“Who is the Fastest Nebraska Schoolboy in History Dream Race” - Preliminary Heat Three of Four

The lane assignments have finally been completed “Who is the Fastest Nebraska Schoolboy in History Dream Race”. We are now up to Heat Three (of 4) of the preliminary heats.

Heats One and Two were previously posted and here is how they appear:

*The Dream Race Prelims

*Heat One:

1 Eric Meyer-Logan View - (competed 2003-2006)

2. Caleb Brown-Lincoln High - (competed 2017)

3. Ricky Davis-Creighton Prep - (competed 1985-1987)

4. Roger Sayers-Omaha Central - (competed 1958-1959)

5. Willie Vinson-Omaha Burke - (competed 1980-1982)

6. Kenzo Cotton-Papillion LaVista - (competed 2016-2019)

7. Scott Yank-Lincoln Southeast - (competed 1979-1981)

8. Dusty Stamer-Grand Island - (competed 1998-2000)

9. Nate Probasco-Scribner-Snyder - (competed 2000-2003)

*The Dream Race Prelims

*Heat Two:

1 Kohlman Adema-Schulte-Millard West - (competed 2007-2009)

2. Ronnie Doss-Omaha Benson - (competed 1991-1993)

3. Asher Jenkins-Bellevue West - (competed 2017-2019*)

4. Ahman Green-Omaha Central - (competed 1993-1995)

5. Paul Phillips-Omaha Central - (competed 1930-1932)

6. Bobby Williams-Lincoln High - (competed 1959-1961)

7. Eric Crouch-Millard North - (competed 1995-1997)

8. Tom Millsap-Grand Island - (competed 1961-1963)

9. Alex Nelson-Elkhorn South - (competed 2016-2018)

This is Heat Three of the Dream Race prelims with bios on each competitor:

HEAT THREE

1 Ethan Baessler-Blair - (competed 2022-2024)

2. Cole Biodrowski-Fort Calhoun - (competed 1998-2001)

3. Mike Thompson-Omaha Holy Name - (competed 1971-1974)

4. KJ Cotton-Papillion LaVista - (competed 2015-2017)

5. Kent McCloughan-Broken Bow - (competed 1958-1961)

6. Randy Brooks-Creighton Prep - (competed 1974-1977)

7. Broc Howard-Kearney - (competed 1996-1999)

8. Tim Thompson-Boys Town - (competed 2009-2010)

9. Daniel Davie-Beatrice - (competed 2009-2010)

*Ethan Baessler-Blair - (competed 2022-2024) - The Blair flyer was an early bloomer, blazing to a 10.69 Hundred Meter Dash time and a 3rd Place finish in Class B at State Track as a sophomore. He then slammed the sprints at State Track (10.53, 21.6) his Junior season and repeated the feat when he was a Senior (10.50, 21.80). Now a Sophomore sprinter at the University of South Dakota, Ethan sprinted to a sizzling 10.33 in winning the Summit League Conference 100 Meters championship and has already anchored the South Dakota 4x1 team to a quick 40.97 1st Place win at the SD Snooze Button Classic back on April 8th. Baessler can flat out fly in that 100.

*Cole Biodrowski-Fort Calhoun - (competed 1998-2001) - How does :10.3 in the 100 and :21.0 in the 200 meters grab you? Those are the superman-like clockings the Ft. Calhoun super-athlete posted during the 2001 regular season. Those dream-like clockings came one year after Biodrowski captured the Class C 100 and 200 at state his junior year. Biodrawski also slammed the 100 and 200 his senior season.

Both of those times by the way, rank second on the All-Time Nebraska sprint charts. Biodrowski’s biggest moment came in the hundred meter dash at the state track meet in 2001, when he sped to an All-Class Gold Medal time of :10.66. Cole also teamed up with his brother (twin?) Cory to win the 400 Meter Relay in 2001 in 43.70.

Cole Biodrowski silenced critics with that 2001 all-class 100 Gold, who claimed his 10.3 and 21 flat times were simply products of slow thumbs, excessive winds or both. Those statements deeply saddened me at the time.

I can assure you there was nothing bogus about Mr. Biodrowski’s clockings. This guy was ALWAYS the Real Deal.

*Mike Thompson-Omaha Holy Name - (competed 1971-1974) - Not many sprinters turn a hat trick at the state track meet when it comes to the 100, 220 and 440, but Mike Thompson pulled it off as a junior in 1973. The Holy Name Rambler turned on the jets to win the 100 in :09.7, the 220 in :21.4 and the grueling 440 in :49.6. What many may not realize is that Thompson ran a :09.5 in the prelims but the wind robbed him of a record on that Friday.

The great Mike Thompson was on his way to another magnificent state track meet his senior year in 1974, winning the 100 in :09.8 after posting a wind-aided :09.7 on Friday. But a severe tendonitis flareup in his ankle forced him to scratch out of the 220 and 440, robbing him of any Gold Medal opportunities after winning three All-Class Golds in ‘73.

Mike Thompson is still one of Nebraska finest sprinters ever.

*Kurtis (KJ) Cotton-Papillion LaVista - (competed 2015-2017) - Kenzo’s little bro may not have run a state record :10.403, but the younger Cotton still reeled off times in the 100 and 200 at state that are still on the All-Time charts.

KJ’s 100 and 200 meter times of :10.57 and :21.55, run at state and were ranked 7th and 5th all time respectively when he graduated from high school. The younger Cotton easily won All-Class golds in both sprints his sophomore and junior years then was dogged by a hamstring which caused him to miss most of his senior season.

Although being somewhat overshadowed by his older brother, the name KJ Cotton still should be in the conversation when talking about the finest sprinters of all time.

*Kent McCloughan-Broken Bow (competed 1958-1961) - Without a doubt, one of Nebraska’s greatest athlete/sprinters ever. His 220 yard dash time of :21.4 in 1961 held up as a state record for an incredible 51 years before Kenzo Cotton finally eclipsed it in 2012. McCloughan’s Class B State Meet record still stands today. Kent’s personal best of :09.6 over a hundred yards still also ranks as one of the all-time bests in Nebraska prep track circles.

McCloughan was an All-Nebraska football player twice, an All-Big Eight defensive back for the Huskers in 1964, and was twice named All-Pro defensive back for the Oakland Raiders.

Kent McCloughan retired in 2012 after 39 years with the Oakland Raiders organization, serving in the scouting and player development department.

(“Did You Know” department-Kent McCloughan’s father Ralph McCloughan of Mason City, Ne., won the 100 Yard Dash at the 1934 State Track Meet with a time of :09.9. Bloodlines? Oh yeah)

*Randy Brooks-Creighton Prep - (competed 1974-1977) - I still recall watching Randy Brooks on a windy, rainy day at Burke stadium in 1977. After seeing the Creighton Prep superstar run a :09.5 in the 100, a :13.4 in the 120 highs and :19.7 in the 180 low hurdles, I thought to myself “this is the fastest high school kid I have ever seen in my life”.

To this day, I still believe that is the most phenomenal performance I have ever witnessed at Omaha Burke in a state track meet setting, and Randy’s performance in that 100 yard dash that day has never topped in my mind. I will never, ever forget it.

After winning five Gold medals at the state track meet, Randy Brooks went on to earn a quartet of track letters at the University of Nebraska, winning the Big Eight Indoor 60 yard high hurdles and the outdoor 110 Meter HH (1981).

*Broc Howard-Kearney - (competed 1996-1999) - Junior season times of :10.4 and :21.55 put Broc Howard’s name among Nebraska’s all-time elite sprinters. An injury riddled senior season did nothing to tarnish what the Kearney high sprint ace accomplished prior to that.

Howard’s 1998 hundred meter dash meeting with Lincoln Northeast’s Clifford Brye was one of the greatest State Track spectacles of all time. I was right near the start of that race and you could have heard a pin drop among the 12,000 spectators when the starter called the runners to their blocks. Never heard anything close to that in my life since. Just breathtaking.

Broc Howard is now the head track coach at Kearney high, following the footsteps of Hall of Fame Legend Roger Matheison, his former mentor. Still considered to be one of the premier sprinters of all time and you'll get no argument from me on that statement.

*Tim Thompson-Boys Town - (competed 2009-2010) - The only Nebraska schoolboy to run a :10.2 hundred meters. The Boys Town ace rushed to the historical mark at the windy Platteview Invitational on April Fools Day, 2010.

Dogged by a pulled hamstring for most of his two seasons at Boys Town, Thompson finished 7th in the hundred his junior year, then lost a spirited battle to Daniel Davie of Beatrice in the 100 finals (:10.731 to :10.743) of his 2010 senior season. Thompson was also 4th in the 200 that year.

Tim Thompson’s career best sprint times were that legendary :10.2 hundred meters and :22.11 in the two hundred, although that sounds much too slow.

*Daniel Davie-Beatrice - (competed 2009-2010) - One big track year at Beatrice made Daniel Davie a household name at the state track meet his junior season of 2010.

The Beatrice speedster turned a bunch of heads when he zipped to a :10.38 hundred meters at the River Cities Conference Meet May 6, 2010. The time was rounded up to :10.4.

Davie went on to capture the All-Class Gold in the 100 (:10.73) at the 2010 state track meet, also adding a Class B 200 meters win in :21.95.

Both wins were very impressive, especially in that 100 meters, where Davie topped a field that included Boys Town’s Tim Thompson, Tyler Evans of Waverly, Tyler Wullernwaber from Centennial, Gothenburg speedster Tanner Mroczek and Boys Town’s Devin Winston. All those runners were under 11 flat in that race.

Daniel Davie, who moved to Beatrice from Detroit, Michigan the summer prior to his sophomore year, rushed for 1,105 yards for Beatrice in 2010, helping him to land a football scholarship to Nebraska.

Davie earned four letters at Nebraska, playing a significant defensive backfield role in both his sparkling junior campaign and injury filled senior season.

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Next up: Heat Four, the final heat of the Dream Race prelims….