Hayden Daggett's lead Tuesday during the third heat of the 400-meter dash was evident as the sprinters raced around the last curve at Plattsmouth High School.
From there, the Blair Bear hit the final straightaway at full speed, besting Omaha Roncalli sophomore Logan Ferron to the finish line by 0.59 seconds. The track and field event win was one of two for the junior and coach Bryan Soukup's Bears altogether during the Blue Devils' eight-team invite.
Behind Daggett, the BHS boys took third as a team with 59 points. First-place Bennington scored 136, while Omaha Skutt took second with 133.
The Badgers' girls team won in Plattsmouth, too, while Blair's lineup took sixth at the start of its busiest week of the season to date. The Bears traveled Tuesday, but were scheduled to compete in Waverly on Thursday, and Friday and Saturday in Lawrence, Kan., for the Kansas Relays.
On the Devils' red track, though, Daggett was the most successful member of his BHS squad, which didn't enter its usual number of events to preserve itself for the week ahead. The junior won the aforementioned 400 dash in 49.5 seconds and the high jump with a 6-foot leap. He added a second-place showing in the 100-meter dash, too.
One of the Bears' 3,200-meter relay teams and junior Zach Beckner added second-place results as well. The runner-up middle distance team of Jade Wickwire, Emma Himes, Lainey Bilau and Kate Wulf stopped the clock in 10:30.27, while Beckner cleared 124 feet, 2 inches with his best discus attempt.
BHS' Colin McCabe, meanwhile, was third in the 100-meter dash as Emma Ammon (100 hurdles), Hailey Roewert (high jump) and Mia McClain (pole vault) secured their own bronze medals in Plattsmouth. The Bears' Jackson Barta, Declan McCabe, Raiden Isenhower, Brady Wolff, Brynn Lundgren, Jacy Schueth, London Larsen and Ali Wheeler contributed to points-scoring top-six finishes as well.
Results from Blair's Thursday, Friday and Saturday efforts, meanwhile, will appear in Tuesday's edition of the Washington County Pilot-Tribune.
Unified Bears compete, too
BHS' Unified track and field team also competed Tuesday in Plattsmouth, securing eight first-place finishes. Caden Finken, Keenan Wyman, Taylor O'Neil, Elizabeth Bray, Jaden Rogge, Cornez Tucker Jr., Jess Hineman, AJ Damme, Ava Jenkins and Riley Yanak all earned gold medal results.
Notably, Wyman, Finken, Damme and Yanak ran the boys' 400-meter relay in 51.91 seconds for first, while Jenkins, Hineman, Bray O'Neil won the girls' relay in 1:14.6.
PLATTSMOUTH INVITATIONAL
Tuesday at Plattsmouth High School
BOYS
Team standings: Bennington 136 points, Omaha Skutt 133, Blair 59, Elkhorn Mount Michael 53, Omaha Roncalli 36, Auburn 35, Plattsmouth 31, Omaha Gross 28.
Top-6 Blair Placers
100-meter dash: 2, Hayden Daggett, 11.15 seconds. 3, Colin McCabe, 11.21. 6, Jackson Barta, 11.74.
200 dash: 4, Colin McCabe, 22.72.
400 dash: 1, Daggett, 49.5.
1,600 run: 4, Declan McCabe, 4:51.04.
300 hurdles: 4, Raiden Isenhower, 45.02.
Long jump: 5, Barta, 20 feet, 4 inches.
High jump: 1, Daggett, 6.
Shot put: 5, Brady Wolff, 40-5.5.
Discus: 2, Zach Beckner, 124-2.
GIRLS
Team standings: Bennington 139.5, Plattsmouth 81, Skutt 81, Roncalli 70, Auburn 63, Blair 45.5, Boys Town 26, Omaha Gross 20, Omaha Mercy 1.
Top-6 Blair Placers
100-meter dash: 5, Brynn Lundgren, 12.92 seconds.
1,600 run: 5, Kate Wulf, 5:40.85.
3,200 run: 4, Jade Wickwire, 12:41.39.
400 relay: 5, BHS (Jacy Schueth, Lundgren, London Larsen, Mia McClain), 53.34.
3,200 relay: 2, BHS (Wickwire, Emma Himes, Lainey Bilau, Wulf), 10:30.27.
100 hurdles: 3, Emma Ammon, 16.57. 5, Schueth, 17.3.
High jump: 3, Hailey Roewert, 5-2. 5, Ammon, 4-10.
Pole vault: 3, McClain, 9. 4, Ali Wheeler, 8-6. 5, Schueth, 8.
