HNS junior high track concludes successful season

GOTHENBURG — Will Feilmeier and Aiden Collier recently competed in the Nebraska Middle School State Track and Field Meet in Gothenburg.

Feilmeier competed in the 100 and 200-meter sprints while Collier threw the discus in the meet.

Feilmeier ran the 100 in 12.27 seconds, which placed him 20th in the event for the entire state, but did not get him into the finals.

Kadin Logan, an unattached runner, won the event in 11.07 seconds, Thomas Dillard of Norfolk was second with a time of 11.58.

In the 200, Feilmeier ran his personal best of 24.42 seconds which placed him just outside of the finals in 10th position, Logan won that event in 22.62 in the finals.

Collier tossed the discus 122-feet-2-inches, which placed him 16th in the field of 24 throwers.

Kolten Green of Seward won the event with a best of 156-09.

“They both competed very well,” said Hartington-Newcastle Jr. High Coach Tylor Fincher. “Obviously, there is some very good competition across the state - it’s the best-of-the-best.”

The meet wrapped up a very successful season for the youngsters.

The Hartington-Newcastle junior high track team eventually used some good weather this past spring to rewrite some records and enjoy some success.

“We were not sure if we would ever get outside at the beginning of the season,” said junior Wildcat coach, Tylor Fincher. “But it turned out to be one of the nicest seasons for weather in a long time and both track and field teams were very successful.”

The junior high boys won every meet they ran in after the first meet and the teams set six new records throughout the season.

Will Feilmeier broke records in the 100 and 200 meters.

One record dated back to 1998 by Eric Wynia and another went all the way back to Brian Olsen in 1984.

Feilmeier joined Ty Opfer, Aiden Collier and Jason Heimes to break a 1986 record in the 4X100 relay.

The speedy quartet circled the track in 50.85 seconds to set the record, only to see it broken before Collier, Heimes, Feilmeier and Hunter Kruse ran the race in 49.19 later in the season.

Maximus McCray, Trevin Hopping, Davey Folkers and Josiah Christensen broke a record in the 4X200 relay.

Austin Sudbeck, Heimes, Kruse and Gabe Reyes set a Hartington Community Athletic Complex record in the 4X400 relay.

Collier also broke the Complex record in the discus with a toss of over 132-feet.

“All the boys competed hard throughout the entire season even if they did not get on the record board,” Fincher said. “They all were pushing themselves to achieve their own personal records.”