NEBRASKA STATE MEET

Creighton Prep Ends Fremont's Streak On Tiebreaker; Lincoln East Girls Roll On To 6th Straight Title

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

The unseasonably brutal conditions for a 3.1 mile race – 80 degrees in late October – didn’t seem to faze Juan Gonzalez. On Friday afternoon on one of the biggest stages – the Nebraska State High School State Cross Country Championships at Kearney Cross Country Club, the Fremont junior covered the 5,000-meter course with an impressive time of 15 minutes, 26.6 seconds to win the Class A state title for the second year in a row.

Millard West’s Jack Witte was 12 seconds back to finish second. 

The boys team race proved to be a lot closer. Both Fremont and Creighton Prep finished with 82 points, but CP secured first place with their sixth runner finishing better than Fremont (39th to 53rd). 

The win for the Junior Jays stopped Fremont’s bid for a fourth consecutive title. Dennis Chapman's third place finish in 15:48.5 led the team. 

The Lincoln East girls extended their state streak to six in a row as they tallied 55 points placing four runners in the top 20. Mia Murray led the way with a fifth place finish (19:13.6).

Individually, Omaha Westside senior Claire White won the race in 18:32.5. Teammate and fellow senior Stella Miner was runner-up in 18:40.1. 

The race for the Class B title came down to the wire as Norris senior Riley Boonstra, who is a Nebraska commit,  repeated as champion, crossing the line in 16:10.3. Greta East’s Braden Loftiest was a close second in 16:11.6.

The Omaha Skutt Catholic boys won the Class B team title with 37 points, beating Lexington (42 points). Junior Thomas Rice was third for Omaha Skutt. 

In Class B girls, Norris made it a sweep as junior Kendall Zavala crossed the line first (19:03.21). Norris won its third state title in a row as all six runners finished in the top 15. 

In Class C boys, freshman Tyler Hetz guided Gothenburg to a title defense, finishing in second place overall (16:35.9). Senior Gus Lampe of Omaha Roncalli Catholic won in 16:33.8.

Kearney Catholic won the Class C girls title with 76 points, as Auburn was s second runner-up with 80. Individually, Lindee Henning of the Ogallala won in 19:33.9. 

The North Platte St. Patrick's boys dominated with 18 points, as junior Mason McGreer of Perkins County won in 16:46.6. 

In the girls Class D race, Hemingford won the team title scoring 33 points, while Ainsworth was second (36 points) and Crofton (39 points) for a close overall finish. Senior Katherine Kerrigan of Ainsworth won in 20:00.2. 

TEAM CHAMPIONS

Class A: Creighton Prep boys 82 points; Lincoln East girls 55 points - RESULTS

Class B: Omaha Skutt Catholic boys 37 points; Norris girls 21 points - RESULTS

Class C: Gothenburg boys 38 points; Kearney Catholic girls 76 points - RESULTS

Class D: North Platte St. Patrick’s High 18 points; Hemingford girls 33 points - RESULTS