mistakes at inopportune times, cost the Neligh-Oakdale football team against Lutheran High Northeast, 50-26, Thursday at Warrior Field. "We played a good football team and for a good portion of the game we played them toe-to-toe," stated N-O coach Ron Beacom. "We did a pretty good job once we settled in and got more physical with them." Two big runs by Jaxson Kant gave the Eagles an early 8-0 lead. The Warriors answered with an eight-play, 59 yard drive ending in a Brock Kester 11-yard touchdown pass to Austin Rice. The two-point conversion was no good and N-O trailed by two. On the ensuing drive, Kant found Tanner Koss for a 22-yard score. N-O had a promising drive and was inside the LHNE 20-yard line, but Ben Gebhardt picked off a pass and went the other way for a pick six. A two-yard touchdown plunge by Kant with under five minutes remaining in the half extended the Eagles' lead to 30-6. "They (LHNE) played really well right from the start and we dug ourselves a hole," Beacom recalled. "We had to change the way how we went about it (the game). I'm pleased with the way our kids played hard and we battled." The Warriors responded right before the half with a 25-yard TD pass from Kester to Jayden Arehart. Both defenses clamped down to start the third until Kant broke free for a 49-yard touchdown run midway through the third. Arehart responded with a 48-yard scoring run on Neligh-Oakdale's next series to make the score 38-20. However, a 17-yard TD reception by Gebhardt and a four-yard TD run by Kant put the contest out of reach and clinched an outright district title for LHNE. N-O found the end zone one final time as Kester plowed through an Eagle defender for a 10-yard TD run. Miscues and missed opportunities plagued the Warriors all night. The maroon and white failed to score any points off of two LHNE turnovers or multiple turnover on downs. N-O racked up 60-plus penalty yards and turned the ball over three times. "You have to be more disciplined when you're playing a good team," Beacoms said. "This is the type of group you're going to see in the playoffs and you can't afford to make mistakes. On fourth-and-one, you can't end up with fourth-and-six because you jumped. We did that a couple of times. Early on, it felt like we had kids trying to do too much. They weren't trusting their reads, weren't disciplined and we gave up big plays. It's the little things. It tells me that we're close, but we have a long ways to go if we want to be the football team we want to be and we're running out of time." Kant led the Eagles with more than 350 yards of total offense and six total touchdowns. The 50 points was the lowest LHNE had scored all season and entered the game averaging more than 68 points per game. "We defended them pretty well and I'm pleased with our kids," Beacom added. "We're never happy with a loss, but the way our crew battled I feel good about the direction we're heading." Arehart rushed for more than 100 yards and a score, while also adding 28 receiving yards and a TD. Kester passed for more than 100 yards, two scores, rushed for almost 60 yards and a TD. Rice caught five passes for 70 yards and Andrew Herley ran for more than 40 yards. Neligh-Oakdale (4-4) awaits its playoff fate and will see where the Warriors have to travel for the opening round of the D-1 playoffs. "We'll know Saturday morning what this means for sure," Beacom concluded. "We'll have to travel and we know we're in, we know that. Now it comes down to them making a decision. It's a great time of year at this time because the teams that want to play and want to get better and compete, keep playing. And the teams that are ready to move on and go to winter sports season, go on to winter sports season. It comes down to us making decisions like what kind of goals they want to set and the process of setting those goals. They can't set limits, let's set some lofty goals and see if we can go get them."  The Clearwater/Orchard football team was not in the sharing mood Thursday afternoon as the Cyclones clinched their first outright district title as a consolidated program with a 52-14 victory over Chambers/ Wheeler Central/Ewing at Clearwater. "It feels great because we've been putting in so much work the past few years," spoke OC senior Jacob Long. "It feels great to finally have something accomplished that hasn't been done for a while." OC was able to overcome sloppy play to capture its sixth-straight win to end the regular season. "We came out really aggressive today," stated OC mentor Jeff Shabram. "In some of our games, it feels like we get penalized for being aggressive and we have to clean up this penalty business here. It's something to work on definitely." It was all Cyclones to start, scoring on their first six drives of the contest. Long had a big first half, finding the end zone five times and accumulating 150 yards of offense in the first 24 minutes of play. "It doesn't matter who is doing well as long as we're playing as a team," Long said. "As long as we're playing as a team, we're going to go pretty far. I think we're one of the better teams out there if we play together and if we're clicking." The Renegades broke through in their opening drive of the third quarter with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Cole Duba to Justice Metschke. Houston Marino scored the Cyclones' final touchdown on a three-yard run. On the final play of the game, Xavier Hobbs scrambled for a six-yard score for CWC/E to end the contest. Despite committing numerous penalties and racking up 50 yards in penalties, OC was able to cruise to the win. "We got behind the sticks with some penalties and had some long yardage situations, but they responded," Shabram noted. Metschke led the Renegades with seven receptions for 115 yards and a TD. Duba completed 13 passes for more than 150 yards passing and a score. Long led the Cyclones offense with 100 yards on the ground, three rushing touchdowns, 74 yards receiving and two receiving touchdowns. Kester completed seven passes for 103 yards, threw for two touchdowns and added 60 yards rushing and a score. Clay Thiele led the defensive effort with three sacks, a forced fumble and five tackles. Long collected nine tackles, Ryan Wilhelm recorded two sacks and Zach King recovered a fumble. Clearwater/Orchard (7-1) awaits its opponent for the first round of the D-2 playoffs. The game is scheduled for Thursday at Orchard, but a time is yet to be determined. "We need to clean a lot of things up, but I think we're peaking at the right time," Shabram concluded. "Hopefully we can keep this thing going through the postseason."  Before Thursday afternoon's football game, both the Clearwater and Orchard high schools honored the seniors and their parents. The underclassmen were introduced on the sideline, while the seniors were greeted by their family. Check out our photo gallery of all the boys with their families.  The Clearwater/Orchard volleyball team pushed its win streak to four after two big victories Tuesday evening.
The Lady Cyclones opened with a three-set triumph over Plainview, 13-25, 25-16 and 25-21. "I am so proud of the girls and their energy," stated OC coach Sierra Summers. "We played with intensity and lots of fire to come back from eight down to get the win. They worked so hard to overcome their mistakes to get the win. " JoCee Johnston paced OC with 19 kills, two blocks and four digs. Katie Stearns tallied six kills, two aces, two blocks and five digs, Julian Tuttle recorded two aces, five digs and 22 assists, Taelyn Switzer accounted for three aces and Avery Cheatum added nine digs. In their second match, the Lady Cyclones swept O'Neill St. Mary's, 25-13 and 25-21. Johnston again led OC with 10 kills, two aces, three blocks and seven digs. Cheatum and Stearns each contributed four kills, a block and an ace, Maryssa Long served four aces and had five digs, while Tuttle pitched in 19 assists. Clearwater/Orchard (16-10) travels to Ewing to face St. Mary's in the opening round of the Niobrara Valley Conference tournament Monday at 6:15 p.m. The winner takes on the top seed Ewing at 7:30 p.m. "We are looking forward to entering next week's conference matches," concluded Summers.  The Elgin Public/Pope John volleyball team saw its six-game winning streak come to an end Tuesday in a hard-fought loss to Burwell.
The Lady Longhorns won the match, 27-25, 25-21, 19-25 and 25-23. Kaylee Martinsen led the Lady Wolfpack with 13 kills, nine blocks and four digs. Haley Zegers tallied six kills, two aces, six blocks and 17 digs, Kayce Kallhoff contributed nine kills, three blocks and six digs, Harlie Bode had eight kills and three blocks, Kirsten Krebs accounted for four kills and four digs, Anna Heilhecker recorded three kills, an ace and 16 digs, Grace Rittscher added two aces and five digs and Allyson Wemhoff pitched in four aces, 21 digs and 33 assists. EPPJ (16-10) hosts the opening round of the Niobrara Valley Conference tournament Monday against Niobrara/Verdigre at 5 p.m.  It is hard to believe the 2018 cross country season is nearly complete. After months of hard work and dedication, three Antelope County runners accomplished their ultimate goal, a trip to Kearney for the 2018 Class D state cross country meet.
Elkhorn Valley sophomore Hunter Bennett and Neligh-Oakdale junior Emma Bixler and senior Cole Belitz advanced to the state meet after placing in the top-15 at last week’s district meet. Bennett and Belitz are making their second appearance at the state meet, while Bixler is making her state cross country meet debut. “It is really special (to make it to state) because I missed out on my opportunity last year,” Bixler said. “I felt like I had to do this. I feel like I have accomplished the first thing, going down there, and now I have to prove myself at the actual race.” A tough break at last year’s district meet helped motivate Bixler this season. After just missing out on qualifying for the state meet last season, Bixler was determined to end her season at Kearney this season. “Last year, I knew I only had two years left and knew I had to make it next year,” Bixler continued. “I wanted to go (to state) two years and coming into this year, I had to prove to myself that I was stronger than I was last year.” Bennett has seen a big jump from his rookie season to this year. “I think I practiced harder and tried a little bit more,” Bennett stated. “I took things more serious and thought about what’s at the end of the year.” Belitz has also seen a big improvement from last season to this year, which he credits to his rigorous summer workout. The senior Warrior recorded more than 300 miles this summer, the most by any runner under N-O coach Rick Eickholt. “I ran a lot more than I did the last few summers,” Belitz said. “The most important thing is you have to get a lot of miles under your belt and it makes a three-mile race a lot easier when you can go out and run five miles easily. That’s a good thing to do in the summer and just that little bit I increased this year helped me this much. I wish I would have known about it back when I was a freshman or sophomore so I could have improved on it then. Who knows where I’d be now, but it’s definitely important you get that done over the summer.” Last week’s race was one of the toughest districts in the state, with more than 50 returning state qualifiers between the boys and girls races. The quality of competition and hilly course has helped prepare the three runners for the rigorous course at Kearney. “The competition was a big help, so you know who to look out for,” Bennett said. “With the course, you know how to pace yourself and know what to run.” Based on last week’s district times, Belitz is ranked 15th and Bennett is 27th in the boys race, while Bixler is 34th in the girls race. However, the times may be skewed because not all of the district courses were 5,000 meters and some were more difficult than others. “Last year, my trip down to Kearney, I wasn’t expected to place real high or anything,” Belitz said. “I wasn’t worried to run or anything, so I just went out there and ran. Last year, I didn’t have really any nerves, but this year I think I’m going to have more nerves because I’m supposed to place a little higher and I’m right around that top-15 area.” All three runners hope to have a solid showing and know they have the potential to finish the 2018 season with a medal. “I want to do my best and put my best race forward since it’s the last race of the year,” Bixler said. “I want to shoot for as high of a goal as I can. Whatever that may be.” “I want to place in the top-15,” Bennett added. “I have to stay with the people I know that will be up there, I have to keep a good pace and not start too fast so I have something left to finish.” While Bennett and Bixler still have more opportunities to make a return trip to Kearney, for Belitz this is his swan song and he plans on ending his high school cross country career with a bang. “My last race ever came a little quicker than I thought it would,” Belitz concluded. “I’m glad I’m getting a chance to run at Kearney again and I’m going to try to get in the top-15. Finishing last year, I didn’t even think I’d have a chance to place this year. I put in a lot of work over the summer, got some good input from my friends and I got a lot done. Here we are at the end of the season and I have a pretty good chance (of placing). I got one more race to see if I can get it done.” The Class D girls state race begins at noon on Friday and the boys race starts at 1 p.m. at the Kearney Country Club.  Monday night’s volleyball match between Elkhorn Valley and O’Neill had the feeling of a playoff matchup as both teams fought tooth and nail in the contest. It took five sets but when the dust had settled, the Lady Eagles stood victorious. “The girls worked really hard and they never gave up,” stated EV mentor Emily Vaughn. “they came out really strong in that first set and we kind of backed off in the next two sets. I was excited to see them come back and fight in the fourth (set). The fifth we just couldn’t quite get on offense.” “I thought it was a great game,” commented O’Neill coach Angie Robertson. “Elkhorn Valley really pushed us. We have big games tomorrow, so we came in here trying to conserve energy. We tried to keep our energy consistent, but we got stuck in a rut a couple of times.” The Lady Falcons used an early surge to take the first set, 25-21. Tied at six, EV scored 13 of the next 17 points to claim an 18-10 lead. The Lady Eagles responded with a 7-0 led by Brianna Bauer's four kills. The deficit was too much for O'Neill to complete the comeback as Amber Miller won the set with a kill. O'Neill bounced back early in the second set to claim an early 7-2 lead. EV chipped away at the lead and eventually tied the match at 16 on a Haley Fleetwood ace. The Lady Eagles ended the set on a 9-1 run to take the set, 25-17. Five different players recorded a kill led by Haylee Kaufman's six kills. “Senior night is always hard to adjust emotionally,” Robertson said. “That first set we came out stagnant and it took us a little bit to figure out our game. We always say swing to win. We’re not ones to tip and we adjusted.” It was all O'Neill in the third set as the home squad won, 25-9. A 6-1 run to start followed by a 12-1 run put the set away early. The Lady Falcons did not help their cause by committing 13 errors in the set. Both teams battled back-and-forth for the momentum, but no one was able to take a clear advantage in the fourth set. The fourth set had 10 different ties and the largest lead was by EV at 11-7. Tied at 23, a crucial net violation gave the Lady Falcons set point and Miller won the set with a big block, 25-23. “In that set we worked smarter, not harder,” Vaughn said. “We found some shots that worked for us, served tough and kept them on their heals. That’s just a side-out mentality. They get a point or two, we have to find a way to counter back and get on the attack.” The Lady Eagles regrouped and jumped out to a 6-0 lead to start the fifth set and cruised to a 15-5 set win to capture the match. “Our main goal was to get up on them before we got to their main servers that we had trouble passing with,” Robertson said. “We did a better job of that in the sets we won.” Five different Lady Eagles had at least six kills - with four attackers recording double-digit kills. Kaufman led the way with 13 kills, an ace and two blocks. Bauer tallied 14 kills, two blocks and 19 digs, Blair Gutshall recorded 11 kills, four blocks and two aces, Makayla Hilker accumulated six kills, 26 digs and two aces, Meg Schluns had 12 kills and 12 digs and Alyssa Eichelberger added 51 assists and 14 digs “We have a young setter (Eichelberger) and we push her to make all these different sets and she’s doing a fantastic job,” Robertson noted. “We like to move the ball around. We know we have a hard hitter in Brianna Bauer on the outside, but she gets targeted a lot. We had to figure out what else we’re going to run when she is getting blocked and they have done a great job. Tonight was one of the best team efforts we’ve had.” Miller led the Lady Falcons with eight kills, three aces, two blocks, 24 digs and 6 assists. Sierra Rystrom and Hannah Ollendick each tallied six kills, Ollendick added two aces, four blocks and 20 digs, Olivia Nall contributed four kills, tow blocks and 18 digs and Haley Fleetwood served three aces and 12 digs. O’Neill (16-8) travels to Wayne for a tri-match today to end its regular season. “This is a perfect way to go into conference games,” Robertson said. “Elkhorn Valley always comes in here and they never want to lay down without a battle. They’re one of the scrappier teams we play and they’re aggressive. This was an outstanding way to start our week off.” Elkhorn Valley (14-8) hopes to end its season on a high note Thursday as the Lady Falcons host Bloomfield and Madison starting at 5 p.m. “We’re looking forward to ending the season at home and getting another home match or two,” Vaughn concluded. “The girls are playing well. I hope we come back, respond in a couple of big games, take care of business Thursday and go on from there.”  The Niobrara Valley Conference announced the matchups for the upcoming volleyball tournament today. The first two rounds are scheduled for Monday, Oct. 22. The semifinals are Tuesday Oct. 23 and the third-place and championship matches are scheduled for Friday Oct. 26. Ewing received the top seed after a perfect regular season. The Lady Tigers host the winner of Clearwater/Orchard and O'Neill St. Mary's at 7:30 p.m., after the OC and St. Mary's match at 6:15 p.m. Neligh-Oakdale plays Santee Monday at 6:15 p.m. in Tilden and the winner faces the No. 3 seed, Elkhorn Valley at 7:30 p.m. Elgin Public/Pope John hosts Niobrara/Verdigre Monday at 5 p.m. The winner of the EPPJ-N/V match faces the Boyd County and West Holt winner at 7 p.m. at Elgin. Tuesday's semifinals will be held at West Holt and the final day of the tournament is at Niobrara on Friday.   Throughout the month of October, communities and organization across the country show their support for breast cancer awareness.
During athletic events, players are seen donning pink and honor breast cancer survivors, and those who have passed, throughout the month. One local gym is showing their support through a special event, which is open to the public. CrossFit 1026, a gym in Norfolk on West Omaha Avenue, is hosting a national event to raise money for breast cancer awareness, cleverly known as Barbells for Boobs. “This is our first time doing Barbells for Boobs and we’re excited to have it start here,” stated CrossFit 1026 owner Ryan Goodwin. “It’s a nationwide event that takes place during October. We have funding throughout the year.” Barbells for Boobs is a national event started in 2011 by Zionna Hanson after her best friend, at the age of 26, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Although Hanson’s friend, Cecy, had insurance and a referral from her physician, Cecy was initially denied breast screening services by medical professionals and was recommended for “mammography at age 40”. For the past seven years, Hanson has grown Barbells for Boobs into a global multi-million dollar organization, which drives social change. “Our mission for Barbells for Boobs is to mobilize people to take action in breast cancer,” Goodwin said. “We diagnose, while also using fitness and community, as a way to promote breast cancer awareness and create a community that advocates detection, fitness and wellness.” It is not uncommon to see CrossFit gyms across the United States take part in a greater cause. Gyms all over the U.S. have different workouts and events every year to benefit the community or honor community members. “We’re huge on community,” Goodwin added. “We love to see people succeed and when one person succeeds in our gym, it helps the whole community as a whole. Each individual that comes in here and does a workout, feeds off each other. They see one person doing well or working hard, they have another individual to do some friendly competition with or push the other. We’re really big on family and community.” Goodwin was affected by breast cancer and thought this event was a great way to honor those who have been affected by this disease “It’s a great way to give back to the community,” Goodwin said. “My mom was an individual who has been affected by breast cancer. I thought it was a great way to give her some acknowledgment and some props for fighting something that affects a lot of people worldwide.” Barbell for Boobs starts at 6 p.m. on Friday at the CrossFit 1026 site. The event begins with an opening ceremony, followed by a kids workout (burpees for boobs). Adults then complete the workout “Helen Meets Grace.” “Helen Meets Grace” is a two-person team workout consisting of three rounds of a 400 meter run, 21 kettlebell swings and 12 pull-ups. Then the team must complete 30 clean and jerks as fast as possible. The day concludes with a BBQ for all the participants and their families. “We like to gather after big events like this,” Goodwin said. “After a long, hard workout we feed each other and get everybody some energy and nutrients, and also get to know each other. A lot of times when we’re working out, we do the workout in an hour and people have other obligations and things they need to get taken care of. They go and do their thing and don’t get to talk, chat and figure out who it who in the community. It’s a nice way to reconnect with each individual.” It is a free-will donation event. Goodwin has setup a fund-raiser page at https://www.barbellsforboobs.org/fundraisers/CrossFit-1026 and hopes to raise $1,200. Participants can reserve a spot for the event on the CrossFit 1026 Facebook page. Even if the workout portion is not for you, a person can still make a donation for this great cause and attend the event to cheer on the competitors. As of Monday, the gym was a quarter of the way there. “When you come for the workout, we just ask for a donation,” Goodwin concluded. “You can donate $2 or $10, but know that $120 helps one individual for our event. This money goes nationwide for every individual who might want detection at a younger age or who needs help.” Friday will be a day full of sweat, fun and bonding for a great cause.  A late fourth-quarter touchdown guided the Neligh-Oakdale football team to a 24-18 victory over Clearwater/Orchard last week.
The Warriors opened the game with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Aiden Kuester to Carson Whitesel. Kuester's two-point conversion run gave N-O an 8-0 lead. Following a OC score, Kuester found Bryson Gadeken for a 53-yard touchdown to give the Warriors a 16-6 lead at the half. Two third-quarter touchdowns by the Cyclones put OC ahead 18-16 heading into the final stanza. The Warriors scored the game-winning drive with more than three minutes remaining in the contest, as Kuester connected on a 24-yard TD pass to Whitesel, then completed the two-point conversion with a pass to Landon Schrader. Kuester led the offense with 85 yards rushing, 156 passing yards and three passing touchdowns. Whitesel caught three passes for 74 yards and two TDS, Gadeken recorded four catches for 51 yards and a score, Chase Furstenau had four-yards rushing and Austin Rudolf added two yards on the ground. The Warriors' defense was led by Kuester with a team-best 15 tackles. Rudolf tallied nine tackles, Whitesel and Schrader collected five tackles each, Furstenau had two tackles, Gadeken and Trysten Coover each accounted for a tackle and Colson Krebs picked off a pass. Neligh-Oakdale (5-0) wraps up its regular season today at Warrior Field against Lutheran High Northeast at 4:30 p.m.  Osmond's high-powered offense guided the Tigers to an 80-8 victory over Elgin Public/Pope John's football team Friday evening during EPPJ’s homecoming game. "I thought we came out right away and battled hard," stated EPPJ coach Randy Eisenhauer. "With eight minutes (gone in the first) we were down 14-0. Our kids came and battled right away, but then we got put in a hole and it went downwards from there." It was all Osmond from the start, led by its dual-threat quarterback Anthony Heiman. The senior gunslinger record more than 200 yards on the ground, more than 100 yards through the air and six total touchdowns in the first half. After a rough offensive start, EPPJ finally got its offense going late in the second quarter. The Wolfpack drove all the way to the Tigers' 11-yard line thanks to 37 rushing yards by Hunter Reestman during the drive. With four ticks remaining in the half, Conor Ramold found Reestman at the one yard line, but the Osmond defender pushed Reestman out of bounds before he reached the pylon as time expired in the half. Osmond added three more rushing touchdowns in the second half to extend its lead. EPPJ broke its two-game scoreless streak when Reestman scored from a yard out in the fourth. Ramold found Adam Dreger for the two-point conversion on the ensuing play. For the Wolfpack, this was the first time since week two EPPJ had all 14 players suited up. "It's nice," Eisenhauer said. "For the first time since week two, we had all 14 guys back. During that time when you don't have everyone here and only 11 or 12 kids, it takes a toll on you. The kids keep battling and we had some good things happen to us tonight. We have to go back and finish the year." Osmond scored on every drive and six of its 11 scores were 30 yards or more. Heiman led the Tigers with nearly 400 yards of total offense, three passing touchdowns and four rushing scores. Josh Gansebom, Connor Gutz, Bryan Solorzano and Patrick Vinson each tallied rushing touchdowns, while Justus Maertins had two receiving scores and Gansebom caught a TD pass. Reestman rushed for 98 yards and the lone touchdown for the Wolfpack. Kyle Schumacher rushed for 39 yards, Ramold passed for 22 yards and Dreger caught a pass for 15 yards. Elgin Public/Pope John wraps up its season Thursday against Winside at 7 p.m. "I always tell my kids I don't want us to ever quit," Eisenhauer concluded. "I don't care if I got an undefeated team or if I got a team with one win or no wins. They must always battle and that's my thing. I always say effort and energy goes a long way. That's what we're going to preach next week and hopefully we can play a good game next week."  What was suspected to be an offensive shootout between the Neligh-Oakdale and Elkhorn Valley football teams, turned into a defensive struggle Friday afternoon. The Warriors escaped Tilden with a 28-16 victory over the Falcons. "I'm just glad we won," stated N-O mentor Ron Beacom. "I thought their kids came out and played extremely hard. It was a pretty physical game between a couple of teams trying to get three or four wins. Both teams played pretty physical and you could tell both teams wanted this game pretty bad. Defensively, we did a a pretty good job of understanding the overall game plan and I'm proud of the kids for doing that. No one would have dreamt this game would be this low scoring." "Our boys fought hard like they have all season," commented EV coach Brendan Dittmer. "It's unfortunate to play hard like we did against Howells-Dodge, Osceola/High Plains and Neligh-Oakdale tonight, and come up on the short end of the stick." N-O struck first in the opening stanza with a Jayden Arehart three-yard touchdown run and a Brock Kester two-point conversion run for the early 8-0 advantage. EV knotted the game at eight in the second quarter with a 15-yard strike from Braedyn Ollendick to Adam Miller. Ollendick ran in the two-point conversion to tie the game. Two drives later, the Warriors reclaimed the lead on a 25-yard TD pass from Hunter Charf to Austin Rice and took a six-point lead into the break. Midway through the third, Kester connected on a 34-yard touchdown pass to Arehart. Kester found Garret Belitz for the two-point conversion, giving the maroon and white a 22-8 advantage. On Elkhorn Valley's opening drive of the fourth, the Falcons drove 61 yards, in 12 plays and cut the deficit to six on Josh McFarland's one-yard scoring run. The Warriors answered with a nine-play drive, concluding with an Arehart four-yard TD run. "One thing coach (George) Loofe always hammered home to our kids, when he was helping in the past, is that good teams answer," Beacom recalled." That's exactly what he always said and our kids did that today. When they scored, things could've gone in the other direction. We made sure we kept a little bit of an edge and it worked out for us." The two defenses took over from there, both forcing a turnover and not allowing any more scoring for the final five minutes of play. "It was a pretty good win," Rice said. "We all knew they (EV) were a going to come out with a high level of energy and we needed to match that and match the physicality. We started slow in the first half, but we began to pick things up in the beginning of the second half. We did what we do best." Arehart led the Warriors with 98 total yards and three touchdowns. Charf went 11 of 18 passing for 140 yards and a score, Kester passed for 47 yards and a TD and Andrew Herley gained 159 yards of total offense. "We made a few mistakes and when I watch the film, I'm not going to be happy with a few things," Beacom said. "On the other hand, I think they (EV) had something to do with that. I have to give coach Dittmer credit for the work him and his staff did and the work his kids did. They've done a hell of a job and I commend them. We're happy to leave here 4-3." The N-O defense held the potent EV offense to its lowest point total of the season and less than 70 yards on the ground. Rice led the defense with two interceptions and Kaleb Pofahl added a pick in the fourth quarter. "We came in knowing we would have to play a great defensive game because they're a great offensive team," Rice noted. "All of us practiced pretty hard, scout (team) gave a good look and we came in here prepared." Ollendick passed for 189 yards and a score, but threw three interceptions in the loss. McFarland gained 55 yards on the ground with a touchdown, Brock Schaecher caught nine passes for more than 74 yards and Miller added 77 yards receiving and a score. "The first half, we got in good position but shot ourselves in the foot with penalties," Dittmer said. "Second half we did a better job, but playing from behind changes the game plan. Neligh really did a good job on McFarland and it took away a lot of what we wanted to do. I was proud of our effort in the second half, we just came up short." Elkhorn Valley (2-5) needs a win in its final game of the season at Laurel-Concord-Coleridge Friday at 7 p.m. to keep its playoff hopes alive. "My message to the kids was we could give ourselves an outside shot at playoffs, but we have to take care of our side and it doesn't happen if we don't beat Laurel," Dittmer said. "We need to have our heads on right come Monday and we need to be ready to put work in." Neligh-Oakdale (4-3) looks to continue its hot streak Thursday against Lutheran High Northeast at Warrior Field. "It's no secret, Lutheran High hasn't scored fewer than 52 points in a game, and that was to Howells-Dodge who I think plays pretty good defense," Beacom said. "The big thing is we have to continue to do what we do defensively to keep the score down on their end and make sure we execute at a higher level. We're not going to be able to afford to make mistakes. I don't think we have to be perfect, but we have to be pretty good." Since starting the season 0-2, the Warriors have won four of their last five and look to lock a spot in the playoffs with a big win over the Eagles. "I hope we come in Monday ready to rock and roll," Rice concluded. "Lutheran High is a great team, but they're not unbeatable. They're a pretty good team. Our energy is high, our spirits are high and I think it will carry over and we'll have a good week of practice."  The Elgin Public/Pope John volleyball team held off Niobrara/Verdigre for a four set win Thursday.
After falling in the first set, 25-11, the Lady Cougars bounce back to claim the second set, 25-21. The Lady Wolfpack won the third set handily, 25-10, and held on to win the fourth set, 26-24, and the match. Kaylee Martinsen led EPPJ with 19 kills, three blocks and nine digs. Allyson Wemhoff recorded a double-double with 15 digs and 39 assists, Kayce Kalthoff collected 11 kills, Harlie Bode tallied seven kills and eight blocks, Kirsten Krebs had five blocks, Haley Zegers added four blocks and 19 digs, Grace Rittscher accounted for 15 digs and Anna Heilhecker pitched in 21 digs. Niobrara/Verdigre (3-19) opens the Knox County Tournament with Wausa Monday at 4:30 p.m. Elgin Public/Pope John (16-9) travels to Burwell Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.  A huge second quarter propelled the Clearwater/Orchard football team past O'Neill St. Mary's, 54-8, Thursday. Leading 8-0 after the opening stanza following a Chris Kester touchdown pass to Jacob Long, the Cyclones exploded for 24 points in the quarter to take a 32-0 lead into the break. Kester connected on three TD passes in the second, one to Clay Thiele and two Long. Houston Marino and Eli Macke each added a rushing score in the third. After the Cardinals' first score in the fourth, Austin Pokorny scored from two-yards out for OC's final touchdown. The win clinches at least a share of the District 5 title for the Cyclones. Kester completed 11 passes for 127 yards and four touchdowns. Macke rushed for 88 yards and a score, Pokorny accounted for 55 total yards and a rushing TD and Long caught five passes for 52 yards and three touchdowns. OC looks to win the district crown outright Thursday against Chambers/Wheeler Central at 3 p.m. at Clearwater.  Despite competing at one of the toughest districts in the state, several local runners qualified for next week's state cross country meet after great performances at Thursday's D-3 District meet at Norfolk's Skyview Lake. “This is definitely the hardest district in Class D,” said N-O senior Cole Belitz. “Not saying there’s not tough teams and competition throughout Class D, but the teams and individuals that got put into this one was very competitive and very hard. Everybody deserved it in that top-15 today.” Neligh-Oakdale junior Emma Bixler and Belitz each placed fourth, in their respective races, to advance to next week’s state meet. “I’m really proud and excited by their performances today,” stated N-O mentor Rick Eickholt. “They kind of flip-flopped a little. Throughout the season, Emma has been the one who has had a really strong finish and Cole has been totally spent at the finish line. Today, Emma tied up a little bit at the last 100 meters and Cole had a fantastic kick at the end and passed two really good runners from Norfolk Catholic.” This is Belitz's second trip to the state race, while Bixler is making her first trip to Kearney after just missing out last year. “I’m very excited,” Bixler said. “I knew I had to do it (qualify for state) this year after last year I struggled so much and didn’t go to state. I knew this was something I had to do and had to accomplish. I prepared my best and I’m glad that all my efforts came out with a qualification.” Elkhorn Valley sophomore Hunter Bennett is making a return trip to Kearney after placing seventh in the boys race. “It feels good,” Bennett said. “You can’t quit too early and you have to give it your all. You hope that it’s not your last race of the season.” In the girls race, Bixler jumped right to the front of the pack to give herself a comfortable cushion down the stretch. “My actual strategy was to stay in the middle and work my way up in the end,” Bixler said. “There’s a lot of hills at the end that you have to save energy for. I can never predict how everyone else is going to run, so I ran my own race and it worked out how it worked out.” Bixler crossed the finish line at 21:16.99. The Lady Warriors’ Hailey Bixler (25:26.3) took 39th and Sydney Olson (30:15.68) claimed 59th. The boys race was a battle from start to finish. Belitz ran a very smart race and cruised to a fourth-place finish at 17:39. “I never ran on this course before and I didn’t know what to expect,” Belitz said. “There’s a lot of uphill and a lot of downhill, so I didn’t want to go out too fast or too slow. I found that happy medium in the beginning and stuck with it. I passed a few bodies in the middle and in the end, you just give everything you had. That’s the way I ran today.” Bennett knew it was going to be a dogfight for those top-15 spots, but the sophomore Falcon stayed confident and claimed seventh-place with a time of 17:54. “The nerves are always there,” Bennett noted. “I used Cole (Belitz) to push me and I just have to stay close to him because I know he is running hard.” Other finishers for the Warriors were Griffin Claussen (19:25.01) in 33rd, Christian Carothers (20:20.01) in 51st, Ashton Higgins (20:30) in 54th, Cameron Wilkinson (21:09) in 74th and Thomas Johnson (22:17) in 88th. Elkhorn Valley's Damian Smith (20:37) was 58th, Walter Furstenau (20:46) was 64th, Reed Bennett (20:52) was 67th, Brandon Evans (20:57) was 70th and Colton Rystrom (21:26) was 79th. “We were really happy where Hunter placed,” said EV coach Janet Rood. “We were really worried with the competition, but he had a great performance and we’re super thrilled he gets to go to state. The rest of the team ran good, it was a tough race and I’m really proud of the whole team.” Ainsworth swept the team and individual titles, winning the girls and boys' crowns. Ben Arens (16:04) and Rylee Rice (19:58.48) won the individual district titles, respectively. The Neligh-Oakdale boys finished seventh with 129 points and Elkhorn Valley placed ninth with 171 points. The Class D race is Friday, Oct. 19, at the Kearney Country Club. The girls race starts at noon and the boys race is at 1 p.m. “I’m excited,” Eickholt concluded. “We got one more week and I would love more than anything to have to stay late and go to the award’s ceremony.”  With all the rain the area has had this week and more expected tonight, EPPJ has made the decision to move the parking for the football game Friday night.
Parking will be moved to the new parking lot on the east side of the gym and around the high school. No one will be allowed to park at the field, on the practice field or on the road leading to the field due to muddy conditions. The school will be offering a shuttle from the parking lot up to the gates of the field.  The Neligh-Oakdale volleyball team ended its regular season on Thursday with a road trip to O'Neill to face a pair of teams they played less than a week later. Facing Norfolk Catholic and O'Neill at O'Neill, the Warriors looked like a different team on the court as they matched both teams point for point for a much of the time, although Neligh-Oakdale came up short in both matches. The Warriors (15-10) lost to Norfolk Catholic (9-14) 25-22, 25-21 and O'Neill (15-8) 25-13, 25-19. Stats are not available for either game. Neligh-Oakdale will be off until the Niobrara Valley Tournament begins on Oct. 22. Brackets have not been released at this time. |
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