CCS girls ready to take on Class C’s best

    The Chase County girls’ track team may have won the C9 district team title by 100 points and will be competing in 10 individual events and three relays at state, but Head Coach Troy Hauxwell said he doesn’t know if he feels like the day was a win.
    Out of all the classes across the state, Hauxwell said there were only a handful of teams that had to compete in a monsoon. While the Perkins County track has protection on three sides, Hauxwell pointed out that the wind blew out of the east and straight into the faces of the 3,200-meter relay and 400 runners down the home stretch.
    As weather wreaked havoc on the schedule at the meet the decision was made to move the meet from Grant to Ogallala and its facility that had lights.
    Some athletes warmed up two or three times as the weather and the move delayed their performances.
    CCS may be taking a nice size contingent to Omaha, but Hauxwell listed several names that just missed out.
    Senior Joee Clevenger and sophomore Peyton Owens ran personal bests on the dry track in Grant, but couldn’t duplicate those times in the rain at Ogallala and finished out of the money.
    Owens went on to qualify for state with a second place finish in the 300-meter hurdles, but Clevenger’s third place wasn’t fast enough to make her an additional qualifier. Hauxwell said Clevenger had a great run in the terrible conditions.
    Freshman Riley Rusher qualified in the 100-meter dash, but missed out with a third place finish in the 200.
    Freshmen Miranda Spady and Ashlyn Heermann ran personal bests and finished fourth and fifth in the 800, an event that the district is sending three entries to state.
    The Longhorns won all three relays, but Hauxwell said the teams were careful with their exchanges which cost them time and led to poor lane assignments at state.
    “We have to attack moving forward,” Hauxwell said.
    Chase County is taking a young team to state.
    Senior Bryn McNair won the high jump, 400 and 800.
    Ali McNair, also a senior, won the pole vault with a personal best despite competing after a weather delay.
    Fellow senior Kaylie Lotspeich was an additional qualifier in the discus.
    Junior Katelyn Stamm placed second and qualified in the triple jump.
    The only other upperclassman, junior Ella Colson, will run a leg of the 400-meter relay.
    Behind them are a large group of freshmen and sophomores.
    Running the 3,200-meter relay with M. Spady and Heermann are sophomores Olivia Spady and Landree McNair.
    Colson and Ali McNair will team up with R. Rusher and Hayley Rusher in the 400-meter relay.
    Making up the 1,600-meter relay will be Owens, O. Spady, R. Rusher and B. McNair.
    L. McNair will stay busy with the high jump and 1,600-meter run.
    Hauxwell said his team’s youth really sticks out.
    Even running in less than ideal conditions, Hauxwell said his team ran hard and competed well in the rain and dark that went with an 11-hour meet.
    The Longhorns had seven personal bests in Grant and another six in Ogallala.
    Hauxwell also pointed out that CCS went 2-5-6 in the 100 and 3-4-5 in the 200 and 100-meter hurdles, plus all three runners had personal bests in the 1,600.
    CCS also went 2-4-5 in the triple jump with senior Liz Reeves wrapping up her career with a personal best.
    O. Spady, he said, ran the 3,200-meter relay around noon, then had to wait until after 8 p.m. to get back on the track in the final two relays.
    Overall, Hauxwell felt the day was about the big picture, kids holding umbrellas and trash bags with dry clothes in them for their teammates.
    CCS also cleaned up the Ogallala gym at the end of the day after everyone else had left.
    “Great kids fly under the radar and don’t always get recognized,” Hauxwell said.
    Now Chase County hits the road for Omaha. After winning the last two Class C state titles, Hauxwell said there will be a lot of good teams to compete with at state, including Crofton, Hastings St. Cecilia and Kearney Catholic.
    Based on past performances, getting to 50 points will be key if CCS wants to be in contention for a state title.
    The Longhorns will need individuals to pick up points even though Hauxwell said the team doesn’t have as much depth as in the past.
    “Anything is possible,” he said.
    The Longhorns will leave Thursday morning for Omaha.
    Classes C and D will compete Friday and Saturday.
District C9
Girls team results— 1. Chase County, 175; 2. Bayard, 75.5; 3. Perkins County, 58.5; 4. Morrill, 52; 5. Bridgeport, 49; 6. Mitchell, 48; 7. Gordon-Rushville, 46; 8. Hemingford, 18.
Individual results
100 Meters—1. Dani Harter, 13.37, Bayard; 2. Riley Rusher, 13.50, CCS; 5. Ella Colson, 13.75, CCS; 6. Hayley Rusher, 13.96, CCS.
200 Meters—1. Brooklin Hess, 27.17, Morrill; 3. R. Rusher, 27.31, CCS; 4. H. Rusher, 27.85, CCS; 5. Adelle Eskew, 28.48, CCS.
400 Meters—1. Bryn McNair, 59.79, CCS; 4. Dylan Heermann, 1:05.70, CCS; 7. Hailey Markee, 1:07.54, CCS.
800 Meters—1. B. McNair, 2:22.39, CCS; 4. Miranda Spady, 2:31.08, CCS; 5. A. Heermann, 2:31.38, CCS.
1600 Meters—1. Tyrah American Horse, Gordon-Rushvilley, 5:35.37; 4. Landree McNair, 5:48.18, CCS; 7. Tessa Smith, 6:03.47, CCS.
3200 Meters—1. Kierra Miller, 12:34.39, Bayard; 6. Smith, 13:19.64, CCS.
100m Hurdles—1. Kailee Potts, 16.30, PCS; 3. Peyton Owens, 16.80, CCS; 4. Joee Clevenger, 16.81, CCS; 5. Tristan Nordhausen, 17.55, CCS.
300m Hurdles—1. Potts, 48.18, PCS; 2. Owens, 48.63, CCS; 3. Clevenger, 51.04, CCS; 7. Nordhausen, 54.13, CCS.
4x100 Relay—1. CCS (H. Rusher,  Colson, Ali McNair, R. Rusher), 52.17.
4x400 Relay—1. CCS (Owens, Olivia Spady, R. Rusher, B. McNair), 4:13.06.
4x800 Relay—1. CCS (O. Spady, M.  Spady, L. McNair, A. Heermann), 10:11.38.
Discus—1. McKinley Grover, 133-8, Gordon-Rushville; 3. Kaylie Lotspeich, 122-0, CCS; 5. Brooke Schilke, 101-4, CCS; 6. Addi Leibbrandt, 101-0, CCS.
High Jump—1. B. McNair, 5-3, CCS; 2. L. McNair, 4-9, CCS.
Pole Vault—1. Ali McNair, 10-2, CCS.
Long Jump—1. Danika Hassel, 16-5.5, Bayard; 3. Eskew, 15-7.75, CCS; 4. Katelyn Stamm, 15-4.5, CCS; 7. Ava McNair, 14-9.25, CCS.
Triple Jump—1. Hassel, 34-8, Bayard; 2. Stamm, 33-7.5, CCS; 4. Ava McNair, 32-7.25 CCS; 5. Liz Reeves, 32-1.25, CCS.