Plainsmen sending 12 to Omaha
Following a year with only three state qualifiers, the Perkins County track teams are sending six individuals and three relays east to Omaha for Friday and Saturday’s state track meet.
Kailee Potts qualified in both hurdles races by winning the 300-meter hurdles and finishing second in the 100-meter hurdles.
PCS Head Coach Shayne Hite said the team was very excited to have Charis Goodell as an additional qualifier in the 1,600-meter run and sneak in the 3,200-meter relay team of Kenna Busick, Meredith Gloy, Goodell and Libby Cole as one of seven fastest non-winning times.
Hite said they are especially excited for the younger runners, like freshmen Busick, Goodell and Cole.
Though the Plainsmen will lose some quality athletes after this year, Hite says seeing younger runners succeed makes coaches excited about the future of PCS track.
Casey Hanson will head to state in long jump after a second place finish at districts.
Hanson celebrated with teammate Blake Garner after the 200-meter dash when the pair swept the events qualifying spots with first and second finishes, respectively.
Garner also qualified for state with a first-place finish in triple jump.
Freshman Mason McGreer claimed first in both the 1,600- and 3,200 meter runs.
Colton Pouk ran in the most dramatic event of the day. Heading down the home stretch, Pouk was sitting in third place and appeared to be out of the running for a state bid. But Mitchell’s Carmelo Ayala runner went down, allowing Pouk to take second place.
Hite said Pouk had mixed emotions but excited to go.
“Sometimes the chips are just falling your way,” Hite said.
Pouk and Chase County’s Tristan Jablonski threw Ayala’s arms over their shoulders to help him off the track.
The Plainsmen’s boys’ 3,200-meter relay, McGreer, Triston Hite, Erik Snyder and Pouk, won the district championship but under miserable conditions.
A storm moved through at the end of the girls’ relay. Faced with 40-mph wind, sleet and rain, Hite said the team wasn’t close to its season PR.
“So they know what they can do in Omaha,” Hite said.
The boys’ 400-meter relay was also district champions. Hite, Hanson, Sihm and Garner make up the team.
Classes C and D will compete Friday and Saturday in Omaha.
Pole vault will start at 9 a.m. CT each morning with other field events scheduled for 9:30 a.m. CT and 11:30 a.m CT starts. Running events begin each day at 1:30 p.m. CT
Boys’ Results:
Team results—1. Chase County, 146; 2. Gordon-Rushville, 105; 3. Perkins County, 91; 4. Mitchell, 74; 5. Bridgeport, 62; 6. Bayard, 25; 7. Morrill, 12; 8. Hemingford, 6; 9. Kimball, 4.
Individual results
100 Meters—1. Ellis Livingston, 11.51, Gordon-Rushville; 6. Ethan Sihm, 12.03, Perkins County; 7. Ryder Potts, 12.08, Perkins County.
200 Meters—1. Casey Hanson, 23.73, Perkins County; 2. Blake Garner, 23.78, Perkins County; 7. Brock Tines, 25.44, Perkins County.
800 Meters—1. Jace Phillips, 2:05.87, Bridgeport; 2. Colton Pouk, 2:10.13, Perkins County; 8. Landon Noyes, 2:22.05, Perkins County.
1600 Meters—1. Mason McGreer, 4:56.57, Perkins County.
3200 Meters—1. McGreer, 11:10.41, Perkins County.
4x100 Relay—1. Perkins County (Triston Hite, Hanson, Sihm, Garner), 45.45.
4x400 Relay—1. CCS, 3:32.73; 4. Perkins County (McGreer, Erik Snyder, Hite, Pouk), 3:40.22.
4x800 Relay—1. Perkins County (McGreer, Hite, Snyder, Pouk), 9:02.95.
Shot Put—1. Atreyu Thorsen, 44’3.25, Gordon-Rushville; 5. Austin Meyer, 40’11, Perkins County.
Long Jump—1. Ryan Bernhardt, 20’3, CCS; 2. Hanson, 20’2, Perkins County; 8. Tines, 17’7.25, Perkins County.
Triple Jump—1. Blake Garner, 41’9.5, Perkins County.
Girls’ Results:
Team results— 1. Chase County, 186; 2. Bayard, 75; 3. Gordon-Rushville, 62; 4. Bridgeport, 47; 5. Perkins County, 43; 6. Hemingford, 42; 7. Morrill, 34; 8. Mitchell, 23; 9. Kimball, 15.
Individual results
400 Meters—1. Bryn McNair, 1:01.20, CCS; 5. Libby Cole, 1:06.33, Perkins County; 7. Tylie Peterson, 1:10.00, Perkins County.
800 Meters—1. B. McNair, 2:26.81, CCS; 6. Meredith Gloy, 2:52.33, Perkins County.
1600 Meters—1. Lucy Spady, 5:47.49, CCS; 4. Charis Goodell, 6:01.90, Perkins County.
100m Hurdles—1. Jerzee Milner, 15.38, CCS; 2. Kailee Potts, 16.53, Perkins County.
300m Hurdles—1. Potts, 47.35, Perkins County.
4x400 Relay—1. CCS, 4:11.42; 2. Perkins County (Cole, Katie Cook, Kenna Busick, Potts), 4:24.93.
4x800 Relay—1. CCS, 10:22.73; 2. Perkins County (Busick, Gloy, Goodell, Cole), 10:30.32.
Long Jump—1. Olivia Loomis- Goltl, 15’8.75, Bridgeport; 5. Cook, 15’1.75, Perkins County.