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Brendan Liess hopes to add four more state track medals
McCook senior
has 11 top three
finishes at Omaha
McCook High School senior Brendan Liess is already one of the most decorated athletes in sports history at both MHS and the state of Nebraska.
In addition to being a member of two state championship football teams and two state runnerup squads, Liess also has 11 medals in his trophy case from the Nebraska Class B state track and field championships.
Friday and Saturday at the 2006 state track meet, Liess hopes to add four more medals -- preferably all of the gold variety.
Liess will compete in the 200- and 400-meter dashes as well as the 4x100- and 4x400-meter relay teams.
Liess is one of 15 athletes competing for the Bison boys track team at the state meet. McCook won the district title last week.
There will also be seven members of the Bison girls track team vying for medals at Omaha Burke Stadium.
Liess, who signed a letter of intent to play football at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, said he had some doubts whether he would regain his speed after a serious knee injury ended his Bison football career in the first game of the 2005 season.
"It was a slow pace coming back," said Liess, who has run a 22.5 second 200 time this season, down from 21.8 last year. He has also run the the 400 in 50.2. "I knew I would have enough time to get back to being as successful.
"It has made me work that much harder. I knew it was my last time being my senior year. It gave me that much more drive to finish on a good note."
Liess is a member of the defending champion 4x100- and 4x400-meter relay teams. McCook has a season-best time of 43.14 seconds in the 4x100 and 3 minutes, 23.3 seconds in the 4x400. Both marks lead Class B.
The school record in the 4x400 is 3:21.
Liess is joined on the 4x100 by Jeff Klug, Nate Berry and Tony Purvis. The 4x400 consists of Liess, Purvis, Josh Cherry and Jon Bryant.
McCook track coach John Gumb said a healthy Liess will make a big impact this weekend.
"On the track, we kind of build the team around the relays," Gumb said. "In the last four years, Brendan has led off the 4x100 to give us a good start. In the 4x400, we run him last because once he has the lead no one can catch him.
"We only have him for one more week. Just having him there healthy and ready to run makes the other kids feel better about their chances."
McCook has a chance of sweeping the relays at state.
The 4x800 relay of Cody Martin, Cherry, Bryant and Andy Lambing has the second-fastest time in Class B at 8:05.8.
"We scored 26 points in the relays last year. We have the potential to do that again this year. In order for us to have a chance to win state, the relays have to perform well."
The Bison relay teams have experience.
Three of the four members of the 4x100 relay are seniors. There are two seniors on the 4x400 and one on the 4x800.
"There's a couple teams out east that could give us a race," Liess said. "The competition we've gone through will help us at state."
Liess said he is looking forward to competing with senior teammates Purvis and Klug for the final time.
"Everybody will give it their all," Liess said. "We've got a pretty good team."
Also headed to state
for the Bison boys are:
* Pole vaulters Mason Pohl, Ryan Bedore and David Swisher, who placed 1-2-3 at the Class B-6 district meet last week at Scottsbluff.
* Micah Kamla, triple jump.
* Sam Frazier, discus.
* Cherry, 800.
* Brandon Kotschwar, 110 and 300 hurdles.
* Jon Swanhorst, 300 hurdles.
Bison girls going
to state are:
* Kim Miller, school record-holder in the shot put.
* Ashlee Huffman, discus.
* Austin Wilson, 100-meter dash.
* The 4x100 relay team of Wilson, Kali Lyons, Brianna Ward and Michelle Slater.
Classes B and D start competing at 9 a.m. Friday, beginning with 4x800 relay finals. All running events on Friday are preliminaries except the 3200 and 3200 relays.
Classes A and C start competing at 3:30 p.m. Friday.
Saturday competition begins at 9:30 a.m. with the 800-meter races.