Plainsmen hold their own against Class C’s best

When it comes to the best of the best, Perkins County athletes handled whatever Class C threw at them at this year’s state championships.
Mason McGreer brought home medals in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. Both races featured Cedar Catholic’s Carson Noecker. Noecker won all-class gold in the 3,200-meter run. After the race McGreer said he often couldn’t see Noecker on the track, despite McGreer running much of the race in second place.
The PCS freshman ran with the pack for the first two laps of the 3,200, then broke free and ran in second place until the final lap. Two seniors passed McGreer for second and third, but McGreer’s effort down the home stretch gave him third place, as well as knocking 28 seconds off the school record.
McGreer’s strategy looked much the same in the 1,600, also won by Noecker, but five seniors finished ahead of him, leaving McGreer with a seventh-place medal.
Kailee Potts also took on the best in the Class C field, racing against a four-event winner in both hurdle races.
Potts was matched up with Lincoln Lutherna’s Adrianna Rodencal in the 100-meter hurdles prelims. Potts did not make finals.
Potts finished her 300-meter hurdle prelim with the sixth fastest time and faced Rodencal in the finals of the event. Potts finished fifth.
Casey Hanson earned the Plainsmen’s other medal thanks to a fifth-place finish in long jump. Hanson’s final jump in prelims was his best of the morning and set him up for a finals appearance.
Hanson and Blake Garner also ran the 200-meter dash.
Garner’s best jump in triple jump was his first of the day and the sophomore did not make finals.
Senior Colton Pouk wrapped up his high school career with a season best in the 800-meter run.
Freshman Charis Goodell also got her first taste of the state championships in the 1,600-meter run. Goodell ran against back-to-back state champion Jordyn Arens of Crofton.
PCS started running events off with the boys’ and girls’ 3,200-meter relays Friday.
The boys’ relay, McGreer, Triston Hite, Erik Snyder and Pouk, knocked 20 seconds off their district time, not a surprise after the weather conditions in Mitchell.
The boys’ relay placed 11th and the girls’ 12th.
Members of the girls’ relay were Kenna Busick, Goodell, Meredith Gloy and Libby Cole.
The 400-meter relay team, Hite, Hanson, Ethan Sihm and Garner, also placed 11th.
SPVA was well represented at the meet.
North Platte St. Pat’s swept the boys’ and girls’ titles in Class D.
The Chase County girls captured the Class C title, while Sutherland tied for ninth in the Class C girls’ race thanks to Story Rasby’s second place finishes in the 200- and 400-meter dashes and a third place finish in the 800-meter run.
State Track meet
Boys’ Class C—1. Grand Island Central Catholic, 68; 18. Perkins County, 12.
200 Meters—1. Koa McIntyre, 21.89, Archbishop Bergan; Casey Hanson, 23.74, Perkins County; Blake Garner, 23.89.
800 Meters—1. Ben Alberts, 1:58.31, Grand Island Central Catholic; Colton Pouk, 2:04.81, Perkins County.
1600 Meters—1. Carson Noecker, 4:19.61, Cedar Catholic; 7. Mason McGreer, 4:39.84, Perkins County.
3200 Meters—1. Noecker, 9:16.05, Cedar Catholic; 3. McGreer, 10:01.39, Perkins County.
4x100 Relay—1. Battle Creek, 43.99; Perkins County (Triston Hite, Hanson, Ethan Sihm, Garner), 46.09.
4x800 Relay—1. Cedar Catholic, 8:22.40; Perkins County (McGreer, Hite, Erik Snyder, Pouk), 8:41.93.
Long Jump—1. Beau Lee, 22-02.75, Lourdes Central Catholic; 5. Hanson, 20-04.00, Perkins County.
Triple Jump—1. Lee, 45-01.00, Lourdes Central Catholic; Garner, 40-01.00, Perkins County
Girls’ Class C—1. Chase County, 70; Perkins County, 4.
1600 Meters—1. Jordyn Arens, 5:17.98, Crofton; Charis Goodell, 6:00.07, Perkins County.
100m Hurdles—1. Adrianna Rodencal, 14.33, Lincoln Lutheran; Kailee Potts, 16.58, Perkins County.
300m Hurdles—1. Rodencal, 45.60, Lincoln Lutheran; 5. Potts, 48.53, Perkins County.
4x800 Relay—1. Bishop Neumann, 9:54.02; Perkins County (Kenna Busick, Goodell, Meredith Gloy, Libby Cole), 10:39.42.