Coaches love area teams: four in state top five

Chase County’s Lucy Spady set the pace in Saturday’s 3200-meter run at the Don Stine Invitational for a Longhorn team ranked No. 1 among all Class C girls.

R.B. Headley/McCook Gazette

LINCOLN, Neb. — Observers across the state are taking notice of what southwest Nebraska teams are achieving this spring season.

The Nebraska Track-Field Coaches Association proved this point with both McCook Bison squads, Chase County’s girls and Dundy County-Stratton’s boys all ranking top five among their respective classes this week.

McCook’s boys are No. 2 and trail only the familiar Hastings Tigers in Class B.

The Bison will get a good challenge (weather permitting) as No. 3 Sidney will be part of Thursday’s Gothenburg Invitational.

Beatrice and Bennington complete the Class B top five Journal-Star boys’ teams.

Meanwhile, the McCook girls are now No. 5 following a 52-point victory at last week’s 11-team Broken Bow Invite.

Junior Sierra Kotschwar owns the No. 5 spot in ALL classes thanks to her 124’4” Hoehner Invite discus throw on April 1.

Coach Brent May’s Bison girls stormed past Class B No. 3 Scottsbluff, who totaled just 54 points.

On Thursday, the Bison will see No. 4 Ogallala at Gothenburg.

York and Arlington hold the top two Class B girls spots.

No Class C girls teams can top Chase County’s girls. They are No. 1 in the NTCA rankings and just scored more than 220 points during Saturday’s Don Stine Invitational at Cambridge.

Chase County has posted the fastest C times in the 100 (Kamrie Dillan), 200 (Dillan), 400 (Bryn McNair),800-meter runs (McNair), 300-meter hurdles (Jerzee Milner) as well as two relays (400, 3200).

Hastings St. Cecilia, North Bend Central, Syracuse and David City are other Class C top five teams.

Finally, the DC-S boys are Class D No. 2 just below Journal-Star No. 1 Riverside. The Tigers boast Class D’s three fastest relays.

RPAC foe Bertrand, Axtell and Osceola fill the remaining Class D boys’ top five spots.