3 Pioneers medal as FCHS boys take 3rd

Olberding brothers, Nelson earn top XC finishes

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People wearing Fort Calhoun High School colors pulled out there cellphones, refreshing results of the Class C boys cross-country meet over-and-over Friday at Kearney Country Club.
When the online page revealed the final standings, the Pioneers were disappointed in what they saw.
“Everybody wants to get first, but, you know, I can say we did our best to do that,” senior Lance Olberding said after the defending state champions' third-place effort.
“Sometimes the dice don't roll your way,” he said.
While the FCHS girls took seventh at the NSAA State Championships, the boys were third overall. Wanting to repeat, coach Kyle McMahon's team finished nine spots behind first-place Gothenburg and seven behind Lincoln Christian. Though it wasn't what they wanted, the Pioneers' two seniors expressed pride in what they'd accomplished.
“It was an honor to represent these colors for cross-country,” Ely Olberding said, echoing his brother Lance's sentiment.
The duo closed out their final fall seasons sixth and seventh as individuals, respectively. They and the rest of the field were contending for second behind Hartington senior Carson Noecker, who broke 15 minutes across 5 kilometers and became the first Nebraska boy to win four-straight state titles.
“Any realistic person knows that Carson Noecker is a freaking animal and he deserves that,” Ely said.
The senior's sixth-place finish, meanwhile, came in 17:06.1. He finished the long Kearney final stretch as fast as he could.
“I knew that was my last chance in a cross-country race, so I knew I had to put it all out there,” the Pioneer said.
The slight hill to the finish line is one he's become quite familiar with during his four-year cross-country career.
“It is the worst finish, but its a tunnel finish. There's people everywhere cheering and screaming,” Ely said. “Really, there's no other finish like it, though. It's just one of those things that balances out.”
Lance Olberding, meanwhile, was seventh in 17:19.2 He bested the eighth-place runner — Jaxon Kilmurry of Battle Creek — by 2.8 seconds.
Freshman Will Dennis was the next FCHS runner in, taking 26th in 18:01.2. Travis Skelton earned 34th in 18:15.1 and Lawson Tjardes was 37th in 18:17.5.
Gage Nixon, meanwhile, claimed 43rd out of 116 runners in 18:23.6, too.
On the girls' side, the Pioneers' Maelie Nelson earned her first state medal in her first attempt. The freshman was 11th in 20:34.9.
“My legs are really hurting,” she said, smiling through the pain. “I'm glad it's done, I guess.”
Recalling her improvement throughout the season, the FCHS standout said it was an “amazing” feeling standing on the podium at the end of the season.
“This one was a fun race,” Nelson said. “I'm glad I got a chance to be here.”
Former state medalist Bria Bench, a junior, earned 30th Friday afternoon, too. The Pioneer clocked in at 21:35.1, while senior Dala Drowne was 54th in 22:56.6.
Bella McLaughlin was 56th, too, finishing up in 22:58.9, while Harley Schwarte took 86th in 24:09.6. Senior Kaitlyn Thalman was 104th in 26:05.7 as well.
Overall, multiple Pioneers expressed pride in their sate efforts at the close of the 2022 campaign.
“I'm glad to run here at Fort Calhoun,” Lance Olberding said.

Fort Calhoun cross-country