In the annual Early Bird Meet – that allows more athletes to compete in certain events to give more opportunities in the early season – the North Platte and West Platte track and field teams impressed at East Buchanan High School on March 24.
For the boys, North Platte’s Corbin Britting had an impressive start to the 2022 spring season by winning the 200 and 400-meter dashes. The sophomore Panther also ended in fifth place in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.56 seconds.
Britting won the 400-meter dash in 54.23 seconds with a pair of teammates also finishing top-8. Sophomore Kahner Tabor ended in sixth place with a time of 1:00.36 and sophomore Jason Shanks finished in eighth place in 1:00.88.
In the 200-meter dash, West Platte junior McLain Zendejas wasn’t far behind Britting as the Blue Jay earned fourth place with a time of 24.7 seconds. West Platte senior Chad Fowles ended the 100-meter dash in third place in 12.39 seconds.
In the long distance, Charlie Kinslow did what was expected from the Blue Jay junior with a pair of first place finishes. In the 800-meter run, Kinslow ended in 2:15.61 and finished the 1,600-meter run in 4:53.33.
In the 800-meter run, North Platte junior Josh Schaffart earned second place in 2:19.43, followed by West Platte freshman Jonah McGivern in fourth place with a time of 2:21.34. Panther sophomore Noah Heckman was in fifth place in 2:23.96, while Blue Jay freshman Thomas Deffet ended in seventh place in 2:34.16.
In the mile, Heckman was the third-place finisher with a time of 5:12.12 and Schaffart was in fourth place in 5:22.3. McGivern was in sixth place with a 5:34.58 time and Deffet ended in eighth place in 5:45.53.
The Blue Jays impressed in the 110-meter hurdles when freshman Gus Goodwin was in second place, Cameron Williams was in fourth place and Peyson Chandler was in sixth place. Williams also finished in second place in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 45.96 seconds and Chandler was the seventh-place finisher in 51.47 seconds.
The Hill brothers set the tone for the field events as the West Platte freshman and senior did well in the high jump and long jump. Dalton Hill won the high jump with a 5 feet and 9 inch leap and Augie Hill ended in third place with a hop of 5 feet and 5 inches, then the Blue Jay freshman – Augie – tied with McGivern in fourth place in the long jump with a leap of 17 feet and 5 inches.
West Platte junior Guglielmo Forti won the long jump with a jump of 18 feet and 8.75 inches. In the triple jump, Williams got fourth place with a 38’6.5” meter jump and junior Josh Brown ended in 13th place in 30’05”.
West Platte junior McKanan Reade won the pole jump in 8’4.5”, while North Platte freshman Coen Rainsbarger and senior by Gabe Goodlet tied for fourth place in 7’4.5”. Blue Jay junior Josh Brown was in seventh place with 6-10.75 meters, while sophomore Ryan Handgen ended in eighth place in 6 feet and 4.75 inches.
Liam Servaes had a solid start to his sophomore campaign as the Panther was the top-thrower in the discus when he had a throw of 121 feet and 4.75 inches, followed by West Platte senior Shane Schmidt with a 113’08.25” heave. West Platte junior Chad Jameson ended in seventh place and North Platte junior Ian Bledsoe finished in ninth place.
In the shot put, Schmidt earned first place with a 42 feet and 8.25 inch sling and Servaes ended in second place with 38 feet and 11.25 inches. West Platte senior Eli Harris finished in third place in 37’1.75”, North Platte sophomore Jesse Williams got fourth place with 36 feet and 9 inches, West Platte junior Chad Jameson ended in fifth place in 35’8.25”.
In the javelin, West Platte senior Shane Schmidt ended in fifth place with a 118 feet and 8 inch throw and junior Ronald Scott ended in 10th place after a 99’3” meter heave.
The North Platte and West Platte girls’ track and field teams also had impressive outings in the Early Bird Meet.
The Lady Panthers’ trio of Lindsey Ramsey, Olivia Rogers and Haley Sampson dominated in the sprinting events, led by Ramsey who had a remarkable freshman debut. The North Platte freshman finished in first place in the 200 and 400-meter dashes and third place in the 100-meter dash.
Olivia Rogers was the top-finisher in the 100-meter dash in 13.3 seconds, Ramsey ran the race in 13.35 seconds and Sampson was in sixth place with a 13.79 second time. Ramsey won the 200-meter dash in 26.96 seconds, Rogers ended in second place with a 27.01 time and Sampson was the fifth-place finisher with a time of 27.83 seconds.
West Platte junior Cosette Clark won the girls’ pole vault with a jump of 6 feet and 10.75 inches in the Early Bird Track & Field Meet at East Buchanan High School on March 24.
In the 400-meter dash Ramsey, Sampson and Rogers finished in that order in the top-3, followed by Kalli Schuster in fourth place and Bella Kitmitto. West Platte’s Katie Groom ended in fifth place in the 100-meter dash and in fourth place in the 200-meter dash, while freshman Sam Baker was a seventh-place finisher in the 100-meter dash.
West Platte freshman Hailey Peters was the first-place finisher in the 100-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles. Sophomore Kaitlyn Reinke ended in third place in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 20.81 seconds.
In the 800-meter run, North Platte Gracie Ramsey began her senior season with a bang and won the long distance race with a 2:33.74 time. North Platte junior Shelby Lingle ended in fourth place with Pattison being the next runner to cross the finish line, while West Platte sophomore Avery Holmes was in seventh place.
After a pair of Brookfield runners were the first two finishers in the 1,600-meter run, West Platte sophomore Julia Pattison ended in third place in 6:05.35 and was followed by three straight North Platte runners: Brianna DeBord, Lingle and Jessa Cassidy. DeBord also finished in eighth place in the 800-meter run, along with Cassidy ending in 10th place.
In the high jump, West Platte junior Ahlanna Rutherford earned first place with a 4 feet and 7 inch leap and sophomore Groom Klaira ended in third place with a 4’5.25” meter jump. Baker finished in second place in the triple jump and Rutherford ended in sixth place.
North Platte had two of the top-4 finishers in the long jump, led by Sampson in second place with a jump of 16 feet and 3.25 inches. Makenna Cartwright ended in fourth place when the sophomore Panther jumped 14 feet and 3.75 inches.
In the throwing events, North Platte junior Gracelynn Hoffman finished in fifth place in the discus and 10th place in the shot put. The North Platte and West Platte track and field teams will be back at it when the Blue Jays and Panthers head to Smithville on April 1.