After a rocky start in the fall sports season, North Platte progressively improved, reaching multiple milestones throughout the year that it hadn’t accomplished in years, ending with a state championship in the track and field season.
In what started off with a winless football season and a second consecutive fall with only four wins for the North Platte volleyball team, the Panthers made steps in the right direction as the year moved on. In the same season, the cross-country and softball teams had success that helped transition into historical winter and spring seasons.
The North Platte softball team finished with a 19-9 record and won its most games since going 25-3 in 2015. The Lady Panthers relied on their strong offense all year – setting a school record by outscoring their opponents 310 to 176 – while having seven players finish with a batting average over .400.
North Platte ended the fall season on a high note, hanging a banner for the Lady Panthers’ cross-country team that took third place in the Class 2 State Meet. Freshman Brianna DeBord led the way at state, taking fourth place overall with a time of 19:50.40, which set a new school record.
All seven of the Lady Panthers who ran in the state meet will return in 2022. Noah Heckman also broke the North Platte boys’ cross-country record when the sophomore crossed the finish line at the state race in 17:05.90 to earn 16th place.
With refreshing faces for head coaches at the helm in the winter, the North Platte basketball teams both had remarkable seasons, finishing with a better record and higher in the conference standings than recent memory. The Panthers entered the year with five consecutive losing seasons, all of which never surpassed the seven-win barrier.
The North Platte girls’ track and field team hold hands and walk toward the podium after becoming Class 2 State Champions on May 21.
First year head coach Braydn Kemper helped the Panthers mark more triumphs in the win column than the two years prior combined. North Platte finished with nine wins and took down two KCI Conference opponents throughout the year, which hadn’t been done since 2014.
Karl Matt made his return to being the head coach for the North Platte girls’ basketball team this winter and had a similar season to the last time he held the reins seven years before. North Platte rattled off its most wins since 2016 to finish with an 18-9 record and the top-seed in the Class 2 District 15 Tournament; the last time Matt was the Lady Panthers’ head coach, they ended with a 27-2 record and were district runners-up.
Once the spring hit, North Platte was in full stride of imprinting new accomplishments into the record books as it finished with the best baseball season in decades and the greatest track and field season in program history. The Panthers’ baseball team has had its struggles for years – failing to reach double digit wins or a winning record in ages – before catching fire in the back end of the season to end with an 11-10 record.
The Lady Panthers’ track and field team established their names in the history books, bringing home a state championship. North Platte had remarkable relay teams, finishing in first place in all four almost regularly throughout the regular season.
In the history of Lady Panther athletics, no team had ever claimed a state championship before this track and field season capped off an impressive year for North Platte. The Panthers are in a tough KCI Conference and will look to use this season’s achievements into next school year.