Move on girls! Chase boys now a Class C state championship

Chase County’s Easton Fries (right) separates from other Class C 1600-meter elay anchor legs to finish his great weekend with two firsts and two seconds.

Diane Stamm/Imperial Republican

OMAHA, Neb. — For the past several years, Chase County has been known for its excellent girls track program.

This year, the Longhorn boys let everyone know that CCS has a track program, not just track teams.

Behind three first place finishes, the Chase County boys team won the Class C State Track Championship 66-52 over Battle Creek for the school’s first ever track title and first boys state title in at least 50 years.

Junior Mason Wallin started Saturday off in style for the Longhorns with a winning jump of 14 feet in the pole vault.

Classmate Easton Fries carried a heavy load in Omaha for the Longhorns.

Fries won the 300-meter hurdles and was runner up in the 110-meter hurdles and 400-meter dash.

Fries battled SPVA foe Jaxon Knisley of North Platte St. Pat’s through out the season in the 110-meter hurdles. Knisley blew away the competition in the Saturday’s finals, finishing with a Class C state record of 14.18. Fries was second with a time of 14.6.

Knowing they just needed to place in the 1,600-meter relay to secure the team title, Head Coach Carl Zuege said his runners were clear that they wanted nothing less than first place in the relay to wrap up the state meet.

Jonathan Sosa, Tristan Jablonski and Stephen Murray set the table, giving Fries the advantage he needed to hold off 400-meter state champion Logan Lebo of Lincoln Lutheran for the relay title.

Also picking up points for CCS at state was the Longhorns’ 400-meter relay, Sosa, Tucker Mollendor, Thomas Reeves and Dawson Mollendor, and 3,200-meter relay, Jablonski, Luis Co, Murray and Zach Herbert; plus Jensen Olsen, fifth in the 110-meter high hurdles; Jaret Peterson, seventh in the discus; and Reeves, sixth in the 200-meter dash.

The Chase County girls team finished just short in its quest for a third-straight Class C team title. CCS tied with Kearney Catholic for second place behind Bishop Neumann.

Girls Head Coach Troy Hauxwell said most people don’t realize how young of a team Chase County had this year.

The Longhorns only had one first place finish in Omaha.

The young 3,200-meter relay team, freshmen Miranda Spady and Ashlyn Heermann and sophomores Olivia Spady and Landree McNair, started off Class C running events with a win.

Senior Bryn McNair tied for second in the high jump and was second in the 400-meter dash. B. McNair, who was runner up in the 800-meter dash in 2021 and 2022, was one of seven runners who broke the Class C state record in the 800. B. McNair placed fifth.

Kaylie Lotspeich finished sixth in the discus for CCS and Ali McNair was eighth in the pole vault.

Chase County entered the final event, the 1,600-meter relay, still in contention for the team title. CCS needed a first-place finish and needed Bishop Neumann to finish fourth at best. Peyton Owens, O. Spady, Riley Rusher and B. McNair ran to second place, one spot ahead of Bishop Neumann. While the result didn’t win the team championship, it did seal up a runners up trophy for the Longhorns.

Now Chase County will wait to see what next year brings. After graduating a class of 37, CCS will have over 60 freshman next year. The Longhorns were the fourth biggest Class C school in the 2022-2023 track classifications, Kearney Catholic is the biggest Class C school in track, and will wait to see if they remain in Class C or bump up to Class B for the upcoming season.