AHS, FCHS nab 24 state XC spots

Pioneers win boys' district title at Sycamore Farms

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Twenty-four Washington County high school runners competed Thursday at Sycamore Farms and 24 qualified for the NSAA Class C State Championships.
The Arlington Eagles and Fort Calhoun Pioneers built themselves up early during the cross-country campaign and instituted just enough rest in the later stages to be ready for 5-kilometer races like those of the C-2 District meet near Waterloo.
“I honestly think, you know, as you're getting toward the end of the season and you're starting to back off on things, the kids get antsy and they get crazy,” AHS coach Michaela Curran said. “They become psychos these last few weeks, and they're just itching to roll.”
Her Eagles were hungry to contend for state qualifications alongside their Fort Calhoun neighbors and 10 other teams.
“They've gotten through the tough stuff,” Curran said. “Now, we're feeling lighter.”
All four county boys and girls cross-country teams earned their spots in this Friday's state meet in Kearney. The Pioneer boys won the district title last Thursday, while Arlington was second.
The FCHS girls, meanwhile, were second behind Dougals County West — the meet host. The Eagle girls were third, too, qualifying ahead of fourth-place Platteview.

Pioneers run team race
No Fort Calhoun boy finished lower than 19th in the 70-runner C-2 boys race.
The Pioneers won the team title as a result, finishing five cumulative spots ahead of Arlington.
“It was exciting to see us, from No. 1 to No. 6, run so well as a team,” FCHS coach Kyle McMahon said. “It makes me feel better going into state next week. We're running strong as a (team of) six and not just a two, a three or a four. We're moving together as a group.”
Senior brothers Ely and Lance Olberding led the way, finishing second and third. They clocked in at 16:54.28 and 16:57.47, respectively.
“They're the ultimate competitors,” McMahon said. “They're a coach's dream.”
Both runners were key pieces of last fall's state championship, which the Pioneers now have the right to defend in Kearney.
“(The Olberdings) lead the team on the course and they're the last guys off of the bus, cleaning the bus — making sure everything is done,” McMahon said.
Lawson Tjardes added a 10th-place finish for the FCHS boys, recording a time of 17:49.64. Travis Skelton, Will Dennis and Gage Nixon were 11th, 16th, and 19th, too.
McMahon was pleased with girls' second-place effort at Sycamore Farms as well.
“We had six girls under 23 minutes today, which is fantastic,” he said.
Maelie Nelson was sixth in 20:03, while Bria Bench took eighth in 20:07.54. Kaitlyn Thalman added a 14th-place effort, while Bella McLaughlin was 15th, Dala Drowne was 19th and Harley Schwarte finished 27th.
Now, the Pioneers move onto the state championships with a 12-athlete group of both youth and experience.
“We're watching those young ones get pulled up by the older ones,” McMahon said. “As a coach, it makes me feel good to see kids throughout all of our classes running and getting experience.”

Rested Eagles perform
As noted, Arlington's cross-country team was ready to go Thursday.
“Lots of rest,” Curran said, pointing out a key to its state-qualification success. “And they put it together when it mattered most.”
Eagles senior Keelianne Green, the defending state champion, won the individual district title in 19:36.04. Hailey O'Daniel, meanwhile, took third in 19:39.98.
“Keeli and Hailey have been doing what they've been doing all season. They came through for us,” Curran said. “And then we had some people not feeling as well today, but those that felt better stepped up to the plate because they knew, 'I've got to help my teammates out.'”
Brynn Eckhart was 25th, while Kelise Cook-Krivohlavek earned 26th and Whitney Wollberg took 30th. April Klein was 46th, too.
On the boys' side, Arlington's Nolan May, Kevin Flesner and Dallin Franzluebbers earned top-10 results. May was fourth in 17:05.02, Flesner was fifth in 17:26.38 and Franzluebbers claimed ninth in 17:49.29.
John Morrison added a 13th-place finish, while Kolby Tighe was 14th and Luke Hammang was 18th during the 70-runner race.
“They worked together as a team, which is something I've been stressing all season,” Curran said. “They relied on their teammates to get it done.”

Cross-country